Monday, August 14, 2017
561 - Spiritual Eclipse
Spirituality
Column No. 561
August
15, 2017Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
Spiritual Eclipse
By Bob Walters
"… And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for
us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2
A young man I know well was on a mission trip in Toronto
a few years ago.
The
small crew (four adults and a half-dozen college kids) was there for five days
to assist the promotion of a church “plant” (start-up) prior to its first
service. The mission was to canvass
nearby neighborhoods, pass the word, talk to people, distribute literature, be
nice, chat-up Jesus, etc. It was your
basic PR run for the Lord.
No,
it wasn’t cleansing lepers in Africa, but the mission trip yielded a stunning
opportunity that not only clarified the young man’s faith in Christ but also led
his heart to embrace a life mission that continues to this day. The opportunity opened up in a friendly,
impromptu conversation with the lead Imam at a large mosque – not far from the
new church – in the very cosmopolitan setting of globally multi-cultural
Toronto.
Warmly welcomed into the
mosque as visitors, the Christian mission team chatted some about what they
were doing in Toronto, but mainly visited the mosque to “reach-out” in the existing
faith community. You know how the Bible
says in several places, Old Testament and New, “God will give you the words to say”? Well, as the missions group prepared to
depart, the Imam directly posed an offer to the young man to learn more about
Muhammad, the Qur’an and to submit to Allah in faith.
The young man, always polite
as that is his nature, surprised himself by the calm but powerful words that proceeded
from his mouth. Pleasantly, not harshly,
he replied to the Imam: “I already have
Jesus; what more could I ever want? Jesus
loves me, He died for me, He came back and still lives for me. He forgave my sin, conquered my death, and
I’ve accepted his offer of a loving, personal relationship with Him in this
life. After that, I will sit with Jesus next
to God in heaven forever.” And on that irenic yet direct note, the group pleasantly
departed the mosque. No offense, Allah.
I just love that story. The young man today lives as a Christian
among peaceful Muslims in the Middle East, an endeavor I think is well-described
as “lampstand” mission work: respecting restrictive local laws but not hiding
his faith under a basket.
Anyway, I relate that
story – “I already have Jesus; what more could
I ever want?” – to make this point about what’s happening to “light” this
week in America.
Every charlatan
spiritualist, New Ager, prophesy purveyor, pagan mystic, crystal reader,
astrological seer, media scare-monger and, sadly, more than a few sincere but
misguided biblical eschatologists, are shilling multiple false gods and omens about
next Monday’s total solar eclipse. But
hear this: nothing’s there to worship, fear or impute.
Yes, God hung the Sun and
the moon and what a grand show is the cosmos He created – eclipses included. But leave it at that; don’t be suckered by
meaningless, spiritless, quasi-faith “event” canards that eclipse truth and add
darkness, not light.
Enjoy the astronomical
show, but persevere in the light. We
already have Jesus.
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