The Visitor
Have you ever had an experience that is so impactful you need to tell someone about it? Well, that happened to me this morning.
Let me lay out the scene: I needed to do some push mowing and since I’m a mature man, I wanted to do it before it got too hot on this mid-July day. When I finished, I was a hot, sweaty mess. I looked up from our back porch and saw a vehicle in our driveway. I yelled out and asked if someone was there. I saw the vehicle door open, and a mature guy get out.
He explained they had a convention coming up that would last all weekend and that it would include a drama (or something close to that). He then added that the first day’s presentation would be a discussion on Jesus. I asked him if he meant Jesus, my Lord and Savior. He said, “Yes.”
Somehow, I found out he was a Jehovah's Witness. I asked him if he considered Jesus part of the Trinity. He agreed Jesus was God’s Son, but added he didn’t believe it said in the Bible that He was God, the Son. I suggested he look at John:
“Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’” - John 10:25-30 ESV
I then added that Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist made it also pretty clear:
“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” - Matthew 3:16-17
He countered by suggesting that I look at 1 John 4:15-18 (I did when I got inside and I suspect he recalled it wrongly or I don’t see what he thinks is there.) and John 1:18:
“No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” - John 1:18
Maybe, maybe, if I were to disregard other things (and hold my tongue in the specific way), I might see what he was implying, but my read of that passage reinforces the triune nature of our God.
Our conversation drifted into predestination (I’ve mentioned in other devotions that I’ve had a thorn in my faith several times regarding this topic, so I wonder if the Devil was involved). I explained God is omnipresent and omnipotent (thanks, Patrick, for your attributes of God sermon), and I believe He sits outside of what we consider time. As such, He knows exactly what is going to happen at every moment, even with the person deciding whether to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
My point is, the discussion between Don (we introduced ourselves to each other) and me was gentle and respectful. I wasn’t trying to convince him I was right and he was wrong. My goal was to plant seeds and let God work on him in his perfect time. I felt the calmness that only the Holy Spirit could provide in that moment. I loved it.
After he left (and I checked the passages in the Bible he suggested), I thanked God for his word and for blessing me with many good role models/shepherds, like Patrick, who helped prepare me for today’s interaction. Don, like me, may not have had all the Bible references memorized, but each of us had read the Bible enough to know where to start looking. This just reinforces my need to study God’s word as part of my daily activities.
My question for you is: if you saw someone coming up to your door to share what they believe, would you answer the door and be friendly? Or answer the door and be confrontational? Or pretend you were not home? Would you be prepared?
