Eschatology in the Book of Esther

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Before you deep theological Bible scholars get all excited that someone is finally taking seriously the hidden symbolic mysteries in Esther to decipher the end times and return of Jesus, let me be very clear ….. I know nothing about this topic. A few years ago, I shared that this would be my topic the next night at a church. However, my attempt at humor evidently went over the head of a brilliant Bible scholar who told me he was pleased to see that someone was finally taking this intriguing subject seriously. He shared a few Bible references, which in turn went over my head!

However, there may even be a scarier topic than the end of the world! Some are so scared of it, they are afraid to even say it by name, but merely refer to it as “the E Word.” That’s right ….. EVANGELISM!

I was asked to create a class called Evangelism in the 21st Century for San Diego Christian College, which I taught 2 times last year, and it has gone so well they have asked me to convert it over to an online class. I would love for a handful of you (at least 2,000) to audit or take this online class April 11th, 2011. After about a trillion hours (no wait, that’s the U.S. debt) I have just finished the conversion and decided I should give you a few samples of some of the quotes and stories I used in my lectures.

Welcome to your first lecture of this course.  “Your room looks filthy ….. don’t even give me that look! Go clean up your room and put your toys away this minute!” I know what you’re thinking ..… that sure doesn’t sound like any kind of lecture I would want to be part of. When I think of the word “lecture,” I tend to think of a reprimand for something I did wrong. Don’t worry, these class “lectures” are much more enjoyable and enlightening than that!

"Christians and non-Christians have one thing in common: They both hate evangelism." — Rebecca M. Pippert, Out of the Saltshaker & Into the World, Intervarsity Press, 1979.

He whom you would change you must first love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I want to be in Kentucky when the end of the world comes, because it's always 20 years behind. Sorry, this one has nothing to do with Evangelism but was a carry-over from the lecture on Eschatology! Having grown up in KY, I got a kick out of this one.

The way some believers go about evangelism, you would think that non-Christians are the enemy. No! They have been taken captive by the enemy. Our responsibility is to attract non-Christians, not attack them.” Dr. Larry Moyer, Evantell

This 1st story is one I have often used preaching but don’t think I have shared in the newsletter before. Pat Vedrin was from upstate New York. She had been into drugs, witchcraft, strange eastern religions and the occult. My college roommate, Don Jones, and I had the opportunity to share with her when we were in school back in Kentucky. It was one of those rare times where we had the perfect answer to whatever question she asked. When you follow Jesus, not only do you have the future hope of Heaven, but also you have a friend who will never leave you through all the tough times. It was one of those times where everything was going perfectly! I don't want to brag, but we were doing so great in sharing our faith, I almost wanted to step back and take notes on myself! :-) I thought there was no way Pat Vedrin would not want to become a Christian ….. a follower of Jesus Christ. And guess what?!? Pat Vedrin did not want to become a Christian.

A few nights later, Don & I were praying together and it dawned on me that we had never prayed for Pat. We had used all our fancy arguments and persuasive speech but we had never even asked God to touch her heart or to save her. That night we prayed for God to save her and then left it in His hands. It was quite a relief to remember that it was His responsibility to save and not ours. I Corinthians 3:7 says that some water and some plant but God gives the increase.

The very next morning, we were in the cafeteria eating breakfast and I can still picture Pat walking into the room all blurry-eyed and sitting down next to us. She told us that the strangest thing had happened to her the night before. She was not able to sleep and at 3 or 4 in the morning she fell down onto her knees and asked Jesus Christ to come into her life! Wow! I realized that I can't save even one person and neither can you. But God can! He is the one who saves! But He does give us the privilege of being part of the process by watering and planting if we will just be available to let Him use us.

Another story involves a guy named Daryl. We connected because we both played a lot of sports in high school and college, as well as guitar. Daryl had been very involved in his church youth group, led songs and seemed to be a solid upstanding Christian by the time he got to our college campus. There was only one small problem ..… it seems he had not really made a decision to follow Jesus and was merely conforming to his family’s and church’s expectations.  When he got on his own away from home at college, his life turned upside down and he went wild!

I knew Daryl because of the connections I mentioned, but it wasn't like we were best of friends who hung around each other very often. My heart did break for Daryl when I saw all he was going through and how far he had fallen. One night, a bunch of guys from the floor of our college dorm had a group prayer meeting. I had recently read Colossians 4:3, which talks about praying for an open door for a message so we can share Christ with others. So in that hall prayer meeting, I prayed that God would open up a door for me to be able to share with Daryl.

The very next day I was eating lunch in our cafeteria and for the first time in the history of the known universe, Daryl came up and sat next to me at lunch! I was amazed as I started to think back on my prayer the night before. I knew now that this was a sign and I had to come up with something to start the conversation with Daryl. But before I could say a word, he looked at me and asked what I thought about all that was going on in his life. I kind of looked up to the sky and silently said, “Wow! God, You don't mess around!” It was a wonderful conversation and a powerful answer to prayer. It was also a great example of God's faithfulness, compassion and involvement in the evangelism process.

Daryl's story illustrates a very simple thing we can do that allows us to be a witness to the greatest truth this planet has ever known. I am personally very introverted so it goes against my nature to want to go up to someone and start talking to them period, much less about important spiritual truths. And we certainly don't want to be obnoxious and turn people farther away from the Lord than they may already be as a result of many of the misleading stereotypes portrayed by the media. As I fly frequently, I usually just prefer to quietly read on my own rather than strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to me on the plane. However, I will often pray to God that if He would like a conversation to start between me and the person next to me … well … my mouth, my hands, my life are available for Him to use in any way He desires. And He has opened the door for some interesting conversations and opportunities to share my faith while traveling. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (I Peter 3:15)


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