#510

The Power Of Changed Lives

I’m Not Looking For A Debate

I see short videos all the time that usually start with someone stating their religious credentials only to use to discredit people’s views on the Bible. Most are well meaning people some who have lots of degrees they can cite and when they’re not bringing up portions of Scripture to expound on they are stitching others videos so they can correct their fallacies. No one is exempt from their scrutiny and to be honest, it is a mostly free speech arena we’re all working in. If you disagree with something or someone you can do so. And I’m not going to name names here simply because its not my point and usually will take away from the reason I’m bringing this up. You see, I’ve learned that everyone can have their sources to support their positions because throughout man’s history debates have existed and learned people have done their due diligence to research their belief systems regardless of whether they believe there is a God or not. And to be fair, there some really good arguments abounding. Adding to this is that in this digital age, you don’t need to track down the original texts anymore. Internet search engines can give you access online to a great majority of these writings, many for free. And now we can actually interact with these intellectuals in chats if we like or through emails. We really do live in the information age. But my point is that its not my intention to debate the merits of original languages, archaeological supports for the Bible or the author’s intents. My point is much more personal than that.

The Power Of A Book

I had a college professor who was a seasoned missionary for decades and he made a statement that has never left me. He said that the power of a book was how it changed things wherever it went. And he was correct. For right or for wrong many books have changed and are still changing people’s lives today, some outliving their authors. Books like Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is still debated now, but the cast majority have embraced his views on evolution. Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto again has influenced generations of readers to believe in communism and even whole nations are using its tenets. Some swear by another book, this one by Sun Tzu titled The Art Of War. To this day this book is the most influential text in East Asian warfare according to a post on it from Wikipedia. I could go on and on citing such writings, but the ones that address religion are the ones that are the most hotly debated ones. Books like the Koran or the Book of Morman are read by countless millions of people who consider them to have changed their lives and they swear by them. In the case of Islam, wars are still being fought by their adherents. I’m also not trying to belittle these books so please refrain from thinking that. All I’m saying it that books can change the way we live our lives and part of how we judge them is by how they touch, guide and change lives.

A Hard Thing To Dispute

When it comes to the Bible one area that is rarely if ever is judged is the countless millions and I could stretch to say billions of people that are different today because of this one book, a book that is still considered the all time best selling book. And it’s not even close. In a listing of the bestselling books I found from Wikipedia, the Bible stands at 5 billions copies sold. The article does add a disclaimer on religious books because it is difficult to actually verify the numbers. But even by current sales it is estimated that 6.4 bibles are sold every 10 seconds. However the sheer numbers are not what I want to highlight. It is the changed lives that those who read it that I want to bring up. You see, one can dispute the authors and dispute the writings using all manner of standards to do so, but so many examples of how lives were, in some cases drastically altered exist that even the most educated people will find it most difficult to refute. One person is Chuck Colson, he of Watergate fame and I quote from his own story about how he became a Christian:

Thirty years ago today, I visited Tom Phillips, president of the Raytheon Company, at his home outside of Boston. I’d represented Raytheon before going to the White House, and I was about to start again.

But I visited for another reason as well. I knew Tom had become a Christian, and he seemed so different. I wanted to ask him what had happened.

Colson went on to elaborate on that meeting:

That night he read to me from Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis, particularly a chapter about the great sin that is pride. A proud man is always walking through life looking down on other people and other things, said Lewis. As a result, he cannot see something above himself immeasurably superior—God.

Colson knew he was in serious trouble:

Tom, that night, told me about encountering Christ in his own life. He didn’t realize it, but I was in the depths of deep despair over Watergate, watching the president I had helped for four years flounder in office. I’d also heard that I might become a target of the investigation as well. In short, my world was collapsing.

He made a massive change of life direction:

That night, as Tom was telling me about Jesus, I listened attentively, but didn’t let on my own need. When he offered to pray, I thanked him but said, no, I’d see him sometime after I read C. S. Lewis’s book. But when I got in the car that night, I couldn’t drive it out of the driveway. Ex-Marine captain, White House tough guy, I was crying too hard, calling out to God. I didn’t know what to say; I just knew I needed Jesus, and He came into my life.

That was thirty years ago.

He then recapped what happened as he progressed in his Christian walk:

I’ve been reflecting of late on the things God has done over that time. As I think about my life, the beginning of the prison ministry, our work in the justice area, our international ministry that reaches a hundred countries, and the work of the Wilberforce Forum and BreakPoint, I have come to appreciate the doctrine of providence. It’s not the world’s idea of fate or luck, but the reality of God’s divine intervention. He orchestrates the lives of His children to accomplish His good purposes.

Colson looked back and marveled how things changed:

God has certainly ordered my steps. I couldn’t have imagined when I was in prison that I would someday be going back to the White House with ex-offenders as I did on June 18; or that we’d be running prisons that have an 8 percent recidivism rate; or that BreakPoint would be daily heard on a thousand outlets across the United States and on the Internet.

Although he passed away on April 21, 2012, this closing statements to his testimony rings as true today as when he penned it:

The truth that is uppermost in my mind today is that God isn’t finished. As long as we’re alive, He’s at work in our lives. We can live lives of obedience in any field because God providentially arranges the circumstances of our lives to achieve His objectives.

And that leads to the greatest joy I’ve found in life. As I look back on my life, it’s not having been to Buckingham Palace to receive the Templeton Prize, or getting honorary degrees, or writing books. The greatest joy is to see how God has used my life to touch the lives of others, people hurting and in need.

It’s been a long time since the dark days of Watergate. I’m still astounded that God would take someone who was infamous in the Watergate scandal, soon to be a convicted felon, and take him into His family and then order his steps in the way He has with me. God touched me at that moment in Tom Phillip’s driveway, and thirty years later, His love and kindness touch and astound me still.

People Will Still Debunk This Point

Will I be immune from criticism? Probably not, but I only provided one example of how that singular book that people seem to enjoy tearing apart verse by verse continues to change lives today. I might add that I am one those people. I’ve seen people who were down and out and up and out give their lives to Jesus and be radically altered. And I have seen multitudes of people who were in desperate situations who I prayed for that saw God heal their bodies, their finances and of course their souls. And I might add that the same can be said of my life. I’ve been a Christian for over 50 years and not once have I even entertained the thought of turning my back on God. Some will try and say I’ve been brainwashed and that I need to have therapy for my delusional condition. You may be one of those critics right now. Again, you’re entitled to your opinion, but would you pause and listen to someone who knows the transforming power of God, someone who’s seen people healed from stage 4 cancer, seen people who were destitute and despairing who were touched by Jesus and are living happy and whole lives right now. Like Chuck Colson, I look back on the last 50 years and I can honestly say that my life could have been drastically different if I hadn’t asked Jesus into my life. I don’t dwell on it because I am working hard to make sure others have the same opportunity I did. Maybe, just maybe one of you who are getting thousands of views on your videos berating this Bible saying that it’s not the inspired Word of God will take a chance on stopping, like Saul on the road to Damascus, and seeing if God is worth following. Trust me, He will make it worth it.