3/19/15 Paul about 55
Paul, a Chicago firefighter, told me in a grocery store
conversation, “I’m a believer in Jesus, but I just don’t believe all that hocus
pocus magic stuff, like a stick turning into a snake, or the Red Sea parting
and all that” Knowing my time is limited in outreach
conversations, especially in the aisles of a grocery store, I’ve learned not to
get sidetracked with side topics, so I didn’t debate with this but instead
asked about a much more important miracle: “So what do you think about Jesus,
do you believe he rose from the dead?” Well
I think Jesus was a great speaker and had a lot of influence over people, but I’ve
been a firefighter for over 20 years and I’ve seen people who I thought were
dead come back to life, so I believe that’s probably what happened” he responded. Paul
turned out to have a lot of very strong opinions such as this, and I eventually
asked if he has ever read the Bible himself. “No, I haven’t, but I’ve heard a
lot of people’s opinions about it.” I
tried to encourage him to read the Bible on his own, and not base his ideas
about it on other’s opinions. “Oh, I don’t
– I hear all the opinions, and decide for myself what I will believe” he
said. “Well, then, here is my opinion
about what it says, I hope you’ll consider it too.” I responded. He seemed open to that idea, and I hope he
begins to believe in a Jesus who is so much more than just a “great speaker”.
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