This past Wednesday was quite a bit different than the previous weeks. We found ourselves in many deep conversations and even under attack a few times, which had not happened during the semester previously. The day itself began strange, even before arriving on campus.
I like to go running every morning when I get a chance. My normal daily run is about five miles. While out on a run I like to talk to God and think about His word. This past Wednesday morning while yet early a car was headed towards me and slowing. I have seen this many times before, I run on the back roads around Lake Tyler so often someone is lost and looking for directions.
The car had two men in it wearing shirt sleeves and ties. The driver had a pamphlet in his hand and said; "Can we give you a gospel tract?" I thought "This is strange!" I am 4 miles into a 5 mile run, thinking about what I am about to preach and a car pulls up beside me and the driver asks can he give me a gospel tract. So I stop and ask, "Who are you with?" The man then answered, "We are Jehovah witnesses!" So I thought briefly as to how I should react to this unexpected meeting. Being aware of their cult's delusion I elected not to get in a discussion with these men; I was after all on a back road not yet done running and I had somewhere else that I needed to be. So I followed the advice of scripture and simply said, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (Jn 1:1). I then continued on my run. Proverbs 26:4-5 says,
"Do not answer a fool according to his folly,As I continued to run I was now thinking about this meeting and a thought entered my mind. What the man had said; "We are Jehovah witnesses!" was an out right lie. In order to be a witness of someone you must first have seen them. Well had these men seen Jehovah? I think not, John 1:18 says,
Or you will also be like him.
Answer a fool as his folly deserves,
That he not be wise in his own eyes."
"No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him."And Jehovah Himself previously said to Moses,
"You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" (Ex 33:20).There is but One witness of the Father and it is the Son of God Jesus Christ. For He alone can say,
"I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father." (Jn 8:38).And we Christians should not say that we are witnesses for Jesus Christ. There are two witnesses for Jesus Christ and they are not us. Jesus said to His apostles,
"When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning." (Jn 15:26-27).This is the reason that I like to talk about Jesus using scripture alone and by handing out Gospels of John. Almost everything that I say is either scripture quoted or scripture summarized. Jesus is the Father's witness; the apostles and the Holy Spirit are Jesus' witnesses.
"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete." (1 Jn 1:1-4).
