Finding Rest in Jesus
when a person accepts the Lord, they have something injected into their lives; a security blanke
Finding Rest in Jesus
Welcome to “Asked and Answered,” the podcast series that answers all of your missions related questions. With me in the studio today are Ron and Charis Pearce.
Joy- Welcome, guys!
Ron, Charis- Hi!
Joy- Okay, so I have a question, not sure how difficult it will be to answer but you’re always so good at these questions! When it comes to Christianity and other religions around the world, what is the difference in how they live their lives? That’s a big question!
Ron- Well, that’s a big question. I would think, Joy, that the number one noticeable trait or characteristic or something like that is worry. All right, now let’s trace that back because when a person accepts the Lord, they have something injected into their lives; a security blanket. A security factor whereby, they are not worried about the future, there is a hand guiding them, there is a hand saving them, all of a sudden they realize they have delivered themselves over into the hands of God, a personal God, an approachable God who will guide them through life. Whereas an unbeliever, and this is in all other religions of the world, at a certain level there is no absolute surety that they are secure. So they believe as a whole in fatalism; whatever happens, happens. That is like rolling the dice in Vegas. You can get anything and you can lose it all!
Joy- We are talking about other religions.
Ron- We are talking about other religions, we are not talking about Christianity at this point, but we are talking about religions that have a theory about how to be saved but the people within it, if you really drill down, they are worried. Sort of like, what if I throw the dice and I lose in this, I’ve got a lot to lose in this forever! And they know they are not right so they are fatalistic, sort of what will be will be, que sera sera, I don’t know, there’s a song about that, and it’s just that. Whereas, when a person within Christ who is a born again believer has the Spirit of God as I say, injected into their being, now all of a sudden there is something coming in, of a peace, of a lack of worry, that is the foundation of their lives and they are secure in their position in God and that sort of thing is very noticeable. Now, you can then do this, and I’ve watched this many, many times, there are some people who call themselves Christians and they go to a Christian-ish church, they call themselves that but that church does not believe, preach, nor lead people to experience being born again so, therefore, we’ve got the old Nicodemus thing going on with the question from John 3. So what do I do here? I’m looking for truth and answers and it’s not in Christianity as a system, it’s in Christianity in a person and an experience of being born again. And that is where the difference comes in all around the world in every culture.
Joy- And they find that empty.
Ron- It’s a false hope because some people go around the world and they preach Christianity but all it is, is preaching be good to your neighbor, shall we say the Ten Commandments, obey these rules and you’ll be fine. Well, that’s not true, to be blunt, just because a person says I’m a Christian and I go to this church, I live by the golden rule, I don’t do this, I don’t do that, I’m trying to be good, I hope God saves me and I’m a Christian. That is not being a Christian! Christianity is when you deliver yourself into the hands of God to save you and that is when Jesus said I’ll take care of you. That is when the person is born again by the Spirit of God and rests. The rest of God is the observable difference of everyone around the world when they are born again and when they come to know Christ. In comparison to all the other religions, and I could list them all but people know what they are, all the various countries of the world, and also there is animism and then you get into political beliefs, as well. Sometimes politics is like, well, I believe in this, I don’t believe in God but I believe in this system and this is a good system and if there is a being, I’m going to live a godly life and moral and ethical and I’m going to champion this right and freedom and this and that and the other thing and they think, I’m saved, I’m okay. Well, they’re not. When it all boils down there is an emptiness inside. Billy Graham used to talk about the God-shaped vacuum. Well around the world we look at that as a vacuum that is filled with God so there is peace, there is peace with God, and peace in the person’s heart. That is the difference, the number one difference.
A revival is people growing for Jesus in church, outside of church, in life, everywhere like that, growing deeper
Joy- So would you say that that is why these revivals are occurring around the world because there is an empty, even Christianity, version out there and then really what is missing is an encounter with Jesus.
Ron- It is and I think why the revivals are happening is that people are getting serious about the fact that they are empty and they are starting to see it. It’s becoming more obvious. We have hidden it for thousands of years shall we say and everybody has put a nice little cover on it and didn’t want to talk about it. Now it is becoming obvious and the world is falling apart more and more all the time.
Charis- And I think the increase in fear with world circumstances helps fuel people’s desire to have somebody save them. Because if you are living in fear because of Covid or political things that are happening in your country or whatever the reason is, that intensifies everything.
Ron- Well, the other thing too, Charis, is this, at the same time as you’ve got all this emptiness that is growing and becoming more evident, now you’ve got Christians, truly born again believers, standing up with a glint in their eye, a smile on their face, a peace in their heart, a demeanor of calmness and it’s sort of like, God will take care of me and everything is okay. And therefore, these people are staring, unbelievers are literally staring at Christians and thinking what’s with you, what have you got? This has been from the early church on, the real secret weapon of Christians, to be so different from the world that they just stand in awe of believers. In a revival that is what happens. They’re just gathering together, and a real revival isn’t everybody getting together in a church and singing until two o’clock in the morning. That is not a revival. A revival is people growing for Jesus in church, outside of church, in life, everywhere like that, growing deeper. It’s like going from a 40 watt bulb to a 100 watt bulb, if those terminologies work anymore, but it’s really that difference that everybody is noticing and, therefore, they are coming and are saying I want what you’ve got, I’m desperate.
Joy- So that contagious aspect where it travels and people pick up on it. And really even in North America for those truly living their walk with the Lord we should be standing out, we should be obvious with that rest and hope.
Ron- Yeah, in the West right now I’m afraid we are trying to be more like the world than the world is trying to be like us and that is a real serious issue. That is not the case around the world and people say well, why isn’t it happening here? I don’t know. I don’t know, the problems here are as big as anywhere else in the world but for some reason it is more evident over there. When you have absolutely nothing else to hope in and you have somebody walk up to you and talk to you about the change that they’ve experienced in their life, they will take it. They are very, I don’t want to use this word, simple, but I’m trying to think of another one. Simple is not a good word in our culture here but that’s it.
Joy- Not simple in their intellect, simple in their living.
Ron- Simple in their living, simple in their thinking, that’s what I’m looking for, it’s simple in the way they view life. There is the word I’m looking for; uncomplicated! Alright? They are uncomplicated in their view of life and what’s important and, therefore, they are looking now through eyes of, I know this man, he is different than he was, I can trust him, I’ve known him and his family for the last 30 years. I’ve seen a change and that is why.
Joy- Well, and that goes along with most of the stories you tell. There is always some life, maybe a witch doctor and people knew them, they were very famous in their area and then they become a believer and people stop and they know and an entire village is transformed.
Ron- You can’t put enough emphasis on the word testimony. The testimony of a believer is the strongest thing that we can do to witness. But the foundation of our testimony is that God has dealt with the worry factor for eternity and that gives us peace and calmness, and that is the sort of thing, especially when Covid was striking, that was the big thing. It’s funny now that I’m back on the road again, going around the world and talking to everybody, it’s coming up all the time. Covid was the big push and it was the Christians standing, not worried about their eternal destiny but sure it was taken care of by God. Therefore, the trigger was Covid again in all these countries.
Joy- And in that local landscape they stood out drastically.
Ron- Yes, drastically! Drastically and I think this is going to come more to light in times to come.
Joy- So when the original question was Christianity, true redemption in Jesus, versus other religions of the world, how do they live their lives differently, it simply comes to they have rest in Jesus, a true rest and peace.
Ron- Yeah, they’re not fatalistic, they are optimistic and they are sure of their salvation. And God gives you that surety to walk in.
Joy- Confidence in Christ. Well, you handled that question like a pro!
Ron- Thank you.
