Late Post

I have delayed writing this particular entry since the sixteenth of April, chiefly because I knew not what ought to be said concerning it. Yet as I now look back upon that day, I see that the Lord had His own purpose in it, though at the time it seemed ordinary and uncertain to me.

On that day I encountered several members of the Watchtower sect who shared the same kiosk space wherein we frequently proclaim the gospel. There was a certain tension in the atmosphere, for though we occupied the same public place, we stood upon very different foundations concerning the truth of Christ. Yet I was reminded that error is not overcome through strife of flesh, but through patient witness unto the truth of God. The Word of God is the sword that pierces through the lies and deceptions of the enemy. No falsehood can long endure before the light of divine truth, for the counsel of men and the craft of Satan alike are brought to nothing when set against the living Word of God. Thus the servant of God must place his confidence not in cleverness nor argument, but in the truth of the Gospel itself, which remains mighty through God to cast down every false thing raised against Him. More on this later.

And amidst these things, the Lord also opened an unexpected opportunity for a quiet conversation with a soul who approached us asking for help, saying that she was lost and needed fare to return home. Such encounters are common in crowded places, and oftentimes these individuals follow a familiar script carefully fashioned to stir sympathy within the hearts of passersby. Many are elderly, and some even bring children with them to deepen the appearance of distress. Since the same stories are heard again and again in many places, it quickly becomes evident that such things are often done for material gain through deception.

Yet even so, I was reminded that what men intend for selfish profit, God is still able to turn toward good. Though the request itself may not have been sincere, the soul standing before us was nonetheless real—a person made in the image of God, standing in need not merely of earthly provision, but of truth and mercy. And thus the moment became unto us not simply an interruption, but an opportunity: an occasion to speak kindly, to show grace without naivety, and to direct the conversation toward the hope found in Christ and the riches that perish not. For the kingdom of God often advances through such unexpected encounters, where even deceit and brokenness become occasions for the light of the gospel to shine forth.

Regarding the women from the cult present at that time, I have no desire to give a platform unto this sect or to give attention unto its errors. Yet even they remain part of the field wherein the Lord gathers His harvest. Among those ensnared by deception there are many whom God, in His great mercy, hath drawn out through the preaching of the true Gospel of Christ. For the arm of the Lord is not shortened that He cannot save, neither is any soul beyond His power to deliver from falsehood and spiritual bondage. And this same mercy ought also to humble us, for we ourselves have known various entanglements, errors, and blindness of heart from which the Lord patiently delivered us. Therefore we must contend earnestly for the truth, yet without forgetting the compassion due unto those still wandering in darkness.

I would rather say here that Jonathan stood directly before them and proclaimed boldly the truth found solely in Christ Jesus  with conviction and plainness of speech, bearing witness that salvation is not found in organizations, systems, or the works of men, but in the Son of God alone, who is mighty to save all who come unto Him in faith.