Charles.
Hey everyone,
If you came here because of my Facebook, or because I asked you to read this, thanks. I can't begin to tell you how important this is.
But first of all, I just want to say..that prayer WORKS. Many followers and believers of the God of the Bible can profess to this, including me. But it doesn't mean that it's always easy. Especially when you have to pray for people you don't necessarily like or agree with. And that brings me to the man who's name is the title of my post right now.
Charles.
Let me give you some background about Charles before I get into what happened in tonight's Bible study. You had better find a good place to sit, because this is going to be a LONG post...you ready?
I'll start with Charles' daughter, Sarah. She's had a tumultuous life, filled with the many empty promises and pleasures the world offered to her as a teenager and young adult. She now has three beautiful kids of her own, but is still struggling with everyday hardships. I won't say too much about her since it's not my place, but you see, she joined our LIFE!Group a little over a year ago. And through our time with her, we learned so much about this wonderful lady. She was born with many medical problems, but that hasn't stopped this woman from having such a beautiful heart. She's come to know the Lord, and because of her, her father Charles has just recently joined our group.
Now, since his addition to our LIFE!Group, Charles has shown some eccentric qualities that have raised a few eyebrows. But who ISN'T like that sometimes, right? None of us thought much about it. We were so impressed that he knew Scripture so well. As soon as you could breathe, he would be spitting out verses as if they were on the tip of his tongue. I mean, I've been studying the Bible practically all my life, and I STILL can't quote Scripture that fast.
However, all that changed. I just can't believe what happened. Maybe it's because I'm sheltered, or that I'm ignorant, but what happened just a few hours ago totally threw me off.
If you haven't gone to Shepherd of the Hills in Porter Ranch, you've gotta come visit some time. Simply put, THE MOST AMAZING CHURCH IN THE COUNTRY. Seriously, it's that awesome. But anyway, at Shepherd, we as a congregation/Body of Christ, study the Word of God and go through a series that takes us more in depth through the Bible. And the series we are currently in is called, "The Art of Bearing Fruit."
I'll spare you all the details about the series. But basically, we had just watched the video for this week. We read Matthew 28: 18-20 and 2 Timothy 2:2. And we were talking about the first person that comes to mind when we think of discipleship. People mentioned a few names/experiences here and there, until one lady named Rayma started talking.
And in the middle of her sentence, Charles began to speak. He first apologized for interrupting, but then went on to tell his testimony. At the age of 22, Charles became a believer. I'm not joking here, he told everyone that as he was taking a shower, the Holy Spirit spoke to him. And as he finished and looked into the mirror, Satan or a demon came out at him through the mirror and attacked him. And from then on he realized that he needed to get right with God. So he asked Jesus into his heart right there and became a Christian. He then went on to say that he went to a church that weekend, and told the pastor that he was a new believer. The pastor told him to profess this to the whole world, but Charles was too afraid. He did it anyway. Charles then went off on a tangent, but we somehow brought the focus back to the question about discipleship. It all seems such a blur to me now. Because the next thing I know, Charles is getting up from his seat and going to the door...saying that he'd "like to play this game of Bible study" and that he has better things to do with his time. Marcos, our LIFE!Group leader (bless his heart), tried to get Charles to stay a bit longer. But suddenly Charles began to say things like, "I'm Jesus."
Yea, I know. Just go with me here.
But Marcos, and Mike, who's another member of the group tried to reason with Charles, telling him that he can't be Jesus; and that it's blasphemy to make that kind of claim with no Biblical truth to back it up. Others tried to change the subject, but Charles continued to say that he was Jesus. Rayma spoke up and diverted the discussion to how someone can lead a Christ-like life and still be a witness and disciple that way. Unfortunately, Charles continued to be relentless. He then said that if we were not carrying out the Great Commission as stated in Mark, then there's no point in being Christians at all. He said that if we as the Body of Christ didn't speak in tongues or cast out demons, that we did not really have the Holy Spirit in us. That we were not really Jesus. And then Charles began to speak in tongues.
From that point on, we somehow were able to stop him, and continue with our previous discussion. I left to make a phone call after that. I was still talking on the phone when everyone finished, and as I paced back and forth at the front door, Charles passed by me. He went to his car and drove off. A few minutes later, he came back with Sarah's two older kids. He stayed in the car while the girls brought their mother out with the baby to go home. And when Sarah and the kids left, I went inside to get a bite to eat and fellowship with everyone. Everyone of course was worried. About Sarah. About the kids. About what happened. And what I didn't tell you..was that when Charles crossed the room to the door, I instantly smelled alcohol. I wasn't the only one to notice this....
After talking to Marcos, Mike, and other people in our group, we decided that we really need to pray for this family. We don't know Charles that well. We don't know his background. From what he's told us, he's had his own church with at least 500 people in his congregation. But we don't know if THAT'S true or not....
Look, what I want to ask is that everyone who reads this...just...please. Pray for him. The whole time that scenario unfolded before my eyes, I prayed that God would do something to interfere. But I also prayed that He would somehow plant a seed in Charles heart that would cause him to think more about what he believes. That God would show him that Christianity is not about the theatrics or magic tricks. And I'd like for you to pray along with me and our LIFE!Group. Pray for Sarah. Pray for her kids. Pray for Charles.
You may not be as shellshocked as I am, but I do hope your heart is burdened for people like Charles. There are so many of those out there that don't believe in the TRUE God of the Bible. They believe in what TBN or televangelists tell them. But some of these people, like Charles, know the Bible from cover to cover. Yet they still don't grasp what salvation is really all about. So please, pray. Pray that we may be a light to Charles. If God allows him to come back next week, please pray that God can somehow touch this man's life.
Thanks everyone! For reading this long and grammar-less post. I'm so tired right now, but I had to get this down while it was somewhat fresh in my mind. Anyway, I love you guys ^_^ Have a blessed weekend!
If you came here because of my Facebook, or because I asked you to read this, thanks. I can't begin to tell you how important this is.
But first of all, I just want to say..that prayer WORKS. Many followers and believers of the God of the Bible can profess to this, including me. But it doesn't mean that it's always easy. Especially when you have to pray for people you don't necessarily like or agree with. And that brings me to the man who's name is the title of my post right now.
Charles.
Let me give you some background about Charles before I get into what happened in tonight's Bible study. You had better find a good place to sit, because this is going to be a LONG post...you ready?
I'll start with Charles' daughter, Sarah. She's had a tumultuous life, filled with the many empty promises and pleasures the world offered to her as a teenager and young adult. She now has three beautiful kids of her own, but is still struggling with everyday hardships. I won't say too much about her since it's not my place, but you see, she joined our LIFE!Group a little over a year ago. And through our time with her, we learned so much about this wonderful lady. She was born with many medical problems, but that hasn't stopped this woman from having such a beautiful heart. She's come to know the Lord, and because of her, her father Charles has just recently joined our group.
Now, since his addition to our LIFE!Group, Charles has shown some eccentric qualities that have raised a few eyebrows. But who ISN'T like that sometimes, right? None of us thought much about it. We were so impressed that he knew Scripture so well. As soon as you could breathe, he would be spitting out verses as if they were on the tip of his tongue. I mean, I've been studying the Bible practically all my life, and I STILL can't quote Scripture that fast.
However, all that changed. I just can't believe what happened. Maybe it's because I'm sheltered, or that I'm ignorant, but what happened just a few hours ago totally threw me off.
If you haven't gone to Shepherd of the Hills in Porter Ranch, you've gotta come visit some time. Simply put, THE MOST AMAZING CHURCH IN THE COUNTRY. Seriously, it's that awesome. But anyway, at Shepherd, we as a congregation/Body of Christ, study the Word of God and go through a series that takes us more in depth through the Bible. And the series we are currently in is called, "The Art of Bearing Fruit."
I'll spare you all the details about the series. But basically, we had just watched the video for this week. We read Matthew 28: 18-20 and 2 Timothy 2:2. And we were talking about the first person that comes to mind when we think of discipleship. People mentioned a few names/experiences here and there, until one lady named Rayma started talking.
And in the middle of her sentence, Charles began to speak. He first apologized for interrupting, but then went on to tell his testimony. At the age of 22, Charles became a believer. I'm not joking here, he told everyone that as he was taking a shower, the Holy Spirit spoke to him. And as he finished and looked into the mirror, Satan or a demon came out at him through the mirror and attacked him. And from then on he realized that he needed to get right with God. So he asked Jesus into his heart right there and became a Christian. He then went on to say that he went to a church that weekend, and told the pastor that he was a new believer. The pastor told him to profess this to the whole world, but Charles was too afraid. He did it anyway. Charles then went off on a tangent, but we somehow brought the focus back to the question about discipleship. It all seems such a blur to me now. Because the next thing I know, Charles is getting up from his seat and going to the door...saying that he'd "like to play this game of Bible study" and that he has better things to do with his time. Marcos, our LIFE!Group leader (bless his heart), tried to get Charles to stay a bit longer. But suddenly Charles began to say things like, "I'm Jesus."
Yea, I know. Just go with me here.
But Marcos, and Mike, who's another member of the group tried to reason with Charles, telling him that he can't be Jesus; and that it's blasphemy to make that kind of claim with no Biblical truth to back it up. Others tried to change the subject, but Charles continued to say that he was Jesus. Rayma spoke up and diverted the discussion to how someone can lead a Christ-like life and still be a witness and disciple that way. Unfortunately, Charles continued to be relentless. He then said that if we were not carrying out the Great Commission as stated in Mark, then there's no point in being Christians at all. He said that if we as the Body of Christ didn't speak in tongues or cast out demons, that we did not really have the Holy Spirit in us. That we were not really Jesus. And then Charles began to speak in tongues.
From that point on, we somehow were able to stop him, and continue with our previous discussion. I left to make a phone call after that. I was still talking on the phone when everyone finished, and as I paced back and forth at the front door, Charles passed by me. He went to his car and drove off. A few minutes later, he came back with Sarah's two older kids. He stayed in the car while the girls brought their mother out with the baby to go home. And when Sarah and the kids left, I went inside to get a bite to eat and fellowship with everyone. Everyone of course was worried. About Sarah. About the kids. About what happened. And what I didn't tell you..was that when Charles crossed the room to the door, I instantly smelled alcohol. I wasn't the only one to notice this....
After talking to Marcos, Mike, and other people in our group, we decided that we really need to pray for this family. We don't know Charles that well. We don't know his background. From what he's told us, he's had his own church with at least 500 people in his congregation. But we don't know if THAT'S true or not....
Look, what I want to ask is that everyone who reads this...just...please. Pray for him. The whole time that scenario unfolded before my eyes, I prayed that God would do something to interfere. But I also prayed that He would somehow plant a seed in Charles heart that would cause him to think more about what he believes. That God would show him that Christianity is not about the theatrics or magic tricks. And I'd like for you to pray along with me and our LIFE!Group. Pray for Sarah. Pray for her kids. Pray for Charles.
You may not be as shellshocked as I am, but I do hope your heart is burdened for people like Charles. There are so many of those out there that don't believe in the TRUE God of the Bible. They believe in what TBN or televangelists tell them. But some of these people, like Charles, know the Bible from cover to cover. Yet they still don't grasp what salvation is really all about. So please, pray. Pray that we may be a light to Charles. If God allows him to come back next week, please pray that God can somehow touch this man's life.
Thanks everyone! For reading this long and grammar-less post. I'm so tired right now, but I had to get this down while it was somewhat fresh in my mind. Anyway, I love you guys ^_^ Have a blessed weekend!