The service had started over an hour ago and Ethan was miserable. He couldn’t believe that he had allowed Jessica to talk him into coming to church with her. When he had timidly asked her for a date she had taken a couple of days before she had made her decision. In his anxiety, he had agreed to her conditions and now here he was, wondering why he had to go to church with her first before she would go to the movies with him. He had never stepped foot inside a church before and had absolutely no idea what to expect or how to act. He had heard of Jesus before but it was usually in the form of curse words he heard at school and hanging out with his friends. But now it was different. Sitting in the back row, he had listened to the congregation as they sang worship songs, lifting their hands and faces toward the ceiling as if they could actually see who they were singing to. And it seemed as if every other minute was shouting “Praise The Lord!” or “Thank You, Jesus!” as loud as they could. The music had been fast-paced and up-tempo with the rhythm of the guitars and drums keeping the beat. Definitely different from the heavy metal station he listened to on the radio!
“Is it always like this?” he had whispered into Jessica’s ear.
Smiling, she had answered, “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
“What more could there be,” he had wondered as he slumped into the back row pew.
After what seemed like hours the singing stopped and the pastor began his sermon.
“You Must Be Born Again is the title of my sermon,” announced the pastor while giving everyone his scripture reference.
“Born again? Whoever heard of such a thing? How can anybody be born again?”bhe scoffed while squirming in his seat.
The sermon seemed to last forever and Ethan couldn’t wait to get out of there. After all, he had fulfilled his obligation, hadn’t he? Fidgeting in the pew, Jessica had elbowed him, rather decisively, in the ribs.
“Pay attention!” she scolded while redirecting her attention to the pastor.
“Do I have to?” he thought to himself, “What he’s saying makes no sense. He says that I’m a sinner. He doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know anything about me. And who is he to judge me anyway? I suppose I’ve done some bad things before. But nothing like my buddies. I don’t go drinking with them or smoke pot like they do. And I’ve never had sex with anyone. But they don’t know that and I won’t tell them. I’d never live it down at school.”
“Everyone has fallen short of the glory of God,” the pastor said while closing his Bible, “Everyone, you, me, everyone in this room has to come to God. Repent of your sins and accept Jesus into your heart tonight. You may not have another opportunity.”
The praise and worship team came back onto the platform and began to softly play and sing a song that everyone seemed to know.
“Why not now, why not now, why not come to Jesus now. Why not now, why not now, why not come to Jesus now,” sang the congregation as they stood at their pews.
Ethan listened with amazement. Are these people crazy? How can they worship something they can’t see? It doesn’t make any sense!
Catching motion out of the corner of his eye, he watched as a young girl rose to her feet, stumbled to the aisle, and went to the altar where she quietly knelt. Ethan could see tears streaming down her cheeks and dropping to the floor. Jessica left his side as well as a few others and went to the girl, surrounding her and placing their hands on her as if to support her.
“I don’t understand this. Why is she crying? And what is Jessica doing up there? Is there a God? And if so, why can’t I see Him? Can there actually be something to all of this?” These questions ran through his mind as he watched. Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He just had to know for sure.
“God, if you are real will you show me?” he asked while closing his eyes, “I really want to know.”
Sitting there, Ethan began to sense movement all around him. And music! High pitched singing could be heard in the background. “Strange!” He thought to himself, “The congregation wasn’t singing anything like this before. And what’s that smell?” he asked as he opened his eyes to a scene far different from the one previous. Speechless, he could only stare in wonder at what was before him.
Large, white-robed figures were everywhere! Some were standing behind members of the congregation while others walked the aisles as if on a mission. They appeared to be male, tall, and very muscular in build. Curiosity getting the better of him, Ethan slowly turned to look behind him just in time to watch one of the figures walk down the aisle and standby the girl kneeling on the floor. It seemed to be very intently listening to what the girl was saying. When she was finished the figure thrust his hands toward the ceiling and began to shout in a language that Ethan didn’t understand. When the girl went back to her seat the figure followed and stood directly behind her as if to protect her.
“What’s going on? Who are they? Angels?” he asked himself. He had heard of angels before but never believed they existed. His only previous encounter would be the plastic angel his mom put on top of the Christmas tree. But this was different!
Excitement salted with a good dose of apprehension and fear caused him to sit up in the pew and watch. He was tempted to say something but was too scared to do so. Besides, the congregation might think he was a nut case if he told them what he was seeing! It was better to be quiet and watch.
The commotion caused him to look across the sanctuary to a pew filled with boys about his age. One of them was leering at one of the girls in a pew a couple of rows in front of him. He was pointing his finger at her and saying something that made the other boys laugh. But that wasn’t what caught his attention. What caught his attention was what was whispering in the boy’s ear. All Ethan could see was a black form standing by the boy. It was shaped similar to a man but then somehow it wasn’t. Ugly and sinister could hardly describe what he was seeing and he couldn’t help but feel that it was evil, totally evil. It laughed as it talked to the boy, a maniacal sound that Ethan could hear across the room. Suddenly it stopped as an angel approached and attempted to pull him away from the boy. This was the commotion that Ethan saw. As he watched he couldn’t help but notice that another change was taking place. The high-pitched singing got louder and the angels turned their attention to the doorway in the back of the sanctuary.
“Now what?” he thought as he nervously waited.
Moments later the brightest light he had ever seen appeared behind him. The angels immediately bowed to their knees in obedience to this light, some prostrating themselves on the floor while others lifted their hands to praise the light. Ethan could hear music in the background. Listening, he could hear the words “Gloria, Gloria, Gloria” being repeated over and over. With a shriek of fear, the black form broke loose from the angel’s grasp, cowering before the light and raced from the room.
Trembling with fear, Ethan closed his eyes as the light went past him as it proceeded down the aisle. Taking a chance, he slightly opened one eye and watched as the tall figure of a man walked. He was dressed in a royal purple robe, white linen, and shod with sandals, a golden crown sat upon his head. But the most striking thing was that the man somehow emanated a blinding light! So bright he could hardly stand to watch him. Ethan watched as the man approached a lady and gently touched her brow. The lady dropped to the floor immediately. The man went to another and held his hand over that person’s head. What seemed to be liquid fire dripped from the man’s hand, splashing and completely engulfing as it burned. This person dropped to the floor. The man did this to several others and then went to the platform. Turning, he looked in Ethan’s direction.
Ethan quickly lowered his head. “I can’t look,” he thought.
“Ethan,” the man spoke quietly.
He glanced upwards, trying to focus through the blinding light coming from the man. The only thing he could see was the man standing there with an outstretched arm, beckoning for him to come forward. He didn’t dare look at his face!
“Ethan, you asked for proof. Will this do?”
Sobbing, Ethan rose from his seat and practically ran to the front of the church and kneeled before the man who had beckoned.
“Do you know who I am?” the man asked.
Ethan nodded and whispered, “Jesus”.
“Yes.”
Ethan could sense that someone was touching him. Glancing sideways, Jessica was with him, tears streaming down her face as she knelt by his side. Taking the cue, others of the congregation gathered around him, placed their hands on his shoulders, and prayed.
“I heard your plea and have come for you tonight. I want you to listen to me closely. Don’t be concerned. No one but you can hear me.”
Then he silently nodded in agreement.
“Ethan, I know that you don’t understand the things you have seen here tonight. And I also know you don’t believe that you’re a sinner. My son, you’ve never been told that you have to ask forgiveness for the bad things you’ve done. And yes, you have been caught up in some things that are sins. Lying to your parents, cheating on tests at school, jealousy are just a few of them. And how about Jessica, what are your motives with her. I know you haven’t had sex before. Is she to be your first encounter? I believe I know her well enough that she’ll resist your attempts to get her to sleep with you but it won’t stop you from trying. Ethan, this is lust, something that if acted upon becomes another sin,” said Jesus.
Ethan began to realize that everything Jesus said was true. His sole purpose of dating Jessica was to see if he could have sex with her. But what could he do? Bewildered, he waited for Jesus to speak again.
“You have to come to the conclusion that you’re a sinner and want to change. Ethan, you have to ask for forgiveness and ask me into your heart. you don’t understand what being “Born Again” means. When you ask for forgiveness of your sins I am obligated to forgive you. From that time on your past sins are forgotten as far as I am concerned. You become a new person in my eyes. As if you had been reborn, pure and spotless. Ethan, do you believe me?” Jesus asked.
Again, Ethan nodded in agreement.
“Now do you believe that you’re a sinner?” Jesus asked.
“Yes, Lord.”
“Is there anything you would like to ask me?”
“Yes, I ask that you forgive me of my sins. I know that I am a sinner and that I need you. Jesus, please come into my heart. Change me into a different person,” asked Ethan as he sobbed at Jesus’s feet.
“My son, you are forgiven. I love you! Welcome to my kingdom.”
Ethan opened his eyes and realized that the sanctuary was different again. Jesus and his angels were gone, the music had stopped and he was still kneeling at the altar. He felt as if the world had been lifted from his shoulders!
Jessica jumped to her feet, crying and laughing at the same time, she began to shout, “Praise The Lord!”
Members of the congregation gathered around him, praising and thanking the Lord for his saving grace. Rising to his feet, Jessica gave him a big hug as they headed for their back row seat. As they walked Ethan happened to glance at the far corner of the sanctuary. To his amazement, he could just barely make out a dark form crouching in the corner. Ethan watched as it turned to face him. Making eye contact, it opened its mouth in a silent shriek and scampered from the sanctuary. Watching it flee, Ethan realized that it was a demon that had been assigned to him. He also realized that it could no longer bother him because it feared what Ethan had become. Smiling, Ethan turned back to Jessica.
“We have a youth meeting on Wednesday night. Will you come?” she asked.
“I’ll be here. Same time?”
“Yes.”
“Ok, and Jessica, I know I asked you to go to the movies. But can Wednesday night be our first date? I want to tell you about the things I saw tonight. It’ll blow your mind!”
June 25, 2023