Ravi Zacharias, US, Evangelist

January 14. Ravi Zacharias. Ravi was an evangelist and a defender of the Christian faith. Today’s story takes place during the Cold War in the 1990s, and the Soviet Union was still a powerful force.

Having heard Ravi speak, a Soviet general invited him to Moscow to speak with Russian heads of state. For seventy years, their regime had ridiculed any belief in religion, taught atheism in the schools, harassed, imprisoned, tortured, and banished religious leaders. Now this little man was here to set them straight. This would be fun for the Soviets

Ravi wasn’t dazzled by the pomp or frightened by the power. He knew there was only one question that mattered.

There is only one question. How will you answer it?

They were all staring at him—hard, piercing stares. He stood in enemy territory, surrounded by the greatest Soviet minds of the day. They men were dressed in immaculate military uniforms, stripes and stars boasting of military conquests and celebrated philosophies.

And there was Ravi—a thin Indian man in a plain blue suit—the sheep for the Soviets to slaughter in this academic exercise at the Center for Geopolitical Strategy in Moscow, Russia.

The issue was Atheism vs. Christianity, and Ravi stood against men who were well-trained in their arguments, well-convinced in their beliefs, and well-certain of victory.

At that time, Ravi was young and gaining recognition in his skill as a defender of the faith, and he thanked God for this remarkable opportunity to present Christ to world leaders. The room where they met was dark and stuffy and smelled off—like mold. All eyes were on him.

When Ravi spoke, the generals interrupted him numerous times. One of them shouted, “I saw my grandmother murdered by a German soldier who was wearing a belt that read, ‘God with Us!’”

And there it was—the real assumption and the real question hiding behind all the academic arguments: The assumption: that God must be loving, and the question: Does He give any hope? Ravi believed and taught that defending the faith didn’t mean winning arguments, proving a point, or giving some really good “comebacks.” Ravi would say that defending the faith “is not just giving answers to questions; it is … questioning their questions. When you question someone’s question, you compel him or her to open up about his or her assumptions. Our assumptions must be examined.”

Without knowing it, the Russian—in his angry outburst—had revealed the pain in his life and his searching soul. Ravi recognized that familiar ache for it is common to all men.

He believed, “You’ll never get to a person’s soul until you understand their hurts.”

Responding in his gentle, but confident voice, Ravi changed course and said, “Gentlemen, before we go any further, let me tell you a story.” It was a story about Stalin—the revered Soviet leader.

Stalin did not believe in God or in any higher authority. Instead he hoped to find meaning in revolutionary new ideas, and his life was one of great power.

Yet, when he lay on his death bed, he was completely powerless and without hope. The Creator of his life was calling for it back, and Stalin could do nothing. He raised his fist in defiance to the God he had refused to acknowledge and the hope God had offered—and Stalin died a hopeless man.

But when Ravi was a teenager, a good friend of his died. At the graveyard, Ravi asked a Hindu priest where his friend was now. The priest responded, “That is a question you will be asking all your life, and you will never find an answer.”

Crushed by this response, Ravi sunk deeper into despair. He was a failure in his studies and in the eyes of his father. At seventeen, he decided to end his life. But his attempt at suicide failed. He lay in a hospital bed, facing his disappointing life again. It seemed he didn’t even have the power to end it.

An acquaintance of his family came by and left a verse out of the Bible for him. It was John 14:19, where Jesus says to a questioning disciple, “Because I live, you will live also.” A life like that sounded very different from Ravi’s meaningless life. “This may be my only hope, a new way of living,” he thought. He gave his life to Christ, the Author of his life.

Now the generals around the table in Moscow were silent. No one offered any more challenges. This story, a story that answered their real question, - was not what they had expected. The men who had come ready for a fight stood quiet. The defiant stares had turned inward into thoughtful self-examinations.

As they left, stepping out of the building into the rush of frigid fresh air, they each shook Ravi’s hand. No longer were they enemies, just men all searching for the same thing. The director of the center said, “Dr. Zacharias, I believe that what you have said here is true.”

There is only one question we need to answer, Ravi said, “How well do you know Jesus? That’s it. That is what shapes how you view everything.”

“And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4–5 NLT).

Are you searching for meaning and hope? Read the words of Jesus; get to know Him. There is only one question. How will you answer it?

Zacharias, Ravi. Walking from East to West. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006. “Ravi Zacharias Timeline.” Accessed 9/23/2020. RZIM. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rzkmqdc- uQK7VnbonfQ3qQXO4moHAwyO/view. “Joseph Stalin (1879-1953).” Accessed 9/23/2020. REDFILES. https://www.pbs.org/redfiles/bios/all_bio_joseph_ stalin.htm.