I walked my friend to the door and noticed a Buddha
sitting on the porch, welcoming unsuspecting visitors. Inside, incense greeted
my nostrils in a room decorated with the sun, moon, and stars. I felt sick
inside and quickly made my exit.
Driving back home from dropping my neighbor off at a
“meditation” meeting, I struggled with the Lord. In my efforts to be a witness
to this woman, I had crossed a line that I knew in my heart I should not have
crossed. “Oh, Jesus,” I prayed, “I am so sorry. What do you want me to do to
make this right?”
Feeling better, I determined in my heart that I
would call Amy and let her know I would not be able to take her to the next
meeting. Then I would explain why.
The next morning I got up my nerve, dialed her
number, and waited for the voice on the other end.
“Hello,” Amy’s easy-going voice rang out. I closed
my eyes, breathing a prayer for grace and the right words to share that would
not turn her off, but draw her in.
“Hi,” I quickly replied, beginning to sweat. “How
did the meeting go last night? What sort of things did you talk about?” I
wanted to be crystal clear about my suspicions before making judgments about
her meeting.
“Oh my, we had a wonderful time!” Amy cooed. “In
fact, I thought about your missionary daughter in India when the speaker stood up to
address our group. He spoke about different religions and how we can pull the
best from each one.”
When she took a breath, I jumped in. “Amy,” I
gingerly began. “I won’t be able to take you to your next meeting. You see, I
offended my best friend by taking you last night.”
“Oh, who is that?” Amy said.
“The Lord Jesus Christ.” I felt a renewed strength
surge through my veins. I knew Jesus was with me and proud of my unashamed
stand for Him. “I felt so uneasy on the drive home last night,” I explained.
“You see, I cannot take you to a place where I know the folks inside are not
proclaiming the truth. Jesus says in John 14:6, ‘I am the way and the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ Amy, Jesus is the only
way to make peace with God. He paid a huge price to purchase my salvation. I
cannot turn my back on that or on Him. He is my Savior. I care nothing about
the religions of the world. What I do care about, and what Jesus came to offer,
is a relationship with the Father. That is how Christianity differs from every
other religion. It’s all about relationship, not adherence to a religious set
of principles. All the other founders of religions are dead and gone, but only
Jesus died and rose from the grave, as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:6.
Over 500 witnesses attest to that fact, as well as secular historians, who
lived during that time period.”
“But why only Christianity, Eileen?” Amy
interjected. “There are so many good things in other religions.”
“Do you think Satan would reel us into a lie by
making it look unattractive? He always mixes just enough truth in with the lie
to make it look palpable. That is how he can lead so many on the broad path to
hell and destruction. Why Christianity, Amy? Because it’s all about
relationship with a Person who is alive, who knows me inside and out and has
still chosen to love me and give His life for me. It’s about the only Person in
the world who ever rose from the dead of His own power! That’s why, Amy.
Christianity is the only thing that makes sense. It is a free gift, unlike all
the other religions of the world which are based on good works.”
Amy was silent on the other end. I knew she was
considering Christianity and I was grateful God gave me the courage to begin a
new day planting more seeds for Him.
~~
Eileen Rife, author of Chosen Ones, speaks to women’s groups on a variety of topics. She
is currently working on three writing projects, two fiction and one nonfiction.
www.eileenrife.com,
www.eileen-rife.blogspot.com.
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