It can be a breath of fresh air to meet people who are not
believers in Jesus but actively seeking after God. People like Phillip, mid-20’s, who in my
opinion is on the right road and headed in the right direction, though he is
not there yet.
I was encouraged by my sidewalk conversation with Phillip
because, like so many, he says he honestly doesn’t know what to believe about
things like God or eternity and the meaning of our existence, and seems to be
able to put all options on the table.
But unlike so many, Phillip doesn’t seem content to just shrug his
shoulders and give up on his search for truth when he doesn’t find it right
away.
Phillip is from a nominal Christian background, but told me
he enjoys reading the Bible, even though he doesn’t understand much of it in
the spiritual sense. He has also been
attending some Quaker Sunday gatherings, which are known for sitting and
waiting for the Holy Spirit to move someone to share with the group.
He didn’t tell of anything dramatic happening at these
meetings, but my real encouragement comes from his willingness to just go
invest time there and wait to see what will come of it. He was also very open
to talking with me, a church guy reaching out to him on the street, and has frequent
conversations with friends about religious and philosophical topics. How many unbelievers are taking positive
steps toward belief, like reading the Bible or attending Christian gatherings
or talking about the difficult questions of religion regularly?
I’m encouraged for Phillip because Hebrews 11 says that God “…rewards
those who earnestly seek him.” and in Romans
2 Paul tells us “To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor
and immortality, he will give eternal life.”
From our conversation, I believe Phillip is sincere in his
search, that he is indeed seeking “truth” and is open to God and Christianity
being included in that truth.
Yet Paul writes later in Romans 3 that “there is no one who
seeks God.” This seeming contradiction
tells me that anyone who does seem to be actively seeking God, or just truth in
general, is doing so only with God’s help, so I rejoice that I see God working
in Phillip’s life even though he is not a believer. My hope is in God’s ability to find Phillip,
not in Phillip’s efforts or ability to find God, so I rejoice because I believe
I see God working in his life.
I believe Phillip is on the right path, and, like he told
me, its very possibly that I was there for a reason, if only to walk with him
on a short section of his journey.
PS – Phillip graciously allowed me to record our
conversation, which can be seen in its entirety HERE
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