“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12
On our recent journey through the Bible lands of the New Testament, we had an opportunity to see the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of several people. We had three tour guides in three different countries and had the privilege of hearing their stories. They came from various cultures and religions, but the same Lord is over all whether you live in Turkey, Greece or America.
In Turkey, our guide was a young woman in her thirties, well educated and intelligent. She spoke so positively about the Apostle Paul and his teachings that we thought she was a Christian. She indicated the place in Ephesus where Paul caused a riot, the temple ruins to the goddess Diana, the marketplace where Paul and John taught the scriptures, and Aquila and Priscilla worked as tentmakers. She took us to the Isle of Patmos where the Apostle John was exiled and wrote the book of Revelation. In each spot, she read scriptures and gave the proper biblical interpretation. We thought she knew the Lord! But on asking her, she said, “I’m a Muslim.” We were amazed that anyone could read so many passages of scripture and not recognize the One “who loved her and gave Himself for her,” Galatians 2:20. We offered her a Bible, but she had several at home and refused the offer. We decided she was a “not yet” Christian and resolved to pray for her salvation.
Our next guide was Sophia from Greece, a young archeologist in her twenties, one of only four Christian tour guides in her country. She was raised in a non-religious home. A friend invited her to a Christian summer camp where she heard the gospel message, but didn’t accept Christ. Through her teen and early university years, she loved philosophy and religion and read all the books she could find on the subject. As she read “holy” books of other religions, then the New Testament, she realized the New Testament was the truth. The teachings of Jesus were so far superior to the teachings of other “spiritual” leaders. She contacted her friends at the summer camp and they led her to the Lord. Her new friends encouraged her to find an evangelical church in Athens where she would have a church family to help her grow. She was a delightful tour guide as she took us to her favorite places in Corinth and Athens where Paul actually taught and lived. She made the Bible come to life!
Our final tour guide was Rita from Italy. She was our guide for 7 days, so we got to know her well. Rita had an “experience” with a Christian pastor that “changed her life.” We asked her to elaborate, so she told us her story. She noticed that some of the people on her tours smiled a lot and had a “light” in their eyes. She wondered why they were different. One group of charismatic Christians prayed for her. Another was led by a pastor from California who shared the gospel with her and she accepted Christ as her Savior. Rita was from a nominal Christian home and went to church once in a while. She was in an abusive relationship with a man, a police officer, and didn’t know how to get away from him. The pastor’s wife told her the Holy Spirit would help her to be strong and give her the strength to leave him. She did leave him, but she wasn’t growing. There were no Bible teaching churches in the area, so she drifted. We prayed with her. My daughter knew of a missionary who had planted a church in Rome. They got in touch and planned to meet.
On my travels, I’ve noticed the dull eyes and hopeless looks on faces of people on the street. We believers are the “face of Christ” to everyone we meet, to “set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity,” 1 Timothy 4:12. Don’t be reluctant to smile at strangers and show the kindness of Christ. Like Rita, it might cause a yearning to ask why.
Your friend, Jean