A Visitation Story (Part 1 of 2)

A KINGDOM DIVIDED

I had an interesting trip on visitation recently. Jacob and I were together. We often end up car-pooling since we both go on Tuesdays and we live down the road from each other. We arrived at church to see whom we were going to go visit. We were given information about a 22-year old guy who lived in town. He had been brought to the church recently by his mother, and was trying to set up a ride to church on Sundays. His mother didn't live close by, and he couldn't drive himself because he was in a terrible automobile accident a year ago and hadn't yet gotten his license back. This was mostly all we knew; but we took off in the night, towards his house, to talk to him and find out his situation.

The young man lived fairly close to the church, in a run-down little house. We pulled into the tiny, dirt driveway. We said a prayer…hopped out, and approached the front door. As we climbed the porch steps, we were greeted from the other side of a plexiglass door by two large, barking dogs.

Jacob knocked on the door, and almost as if expecting us, a young man stepped outside and shut the door back on the barking duo inside. We introduced ourselves. He was glad to meet us, but was a little surprised, because we were not the people he was expecting; but the others would soon come.

He was a very friendly and bright young man, although his speech betrayed his recent accident. He had the enunciation of someone who had to relearn to speak. He told us he was interested in learning more about God. I used the 10 Commandments to explain the law and then the Gospel, and Jacob followed with the Roman Road. Through conversation and questioning, Jacob and I ascertained that he was indeed a Christian. He admittedly had been focusing his life on what he wanted instead of God's will; but his second chance at life had changed his perspective. God had his attention. He was one of God's sheep, but as usual when one of God's own stray, the Holy Spirit had put his life in a state of conviction and was drawing him back to Himself. We told him that we believed God was honoring his desire to seek Him by having him come by the church, and by sending us to him. Jacob related it to the story of the prodigal son, and the Father who welcomed him back with open arms.

But as you might imagine, Satan is not interested in a comeback story. With typical mercilessness, he seeks to pick off the wounded. He cannot take someone from the mighty grip of God's hand, but he can work to make him useless. It is a state to which many, if not most, Christians succumb.

Wolves in sheep's clothing had visited the young man. Vulnerable in his open-mindedness and desire to know more about God, he took from them a Book of Mormon. He had been reading it, and he had questions about it. We told him about the lie of the LDS church and of others like them…

…and that's when the Mormons rolled up.

TO BE CONTINUED

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Eph. 6:12-16

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