“He has put eternity in the human heart” (Ecc. 3:11)
Hello Saints,
Do you ever have one of those moments in life where you are forced to really look at what you believe and why you believe it? My whole weekend from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, was a series of interactions and conversations that challenged my view of scripture and how I interpret it, but further make me wonder if I got this whole God and salvation thing figured out. In humility I must actually admit that God knows a whole lot more than I can ever be even remotely able to comprehend. Sometimes, with all the reading and studying of scripture I do, there arise more questions than answers, and most likely I have to leave the answers till that day when I will know all things...after death (1 Cor. 13:12). Before you get scared or judgmental and say, “Mike must be losing his salvation”, let me just explain why I am questioning my beliefs (i.e.. Do they line up with the Word?).
On Friday we went out to share Jesus with people. I spoke to two men, one of whom believes we were put here by aliens as an experiment, and when the experiment reaches its conclusion, we just die. The second man was a Muslim from Pakistan who was just walking and pondering in the park, around my age, who lost his business because of the covid lockdowns and has not worked since; but God was providing for him. The interaction I had with this man was on a whole new level as far as spiritually connecting with him, and discussing God, the world and Jesus. I am not sure if it was God’s love for him flowing through me, or me sensing that compassion Jesus had for people, but this man and I were just seemingly standing on holy ground. It was a divine appointment that left me with more questions than answers like, “does he really worship the same God as me?” I know that Allah does not have a son name Jesus, but neither does the Jewish God to the Jew, who does worship the same God. I know the Jews are God’s Chosen, but we are all descendants of Abraham and the stories I keep hearing of Jesus revealing Himself to Muslim people around the world makes me believe that the descendants of Ishmael (God hears), who are actually “brothers” to the Jewish people (Gen. 16:12), like all those God loves (John 3:16) and desires not to perish (2Pet. 3:9) should have an opportunity to hear of Jesus. I believe many of us forget that Muslims are descendants of Abraham, and as many cheer on Israel to destroy the Muslims that are attacking them, there are still many descendants of Abraham that God loves and desires not to perish till they come to a saving knowledge of Christ. I met one on Friday. He was a person of peace (Luke 10:5-6) in whose heart the Lord was already working, drawing him to Himself.
At Saturday’s men’s Bible study, a question led us into Acts 17 where Paul explains the following to a bunch of Greek philosophers: 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' 29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone-- an image made by man's design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.”(NIV) God placed us on Earth so that we would seek and find Him; and He is not far from anyone! And…Paul says to idol worshipping Greek Philosophers, ‘we are His offspring’, linking us together as ‘children of God’ in a general sense. And in each of His human creation He has “placed eternity in our hearts”: a longing to know why we are here, and where we are going; a desire to know that which is beyond ourselves, to understand how everything works and the purpose for which it works; as some have said, “a God-sized hole that only God can fill”. I praise God that I have been placed in a part of the world that has its roots in the Christian faith, but for those who come here whose roots are in other faiths and beliefs in other gods, their journey to discovering truth requires a Paul, or preacher to explain that which has been hidden to them – namely God in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2Cor 5:18-20).
I read the following in Romans 1: “16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” All Jews and all Gentiles (everyone who is not Jewish), essentially, the whole world needs to hear the gospel to come to a saving knowledge of Christ. God has revealed Himself clearly in Creation. There are some who hear and see God’s “eternal power and divine nature” and genuinely desire to know this God. Others reject the revelation and go on to create their own God as the rest of Romans 1 describes. But to those who desire to know the one true God, God brings the revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. On Friday, I met two men, one who had rejected the revelation of Jesus even though he had attended church and heard the truth, he chose to exchange the truth for a lie. The second who had never graced the interior of a church still believed in the creator God and needed to hear “the rest of the story”. He was ripe for picking, and God made our paths cross so he would get the next piece necessary for saving faith in Christ. He had not rejected the “eternity” God put in his heart but was choosing to follow it as best he could. I believe that this man will one day be led to repentance and faith in the One in whom we live and move and have our being, for he is a person of peace who needs to hear the gospel that saves. My take home lesson is to not presume who God wants to save, and who He has written off. I was reminded of Rahab, and Ruth, and Nebuchadnezzar, and so on and so on, upon whom God had mercy and revealed Himself to bring to repentance and faith. God is merciful and desires none to perish. I grew up in church, heard the truth and rejected it; yet God had mercy and drew me to Himself, granting me repentance and faith.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Have a blessed week!
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
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