Spar Trek

Not that we did MUCH sparring, just discussion.

After trying to get all my projects and homework done the last few days, I was able to go with a group from the local church to a nearby town and we walked the streets.

We first broke up into teams and of course it was considered safest if a gentleman went with every lady to provide some means of protection if required. I was paired up with one of the daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Van, which would make her a mini Van I suppose.......

*falls off chair laughing

I was rather nervous as she said she was too but she had had three years more experience than I so she was to demonstrate the first person. It was an older neighbourhood and some of the houses were kept up better than others. The first person to "interview" didn't come for several houses because it seems many people are on vacation this time of year. Either that or they simply refuse to get up before noon on a Saturday morning.....

So she took the first couple of people and we traded after that. Soon after I took the lead we rang the bell of a house and there was no answer. So I knocked rather loudly. I felt like Mercy, when Christiana told her at the Wicket Gate "Can you not tell how you knocked? I am sure your knocks were so earnest that the very sound of them made me start; I thought I never heard such knocking in all my life; I thought you would have come in by violent hands, or have taken the kingdom by storm.

Well, I did feel nearly prepared to take the house by storm at times. At the start I was rather timid but soon gained more confidence as we went along. Anyway, at this one house I was speaking of, a young man opened the door and he looked (as Mr. Y's fliers said) "Wasted." Though he said he'd been up for several hours he looked very tired. I said the usual introduction "Good morning, my name is [insert name here] and we're from the Reformed Presbyterian church. We're asking people some questions this morning and we were wondering if you'd be willing to answer some."

He rubbed his eyes and somewhat grunted "sure," and then said "Uhngh, it's cold, why don't you come inside" as he held the door open. I glanced quickly at my partner because while I felt perfectly confident, I didn't want her to be uncomfortable, then I led the way inside.

The interior was dark and moody, electronics were piled haphazardly around the walls, which were hung with paraphernalia of all kinds and was rather reflective of its owner, who also looked unkempt and somehow confused and definitely lost.
We stood around while I asked the first question: "Do you have any kind of spiritual belief."
He said "yeah, I'm a tdouist." I wasn't sure what that was and I know I have not spelled it correctly here, I asked him about it and he said it was a Chinese religion. I didn't press further on that point.
The second question was "To you, who is Jesus." I do not recall his answer though.
The third was "Do you believe there is a heaven and a hell?" And I'm pretty sure he said no to the hell.
The fourth was "If you were to die today, were would you go?" At this point Miss Van said that he looked very shaken and disturbed, he answered something about the next life. And the final question was if he was mistaken in his beliefs, would he want to know? And he answered "well, yeah, I guess so" to that. We gave him some information and he wrote upon the list we had. He seemed very confused and unordered, he kept pausing as though trying to clear his head. I really did feel sorry for him and hope that there is some follow-up on that. Here was a person who was very lost and very confused and very much without hope.

I should interject at this point that when I was doing the question asking, Miss Van would help out with little questions or comments to help the person, which I appreciated very much and she was very good at. I have never claimed to be a great conversationalist, as I have said, when it comes to a discussion or persuasive argument, I feel like the ruler of the world at my keyboard. This very much describes me: "For they say, 'His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.'" 2 Cor. 10:10. She was able to help pull me out of a dead spot I'd gotten into because my tendancy, when someone gives a really, really weird answer, is to just want to stare unbelievably at them. Oh how I wanted to take more time and actually talk in depth! But our main purpose was to let them know of a Bible Study if they wanted to find out more.

So anyway, further down the street we talked with a man who was Methodist and who basically said he was a good man and that was why he thinks, or hopes that he will go to heaven when he dies, he doesn't know though. That was sad because his hope then is not a hope at all for it is not resting in the true hope, and that is Jesus as his Saviour and that Jesus has died for him and paid the penalty he would have had to. If only he places his trust in Jesus as both Lord and Saviour. Instead he hopes that by his good deeds he might be able to "sneak in."

All along the line we met people who just didn't have the time. I made the remark that it's strange how people just don't seem to have the time to think about eternity. They would rather put that on the back burner and think about that later, only later comes all too soon before you are prepared.

Further down we met, and were invited in to talk a little with an older woman who was a Jehovah's Witness. I wasn't too scared by the thought, we sat on the couch and I led with the questions. Her answers were erroneous but what do you do? Say "You're wrong and I can prove it!" Our mission was to tell others about this Bible study, not really confront anyone so I bit my tongue though that was extremely hard. She believed in a Sheol, not a heaven or a hell and when she dies she will go there and be a memory with God. I'm not sure what that means.......
She asked what would have happened if Adam and Eve had not sinned, where would they be? And I said I supposed they would be still alive on earth because death would not have entered the world. She said "well.... yes" and then went rambling off on a rabbit trail. I'm not sure where she was headed. I'm just sitting there trying to hold my tongue.
When I asked if she would be interested in a Bible study she said "Honey, I've been studying the Bible for 35 years, I know the truth. I TEACH Bible studies." and then there was a long pause of awkward silence. I'm wondering if that was her answer and wondering what to say when Miss Van breaks in (and saves the day) with "Well, thank you for your time!" The lady said she thought it was great we were out doing things like this and more people need to tell others about God. We left.

First of all I was thinking (well, I was thinking a lot of different things) but saying that you won't go to a Bible study because you teach them... well, it was very much along the lines of "I don't need to learn any more because I've seen it all." Which was very much the impression I received from her. No one can ever know the depths of Scripture, if we knew everything there was to know, what would there to look forward to? To see face to face and know fully instead of dimly is what I look forward to!

Second I was thinking that even though she disagrees with us and I'm sure she knows that, she thought it was "wonderful" that we were doing it. Now for me, I would never tell someone, whom I thought was teaching false things, that I thought it was "wonderful." But I see that a lot from people, an older lady I was with a long time ago was telling another young man "Well, I don't really care what church you're going to as long as you're in a church."
That mentality really disturbs me, the mentality of "well, as long as we all try in our own ways we'll all wind up in the same place eventually." They are on the broad road leading to destruction and they have deluded themselves until they are as blind as the dwarves in The Last Battle.

I enjoyed the day overall and it was eye-opening for me, to see so many people who are just confused, lost, deluded, or just don't want to think about it. They are definitely in need of prayer. The mission field is right here in our backyard, not necessarily overseas, not in some foreign country, but RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA! There are so many needy people out there it just hurts and I think they know they need something but they don't want it. I was very thankful for Miss Van's assistance in helping me gain some confidence and for showing me essentially "how it's done." I did feel often as though I was tagging along, which was fine with me, after all, I prefer my keyboard.

Afterwards we went to have lunch at the Vaknor's house and had chili! It was very tasty. After that last fragmented sentence I think that that it is necessary that I drift off to bed now, so I shall say adieu for the evening.