God's Revelation

6/30/2014                Ben                       about 25

I usually try to focus my comments about some of my outreach conversations on one main point, and I choose this point by thinking back to the conversation and considering what it was that most seemed to catch the interest or move the person I’d talked with.  Today I went to pick up a carry-out order at a restaurant and arrived early before my order was ready, so to redeem the time I struck up a gospel conversation with Ben, who was also there waiting for his order.  As it turned out Ben said he has no real beliefs or convictions to speak of.  He had grown up with parents who attended a Unitarian congregation, which generally believes all religions are equally valid, and said he was comfortable living in doubt, though he is searching and one day believes he will settle on a belief system that makes the most sense to him.  What seemed to catch his interest was when I explained that we shouldn’t expect to have to figure God out on our own or rely on our own imaginations.  If God created us why wouldn’t he want to reveal Himself to us?  Why wouldn’t he use a common means that everyone could understand?  I told him how God has revealed Himself to me in the pages of the Bible, and how I have developed some lifelong habits of daily Bible reading that have deepened my understanding of even the simplest passages and helped clear up some of the difficult ones.  “If there is one thing that I take away from this conversation” Ben said, “it will be the challenge to take the Bible more seriously and to read it on my own.”  Let’s pray he does.