A constant, but remarkable observation for me always, was the apathy and indifference demonstrated by the middle-class in the community, towards the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here I was, a messenger, equipped with the greatest news possible for each and every one of them, operating under the authority and empowerment of the greatest News Director in all the universe, and they didn’t want to know about it. Intellectually I knew why, but deep in my heart it was a different story.
There was nothing special about me. Why would anybody want to knock back what they too could have? That was the purpose of it all. Jesus said for us to go and tell the people what He had done for them and if they received His message by faith, then by that very same faith they would receive and experience the reality of Him. By receiving Him, they would be receiving Truth. Truth is a Person – Lord Jesus Christ. It is the truth that sets us free. It was the truth that set me free and I wanted to tell others. How could one possibly be apathetic and indifferent to personal freedom?
It was clear they were not free, despite all their efforts to convince otherwise. The very look in their eyes and upon their faces gave them away each time, as did their speech. But so did their actions – restlessness, hurry, haste, striving – driven people, not at all sure of who they were and where they were headed in life. Lovely homes, furniture, gardens, motor cars etc, but difficult to enjoy however, because the never-ending pursuit of the mighty dollar to maintain it all ruled the day. The Bible does not speak of human beings as “lost” for no reason.
I did not judge these people. I was in no position to do that because up until three years prior, I was one of them. Whatever their faults and fears, whatever their actions and anxieties, whatever their works and worries, I understood perfectly where they were at. When I was caught up in it I used to say, “that’s life.” But when I met The Life, I realised the lie of that statement. It was not life at all, it was mere existence. I was like a ship on the water without a sail or a rudder being tossed every which way by the wind. It was not judging that motivated me, it was empathy. I knew of a better way and wanted them to know as well.
A change of circumstances lead me to seriously question the meaning of life. Mrs Barry was the same. The first couple of times I spoke with her she was guarded and reserved, but sure of herself. She spoke of her church practice, the future that she and her husband had mapped out for themselves and the family and, “we are doing fine thank-you very much.” In her thinking she had every reason to be smug and self-satisfied. But all that changed. It was during the announcement of the first Gulf war when I once again called at her home. This time as she stood in her doorway she was white-faced, trembling with fear.
Her husband was not in the armed services but he had hinted to her that he could be called up to go and the thought of that frightened the both of them. In my previous visits I had not talked in depth about the Lord because I was not given the chance. This time it was she who wanted to talk. In spite of her religious practice Mrs Barry knew little of the biblical Jesus Christ and certainly nothing that could sustain her in this time of great need. We spoke for twenty-five minutes that day. At the end of our time the colour came back into her face and the trembling stopped. The Lord’s presence was made real to her for the first time in her life.
Mr Herrick’s circumstances changed too. For fourteen years he was working as an engineer at a famous motor car company. The day before Christmas Day he was given notice of his retrenchment. Six months later when I spoke with him he was still in shock. He lived in a large brick Edwardian home with beautiful surroundings and he was worried as to how he was going to keep and maintain all that. He told me that he’d never given God any thought until just recently, further saying that, “up until this time there was no need to.” In other words, “Life’s good. Who needs God?” That’s how I used to think too.
In my experience God takes advantage of such circumstances. How else can He get through to us? That was my challenge to Mr Herrick. That day he had a lot of questions to ask about God and the meaning of life etc. I explained that true meaning in life comes out of developing a relationship with God in Jesus Christ. I told him that God is love – not rules, not guilt, not fear. In fact, it is rules, guilt and fear that drive people away from Him. I discovered that’s one reason why people don’t want God in the first place – all based on completely distorted and perverted views as to who He really is.
Sixteen year-old Danny was another one who was shaken by the announcement of the first Gulf war. He was a Year Twelve student who attended a “Christian” school. But it was clear his school had no answers for his fears and worries on the day I spoke with him. He told me that he and his parents and teachers had all contributed to the painting of a perfect future for his life, but now, “I’m full of sin and guilt and I don’t want to die in a war.” Danny was visibly shaking when he expressed that. I asked him what knowledge he had of God’s nature and character. His response was so typical of kids who attended “Christian” schools – none at all.
Danny learned some truth about God that day. He learned that in spite of any circumstances that he and the rest of us might encounter, God is always in control. He was told that never is there a time when God is not in control Isaiah 45:12; Daniel 4:35. Added to that, Danny learned that it was God’s desire to make Himself real and relational to him on a moment-by moment basis. He’d never heard that before and he struggled with the truth of it. His school, his religion and his parents had never told him of such a possibility.
He did not know that if he acknowledged his sin and guilt to Christ and let Him take care of it, that he would then be opening a door for God to personally reveal Himself through Christ, and that this revelation would continue and intensify as he submitted himself to the Scriptures. I explained to Danny that if he made a choice to do as recommended, he would not only experience God’s truth, but he would also experience God’s power and love. Countless people, apathetic and indifferent to Jesus Christ, could not come to terms with the biblical God as a God of Love.
What had once been a good life for Paul turned sour on him too. When I met him he’d been divorced for nearly twelve months after a nine year separation from his wife and three children. The divorce left him a broken and confused man, as until it happened he’d lived with the belief that one day they would be reconciled. He was a religious practitioner but he found no answers to his questions about God and the meaning of life for him, so he’d recently, “gone around all the churches,” ours being one of them.
He came for private ministry at the church a couple of times, where he gained insight into some root causes of his troubles. Paul learned that even though his marriage was over, with the surrendering of his life to the Person and ministry of Jesus Christ, he could be set free from any guilt arising from his part in the breakdown. He didn’t want the guilt, but at the time, I was not sure he wanted the gospel either. He was going overseas the following week so I gave him a copy of “Ultimate Questions” by John Blanchard to take with him to read on the plane. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.