Evangelical Friend, July/August 1990 (Vol. 23, No. 11/12)
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Digital Commons @ George Fox University Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church Evangelical Friend (Quakers) 7-1990 Evangelical Friend, July/August 1990 (Vol. 23, No. 11/12) Evangelical Friends Alliance Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/nwym_evangelical_friend Recommended Citation Evangelical Friends Alliance, "Evangelical Friend, July/August 1990 (Vol. 23, No. 11/12)" (1990). Evangelical Friend. 239. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/nwym_evangelical_friend/239 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church (Quakers) at Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Evangelical Friend by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A sense of humor and destiny in the African hills PAGE 14 Evan elism Is Social Action More than 46,000 Romanla17s made public commitments to Jesus Christ during a recent evangelistic campaign. Photo by Ake Lundberg. © 1990 by the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association BY LUIS PALAU UNIVERSITY professor once challenged me: next call was brief. A high-pitched, squeaky voice re "Palau, how can you go to country after country, quested an appointment the next day at 9:30. A where the people have so many economic and The next morning, a small woman walked through the social problems, and preach about the resurrected Christ? gates of the HCJB property, followed closely by two huge Can't you do something more practical for them?" men. As she entered the office, her eyes traveled to every "There isn't a better way to help them;' I replied. "The corner before she fmally sat down. people of this world create the problems of this world. If "You pastors and priests;' she began with disgust. "You we can lead them to Christ, we will create a climate for are a bunch of thieves and liars and crooks. All you want other positive practical changes to take place:' is to deceive people. All you want is money!" The professor was right, of course, that we live in a She went on that way for more than 20 minutes, world full of immense problems-a world weighed down swearing all the while and smoking every last bit from by famines, poverty, injustice, oppression, and environ each cigarette she lit. mental disasters. I prayed silently, "Lord, how shall I handle this?" But as Christians, we can help alleviate such misery. Seemingly exhausted, she finally slumped in her chair. We are called to serve as Jesus served, feeding the hungry, "Madam;' I said, "is their anything I can do for you? How caring for the sick, breaking the chains of injustice-and can I help you?" leading people to receive the gift of life in Jesus Christ. She stared at me for an instant, then broke into uncon Through His death and resurrection, Jesus is our hope trollable sobs. When she was composed and could speak that lives can change. again, the edge was gone from her voice. "You know;' she Conversion leads to the greatest social action. As peo said, "in the 38 years I have lived, you are the fi.rst person ple's lives are changed, they are different in their families, who has ever asked me if he could help me:' in their jobs, and in society. "What is your name?" I asked. I learned this early in my ministry. In November She was suddenly hard again. "Why do you want to 1965, I was doing a live call-in counseling TV program in know my name?" the HCJB-TAV studios in Quito, Ecuador. I had just prayed "Well, you've said a lot of things here, and I don't even with a woman who received Jesus Christ as Savior. The know you. I just want to know how to address you:' 2/EVANGELICAL FRIEND "My name is Maria Benitez-Perez;' she said trium "Take a step of faith. Invite Him into your life and try phantly. I recognized the name as that of a large family of Him. See what will happen:' wealth and influence. "I am the female secretary of the Maria stared at me for a long moment and then bowed Communist Party in Ecuador. I am a Marxist-Leninist, her head. '~ll right;' she whispered. and I am a materialist. I don't believe in God:' I led her in a simple prayer, confessing her sins, ask With that she took off on another breathless tirade ing forgiveness, and receiving Christ Jesus. against me, all preachers and priests, and the church. When I saw Maria again in January, I was not pre "Why did you come here?" I broke in. "Just to insult ine?" pared for what I encountered. Her face was a mess of purple blotches and bruises. Several of her front teeth For the next three hours, she told me her story. were missing. Maria had left home and run away from a religious school as a rebellious teenager. The communists At a meeting of all the communist leaders of the coun befriended her, and she became a party leader. try, she told them, "I am no longer an atheist. I believe in 'When my mother died and the bishop came to offici God and in Jesus Christ. I am resigning from the party. ate at the ceremony, I mocked him while my mother's We are all a bunch of liars. We deceive people when we body lay there in the casket;' she said. "And I've always tell them there is no God:' felt a little guilty about that, even though I don't believe in A few days later, four of Maria's former comrades God, of course:' attacked her and smashed her face. She was forced to hide in the basements of churches and in the homes of missionaries. "There's going to be a revolution in June;' she told me matter-of-factly. 'We've had it all planned for months:' You are the first person It was to be a typical Latin American uprising, stu who has ever asked me if dents and agitators causing a disturbance in the streets, luring out the army, which would then be attacked and he could help me. overthrown. The chairman of the Communist Party for Ecuador would take over the country. Maria remained on the run until June, when the Every time she got onto the subject of God, she Marxists' network of spies tracked her down. But she became enraged. But just as often, she would return to talked her four captors into retreating to her father's farm, her mother's funeral. where they could rest and read a few Christian books she "Hey, Palau;' she said, "supposing there is a God had chosen for them. which there isn't-but just supposing there is, do you On the morning of the revolution, the Communist think he would take a woman like me?" Party leader came to talk to Maria, his long-time friend. I had read once that when dealing with a professed "Maria, why did you become a Christian?" atheist, the best approach is to take one truth from the "Because I believe in God and Jesus Christ, and my Bible and stay with it. The Lord gave me Hebrews 10:17. faith has changed my life:' "Look, Maria, don't worry about what I think. Look at "You know;' he said, "I have been listening to HCJB what God thinks:' I opened to the verse and turned the radio on shortwave, and those Christians-they almost Bible so she could see. have me believing there is a God!" "I don't believe in the Bible ... :' "There is!" she said. "Why don't you become a Chris "But we're just supposing there's a God, right? Let's tian and get out of this business? Look at all the lives just suppose this is His Word. He says, 'Their sins and we've ruined. Here, take this Bible and this book [Peace iniquities I will remember no more:" With God, by Billy Graham]. You can go to my father's She waited, as if there had to be more. "But listen, I've farm and read them:' been an adulteress, married three times, and in bed with Later that morning, the disturbance that was sup a lot of men:' posed to trigger revolution fizzled into chaos, because the I said, "Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more:' leaders were off on a farm reading. "But I haven't told you half my story. I stabbed a com- Was Maria's conversion to Christ effective social rade who later committed suicide:' action? Her changed life altered the course of national "Their sins and iniquites I will remember no more:' events-events that would have killed and oppressed the "I've led student riots where people were killed:' masses. "Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more:' This certainly was one of the most bizarre encounters Seventeen times I responded to Maria's objections and in my ministry, but one of only scores I know of in which confessions with that verse. "Would you like Christ to for evangelism proved to be the best form of social action. give all that you've told me about and all the rest that I Last fall in Leningrad a Russian reporter challenged don't even know?" I asked. me to give him one example demonstrating how the Gos "He can't do it;' she said. pel can change lives and society.