A Divine Heathen Encounter

Friend and colleague Dr. Denny Nissley was driving my wife and me to the Dulles airport in Washington D.C. early on Tuesday, April 29th (2003).

Denny is an evangelist who lives up to that title. I know of no one who has personally led—one on one—more people to the Lord that he has.

Always thinking evangelistically, Denny said to me as we were on our way to the airport, "I'm going to pray that God leads a heathen to you, so you can witness to him."

For those who might find the word heathen offensive, don't. In our world of multi-culturalism and diversity, when all is said and done in this world there are really only two groups of people: the saved, and those who need to be saved. And, being a part of the first group is not an accomplishment achieved by our efforts; it is the free gift of a loving God who sent his unique Son Jesus Christ to save us.

Coffee or Heathens?

Now, bear in mind that this is about 5:15 am, and I'm far more concerned with finding a Starbucks than a heathen. My mind though racing with the upcoming activities of the flight is foggy from the morning rush.

At the airport: Sue and I have now checked our bags and found a Starbucks. Sipping on my latté, I spotted a man quietly waiting for the plane to take off. Hmm. Could this be the "heathen"? So, I approached him with the common ground of our destination: Seattle. Not long into the conversation, however, the hustle and bustle of the preflight activities drew him away, and I didn't have an opportunity to witness to him.

Six Hours Later

About six hours later, Sue and I were in Seattle. We were leaving the Seattle airport and we got onto an elevator with two other men. We were only going one floor down and so it was a quick elevator trip, and one of the men asked me, "Have you ever heard of Simbutua?" (Or something sounding similar to like that.) I thought he was referring to a person or a place, and I said, "No. I haven't."

Chant Your Way to Peace?

This man then quickly told me that it was "ancient wisdom" and that through Simbutua, I could "chant my way to peace."

I said, "Oh, no . . . chanting won't bring peace. Only through Jesus Christ, God's Son, can humans have peace with God. Do you know Jesus Christ?"

He replied, "Oh yes, I know Jesus. He is good too."

"Good too?" I asked in amazement.

The elevator door now opened and the other man in the elevator, and Sue, and I were exiting. My new friend in need of a savior was remaining on the elevator however. And other people were getting into it, and they now overheard this last part of the conversation. Then, I continued in response to his last statement:

"Jesus is not good also! He is the only way to peace. You must accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Simbutua will not bring peace with God, only Jesus can bring that to you."

And with that the doors closed, and he went his way and we went ours.

I turned to my wife and I said, "Simbutua?" She just smiled at me as we made our way through the crowd to our pick up point where the shuttle bus was loading up.

Divine Reminder?

On Wednesday night, April 30th, I had gone to bed, and I had read myself to a point of nearly falling asleep. I placed the book on the nightstand next to my bed, turned off the light, and laid back to sleep. As I did, I began to thank God for his goodness to my family and to me, and all of a sudden I had a flash of memory. The man in the elevator! Denny's prayer!

I just smiled as I realized that in all of the hustle and bustle of the return, I had forgotten the encounter until now, about 36 hours later. How did this slip my mind? Old age? Busyness?

I laid in bed and prayed for the man on the elevator. I prayed that though the seeds of the gospel were quickly scattered, they would take root in his heart and mind. In brief, I prayed that he would "find peace." Or, perhaps more accurately, that the Prince of Peace would find him. "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10). Also, I prayed for the others who were getting in and out of the elevator but were not part of the direct conversation. Who knows how many of them overheard enough to hear that Jesus alone is the way to peace? Only eternity will tell.

By the way, when was the last time you prayed for a divine encounter with a heathen?