Truth is you won't go to hell for getting a tattoo, you could get AIDS or hepatitis, or they could spell it wrong, or it could go on crooked, a flower could grow into a garden as you expand in girth and age, or it could hurt like the dickens, but your eternity is NOT in jeopardy. Someone else's might be though.
Most of us won't have any context for this because we were born into a nation of many freedoms, not the least of which is our religious freedom. We can worship idols, money, Oprah, football, ourselves, Joel Osteen, nothing at all, or the One True God, God bless America! I took my crew to several places this summer where this is not the case. In some of these nations, the practice of anything, but their national religion would simply be frowned upon, but not in the islands.
In the islands it is against the law to practice anything except Islam. As a matter of fact, you are not allowed to even bring in items contrary to Islam like bacon or Bibles, idols or alcohol, so of course it's against the law to evangelize. We decided to spend three days in the islands as part of our Southern Asia Experience, we would abide by the rules, we would simply be tourists. It's a beautiful nation made up of hundreds of islands so playing tourist for a few days isn't much of a challenge. The challenge was found in enforcing the island rules with my crew of Jesus followers.
"Team, today we will fish and snorkel and pray silently as we go about our business, but you can't tell anyone about Jesus, can't have your Bibles, can't pray publicly over your food, and please refrain from saying the name of Jesus out loud, and you most certainly cannot lead anyone to Christ while we're here, now let's go have some fun!"
I was hoping the sand and surf would distract them, but they were chomping at the bit so I relented and said if someone were to unprompted ask you about your personal testimony of Jesus Christ then you could share your story with them, but that's the only exception because I don't want to go to jail or get deported. Of course, what are the chances that someone is going to unprompted ask about a name they've never heard before in a country where it's against the law to be anything but Muslim?
Five minutes after this amendment to the rules it happened, but it wouldn't have if my team member hadn't had tattoos. Two young men with NO ACCESS to the Gospel in any form heard another young man's testimony of the One True God. Access to the Truth had been opened up because this heathen pastor's kid went public with his faith through INK! 
I shake my head and laugh at how BIG and how WITTY and how CREATIVE is my Father. Coming from a land of great religious freedom we are stumped when told we can't use our normal worship and evangelism outlets, but thankfully He is not stumped, He has such a fun, creative, individualized plan for every man, woman, and child to come to know Him. We can get in on it if we can get over ourselves. 
No comments:
Post a Comment