March - April 2016
Young Man in the Dark
In our last letter, I shared a conversation I had with a woman who is very confused about the way of salvation. Like many Russians, she has been influenced by the wrong ideas of Soviet Communism and false religion. This time, I would like to share another recent conversation. I have decided not to use this young man’s name, but I hope you will pray for him.
He is in his late 20’s, and he comes from a family with status and money. He is well educated, very friendly, sociable, and outgoing. He loves to discuss American culture and current events, and has traveled to many European countries. For the past few years, he has been a frequent visitor to our church services. He pays close attention to the sermons, and asks a lot of questions. Of course, I have shared the plan of salvation with him, but he always puts off making the decision to receive Christ.
I hadn’t seen him for several weeks, when I met him at the big new shopping mall in Oryol. My wife was busy shopping, and I was sitting in the food court, reading the news and enjoying a Burger King whopper. He asked if I had time to talk, and he sat down at my table. He is very troubled about the condition of the world. He told me that the order of society is breaking down. Europe is losing its soul to Muslim immigration. Socialists are gaining political power in America. He fears that there will be no future for his generation. He expects that the existing world order will unravel in the next 3 to 5 years, and he expects another world war. (I share many of his concerns, but I think he watches too much television.)
Then he went on to tell me of chaos in his personal life. His older brother is having serious marital problems, and is on the brink of divorce. This disruption of his brother’s family life greatly disturbs him. He would like to have a family of his own someday, but he is having a hard time finding a girl who is serious about life. I reminded him that he would do better if he did not look to meet girls in bars and nightclubs. A few months ago, he unwittingly became involved in a fight at a nightclub, and was soundly beaten. After that, he faithfully came to church for a few weeks.
Then he told me why he was at the mall that day. He said, “A friend of mine, a married woman, is having trouble with her husband. I am planning to meet her at the mall to talk to her. Maybe we will go to the nightclub for dancing and a few drinks. I am not sure I should do this, but I really want to. You don’t think this is a good idea, do you?” Well, I certainly did not! We talked for almost two hours. I showed him in Revelation that the problems in the world are signs of the end of the age. I said he needs to get saved or he will miss the rapture and go to hell. I showed him in Proverbs that his relationship with a married woman would probably end in his murder by a jealous husband, and he would end up in hell. I told him it would be much safer to play with dynamite or high voltage electricity. I showed him Luke 16 to remind him of the reality and torments of hell. I urged him to turn from his foolishness and get saved. He would not make any commitment, but he listened carefully and thanked me for being an honest friend. I gave him a New Testament and told him to go home and spend the evening reading the book of Revelation, so he could see what was going to happen to him if he did not get saved and had to endure the Tribulation.
I don’t know what he did that night. Maybe he went home to read the Bible. Maybe he yielded to temptation. Just as he was leaving, he asked if it would still be ok for him to come to church. I told him that we are a spiritual hospital where sinners come when they need help. Please pray for this young man to come to Christ.
In the service of the King,
Don Ossewaarde