Читать книгу Not By Chance By Choice - Desmond Richardson - Страница 9

Question on Top of Question

“Who is God?” I asked Paul. Paul answered me and said, “The Savior.”

I laughed because I didn’t need to be saved. I just wanted answers about this world. I had a multitude of questions about life and why certain things came to pass. More importantly, I need that hump back in my life. I felt dull and empty.

It was something about Paul that intrigued me. I questioned him further.

“What did Jesus save you from?” I asked Paul.

In short, Paul said he felt empty and unfulfilled. I was startled by what Paul said. I smiled inside me and let the conversation die, but Paul started asking me questions about myself.

“Why do you not believe in Jesus?” he asked.

I did not want to get into every reason why I did not believe, so I kept my answer short.

I told him, “It was too many ways to believe in a God so I chose not to believe in one. Who is to say who is right?”

Paul told me that was a stupid answer I gave. I looked at Paul and thought to myself I should slap him, but saner thoughts prevailed.

“How did different races come about?” I asked. Paul told me that he couldn’t answer that question, but the Gospel can.

I laughed aloud this time and said to Paul, “If I asked half the questions, I had about life there would be no answer.”

“Ask another question,” Paul said.

I felt like he was antagonizing me at this point, but oh well, I was bored.

“Who causes rain to come and gives grapes in its due season?” I asked Paul.

Paul would respond and say “I cannot answer that question, but the Gospel can.”

“What is the gospel?” I asked. Paul wanted me to keep asking questions, but he never gave answers.

The conversation started to get weird, and I was not getting any answers about who God is. Finally, Paul told me the Gospel is the good news of the Bible. Paul and I both thought it would be wise to stop the conversation we were having and continue our discussion another time. We all exchanged numbers that night.

Two days later, Tom, Paul, and I would meet up at Applebee’s. Paul brought a friend with him named Aaron. We all sat down and talked about what was going on in our lives that week. We spoke about the good and the bad that was going on in our lives. Then Paul went to the bathroom.

Aaron asked me who I was and what I liked to do. I told him about my life and things I had or had not overcome. Aaron told me a story of a man in the Bible named Zacchaeus, and what Zacchaeus did when he walked with Jesus face-to-face. Zacchaeus gave all his riches and earnings back to the people whom he had robbed. It was an impressive story on how Jesus changed someone, but I told Aaron the only reason Zacchaeus did what he did is because he met Jesus face-to-face. I continued talking to Aaron. I started to hear about all the great things that Jesus did for others and got frustrated. Paul came back to the table, and Aaron shared with Paul what we were talking about. Paul started telling me about his little brother and how his brother was willing to work at a meat shop to spread the gospel. I looked at Paul and Aaron and started shaking my head. I told them they were crazy. We conversed for another two hours then left.