The Everyday Club

5/6/12      Budda,     about 45
"....you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21 After studying this verse and others with Tian, a young believer, about the importance of Bible reading in ones daily disciplines, we went out to share the gospel as usual. A man named Budda agreed to tell us about his beliefs, which seemed to be based on Christianity but also include a fascination with ancient UFO's, belief in repeated reincarnations until one is good enough for heaven, and a claim that he regularly hears an audible voice who says he is Jesus and leads him throughout his daily life. Budda is a former street hustler, drug addict, and ex-convict but claims the spirit he hears has led him to become a productive and positive citizen. He volunteers regularly at the prison as a motivational speaker and indeed seems very gifted and confident, coming across as credible and charismatic in person. But Budda said something that explained some of his non-Christian beliefs: he said that the spirit told him he no longer needs to read his Bible. At one time he was devoted to Bible study, but now he only follows the spirit's guidance. I warned him of the dangers of false teachers, including those on a spiritual level, and he seemed to take my advice into consideration. It also showed my young brother in the Lord, Tian, a real life example of the dangers of drifting from biblical truth.