426- Different From Us

 

St-Takla.org Image: Proclamation of the Apostles to the gentiles, Coptic Art by Tasony Sawsan. صورة في موقع الأنبا تكلا: صورة تبشير الآباء الرسل للأمم، فن قبطي: تاسوني سوسن.

A preacher was among tribes getting his car ready to go to the forests. He was going to meet the members of the tribes to preach the Bible to them. Meantime, his wife was inside their tent holding her baby.

The wife heard a strange sound so she looked out the tent. She saw the leader of the tribe standing in front of her husband pointing a spear at his chest, while the other men removed his shirt. The leader and twelve men were standing there and getting ready to throw their spears at her husband.

Calmly and without fear, the preacher said to the leader of the tribe, “Throw your spear if you wish but before you kill me, let me tell you something.”

The leader was surprised at the preacher’s courage and lack of worry but was determined to kill him. He said to himself, “Let me hear him before he dies.”

So he spoke violently to the preacher asking, “What do you want to say?”

The preacher answered, “I came in the name of God and I’m his servant. I desire that you enjoy His love and salvation and experience the sweetness of life with Him. All that you and your men can do is to kill me. If I die, somebody else will come and tell you God’s happy news. The spears will enter my chest but we won’t rest until we all are happy with God our Savior.”

The spear fell from the leader’s hand and he turned to his men saying, “They’re different from us for, we fear death and they possess eternal life. Let us hear them and become like them.” They all threw their spears and sat down to listen to the preacher. They happily accepted the Bible of Jesus Christ. That was the beginning of preaching among these tribes.⁽²⁾

→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: مختلفون عنا!

Your Bible makes my heart happy.

Let me make other people’s hearts happy through You.

Your Bible carries me as if to heaven,

So I do not fear death or the abyss.

Let me preach to see all living by You.

Your Bible is sweet, let me enjoy it,

And let others enjoy Your sweet Salvation.

Footnotes and references for this page here at St-Takla.org:

 (2) Naismith, Archibald. 2400 Outlines, Notes, Quotes and Anecdotes. Vol. 2, article 666.

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