Central West Virginia's Guide To Life

THINGS NEW AND OLD
By Chris Hasse'

11/07 - Satan's Deception

Cheri was raised (or not) on the streets by drug-addicted parents. Her home was a never-ending parade of ugliness that accompanies drug abuse. As a child, she was molested by a relative. As a teenager, she was gang raped.

Converted to Christ, she was asked to write a book about her experience. Miracle on the Streets was her response. She left the manuscript in the hands of the capable publishers. When shown the completed project, Cheri gasped. The front cover depicted a clean table with neatly placed portions of drugs on it. (No blood, no vomit, no ugly walls, no crazy people). Should she laugh or cry? “This is not a picture of addiction! This says nothing about where I've come from!”

That same day she had one of those first “ministry appointments," a large and horrible low-income project building, filled with the stench of rotting humanity. Somehow, she was to go in and drag out addicts with the gospel net. Panicked, and still unfamiliar and awkward with "prayer," she remembered an evangelist praying, “Oh, Lord God, go before us and open the doors.” She prayed that prayer.

Opening her eyes, she glanced down and realized she was clutching her book, with its bogus cover mocking her. The contrast was too much. “Look at this,” she exclaimed to the project children who were gathering around her. “This is what people think addiction looks like. This is all they know of that hell.”

Windows and doors flew open. Cheri was enraged at the devil who ALWAYS misrepresents his case, his plans, his victims. Discussion ensued, and more doors opened. The human wrecks descended on her from the bowels of the building. She realized her prayer was being answered. The net had been cast into the ocean of the world’s great need. No awkward introduction, no fumbling in the heart or purse for “witnessing tools.” She just told them how it had been for her, and how Christ had been more than able (and still is) to rescue her.

That afternoon, others were saved from their hells.

That’s what we’re called to do. Tell it like it is. The rescue is an on-going process. Every day there’s something to say about what He’s done for us. The adulterous woman, meeting Christ at the well, ran back to her village, crying, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?” (John 4:29)

The lunatic of the cave, blood dripping from his self-inflicted piercings, broken chains rattling at his wrists, met the Christ of the cross. When healed, he wanted to go with Christ and work with Him, but Jesus “…suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath compassion on thee.” (Mark 5:1-20) And when that “crazy guy” did what Christ commanded, “…all men did marvel.”

It is during active witnessing about actual deliverance that people actually accept Christ. It is hearing and seeing the gospel which causes the lost to come out from behind their piled walls of self-complacency and self-deception. All are lost, until they are found ("For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23; ) and all are blind until they see. ("Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12) Satan’s great tool is deception. Christ’s great tool is His transparent love. He hides nothing as He hangs on that cross. Open up the Book and look at Him. He IS the gospel (good news).

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