In David Nasser’s new release from Baker Books, he recounts his story from early childhood in Iran, through the Revolution and then to his surreal life as an Iranian boy growing up in (of all places) Birmingham, AL. The tagline on the cover reads “The gripping story of one man’s escape from revolution to redemption. From what I have read so far it truly is a compelling story, not just of a family’s escape from political and religious persecution in the Middle East, but also of one boy’s journey in being continually drawn towards the freedom and grace of the gospel. Some of the stories of how God pursues Nasser are truly amazing. The following is a paraphrase of one such story.
David tells of being invited to go to church by a friend in high school. He really didn’t want to have to tell his friend no, so he decided to ask his dad and let him be the “bad guy”. You see, David’s family was Muslim and he knew there was NO WAY his dad would ever allow him to attend a Christian church. So David and his friend approached his dad late one evening.
Upon asking permission to attend church on the next Sunday David, rather than receiving a straightforward “no”, was surprised by his father’s question of which church.
“Shades Mountain Baptist” was the response.
“I know some people that attend that church. They are good people. You may attend that church. But only that church.”
The rest of the story is that several weeks prior, there were a group of leaders from Shades Mountain Baptist that had been eating at the Café De France at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, which David’s father operated at that time. The restaurant was slammed and service was getting backed up. Instead of getting frustrated with the slow service, this group of men actually got up from their table and pitched in. (Hmm. Christians influencing the world around them through simple acts of service and humility. What an amazing concept!)
Because of the humility shown by this group of faithful men, David was allowed by his Muslim father to attend a Christian church. A major chapter in David's story and one of the multiple steps on his pathway towards grace.
Simple and obvious question. Where would David Nasser be today had these anonymous men not lived out the gospel in such a practical way? Profound.
Now here is the question that hurts. How many David Nasser’s have I crossed paths with in my life? (Yes, I know. God is sovereign. As a Reformed, Calvinistic pastor, I agree absolutely. But I would also submit that “proper theology” is never an excuse for an unfaithfulness to Christ's commands.)
If the gospel is true, then it must impact the way we live our lives. Not only in the Bible studies we teach or the sermons we prepare, but in the way we treat the server who pours our coffee, the janitor who empties the wastebasket in our office and the unknown neighbor who lives next door.
There is simply no “off button” to the Christian life. As believers, we are always “on”, always serving, always observing, always seeking ways to show a hopeless world that grace and hope do exist in a man. His name is Jesus and we as the church are his body.
“That’s too much,” you say. “I can’t live under that kind of pressure. It is just so much easier to lay low, fly under the radar and live out my simple, quiet faith.”
My response? “You are right. It is too much. Realistically we can’t respond well at all times. But that is precisely why the gospel is true and valid for believers as well as non-believers. Though our position as sons and daughters of the Most High God is absolutely secure, we are also desperately in need of His continued pouring out of mercy, grace and strength upon us as we walk through a broken world seeking to display His care and mercy to others as marred and wounded image bearers ourselves.
May God continue to expand his Kingdom by jealously pursuing a people to call his own, and by His mercy and grace may he continue to use broken people like us in the process.
No comments:
Post a Comment