Divine Intervention

“How do I become a Christian man?”

I received this question via Twitter messaging by a man from a middle eastern country. I asked in return if he already knew Jesus and wanted to be a better Christian, or did he want to know what it meant to be a Christian? Nothing could have prepared me for his response of divine intervention.

“Jesus showed up in my bedroom and I want to follow Him.”

I asked if he could share more of the story. Here is his experience as he shared it with me.

“I was at work and I began having pain in my chest. The pain continued to get worse, so I left to go home for a bit. Laying in my bed, I closed my eyes and thought I might die because the pain was becoming unbearable. At once I sensed something bright. I opened my eyes and looked to the side of my bed and there, right there next to me, was Jesus. He only said one sentence, “Go to your neighbor’s house.” I immediately got up and went downstairs to my neighbor. The last thing I remember was waking up in the hospital with the doctor, asking me how I was still alive. My aorta had ruptured and I should be dead, but I am alive.”

Wonder-struck

I sat wonder-struck as I read this man’s message over and over. Jesus had shown up in his bedroom and now God was allowing me to hear this firsthand account of divine intervention. I have met some people through social media that I knew were scammers trying to get money, but with this man I knew there was something more and I needed to pay attention.

We chatted back and forth for months and the one thing that struck him most was that our prophet (Jesus) saved him and not his prophet (Mohammed). He knew he needed to find out more about this Jesus and reached out, at risk of persecution, to get the answers.

I Would Love To Share More

I cannot share anymore details here, but I am always willing to come to your group or church and share the longer story in person. There is so much more than any of us could have put together on our own. This was a God-ordained experience. About a year later, I traveled with a group and God gave me the privilege of meeting this man and hearing this incredible story in person.

I have heard of many others who have had similar experiences with Jesus showing up physically, in dreams, and/or visions. I am friends with some of the Cru team that put out the Jesus Film, and they have said that after showing the film, many will come up and say that is the man that shows up in my dreams, please tell me more about Him.

God Reaching Down

This next letter of the Hebrew alphabet makes me think of divine intervention. The Tsaddi צ is another letter that comes in two forms. It looks like this צ at the beginning or middle of a word, and the final form looks like this ץ when used at the end of a word. It has the value of 90 and, its basic definition, means sacrifice and humility. The Tsaddi צ is the only letter that hangs below the written line, like our lowercase g or j. The hanging part of this letter represents God reaching down to save us. He did this by sending His son Jesus to live on earth and die for our salvation.

Jesus came to live as a man and die for our salvation, but He now returns in dreams and visions to give us each the opportunity to meet Him. I used to think about the tribes in the middle of nowhere and wonder if they would ever have anyone to tell them about Jesus. After hearing my friend’s story over Twitter, I knew God’s heart was for everyone and that even if we failed to share His message, He would come and do it Himself.

The Humble Servant

Jesus is the ultimate humble servant that the Tsaddi represents, and we should do everything we can to become like Him. Just like Jesus, God calls us to go and make disciples of all nations.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Matthew 28:19 NLT

The Church Grows Through Persecution

If you do not know, Iran is the fastest growing church in the world and Afghanistan is a close second. God is moving in power in these persecuted countries. I recently watched Jennie Allen interview a pastor from the middle east (watch it here). He mentioned that for a time the church was shrinking instead of growing; he went before God and asked what he was doing wrong. God responded to him, “You are making converts and not disciples. Converts will run away in the face of danger, but my disciples are willing to die for me.”

“You are making converts and not disciples. Converts will run away in the face of danger, but my disciples are willing to die for me.” ~Pastor X Click To Tweet

That sentence has run through my head daily since I heard it. Are we bringing people to church to make them feel better and have friends, or are we introducing them to transformational love of Jesus Christ so they too would die for Him? Are we expecting divine intervention?

Facing My Fears

"You must first step into the unknown, face your fears, and discover God in fresh ways." – Allen Arnold Waves Of Creativity: A Gathering Of Ideas On Creating With God Check out the book here https://amzn.to/38VGMpg #ad Click To Tweet

Before I went to meet this friend I met on Twitter, I really struggled. I wanted to opt out and tell God communicating over social media was good enough. I told God I would find people at Starbucks and share Jesus with them. God’s response, “How many have you done that with so far?” Ouch!

I feared going. The unknown crippled me. What if going to this place put me into a situation where I would encounter persecution for my faith? I fought God for a long time on this, but knew I had to go. It was the best experience of my life. God forever changed my heart for followers of Jesus around the world. I got to experience Jesus in ways that gave me the strength to make it through the awful years of Lyme Disease that occurred soon after my return. I came out much stronger in Christ than I could have imagined.

Be Like Jesus

I challenge you to be like Jesus. Reach out to the person who He puts in your path to share His amazing story with. Share His love with them, but don’t just leave them there. Establish a friendship, a discipleship relationship. Go to the places He leads you, even if they are scary. Follow the great commission, “Go and make disciples of all nations.”

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”

Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT

Thank you for sharing…