Acts 13:48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

Having ministered in Japan all my life, it’s a little hard for me to really imagine this scene. My parents too were missionaries, but I have never seen people respond so quickly to the Gospel. There was opposition, but there were hearts that were prepared and eager for the good news of Jesus. I have met two people, I think, who said they received Jesus the first time they entered a church, and for that matter, we had one girl who believed the first time she heard the Gospel, as a recent high school graduate, but such people are indeed few and far between. There’s one little phrase in this verse that can be hard to accept, but it’s very important: “appointed for/to eternal life.” We can’t force anyone to believe, as much as we might like to. It’s beyond our “mental horsepower” to grasp how that works, along with the whole issue of human free will. This issue caused the whole split among Protestants between Calvinists and Arminians, and I certainly can’t settle it here. This whole thing is a mystery, and being dogmatic about it reveals our own limited perception. As C. S. Lewis famously said, when we get to heaven we will discover we were all wrong somewhere! The point, in practical terms, is to “work out our salvation,” (Philippians 2:12) as Paul put it, and continue to give all we meet the opportunity to believe, knowing that not all will. That is the heartache of evangelism, but the fact that some will believe is the joy that makes it all worth it.

I think the “low rate of return” was one thing that convinced me I didn’t have the gift of Evangelist. Be that as it may, the Lord has recently been opening to me the joy of sharing the Gospel, whatever the response. I don’t know who is “appointed for eternal life,” but I must not exclude anyone on my part. I really do want everyone to believe, and I would love to wave a magic wand, or spike the water supply, or whatever, to make it happen, but I can’t do that, and it’s doubtless a good thing. I have frequently used the illustration that God doesn’t want robots who have to obey Him, He wants children who choose to obey Him. Knowing that’s true doesn’t keep me from wanting more people to believe! The Japanese in this verse says the people “entered into faith.” I can’t force anyone to come in, but I can hold the door open and call.

Father, this has been a struggle all my life, and certainly for the 44 years we’ve been in Omura. I do ask for Your mercy, on me and on this nation, that the veil that keeps people from seeing their own need of salvation may be ripped away, and millions cry out to Jesus as the only Savior, for a massive harvest, for Your kingdom and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!