Last week we were privileged to be a part of the mission conference at Liberty Baptist Church in Las Vegas, NV. Throughout the week we felt genuinely loved as missionaries by the staff and we were overwhelmed by the generosity of the congregation. There are several things that stand out in my mind that made the week special – I would like to share one of them with you that involved my son…
We had the opportunity to pass out gospel tracts door-to-door on two separate occasions. As Isaiah took his place beside me after ringing the door bell at one particular house a middle-aged woman opened the door. I greeted her with, “Good morning, we’re from Liberty Baptist Church and we’re out meeting folks in the neighborhood.” She replied in an angry tone, “I don’t peddle religion at your door so don’t peddle your religion at mine.” I said, “Ma’am I’m not peddling religion, I just want to introduce people to Jesus Christ. If people don’t hear the gospel of Jesus Christ they’ll die and go to hell.” Her voice grew louder as she said, “There is no hell and there is no God. You’re messing up that little boy with what you’re doing.” Then she looked at Isaiah and said, “Young man, your father is brainwashing you and telling you lies. There is no hell and there is no God.” I said, “My son knows the Lord and he knows he is going to heaven. Have a good day.” I tried to keep my testimony but inwardly I was seething over what she had said to my son.
As we walked down the street towards the next house I told Isaiah I probably should have quoted a verse of scripture because there is power in the word of God. After a moment he broke the silence and said, “If we ever see that lady again I know what verse I’ll say. The Lord just put it on my heart.” I smiled at him and said, “We’ll I doubt you’ll get that opportunity today.” Little did I know what lay ahead.
About 15 minutes after our encounter with the woman a car pulled quickly up to the curb beside us. The driver asked us what church we were from so I told him. He then jumped out of the car and stood directly in front of me. He heatedly said, “Did you tell my wife she’s going to hell?” I said, “No. That’s not what I said nor is it how I would have said it.” He then called me a liar and said I had a lot of nerve to go around the neighborhood spewing my hate and telling people garbage they didn’t want to hear. Then in his furious diatribe he began using the foulest language imaginable. I told him not to use that language in front of my son but by this time he seemed like a man possessed and incapable of reason. My heart was racing, not out of fear, but more so out of the shock of the encounter. He then looked down at my seven year old son and said, “Your Dad is a liar. There is no #@!% God! There is no #@!% hell! You’re brain washed boy! Someday you’ll see he is lying to you and manipulating you!” At this point I looked down at Isaiah who would occasionally look up at the man and then back down at his own feet. Even though the man was still irate and loud he no longer had my attention. I reached out and touched my son’s shoulder. I wondered what he was thinking and I wanted to let him know everything was going to be okay. Isaiah then opened his mouth and quoted the following scripture to the devilish man that stood before us:
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
The man continued to yell and Isaiah would stop quoting the verse and then restart due to the intensity of the situation but he eventually quoted the entire verse. The man then got in his car. I quoted Hebrews 9:27 and the man yelled out one more time, “There is no God and there is no hell!”
I was proud of my son. I was proud of my wife for having him memorize so many verses. I am thankful that from a child he has known the scriptures which are able to make him wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15). As we walked on down the sidewalk I thought of our Saviour in the wilderness as the Devil stood before him, He simply quoted scripture. There is power in the words of that Book!
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” 3 John 1:4
Comentários