A sweet aroma...

Every once in a while, there are those moments when I hear the Lord say ever so clearly, "Watch and see, sweet girl. Keep going. Keep running. Don't give up. Trust in Me... Because this is but a glimmer of what I'm doing." A few days ago was one.

 

This past Sunday morning, jet lag woke me up way too early. I busied myself with morning routines, until it was an acceptable hour, and then went to a Starbucks near my house to spend some quiet time in prayer before going to worship with the church. I sat outside, journaling and being worked over by a scripture that's been on my heart for the past few weeks, 2 Corinthians 2:14-17. 

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God."

 

I was praying it in the context of being in Russia as I had just gotten back this past Friday, and how I am called to live as an aroma of the knowledge of Him here too... As He says, "in every place." But feeling inadequate...

 

A man walked out of the Starbucks, and came up to my table, just as I was closing my journal and preparing to go. He apologized for interrupting, but said he was pretty sure we'd met before, and asked if I used to lead a bible study with some girls at Panera a few years ago. I was pretty caught off guard, but he was right, I did. We had organized a small group of women to study through Philippians soon after I had moved to Newport News and was looking for fellowship. He then told me that we'd had a conversation after one of those studies several years ago... And all of a sudden, Todd and the conversation with him late one night came trickling back into my mind. Apparently, I had actually recorded it in an email from August of 2011 to the group of girls I was studying with at that time:

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On Wednesday, August 31, 2011, Erin At Lee <atleeee@gmail.com> wrote:

Sooo, when we were all leaving last night, the guy who'd been sitting in the corner at the table next to ours called me over to ask me a question... I knew he'd been listening because, every once in a while, I'd see him watching out of the corner of my eye as we were talking. (Side note- I really am absolutely in love with studying the Bible in public! It's such a cultural faux pax. ;) I like inviting into homes, too, but this is ridiculously interesting to see God use it in our humble little group!) He commented that while we were discussing he heard me refer to the fact that Jesus was convicted and crucified for making claims to be God. He wanted to know where I got that from and asserted that Jesus actually never claimed to be God and it was akin to idolatry for us as Christians to regard Him as such. We started with what we had been talking about, Philippians 2:6 (a PERFECT tie in of both concepts), and ultimately, ended up spending the next 2 hours (there went sleep... ;) ) discussing whether Jesus was actually God, or a submitted created being, lower than God the Father, but higher than all creation. (FYI, this is actually an old school heresy called Arianism, from a guy named Arius and his followers in the mid 4th century AD ("nothing new under the sun... ;) ) ) He was genuinely concerned for my misunderstanding, as he thought the trinity was a means of the rulers of the time (Constantine) bringing in polytheism to allow others to accept Christianity more. Talk about a pop quiz!! So thankful for the Spirit at work, bringing to mind scriptural truth. (Things like John 1, John 8, Colossians 1, etc) He was familiar with scripture, but wouldn't acknowledge that Jesus's submission to His Father did not mutually exclude His oneness in nature with Him. And he predictably has no fellowship and no "biblical authority" over him in the area because of being self-admittedly "judgemental" of all churches he comes into. Quite the scenario. I asked him what he did at the end of the conversation, and he said he was a personal trainer. Thinking about following up with him in the next couple days, but going to let it lie and pray for him (and me!) to have a right understanding based on scripture alone. It really was an encouraging conversation, though we disagreed, and he said that he needed to go back and look into these things again (like the Greek for John 1:1- "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God... and the word became flesh and dwelt among us." (vs 14) ) because I kept pressing that just as you can't deny Christ's intentional submission, you equally cannot deny His assertion of full deity. He does highly value scripture as completely divinely inspired, but would, in trying to defend his belief that Jesus was not equal to God, rely on the possibility of mistranslation (a very, very slippery slope to be on!). I just find it so interesting, and today, I'm more aware of how great Christ is than yesterday.

 

Just thought I'd share. May we have even more opportunities to exalt Christ for who He truly is in this city!

Thanks for coming out ladies! Be lifting one another up in those prayer requests, that we might be women seeking fully God's work in and around us, seeking HIS pleasure and not our own, and seeing HIS fame growing and not our own. I'm so blessed by the wisdom and sharing from each of you! And pray for Todd (this guy), Candy (the woman we met last week), and others, that the Lord would continue to use our small times of fellowship to reap eternal fruit to His glory!

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Back to this Sunday: As this vague memory rushed back, what Todd said next floored me. "I just wanted to take the chance and say thank you for talking to me that night. My life wasn't on track then, and I'd been struggling and pursuing a lot of other things, but He really used that conversation to turn it around. God pointed me in a completely different direction after that night. So thank you for being faithful and being used by Him for me." I was stunned. Pretty sure I replied with something like "wow, God works in amazing ways. That's awesome." And then he goes, "It's so funny that I would run into you this morning, because I'm actually on my way to preach my first sermon at my church." I asked him what he was preaching on, and he said Christ the Ruler. He went on his way after saying thank you again, and I sat back down to process for a moment what had just happened. With tears, I gave thanks to the Lord. He used our little small group, and a random conversation to prompt seeking in the heart of this man, to be a fragrance of the knowledge of Christ in our place, bringing him from life to life... And YEARS later, the Lord, in His abundant grace, shared His faithfulness in answering our prayers for him... a small glimpse of what His Spirit had been doing.

 

I just wanted to share with you this answered prayer that God was so, so very gracious to show me. I'm thankful for that time several years ago, though it was in all honesty a very trying one in my heart and life. I had just been moved to Newport News from Richmond. There were a lot of tears, a lot of questions, a lot of loneliness during those months. And looking at life now, where it is again one of those hard seasons, though for different reasons, He knows. But He is the same amazing and miracle working Father who we are called to faithfully obey in His love. Not because we see it all, not because we understand it all, but because ABOVE all, He is unchanging, His promises are sure, and His purposes are being accomplished. I hope this spurs you on to continue as men and women of faith and prayer, knowing with all confidence that He moves, even when we do not see or understand. As the old hymn says,

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will, He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,

But our toil He doth richly repay;

Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,

But is blessed if we trust and obey.

 

But we never can prove the delights of His love

Until all on the altar we lay;

For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,

Are for them who will trust and obey.

 

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,

Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;

What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;

Never fear, only trust and obey.