It was one of the most blatant attacks of Satan that I’ve ever experienced—and it came from the hands of Christians! Let me explain…
A little elderly man stayed a little while after the house church meeting ended, and had some strong words of disagreement about my teaching. As I listened to his protests the house church leader whispered to me, “Be patient with him; he’s a Buddhist.” I let him say his piece, then thanked him for his opinions.
I asked the Buddhist man’s son-in-law, who was a member of the church, if it would be okay to share the Gospel with him. “Yes,” he replied, “but it won’t do any good.” I thought I’d give it a whirl.
I met with the man inside a bedroom along with an interpreter and three or four others. I gently and respectfully asked where he thought he would go if he died.
He said through my interpreter, “Heaven.”
“How come?”
“Because I know Jesus,” he said with a smile.
“Oh yeah? Do you think that you are a good person?”
He nodded.
“Have you ever told a lie?”
“Yes, but Jesus said that it was okay.”
“He said that it was okay to lie?”
“Yes. Just one time.”
I didn’t buy it for a moment. “Did you know that God has ten rules called the Ten Commandments, and one of those rules is that you cannot lie? Jesus would never say that it was okay to lie. Did you know about those rules? What would you call someone who lies?” He explained that sometimes he had to say things to be tactful, and that it is okay to say untrue things so as not to hurt others… In other words, he wouldn’t admit to being a liar, so I knew I was in for a long haul, but I persisted in my spiritual cross-examination. “Would you call someone who lies a liar?”
“Not really a liar…” he said through our interpreter.
“What would you call me if I lied?”
After some hesitation, he reluctantly admitted that someone who lies is a liar. I continued.“Have you ever stolen anything?”
He shook his head vehemently, so I didn’t press any further. Knowing that honor is a big deal in China, especially with parents, I asked if he had ever dishonored his mother and father. He again answered with a very determined denial. “Jesus said that if you have ever hated anyone, or even called them a name, then you are a murderer. Ever done that?” He launched into a long explanation of why he was so good, and had never done anything like that. I listened attentively to his self-justification. “Have you ever called anyone a name?”
Two women who had been listening in, got up from their chairs and created a loud, distracting disturbance as they left the room. I asked again: “Have you ever gotten angry with someone?”
He gave another long justifying excuse—then there was an interruption from his son-in-law. “You’re not going to get anywhere,” he warned. “He has a demon!” I waved him away and finally got an admission of guilt from the Buddhist.
Two other people from the house church burst into the room and sat in front of us. Excuuuuse meeee, I wanted to say, but didn’t. Suddenly, another Christian turned the lights off in the room—then turned them on again. What the heck is going on here?
I turned my attention to the demonized Buddhist man who seemed to have shed all his demons onto the Christians of the house church. “Last question, and I don’t mean any disrespect at all. Jesus also said that even if you look at a woman with lust you’ve committed adultery with her in your heart. Have you ever done that?”
He explained away all his actions again. But he did admit to lying and murder; that’s all I needed. “So by your own admission, you are a liar and a murderer-at-heart, and you have to face God on Judgment Day. Will you be innocent or guilty?”
Again, a long explanation about how everyone else did the same thing and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…
I was firm and gentle and laid it straight out, “Listen. If you have broken just one Law, that is sin. If you sin just one time you will be found guilty on Judgment Day and will spend eternity in Hell. The Bible says that all liars will have their place in the lake of fire. No murderer can enter the kingdom of Heaven. You stand condemned under God’s wrath. You admitted to breaking two of the Commandments, so will you be found innocent or guilty?”
Another interruption! His son-in-law broke into the room again to tell me, “He has a demon because he studied Kung Fu!” I nearly pushed him out through the door. “So will you be innocent or guilty?”
He stopped arguing. He admitted that he would be guilty and go to Hell.
That’s the power of using the Ten Commandments; they bring knowledge of personal sin, and stops the sinner from justifying himself (Romans 3:19-20). He knew that he wasn’t a good person and would have to face a Holy God when he died.
I proceeded to tell him how much God loved him by quoting John 3:16. Then he broke out laughing. I recited the verse in English and he busted out laughing! Apparently his demons knew English very well.
Then as my interpreter translated the verse in Chinese the Buddhist man raised his hands in a time-out gesture. The translator interpreted the sign for me. “He’s saying, Time-out! and that it is time for all of you to leave.”
I shook his hand and thanked him. We all left the room. His son-in-law came over to me again and said, “He has a demon.”
Jessica
D.D.