A Divine Appointment at the Mall
My wife and I went into a jewelry shop in a mall. We were looking for birthday earrings for Pam. I noted the shopkeeper was gazing at his computer screen, paying little attention to his customers. But when we told him we were looking for blue lapis earrings, he immediately got up and showed us what he had in the shop. After a few minutes, we picked out a pair.
We paid for the earrings and started to walk out. I paused. Pam asked, “What is it?” I answered, “I think I need to share Jesus with that man.” She took the package, said she would pray, and I went back in.
Building a Connection
I saw he was focused on his screen and asked, “What are you watching?” He told me about his movie.
Noting the man’s accent, I asked, “Where are you from?” He answered, “From Turkey.” I told him I had climbed Mount Ararat back in 1984. He was interested and we talked a bit about Turkey. He was from Istanbul and had been a banker.
“Why did you move to America?” He told me he had tried several businesses in Turkey, but doing business in the States is far easier. I told him it looked like he was being successful because it took a bit of an investment to rent a shop in an active mall. He mentioned his university education.
“What did you study?” “Business.”
The Atheist Who Wasn’t
Islam is popular in Turkey. “Are you Muslim?”
“No. My family is religious, but I’m an atheist. 80% of people in universities are atheists.”
“Really? 80%?”
I smiled, feeling a love for the guy. “You’re not an atheist.”
I held a bottle in my hand. “Do you know what is in this bottle?” He replied, “No.”
I pointed to a woman outside the shop. “Do you know what kind of dish soap that woman uses?” Again he answered, “No.” I told him, “You cannot be an atheist.”
“You don’t know what is under her kitchen sink. How can you be certain that God is not under her sink?”
He said, “I get what you are saying.”
The Logic of Knowledge
“In order to be an atheist, you must know all things. Only God can be an atheist because he knows all things.” The man was listening. I felt we had a good connection.
I told him, “I think we could talk a long time together. The most you could be is an agnostic.”
“What is that?”
“The word means, ‘Without knowledge.’ It means you have not learned enough to have an opinion.”
He replied, “I see what you mean. You are right. It would be more accurate to call myself an agnostic.”
Introducing Apologetics
“Have you ever heard the word, ‘apologetics?'”
“No.”
“It sounds like the word apology, but it comes from the Greek, ‘apologia.’ It means an argument to defend a position. For example, ‘I have three witnesses to say I was with them when the murder happened.'”
“I am a Christian. There are arguments for God. We use the word, ‘creatures.’ When we use that word, we are presupposing there is a Creator. You and I are creatures. We have a Creator.”
A Moment of Openness
We chatted a bit. I felt I had given the man enough to digest. I wrapped our conversation by saying, “I’m very pleased to meet you. I want to share these words with you.” I took his hand and said slowly and deliberately, “God bless you!”
I was just a bit surprised as he immediately responded, “God bless you!”
I told him, “I challenge you to say these words, ‘Jesus, if you are real, show yourself to me.'”
With little hesitation he said, “Jesus, if you are real, show yourself to me.”
It was not said with passion or longing, but it was said with openness.
The Power of a Simple Prayer
My prayer is that little bit of open-heartedness will find a grand answer from the Savior.
My friend, let your light shine!
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