The wording of the Spirit—inspired Scriptures is very
important. God has chosen to give us a library of 66 books in one book – the
Bible. Even so, much concerning this life and spiritual things is left unsaid.
God has chosen to give His message for us as we have it.

In the Gospels and Acts we find the word most often used
of believers is from the root for disciple (math?t?s).
It is used over 265 times in Matthew through Acts. In the book of Acts the word
disciple is interchangeable with the word believer. “Christian” in singular or
plural form is used only three times in the whole of the New Testament.

When we come to the remainder of the New Testament,
Romans to Revelation, a new word appears for the believer, the word saint.
Several of the books open with the words “To the saints of…” and then
references the location of the recipients. God is revealing what we are positionally
as His followers. However, practically we are not there yet as this will take
place only when we are in His presence.

A disciple can be defined as “a disciplined one.” This
description used most often of believers carries with it the idea of one who
practices the biblical spiritual disciplines. As disciples we are in the
process of moving from where we are practically: disciples, toward what we are
positionally: saints. Spiritual transformation is moving toward sainthood as we
have been admonished to “…exercise yourself toward godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7).
The word “exercise” has also been translated as “train” in some of our English
versions.

So often I hear believers say, “I try to live the
Christian life” or “I try to do what is right.” Scripture admonishes us that we
don’t just try to be Christlike, we must train to be so! The Apostle Paul
reminds us that the transformation in our lives is directly related to   our
contemplation of “…the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 3:18 – 4:6). This is only
accomplished through the implementation of the spiritual disciplines in our
lives as a result of our love for Him.

Sundays 5:30 – 7:00 PM

Ladies Study -1st & 3rd Sundays

Begins Sunday, Jan. 15

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                                                                                                        Member Book.

Mens Study – 2nd & 4th Sundays

Begins Sunday, January 22

Click here to see samples from the book or purchase the Kindle edition.

In our American culture we want instant gratification and formulas for instant success. These are unrealistic expectations for permanent and lasting life change. What is required are consistently applied principles and actions that promote change in one’s life.

At Lakes Community Chapel, we desire to come alongside people who want to learn to love more, to live life more fully, to experience true joy, and to change the way they live their lives. We believe true change only comes through Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away, new things have come.” (II Corinthians 5:17, NKJV) A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the foundation for a new life with new habits, new attitudes, and new behaviors. However, this is just the beginning. Church attendance is also important according to the Bible, which states that we are not to forsake ” the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25, NKJV), but we are to encourage one another to  “love and to good works” (Hebrews 10:24, NKJV). We can only do that through relationship with one another – and building relationships like this begin at church. However, this is also not enough!

It is through the practice of all of the spiritual disciplines – Bible study, prayer, fellowship, and serving others- that we grow and we change. In addition to the Discipleship phases that we offer at Lakes Chapel (which include intimate, closed small groups with accountability, Bible study, prayer, and Scripture memorization) we also offer Bible studies for men and women each fall and spring that are approximately 10-12 weeks in length. These groups meet twice each month and do not require long term commitment. We pray that those who attend these studies will get into the Bible daily and will prepare for the sessions so that they will grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and will develop a daily time of study and prayer. It is through such study that one begins to see changes in their life – in the way the treat other people, in their own personal sense of well being and peace, and in a more intimate relationship with God.

Please consider participating in one of our Bible studies this fall beginning September 25, as we study Max Lucado’s Outlive Your Life! Contact Lakes Chapel for more details or if you have any questions.

1 Peter 4:7 – 11

A certain group has declared that the judgment of the world is to take place on May 21, 2011, followed by the destruction of the world five months later. However, Jesus reminded His disciples that no one could be certain of the time except the Father (Matt. 24:36).

Scripture does declare that the time is coming and the followers of Christ looked for it even in their day. We are closer now then we have ever been. Our passage states, “But the end of all things is at hand…” (NKJV) What is the disciple to do? Peter, under the inspiration of God, addresses several things in this text that we should note:

(1)   “…therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.” The spiritual discipline of communication with our Heavenly Father is of utmost important in our walk with God. Do you have a specific time and place to practice the art of prayer?

(2)   “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sin.’” Agape love is a matter of position and passion as it is not as much an emotion as a decision. This leads to forgiving others as we have been forgiven by Christ.

(3)   “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling…” The discipline of guarding the unity and love of the body is important in the perilous last days.

(4)   “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another…” The pastor in the pulpit is the “equipper” while all believers are the ministers (Eph. 4:11 & 12). Are you being a good steward of the manifold grace of God by implementing the spiritual gifts that He has granted you?

(5)   “…speak as the oracles of God…” The tongue is a serious weapon (James 3). How do you speak as the words that are uttered from the lips reveal what is in the heart (Luke 6:45)?

(6)   “…minister…with the ability God supplies” God has called you as His disciple to minister as light and salt in your world (Mt. 5:13 – 15). How is your testimony for Him?

The purpose in all of this: “…that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Yes, the end is near…nearer than when God inspired Peter to write these words. We are closer to the end than any time in human history. Are we living like it?

Christians are not to give way to “eschatological frenzy” but to practice self-control and be active in prayer. Peter had set a negative example in his failure to watch and pray in the Garden (Matt. 26:40-41). – Edwin Blum

You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. – C.S. Lewis

New Release!

Available NOW – Get the second book in the Stolen Series, Stolen Child—sequel to Stolen Woman, the breakout Christian suspense novel on human trafficking!

Asha returns to Asia with only priority higher than reuniting with Mark and beginning a ministry rescuing trafficked women: first she must find her birth family and discover why they gave her up. 

The path to answers, however, is shrouded with secrets, superstitions, and lies.  Why did her parents never tell anyone about her?  Why are the village women so fearful?  And what is the terrible curse everyone hints at but no one will explain?

When Asha’s safety is threatened, Mark follows to Bangladesh in search of her.  Will he find her in time to tell her what is truly on his heart?  Or will the dangers continue to separate them until it is too late?

Stolen Child brings Asha and Mark back into the world of human trafficking, where each must make choices that will affect their future forever.

Available in paperback (amazon.com) and e-book (Kindle and Nook).

Or get an autographed copy through www.stolenwoman.org.

. . . and living to talk about it!

by Kimberly Rae

I was on the trip of a lifetime.

It was a beautiful sunny day, a perfect day for rafting the rapids.

Best of all, I was in Africa!

I was living in Uganda, Africa, working as a missionary to AIDS orphans.  My two missionary friends, Tammy and April, hiked down the hill with me toward the river.   We were going to raft the rapids of the famous Nile River, the longest river in the world.  I couldn’t wait!

I jumped into a bright yellow raft.  Tammy and April jumped in too.  All the other people in the boat were strangers.

(I didn’t care about that right then, but I would care about that later.)

A very cool, young Australian guy announced that he would be our guide.

Everything was looking good so far!

He gave us a piddly training exercise: “This is how to use your paddle.”

“This is how to fall out of the boat.  Here’s how to get back in.”

“See that rope on the side of the raft?  If the raft tips over, grab that rope.  Whatever you do, no matter what, don’t let go of the rope!”

We weren’t paying much attention to the instructions.  We wanted to get started!  The water was blue; the sky was clear.  Wild, adventurous Africa was calling.

We started off, with April and I paddling in the very front.  Who wanted to sit in the back and see Africa after the others?  Not me.  Whatever happened, I wanted to experience it front and center.

And boy would I ever.

With each new rapid, our guide shouted directions.

“Row harder to the left!”

“Hang on!”

It felt great getting through each rapid without tipping the raft over.  We were getting pretty good at this!

The water got calm for awhile.  We relaxed and sort-of paddled while our guide told us stories about the crocodiles in the river.

Nervously, we started looking around.

“Did you see one over there?”

“I think so.  I’m not sure.  Maybe.”  We were all half hoping to see one, and half hoping we wouldn’t—especially after the guide told us about foolish boaters who left the main route of the river and got a chunk bitten out of their boat!

As we floated along, the strangers in the boat started feeling a little restless, a little bored.  Things weren’t exciting enough.

“Let’s tip the raft and see if we can flip the boat over!” they decided.

“Okay.”  When the water was calm like this, I was all for it.

“No, let’s tip the boat on a rapid!”

Well, that was a bad idea.  It wouldn’t have been so bad tipping on the Level 1 or 2 or even 3 rapids we’d gone through.  But we were headed straight for a Level 5!

Now, if you ask me, Level 5 is not fun.  Level 5 is the most intense rapid you’re allowed to raft without it being just plain too dangerous to be legal.  We heard stories about experienced guys who died when they got stuck in the rocks below and the rapids’ violent current kept them down, like a baby’s tiny sock in a huge washing machine, totally helpless.

I did not want to tip on a rapid, and I definitely did not want to tip on a Level 5.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.”

The strangers in my raft did not agree.  “Come on!  It’ll be fun!”

What could I do?  Everybody else wanted to do it.  Our guide had a gleam in his eye that made my stomach churn.

It was too late to back out now.  I’d picked the wrong boat to face adventure in, and now it was taking me down a path I didn’t want to go.

We went faster and faster, straight toward the rapid.  The sound of the waves got louder as we got closer.  And my fear got bigger right along with it.  If this was a contest, I knew the water would win and we would not.

Our boat raced over the edge.  For a moment it felt like we were hanging in midair before we fell, face-first, toward the rapids.

“Aaaaaaah!” we all screamed.

After falling straight down about 5-10 feet, we hit the water.

Our raft tipped.  It flipped upside down right in the middle of the swirling crash of waves.

And I got trapped underneath.

I couldn’t breathe.  The boat pushed down on me from above, and all around me swirling, angry water was trying to kill me.

I was drowning.  I remembered the guide saying “Whatever you do, don’t let go of the rope!”

But I was stuck under the boat!  I was certain that if I didn’t let go, I was going to die.

I let go.  Seconds later I shot out from under the boat.

“Help!” I screamed.

My friend Tammy saw me.

“Take my hand!”  She reached out for me.

I stretched my hand out with all my might and almost reached her.  But the water was too strong and too fast.  It threw me away from the raft and pushed me down the river.

The water swirled and rushed, pulling me with it.  I was going so fast.  I kept telling God, “I don’t want to die.  I don’t want to die.”

Finally, the river stopped rushing, and eventually my heart stopped rushing too.

I drifted, all alone.

After I floated for some time, thinking about how lousy this wonderful adventure had turned out to be, a young guy in a kayak came to my rescue.  He wasn’t exactly prince charming there to pick me up and carry me to safety.  Instead, he told me to get on, and waited rather impatiently as I tried to lunge myself up onto the back of his kayak, which was not easy.

I had a humiliating ride hanging onto the back of his kayak back to the raft.  The raft that was now right side up, with all those people in it, safe and dry.

Amazing, I thought, how I was the one who didn’t want to tip, yet I had been the one to get “caught” by following along with their bad choices.

I finished the ride that day (not that I had any choice) but it wasn’t fun anymore.  I just wanted to go home.

So what did I learn from my scary trip on the rapids of the Nile River?

Well, first of all I learned that who you get in the boat with matters.  I shouldn’t have followed along with people who wanted to do stupid stuff.  I guess it’s like that in life too.  I’m not going to pick friends who will pressure me to do things I know aren’t smart—especially things that displease God.  It starts out feeling fun, but sure doesn’t end up that way!

Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”  And it doesn’t mean just walking—it means paddling a boat too!

The biggest lesson I learned is that who you pick to be your guide is really, really important.  My guide that day looked cool and fun, and I had wanted to be in his group because supposedly that made me cool too.  But he didn’t really care about any of us.  He wanted to have fun, and he wanted to follow what everybody else wanted to do.  He sure didn’t care about me.

In life, I’m going to stick with Jesus as my guide.  He loves me and really cares about what happens to me.  He won’t lead me into anything that He won’t give me the strength to overcome!  God says that “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  (Romans 8:37)

So I learned the hard way.  If I ever go rafting the rapids again, I’m going to pick the right guide and the right friends.

And we’re going to have a great time!

Sidebar:  150 words

In life, there are seasons that hold the same excitement and promise of adventure as a trip rafting the Nile.  Like those first moments when you realize you can make choices for yourselves about your future—the freedom of learning to drive, going to college, dating, choosing a vocation.  Or those moments when you’re away from your parents or your church friends, when responsibilities are left behind, and no one is around to check what choices you make.

It’s natural to want to get close to the edge, to just take a taste of sin, sure that you’ll be able to back out whenever you want to.  But sin won’t let you just take a taste.  It will pull you in farther and farther, until suddenly you’re trapped and it’s too late to turn the boat around and go home.

To Learn more about Kim’s ministry, email her or visit her on Facebook.

We are probably familiar with “Beatitudes” from the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest Preacher to ever live: Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:1 – 12). It is interesting to note that James uses the term “blessed” (makarios) three times in this practical epistle on living out the faith. God inspires him to use it at the beginning of his letter (our text) and toward the end of his letter as he writes in 5:11, “Indeed we count them blessed who endure.”

It is an amazing thing that we, in our human frailty, can be called “blessed” as this was attributed by the secular society of that time as an attribute of the gods. In biblical Christianity, God calls His self-crucified disciple “blessed.”

James “bookends” this letter with the pronouncement of who is “blessed.” Yet, sandwiched between these two pronouncements is the key to living in this freedom of Christ:

James 1:25, But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

The key to living out the Christian faith, the foundation to enduring temptation, the ability to persevere until we receive the crown of life, the stride of the walk in freedom is found in this passage that stresses the look, hear, and do of the crucified life. It is the reading, memorization, and meditation on God’s Word, the perfect law of liberty, that allows us to, “…be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord” (5:7). Be mindful that the “…the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). We desperately need that systematic, serious, and sincere daily time in the Word of God in order to live out true freedom in Christ!

He doth not bid us take a taste of all sins and vanities, as Solomon did, to try them:  for they are tried already; but that we should set the Word of God always before us like a rule, and believe nothing but that which it teacheth, love nothing but that which it prescribeth, hate nothing but that which it forbideth, do nothing but that which is commandeth, and then we try all things by the Word. – Puritan Henry Smith

I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is this, that I may die to self, and live wholly to Him. – C.H. Spurgeon

In this epistle of practical Christian living James will now address those who suppress the poor even as they gain by taking advantage of them.  He has dealt with the merchants in Chapter 4: 13 – 17 and now concentrates on the truly wealthy of an agrarian society:  landowners. Please note that he does not refer to these as “brothers.”

The first thing that James points out is the coming judgment on these who worship their achievements over God.  This judgment is based upon their sins which are listed as they abuse the poor.  They have hoarded wealth, withheld wages, and “murdered the just” (v. 6). This last phrase may have to do with the withholding of wages to those who had so little that their lives were in jeopardy due to starvation.

This passage is not a diatribe against anyone having possessions as there have been many in Scripture and throughout church history that God has blessed with what we would call “wealth.”  Rather, this is about the heart of those who worship wealth rather than God.  In fact, much like the rich young ruler that Jesus addressed in the Gospels, these landowners hold their possessions as God. God’s Word warns them that, “you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter” – a dire warning to all who love the things of this world.

This passage ties in with chapter 1:9 – 11 which states, “Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.” Here is the reversal that we find in The Kingdom of God. It is those who are “poor in spirit” (Mt. 5:3) who will be exalted by God rather than those who are successful in the eyes of the world if their hearts are not right before God.

It is so easy for the disciple of Christ to lose sight of what is important. May we be challenged and convicted by the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:33,

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

December 7, 2010

“…after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (II Peter 5:10)

Twenty-five years ago today, our baby girl, Christy Therese, was born in Statesville, NC. Little did we know that she would grace our lives for just eighty-one short days.  It wasn’t long after she was born that the doctor slipped into the room to let us know that Christy had a problem with her heart and would need to be transported to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC, for a heart catheterization.  Christy was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries, had emergency surgery at one week old to allow additional oxygenated blood to flow into her body, and remained in NICU for a total  of 79 days.

Then, the doctors sent Christy home to grow with the intention of “fixing” her heart when she was about three years old. But God had other plans for Christy. He decided to “fix” her heart perfectly and completely less than two days after she came home. Her little human heart was weak and began to fail. We rushed her to the emergency room early on the morning of February 26, 1986, but Christy went to be with Jesus that morning. It was hard. It was sad, and we were heart -broken. But in spite of the pain, it was an experience that I have treasured more than I can ever explain.

God, not only fixed Christy’s heart, He also did a lot of work on us as well. During those difficult days, we learned many things about life, about suffering, about death, and about God. The most memorable principle that the Lord began to teach me was the importance of suffering in the development of our character, our worldview, our relationships, and our ministry. I chose the term “began” intentionally because learning is a process, and I was only beginning to scratch the surface of what God wanted me to learn about suffering. Twenty-five years later, I am still beginning “to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering.”  (Phil. 3:10)

Jesus was our perfect example in suffering, so that we may “follow his steps” (I Pet. 2:21). Jesus suffered “so that he might taste death for every man” (Heb. 2:9), that he might “bring us to God” (I Pet. 3:18) and “sanctify the people through His blood” (Heb. 13:12). He “learned obedience by the things he suffered” (Heb. 5:8).  In suffering, Jesus “committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (I Pet. 2:23), and He, as the “captain of our salvation”, was “perfected” through sufferings (Heb. 2:10).

Just as there were some things Jesus “learned” only as a result of suffering, there are some things that we can learn only through suffering.  This morning, I read II Corinthians 1-5, a passage of Scripture that I held onto through Christy’s illness and during the months that followed her death. I didn’t understand much then, but now I see much more clearly how God has used and continues to use suffering in my life to “perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish me” (I Pet. 5:10)

Not that I am yet “perfect”. In fact, I am far from it!  According to Strong (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, 1890) the term literally means, “to complete thoroughly, to repair, or adjust…fit, frame, mend…repair, restore.”  Jesus was perfect in every sense, in that he was “entirely without flaws, pure, absolute, complete beyond improvement” (according to http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perfect ). Therefore, this term can only mean that “there is a perfection that results from actually having suffered and that this is different from the perfection of being ready to suffer” (Gaebelein, Frank E. (1981), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 12. Zondervan Publishers, p. 27)  I, on the other hand, will never be “perfect” in the way that Christ was perfect, yet I am being “perfected”, that is, I am being repaired, adjusted, fitted, mended, and restored, “being conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29) having been given “the mind of Christ” (I Cor. 2:16).

Through God’s Word, Christ the Living Word and His Scripture, the written Word, along with the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, I understand more today about God’s comfort in my suffering (II Cor. 1:3-7). Often I don’t have a choice about what suffering I will go through (except when it is self inflicted from my own sinful choices). Yet I do have the choice to accept and experience His comfort, so that I can comfort others. OR I can choose to reject His comfort which leads to despair and bitterness (Eph. 4:31, Heb. 12:15)

Not only can I experience God’s comfort, I can also share that comfort with others who are going through “any affliction” (II Cor. 1:4), not just the illness or death of a child, but through any difficult circumstances. When our hearts have been hurt and we have comforted, we, too, can empathize with the sufferings of others and offer comfort to them. We are able to look beyond the circumstances to the eternal glory to come, and offer perspective. (II Cor. 4:18). Jesus is our HOPE! (II Cor. 1:10). Our confidence is in Him, because He will deliver us now or in the future.  The timing is up to Him, but the truth remains, He will deliver us (Dan. 3:17), and He will receive all of the glory.

In addition to the experience of God’s comfort, He has given me grace to live for Him, even during times of suffering. In II Cor. 1:12, Paul explains that because of God’s grace and in spite of the circumstances, he had been able to conduct himself “in holiness and godly sincerity…in the world” and toward the body of Christ. It is because God is faithful that we can live faithfully for him. It is His promises that sustain us in difficult times.  He has “sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge” , for the promises that are to come (II Cor. 1:22).

He has broadened our ministry through our suffering. Christy’s death was not the only suffering we have experienced. It wasn’t even the beginning of suffering in our lives. We have experienced rejection by family members, rejection by God’s people, and rejection from the world. We have experienced physical sufferings, financial setbacks, fear, and loss of personal property. We have been lonely and missed our children who live far away. We have suffered the loss of two parents through death and the loss of parental relationships because of divorce. We have experienced dry times spiritually where we felt that God had abandoned us. (The truth is that He never leaves us or forsakes us. Sometimes, our emotions cause us to feel things that are not true. When we allow these feelings to control our minds, instead of relying on the truth of God’s Word, we will begin to “feel” that God is not there for us.)

All of these times of suffering God uses so that we can minister to others. It is not about us, however, it is all about His glory. He has given us “this treasure in earthen vessels that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves” (II Cor. 4:7). Our lives on this earth are about “the One who has shined in our hearts to give the light of the know ledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ…that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our body…for your sakes” (II Cor. 4:6-15).

When we experience suffering, it is long and it is hard – from an earthly perspective. Yet when we look at suffering with spiritual eyes, we realize that it is “momentary, light affliction”. It is “but for a moment”! (II Cor. 4:17) “All things are for your sakes (ours and yours!) that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore…do not lose heart, for though the outer man is decaying, yet the inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (II Cor. 4:15-18)

What a promise! And the only way that promise will be fulfilled is when we give up this “earthly tent” (our physical bodies) and receive “a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (II Cor. 5:1)-a  new and perfect, spiritual body! We want our lives to be pain free. We want everything to get “fixed” – no more suffering and no more trials! Yet, if that is what we really want, we must let go of earthly thinking, stop walking by sight, and embrace a “walk by faith” (II Cor. 5:7).  Do you see? While we are in this earthly body, we often forget that we will have to get rid of this old body to experience being clothed by God in immortality.

So as you go through periods of suffering, don’t lose sight that this suffering is “but for a moment” and heaven waits!  Remember, “He has prepared us for this very purpose”! (II Cor. 5:5). Christy is already there with her new and perfect spiritual body, as are my mother-in –law and father-in-law, and many others who we have loved through the years. One day, very soon, we will be there, too, if we are “in Christ” (II Cor. 5:17). In the mean time, we can “be of good courage” looking forward to being in the presence of the Lord, and in the mean time we “have as our ambition…to be pleasing to Him” (II Cor. 5:8-9) in the “ministry of reconciliation” (II Cor. 5:18) and as “ambassadors for Christ” (II Cor. 5:20).

Remember, suffering on this earth is “but for a moment”!

Kim Olachea © www.VirtualLifeMinistries.com 2010

“How could you do this?” she screamed, reaching to tear more pages from the small Bible.  “You have betrayed us!  How will we find a good wife for your brother now?  Everyone will say there is something terribly wrong with our family.  How will your father face the priest?  You have ruined us!”

The woman stormed out of the room.

Mukta watched his mother go, then looked at the space where she had stood.  A pile of tattered pieces of paper was all that remained of his Bible.

It had all started months ago.  Mukta had not wanted to go to the Christian church service; he only went because his friend kept bugging him about it.  Hesitant and very skeptical, Mukta had walked inside, sat on the back row, and crossed his arms, waiting to see the “Christians conspiracy” he had heard about in action.

Mukta had heard the Christians would try to brainwash him.  He had come expecting to hear them say horrible things about his religion.  Instead of saying bad things about other religions, everyone just keeps saying good things about Jesus, Mukta thought as he listened.  All the speaker focused on was Jesus and their holy book, the Bible.

Curiosity roused, Mukta returned once, then again.  In time, he decided the Christian religion was logical and good.  He saw a missionary who attended the church and walked up to him.

“I want to become a Christian.” he said confidently.

The missionary’s eyebrows shot up.  James Short felt overjoyed, but a bit hesitant, too.  He had been a missionary in this South Asian country for more than a year now, and had learned that sometimes people choose to change religions in the same way they choose to change villages or communities.

James asked Mukta what he knew about Jesus.

Mukta admitted knowing little about Him.  Jesus was a famous, revered prophet who did miracles, but who did not die on a cross, as the Christians claim.  Mukta also stated that Jesus was taken to Heaven by a miracle of God and Judas was crucified in His place.

So, having heard this, where should the missionary start?  He knew it would only make Mukta feel defensive if he started by telling him what was wrong with his current beliefs.

Instead, James started by stating that true religion is a matter of the heart and not just the mind.  It is also much, much more than just a religious system.

After a long discussion, Mukta returned home with much to think about.  He returned the following week with his question ready.

“If I can’t be a Christian right now, can you help me study the Bible?”

The missionary had to smile before he agreed.

Soon, James home became a place for hours of intense Bible study with Mukta.  James also showed Mukta passages in the Koran, the Muslim holy book, that encourage a study of the Bible.

But when Mukta showed these passages to his influential family’s priest, the Muslim holy man raged, “Who is giving you this poison?”  Mukta kept asking questions until finally the priest stated, “You don’t need to understand, just listen to what I am teaching you and believe.”  Doubts grew and Mukta’s desire to study the Scriptures flourished.

For over two months, Mukta visited often, hungry to know more.  One day, Mukta said to the missionary, “Pray for me.  Pray that I would believe in Jesus.”

James reminded Mukta of the question Jesus asked Peter.  “Who do you say that I am?”  He then asked Mukta, “If I were to ask you the same question about Jesus, how would you answer?”

Mukta started talking about what he had learned about Jesus.  He talked about Jesus’ perfection, His love for the helpless, and His miracles.  He talked about Jesus’ teachings that dealt with the heart instead of what man sees on the outside.  He talked about Jesus’ death, His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.  He finished by saying, “Now He’s in Heaven with God, and I believe He is God.”  When asked if Jesus had to die, he said.  “He had to die so people

wouldn’t have to pay the punishment for their own sins.  Jesus paid our penalty so God could forgive our sins and allow us into Heaven.”

“Do you believe all that?” James asked.

Mukta paused, thought about all he had said, then spoke with confidence.  “Yes, I believe.”

“Then you do believe!” exclaimed the missionary.

The missionary shared Romans 10:9 and 10 and asked, “Would you like to tell God what you told me?”

Mukta nodded, then prayed.  He put his trust in Jesus and asked God to save him.

That was the same week Mukta’s mother found his Bible.

And that was when the trouble began.

Mukta’s father, a devout Muslim, rushed home from his business trip after hearing the news.  Mukta’s wealthy sister called him from America.  The family’s daily devotions with their priest became sessions on “What are we going to do about Mukta?”  There was no peace.

“Since you are so interested in religion, we could send you to an Islamic University to study!” they offered.  Mukta feared that they would quickly arrange a marriage for him to a devout Muslim girl in hopes to keep him firmly tied to Islam.  Many people were praying.

Once, Mukta faltered in his new faith.  Mukta’s family arranged a public meeting in the mosque where the priest would state Mukta’s sin of reading the Bible and ask Mukta to confess

and agree to never read it again.  The pressure continued to build within his family.  “Our father is sick and has a bad heart.  If you love your father, just confess.  If you do not, it will kill him.”

Mukta believed them.  He confessed, then in shame made a true confession to God in private prayer.  Later in the missionary’s home, he compared himself to Peter, “I denied the Lord.”

As the months passed, Mukta tried to find opportunities to speak to his father.  He showed him verses in the Koran that spoke of the Bible in a positive way, and told him, “Please father, if they exist, please show me from the Koran any verses that condemn reading the Bible.”

Mukta kept asking questions, while meeting secretly once a week with believers.

Finally, the devout and powerful father admitted that he could find no verses in the Koran that said it was wrong to read the Bible.

His father reluctantly said, “You can read it, but you shouldn’t believe it.”

Mukta felt such joy.  He finally had permission to read the Bible.

The Christians who had been praying also rejoiced.  God had done a miracle, perhaps more will come.  Only God knows, for, as with all who believe, He holds Mukta in His hands.

And now, Mukta’s hands hold a Bible once again.

Contact Kimberly Rae Thigpen on Facebook or email her at kimberlyrae4@yahoo.com