7/8/12 Jeff,
about 45
At
a carwash today I had to wait while an attendant unplugged their vacuum cleaner
system. I chatted with another customer,
an African-American man also named Jeff, and decided to give him a million
dollar gospel tract to see what would come of it. He was surprised to see it, telling me he
already had one that looked a lot like it. He took it out of his wallet and showed me. It was one of my Spanish-versions with my
contact information on the back! I was
surprised because I don't give that many out - usually only individually as
conversation starters - and I don't remember ever giving a Spanish version to
an African American! For his part he had
no idea where he got it, and no idea what it said so he was happy to get an
English version and to hear it explained in person. Jeff is another person who trusts in his good
works for salvation, but this "coincidence" gave both of us the sense
that this was a God-ordained conversation.
I think he took what I had to say more seriously as a result. This is an example of the circumstantial
evidence for faith that is important to most Christians but can drive the
science-based mind crazy. Of course it
proves nothing and sounds silly to outsiders, but when these things happen on a
regular basis it helps provide the inner confirmation that encourages believers
and seekers alike. There are other,
historic and scientific types of evidence for Christianity, but in the end God
will always require faith. Why? It's not just because God is a metaphysical being
(existing outside of physical laws) that can't be measured by the scientific
method, but also because He is a personality that refuses to be put in a
box. Immature Christians are often
guilty of trying to do just that - especially in regards to the Holy Spirit. We say "If one does 'a' and 'b' then 'c'
will result" - but this is a way of putting ourselves in charge and God at
our command - much like witchcraft tries to do with its magic spells and
potions. No, God is impossible to predict
or control, and he does often work in mysterious ways. "He performs wonders
that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted."
(Job 5:9) Though not a Christian, I think Jeff
had the childlike faith to see the evidence of God's hand at work where many
who think they are more sophisticated would just see a simple coincidence.
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