Evangelism and Spiritual Warfare, Mentor's Guide, MG08

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E V A N G E L I S M A N D S P I R I T U A L W A R F A R E

“Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?”

One evening, a little child was looking at the local news with her folks. In listening to the reports, the station told the story of a young boy who was accidentally killed by a motorist who lost control of their car on the ice, striking the young person, who died from the injuries shortly after. Later that night, filled with curiosity and questions about the incident, the little girl asked her believing mother, “Mama, you remember the story we heard about earlier, the little boy hit and killed by the car? Why did that happen? Why do things like that happen to people, even to people who haven’t done anything wrong? Can’t God stop things like that from happening? Why do bad things happen to good people?” How would you answer this little girl’s question if you were her parent? In a conversation at work, during lunch hour, a mild argument broke out in the lunch room between two fellow employees. In discussing the events of 9-11, the horrific destruction of the Trade Towers in New York City, one employee claimed that this event and others like it are the work of evil people who simply are tools of the devil. The devil’s lies are at the root of all evil in the world. The other employee rejected this idea, saying that evil is the result of bad choices of individuals and has nothing to do with any kind of demonic or satanic involvement. Blaming things on the devil, she said, is just an excuse for not taking personal responsibility for one’s own actions. Seeming to get nowhere in their debate, they turn to you and ask your opinion. What would you say about this issue to them? In sharing his faith with a friend at school, a young disciple of Jesus laid out an outline of the good news of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ. He explained who Jesus was, why he came to earth and had to die, and what God promises to those who receive Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead. After listening quietly for awhile to this witness of the Gospel, the young seeker said, “That’s well and good, but I am not sure if the thought of eternal life and salvation and such is all that helpful to me now. I’m broke, I lost my job two days ago, and rent is due in two weeks. I failed my midterm in English, and my girlfriend and I are struggling. I just don’t see how believing in Jesus will affect my life at all. I want to “There is No Devil.” “What Can You Promise Me?”

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