Emmanuel (God with us is without God) - Fishing

By Rob-roy (17 Jan 2008)

Friends,

A number of us went up to the college streets a couple of Saturday's ago. It is 11 days later and I am just now writing about what happened. As I came home that night I told the friends I was with that I should write it down but was alread sad because I knew I would not because I was so tired and it was late. You will soon see why I now must write.

As that night began there was rain starting to fall a few hours before we were to start. Steven called me asking if we would still go out since rain causes the crowd near the college streets to find shelter and not to congregate. As I thought about the rain and the night being a potential rain out it came into my mind that we could go to a Mall or perhaps call the night off. There was a part of me that liked the thought of calling the night off. I did not know it was raining and had not considered calling the night off but as I thought about the potential for the rain to get heavy I paused thinking about staying home with my family in a warm home watching football.

Then I snapped out of it and told Steven let's give it a go. The rain may let up and if it didn't we could hit the Mall. Before heading out Steven and I met up with Austin, Mitch, Aimee and Kelly so that we could leave together as a team. On my way to church to meet with them I kept thinking about how I did not want to go out tonight. Normally this is not an issue. And even that night I did not start thinking like that until I talked with Steven and started thinking about the rain. But the rain was just a convenient excuse to stay in and I was having trouble letting it go. And of course the guilt of even thinking it in the first place was nagging at me.

When we arrived at the college streets we got out and loaded up the pizza's we brought on the rolling cooler holding the water bottles in it. Then we prayed. As we moved toward the Drum Circle it was raining only slightly. When we got close to the circle we could see that no one was there. I had us stop. I told my friends that it looks like the night might be a waste but that I did not think it would be as it looked. The reason being was that I did everything I could do to not come out to the streets tonight and left to my own devices I would be home watching football. Therefore the only possible reason I found myself out on the street in the rain with no one at the drum circle on a seemingly wasted night had to be solely due to God. He had me there. He had us there. It was clear that I did not have me there! I told them that there must be at least one person that God brought us out to talk to. At least one.

We arrived at the drum circle and we did find a couple of guys up against the building wall behind the shrubs staying out of the rain. They were not open to talking or taking pizza. We moved through the drum circle to the main street and found a guy playing a guitar for money. He was in between songs. On his guitar case he had a "religion" sticker on it. I told him that I hate religion. He agreed. His name was Pugsley, like from the Adams Family. He had a big beard and smile. He believed in God but in a Hindu / Karma sort of way. He enjoyed the pizza we offered and told us he was passing through heading further west toward the Pacific.

As I asked questions about what he believed I was able to have him admit that there is right and wrong. That justice matters. We had a great discussion. I explained the difference between religion (man's self righteous attempt to reach up and obtain heaven) and a right relationship with Jesus (God making it right by coming down to save man). It was one of the better conversations I have had in sharing the gospel as he was really connecting the dots. The law was working on him making grace amazing. He told me that his grandfather was a Baptist preacher. He had some typical questions about why Jesus is the only way and about the Bible being tampered with. After quickly addressing those questions they became small in his eyes compared to the bigger question of standing before God on judgment day with not only the sins he shared by his own admission but also the secret sins that will be laid bare that no one knows about. And yet God in His mercy died on the cross to save us. I wrapped up with Pugsley and he said it was alright to pray with him so I did before going.

Steven and Austin had some conversations going on that ended at the same time so we headed down the street a little further. There I saw the cabbies with all their cabs lined up. I stepped up to talk with them and offered pizza and drinks. They declined the pizza. I asked them if they were from Somalia which they confirmed was true. Then I asked if they read the Koran. That got their interest. At that point it got a little wild. We had about 6 cabbies crowding in to listen and to talk to me about the Koran and me asking about the Prophet Isa (Jesus). Ahmed and Jaffe were two of them that did the most talking.

I asked if they had read Sura 19:19. They asked me to share it with them. I explained that is where in the Koran it tells the story of the Angel coming to Mary and telling her that she would have a "faultless" son. In the Arabic the word for "faultless" means "pure" or "without sin". I asked them who is the only one with out sin and they said Allah. I asked if Mohammed had sinned? The Koran says he did in Sura 47:19 and Sura 48: 1-2. They agreed.

So the question then is which is the greater prophet of God? The one that has sinned or the one that is without sin? At that point they changed the topic. I brought them back to it. I asked them to compare themselves. I pointed to one cabbie and said let's say you follow the 5 pillars of Islam faithfully every day and make your pilgrimage to Mecca. I pointed to another cabbie and said let's say you follow the 5 pillars of Islam only once in awhile when you feel like it. Maybe a couple of times week and you refuse to go to Mecca. Who between the two of you will be considered greater in the eyes of Allah? They told me the first cabbie would be greater. I asked why? It was because he followed Allah faithfully. I asked if it was a sin not to follow Allah. They said yes. I asked them to think about it. If the person who does not sin is greater than the person who does sin in Allah's eyes then it is clear that the prophet Jesus who is without sin according to the Koran is greater than the prophet who has sinned which is Mohammed.

I asked them how Mohammed could be the greatest prophet if Sura 47 and 48 were true? Then Jaffe said something shocking. He said Mohammed was not the greatest prophet but he was the "last" prophet. He admitted that he was not the greatest. A couple of the other cabbies were speechless. But what could they say against the Koran? At that point Jaffe started talking about judgment day and earning heaven. I asked him what would happen to him on that day? Where would he go? He did not know if he had done enough good works to go to heaven. I asked Ahmed. He did not know. I told them that despite what they were telling me that what they really had was a bunch of "did not know".

Then one of the other cabbies said that "he knows" he is going to heaven. I asked him how it was that he could say that? What made him different from these other men who claimed they are not assured of heaven? He stumbled in answering and looked a bit embarrassed. Then I went through the law with them and reasoned that heaven cannot be earned. Hell is the reasonable result from a just and holy God who hates sin. I explained they were right that there is only one who is without sin and that is God... Jesus. He came to earth and suffered the full wrath and punishment that their (and my) sin deserves so that we may be granted mercy and grace.

I wrapped up with handing them some homemade slips of paper with verses from the Koran that I was sharing with them and encouraging them to read more about Jesus in the Gospels as the Koran commanded Mohammed to do. That they should read more about the greatest Prophet named Isa who is God. We then hugged with Ahmed and Jaffe and told them we would keep an eye out for them in the future.

Next Austin and Steven got into discussions. Austin had a unique gentlemen wearing a big blue uncle sam type of hat in conversation with him while Steven was talking with two people. One was named Brian and he was becoming very convicted as Steven asked him about God and what he thought the standard of right and wrong was. It was interesting because the law is written on the heart of man and Brian knew right from wrong. He did not like to be lied to or stolen from and yet he has done those very things. It was a great witness that I was able to watch as Steven gently reasoned with Brian and I prayed.

We then headed down to the corner near the clothing store and saw Jim. Jim is the elderly Christian man in a wheel chair who I write about often. It was good to see him. Earlier in the night when I was thinking about staying home it crossed my mind that rain would not stop Jim and sure enough he was on the streets sharing the gospel. The street kids really love him.

Then I saw Emmanuel. He is very tall. Maybe 6'5". Last year when I was sharing the gospel with a very hard hearted atheist named Todd it was Emmanuel that came over and helped me talk with Todd. That was the first time I had met him. Since that time I had met him a few more times but not recently. I had been told that about 6 months ago Emmanuel stopped sharing the gospel and reading the bible and proclaimed himself to be an atheist while vehemently denying God and especially Christianity. It was a huge turnaround by someone we would not have expected it from. I asked him all this I heard was true and he told me it was. He had some atheist friends with him and they brought tracts. Atheist tracts. They were out on the streets sharing their faith that there is no God.

I told Jim and the rest of the gang that these atheists were really committed to their faith (or lack of it). Here they were holding a lie in their hands and in their heart and were passionate enough to make sure it got out and yet those who have the truth of Christ have no passion to share? LDS, Jehovah Witness, Krishna followers and other false teachers are willing to give it all for a lie and there are Christians that will not give an inch while holding on to the truth. If atheists could get out in a little rain to share a lie couldn't I get out to share some truth instead of calling it a night?

Then Jim told me that Emmanuel is a "born again" atheist. I guess that is because he had claimed to be Christian and then left it for no God at all. Jim had a hopeful look as he told us he thought that Emmanuel would come around someday and that it would be an amazing thing.

I then went over to Emmanuel and talked with him a little. I asked him again if it was really true? He nodded. I asked him if I could have one of the atheist tracts he had and he gave one to me and I said thanks. It was getting late at that point. Almost 11 PM. I looked at Emmanuel and thoughts raced through my mind rapidly. His name means "God with us" and yet he has chosen to be "without God". I wondered if I should share the gospel with him? But why would I do that? He had heard the gospel. He had heard it from me when we were together. He had heard it from himself. He had heard it from Jim many times including that night as I was walking up to the corner. He had heard it a number of times from my friends that had told me about his turning to atheism as they reasoned with him about his decision.

My conclusion? I did not share the gospel with him again. It was getting late. He had heard it. He was out there to spread atheism and the tract he gave me tried to explain how the God of the bible was not true and how God was a cruel, unjust and unloving tyrant. What could I possibly say to him? What could I even begin to chat with him about that would not be a complete waste of time in his mind? I told Emmanuel it was good to see him again and that I would keep an eye out for him.

We had a few more conversations before we called it night and prayed and then went home. But that is not where the story ends. It ends 11 days later as today I received an email I never wanted to receive. It informed me that Emmanuel had committed suicide. SUICIDE!!!!!!! I was immediately sick.

From what has been shared with me it seems that Emmanuel sent an email to some friends letting them know he was considering suicide. One of those friends is an atheist who is on those streets a lot and who I met that night. His name is Kit. Kit called Jim to try to find if he knew the address for Emmanuel. Jim did not know the address so Kit called around to other friends and was able to get the address and share it. Jim arrived at Emmanuel's address to find police cars already there and they told Jim that he was too late and there was nothing they could do for him. When Jim got to the hospital Emmanuel's body was being moved to the medical examiner's office. A life ended. Gone.

All day I have not been able to think. Only now as I write are thoughts coming to me. First and foremost was my decision to not share the gospel with Emmanuel another time. If I had it to do again I would have shared the gospel. Knowing what I know now I would have pleaded with him knowing his life was in danger. The question is why didn't I do that anyway? Any of us could be spending our last day before death comes. That puts us all in danger apart from Jesus and in need of the gospel no matter how many times it has been rejected.

I do not know much about Emmanuel. Just enough though to care deeply about him. But not deeply enough to push aside a laundry list of reasons I came up with to not talk to him at least one more time that night. As I think about what happened with this young man I think about how hopeless it must be to come to the conclusion that God is not real. That he does not exist. And then be committed and even angry enough to put energy and effort into sharing that message. Which is a message of bad news. A message of "this is all there is." A message that there is no God, there is no hope but only death.

If that is the message that you have given your life to then what you have given it to is the message of death. Can it be surprising then that the result of being deeply devoted to this message of death is to move closer and closer to death itself? And as death approaches where could he turn? He could not turn to God because as an atheist there was no God to turn to and therefore only darkness, despair and death remained. In his judgment the "best" option was death. With God removed it becomes the only option for it is from God that life comes forth and without God life ceases.

Please understand that we are in a battle with Satan who is a murderer and the father of lies. He manipulates the lost to follow him and then he disposes of them into doubt, despair, darkness and death. He has no love for those he uses and spits out to spread his lies. But Satan's lack of love should not be a surprise. The bigger question is do we have love for those Satan has deceived and is leading to death? Do we? Do I? Can we even began to fathom what is at stake? Will it take being on the other side of eternity to clearly see how much is on the line for those who are lost? Or can we pray to see clearly now while there is still time? On the other side of eternity it will be too late to realize the gravity of the situation.

As much as I would like to I no longer have the opportunity to plead with Emmanuel. But I can plead with you. Please think about how serious God is about the lost. I beg you to think about those you know or who you may meet this week for the first time and think about their destiny. Do you have compassion for them? Will you pray with all you heart, mind, soul and strength for God to give you that passion? Is that a prayer that you would really want God to answer if you were to go to Him with it?

Do not let another day go by without trusting in God to use you to share the gospel. Now is the time. Today is the day. Tomorrow is a place that more than 150,000 people who die each day do not get to see. So don't wait for tomorrow. Right here, right now, right away ask God to use you and equip you to share the gospel and reach the lost.

Please pray. You will not regret it.

Love,

Rob-roy

© Rob-roy 2008