Recently Dr. Gordy wrote us about a conversation that he had with a waitress in a restaurant. It happened while he and a friend (Charlie) were traveling in Florida.
"Miriam!" I said, pretending to be both surprised and excited. "I'm so glad to see you. I've been wanting to meet your brother. Would you please introduce me to him?"
The waitress was not surprised that I knew her name; it was displayed on her name tag as she poured my coffee. But she did seem pleased that I apparently knew her brother. "Well, yes. I could introduce you to him, but he doesn't live around here. How did you know him?"
"Oh, I don't know him but I sure do know about him. And I really want to meet him. In fact I'd like to meet both of your brothers."
"Both?" she asked. "I only have one brother and he's nowhere near here."
"Moses and Aaron aren't your brothers?" I continued to tease.
"Who? What's the name? That's not my brother's name!" She was beginning to show confusion.
"Yes, I know," I said. "I was just teasing you about Miriam's brother. You know, Moses in the Bible."
"Bible? Where is that? Is it in Florida?"
"No, I mean I read about them in the Bible." I thought she just misunderstood.
"Is that a book or what?"
Now Charlie and I were the ones completely astounded. This young lady was not a newly arrived immigrant from the moon nor did she show any signs of an accent from another country on our globe. Her speech was that of a native-born Floridian. But she had no idea what we were talking about when we mentioned the Book available in every hospital, motel and hotel room in America. The Book made available to every school child in our nation by the Gideons. The Book upon which the very foundations of our legal system are based. That Book. THE Book, God's Wonderful Word, the Bible.
My attempt at a clever and attention-getting way to open the subject of the good news and give her a quick Gospel witness created confusion, misunderstanding and the impression that I was the one speaking a foreign language. How could I ever begin to tell her that "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life"? Would she understand if I began with John 3:16? Would a quick trip down "The Roman Road" make any sense to her? "Smile, God loves you" would be totally meaningless to Miriam. This gal knew no more about our Lord's name than that it was often used as a swear word.
Just as "there arose a Pharaoh who knew not Joseph," we are increasingly finding that there is an entire generation who have grown up right here in the so-called "Christian America" who know not our Lord nor His Word.
If there was ever a time and a place that we need to give a clear and simple explanation of the Bible, it is today. And there is no better way to do that than to do just what our God did; begin "In the beginning..." And I do not know of a better way to do that than by using the book The Stranger On The Road To Emmaus.
Dun Gordy is a Bible teacher and representative for New Tribes Mission.
