I saw my friend James at a church supper after being out of touch for several years. It was like we\u2019d never been apart.<\/p>\n
We talked, laughed, hugged, sang and prayed together. I met his wife for the first time and celebrated with them over the way God had healed wounds in their marriage and family. It was a great evening; we didn\u2019t want it to end. We said goodnight, promising each other we\u2019d meet again soon.<\/p>\n
A few weeks later, James was dead. Chronic illness caught up with him. He hung on for days in the hospital, but his body was worn out.<\/p>\n
This life seems so strong and sure for a season — and then it\u2019s over. We try to escape death, delay it, appease it, fight it and deny it. \u201cDo not go gentle into that good night,\u201d the poet Dylan Thomas advised. \u201cRage, rage against the dying of the light.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rage all you want; death will come for you one day. But darkness, its close companion, is a choice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was the true Light, which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him… But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,\u201d the Apostle John declared of Jesus Christ (John 1:9-12, NASB). \u201cAnd the Word become flesh and dwelt among us\u201d (John 1:14a, NASB).<\/p>\n
Later in John\u2019s Gospel, Jesus Himself said, \u201cThis is the judgment, that the Light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil\u201d (John 3:19, NASB).<\/p>\n
Men love the darkness, but God sent His Son, the Light of the world, to rescue us from eternal darkness. By His resurrection, Christ put darkness to death. Two millennia later, however, not everyone knows the truth. That\u2019s why missionaries and other servants of God go to places of darkness, no matter the potential cost. They bring the Light of the Gospel not only through their words and actions, but by their presence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been several attacks recently,\u201d wrote a worker who lives in one such place. \u201cOften the gunfire and explosions would cease, and I would think it must be over, but it would start again. I was sharply reminded that we are here to pray,\u201d and not only pray, but to be, to love, to speak and to lift up the flaming torch of Christ amid great darkness.<\/p>\n
On a recent plane trip, [Southern Baptist] International Mission Board President Tom Elliff struck up a conversation with a fellow passenger who asked him, \u201cWhat do you do [for a living]?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI chase darkness,\u201d Elliff replied.<\/p>\n
Bewildered, the passenger inquired, \u201cAre you in lighting?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a way,\u201d Elliff told the man.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the encounter, the International Mission Board leader said, \u201cWe are indeed \u2018chasers after darkness,\u2019 looking for the black holes of sin in our world and thrusting into that darkness the Light of the glorious Gospel of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n
My friend James experienced darkness in his life, but when Christ filled his soul with light and salvation, he became one of the most joyful witnesses I\u2019ve ever known. This Easter, I know James is celebrating the resurrection in the presence of the Risen One.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I saw my friend James at a church supper after being out of touch for several years. It was like we\u2019d never been apart. We talked, laughed, hugged, sang and prayed together. I met his wife for the first time and celebrated with them over the way God had healed wounds in their marriage and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1049,312,1058],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4899"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4899\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}