Dear friend,
By now, I’m guessing you are pretty sick and tired of my overt views on religion, sin and Salvation; on Heaven and hell and eternity…on the End Times and the (ridiculous) idea that some of us will be Raptured SOON, right? Oh, and and I almost forget to mention my completely non-Politically-Correct belief that FAITH in Jesus Christ is the ONLY viable path to get from this world to the next.
However, on the outside chance that you are still “listening” to me—and haven't moved on—please allow me to posit an altogether alternative way to consider my zeal for Jesus.
If you are familiar with Penn Jillette, you know he’s a comedian, an illusionist, and a magician—the “vocal” half of the Penn and Teller comedy team, the larger of the two—and an avowed atheist. For that reason, one might expect Penn Jillette to absolutely DESPISE guys like me—you know…Believers in Christ—individuals single-minded in our belief that Jesus is the ONLY way to Salvation. Well, you couldn’t be more wrong.
On the contrary, Penn tells the story of an individual—a BIG fan—who once came to see him backstage, after one of Penn and Teller's magic shows. Penn said the guy was about his age, and—as an audience member—had actually participated in one of their acts. Penn said the man first complimented Penn on his show; then said, “I brought this for you”, and gave Penn a Bible—actually a New Testament, with the Psalms—then went on to say he was a businessman and "not crazy".
Surprisingly, Penn confessed that—putting his personal "atheistic" feelings aside—he was moved by the man’s gesture; and impressed that, "this Christian was kind and nice and sane; and looked me in the eyes and talked to me; and then he gave me this Bible”.
And then Penn, this avowed atheist—to the surprise of so many people—explained that, “I’ve always said, I DON'T respect people who don’t proselytize.“ Then, he added: “I don’t respect that at all. If you believe there is a Heaven and a hell—and people could be going to hell or not, getting eternal life or whatever—and you think it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward…how much do you have to HATE somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to HATE someone to believe everlasting life is possible and NOT tell them that?”
The comedian then offered up his own example to illustrate his point: “If I believe—beyond a shadow of a doubt—that a truck was coming at you, but you DIDN'T believe it...there’s a certain point that I would tackle you. And [Salvation through Christ] is more important than that.”
Penn Jillette could not have said it better. As a fervent follower of Jesus Christ—as someone who consistently shares his faith with everyone I come in contact with—I can often-times come across as overbearing, and even at times be a real pain in the keister, as I attempt to share my faith and testimony with my unsaved friends and acquaintances…on the outside chance that some of these individuals—people that I genuinely love and care for—will one day find themselves searching for some modicum of spiritual truth…maybe even after exhausting ALL other avenues.
My message of truth and love and Salvation through Jesus Christ...is there the off-chance that my words fall on deaf ears? Most of the time, they probably do. Can I often sound foolish—even moronic—and narrow in my beliefs? Oh, sure; absolutely. Do I even risk losing you as a friend? Unfortunately, yes. And the fact that I may not have heard from you in a long time leads me to believe that you may have purposely distanced yourself from me—labeling me “Mike Parsons...that nutcase lunatic holy-roller”—and now, may want absolutely nothing to do with me.
But that’s okay. You can laugh at me, hate me, spit on me, and reject me. As a professing evangelical Christian, you can call me a racist, a bigot, a xenophobe, even a homophobe, but—like the Born Again fan of Penn Jillette—I will continue to show love to you by sharing how my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ transformed my life—literally regenerating me from death to life—and that He is our hope…really the ONLY hope we have in a world that is rapidly sliding into the abyss.
But please—whatever you do, whatever you believe, whatever you think of me, as both a person and a friend—please don’t ever think I don’t love you.
Because that, my dear friend, couldn’t be further from the truth.
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