The God Who Chases

I recently went golfing with four other men. On the first few holes, I joked, we laughed, and then I used a couple of IQ Test tracts to break the ice for witnessing. All the guys failed the IQ Tests, allowing me to remind them that sometimes our eyes can play tricks on us, keeping us from seeing the truth even when it is plainly in front of us. Then I asked who would like to take another intelligence test. “This time,” I said, “it’s about God.” Two men came closer. Ray (not Ray Comfort, a different guy by the name of "Ray") was one of them.

Ray was a 6’ man who had a very strong and friendly personality. The first question on the test was, “Is there a God?” Ray said “yes”. Second question- “Does God care about right and wrong?” Ray said, “No.” The other men and I looked at Ray with a sense of wonder at why he would say such a ridiculous thing. I had never heard of anyone who believed that God didn’t care about right and wrong, good or bad. When I asked the next question- “Is there a Hell?” Ray didn’t think so, because in his mind, if God didn’t care about wrong then He certainly wouldn’t create a place of punishment for wrongdoers.

It was obvious who I would be witnessing to on this golf outing. Before we teed off, I began a conversation with Ray. I asked him how he would feel if someone took his wife into the field behind the golf course, abused her, slit her throat, and then stabbed her in the heart 30 times just to make sure she was dead. I asked Ray if he would care that someone did that to his wife. Of course, he did. He said, “I’d track him down and kill him myself.” I then reasoned with him that if he, a mere man, cared about murder... how much more did God care about such a horrible act of violence. Ray didn’t know how to answer other than to say, “God doesn’t care about earthly things. He’s only concerned with heavenly things.” I knew that Ray was hiding something big with a strange comment like that, but I still didn’t know what.

I then began to follow Jesus’ example by using the Law to bring about conviction of his personal sin (with the help of his conscience and the Holy Spirit). I did this by asking Ray if he considered himself to be a good person. He said, “Yes, I do.” I asked him if he had kept the 10 Commandments. He said he didn’t think so, but what did it matter… his kids had turned out far better than those of his religious relatives.

“Have you ever told a lie?” I asked him. Ray said he had. When I asked him what that made him, without hesitation he said, “A liar.” I asked him if he’d ever stolen anything. Ray said, “Yes.” I asked him what that made him. He said, “A thief”. Then I told him that Jesus said, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.” He easily admitted that he was guilty of looking at women with lust.

Then I gently said to him, “Ray, by your own admission, you are a lying, thief, and an adulterer at heart, and you have to face God on Judgment Day. And we’ve only looked at 3 of the 10 Commandments. Let’s look at some more.” We went through some more of the Commandments, and by the next tee station, Ray had admitted that he was also an idolater and a blasphemer.

I asked Ray, “If God judges you by the 10 Commandments on Judgment Day, will you be innocent or guilty?” Ray paused a moment and said, “Guilty.” I asked, “Do you think you’ll go to Heaven or Hell?” Ray said, “I’ll go to Heaven because God is forgiving and he doesn’t care about earthly things. All you need is a little bit of faith and He will forgive you.”

I said, “Ray, if you were a criminal, guilty of serious crimes, standing before a judge, and you said, ‘Judge, I know I’m guilty, but I have faith that you’re a forgiving man, and that you’ll just forget about what I did and let me go.’ Should that judge let you go?” Ray said, “No.” We agreed that if a judge is a good judge, he cannot just overlook crime, but must see to it that justice is served and that criminals are punished.

So I said, “Ray, do you think God is good?” Ray said, “Yes.” I said, “If God is good, then by nature, he will not overlook your sins, but will do everything in His power to see that justice is served and that you are punished.” Ray got angry with me and said very sternly, “Don’t tell me that!” Ray and I picked up our golf balls, got into our cart and drove to the next hole.

We had finished only 4 holes, and we weren’t playing any more golf because we were so deep in conversation. The rest of the guys continued to play without us. Ray told me that his mother had always told him that he couldn’t run away from God; God would chase him down, and would one day get him. Ray hated that. He was desperately trying to justify himself as a good person in his own eyes, believing that God didn’t care about the sins of his past. I resumed the use of the Law. I told Ray that if he was honest, he knew that when God called him to give an account of his life on Judgment Day, he would be found guilty and receive the punishment he deserves. I shared him what the Bible said about his fate- “All liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire” “No adulterer, thief, idolater, fornicator, or blasphemer will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” I explained that every time Ray sinned, he was “storing up wrath for himself that will be revealed on the Day of Wrath and Righteous Judgment of God.” That he is “an en my of God because of his wicked works” and “the wrath of God abides on him”. I pointed out that if God gives him Justice, Ray wouldn’t be going to Heaven, but would spend eternity in Hell.

At this point, Ray had me locked in his stare, and I began to feel a great sense of pressure to stop the conversation. I knew I had to press on in our talk or else the progress we had made so far would have been lost and Ray would have been in a worse place spiritually than when we began. I had to continue reasoning with him until Ray stopped justifying himself and coming up with excuses for guilty past. It wasn’t easy, but eventually, Ray’s eyes showed signs of fear, like a deer caught in headlights. His expression of anger toward me had changed to a look of fear and panic. He was guilty, and he knew it. Ray wasn’t defending himself anymore-- just staring at me, looking like a man who had been found out and didn’t know where to turn for escape. He eventually turned away from me and looked at the golf cart floor, as though he was coming to terms with the fact that he was guilty before God and would one day be held accountable for his sins.

As Ray looked like his heart was sinking, I gently asked him if he could see his need for God’s forgiveness. He said, “Yes.” Outside I was calm, inside I was leaping with joy! He could see his need for forgiveness—now he could see his need for a Savior. Now was the time to tell him about Jesus.

I said, “Although God is a God of Justice, He is also a God of Love and Mercy, and He has made a way for you to be forgiven Ray.” Ray lifted his eyes and looked at me with curiosity. I said, “Ray, imagine that you’re a criminal, guilty of serious crimes that have earned you a fine of $5 million or a sentence of 50 years in prison. Without a dime to pay the court, you are being sent to prison for the rest of your life. Then all of a sudden, someone you don’t even know steps forward and pays your fine for you. The Judge examines the stranger’s money and says, “Ray, this man has paid your fine in full. You are free to go.” And then the stranger comes over to you and says, “I know you don’t know me, but I sold my house and all my possessions, and emptied all my bank accounts to pay this fine for you. I did this because I love you.” Ray was listening intently. Then I said, “Ray, that’s what God did for you-- He paid your fine. God became a man, Jesus Christ, and suffered and died on the cross to pay the price for your sin. You broke the Law and Jesus paid your fine. It’s as simple as that. And you’re free to go on the grounds that someone has paid your fine.” Ray’s eyes welled up with tears as he looked at me.

I told him a story of a tribal Chief on an island. The Chief was a good man. He was physically strong, morally uncompromising in Justice, and loved his family and tribe greatly. The chief loved his tribe so much that his penalty for anyone who violated the law was severe, which resulted in very little crime and ensured safety for the tribe. One day, some men reported to the Chief that food had been stolen, causing another family to go hungry. The penalty for such a crime was 50 lashes. The Chief ordered that the criminal be found and publicly disciplined. Two days later, the men told the Chief that the thief had not been found, but instead, had stolen again, causing another family to go without food. The Chief commanded the tribe to search the island until they found the thief, and then bring him immediately to the place where he would be publicly punished with his sentence of 100 lashings. The tribe searched until they found the thief, and brought him to the Chief. When the Chief looked at the captured criminal, he was shocked as he recognized the man to be his very own son. All the tribe gathered around the place where the man would be punished, and they waited with great concern to see what the Chief would do. Would he uphold Justice and have his own son whipped with 100 lashings, surely causing him to die, or would he compromise Justice and overlook his son’s crimes. With tears in his eyes, the Chief knew that his son must be tied to the tree and his 100 lashes must be given. The boy was strapped to the wood, and as the man with the rock studded whips raised his massive arms to tear into the back of the young thief, The Chief stepped forward, removed his robe, and wrapped his own arms around his son’s body. With his bare back exposed to the executioner, hiding his son’s tender flesh beneath him, the Chief said, “Begin the lashings.” And the Chief took all 100 lashings, allowing his own blood to be shed to save his son. The Chief upheld Justice—the punishment was given--and at the same time, he demonstrated his great love for his precious son.

I said to Ray, “That’s like what God did for you. He took your punishment. You are guilty and He took your punishment on the Cross because he knew you couldn’t endure it. That’s how much he loves you Ray!”

I explained that he’d never be able to earn his way into heaven. He’d lied, stolen, committed adultery, idolatry, blasphemy, and has no excuse. But God will give him forgiveness as a gift if he will repent of his sins and place his faith in Jesus Christ alone to save him. We talked about what repentance meant. I told him the story of the Prodigal Son returning to seek the forgiveness of his father and the father, seeing him far off in the distance, actually ran to his son, picked him up and rejoiced, because his son was lost, but now is found, he was blind but now he sees! I told Ray that his mother was correct in saying that God had been chasing him all his life, but what he didn’t understand was that God was chasing him in love, so that if Ray ever came to his senses and turned away from his sin to humbly seek his Father’s forgiveness, he would find that God was very near by. Ray sat still and quiet as I magnified the LOVE and GRACE and MERCY of God in Jesus Christ.

I spoke to Ray about the urgency of his need to turn from sin and put his faith in Christ. I asked him if he thought it was possible that he could die that night. I told him that because God’s Word says, “It is appointed for a man to die once, and then face Judgment,” nothing was more important than getting his heart right with God before he went to sleep that night. Ray nodded in agreement and said, “That’s true.”

We had reached the end of the golf course, each finishing with a score of 30! We didn’t mention to the guys at the clubhouse that we had played only the first 5 holes. After the other guys in our group left, Ray and I were still talking in the parking lot. Ray sat down on the front of the golf cart and began to cry. He said to me, “I’ve been running from God all my life, trying to get away from him. But I don’t want to run anymore.” Ray began to sob out loud as he held his face in his hands. I put my arm around this big man and said, “Ray, do you need God to forgive you?” He said with a heavy voice, “Yes.” I asked, “Do you want to turn away from all your sins and give your whole life to Jesus right now?” Ray said, “Yes, I do.” In that moment, I was so overwhelmed with the Spirit’s presence that I felt as though I was witnessing a miracle.

I told Ray to confess his sins to God—all of them. I told Ray he needed to come totally clean before God and confess to God that he is a liar, a thief, and an adulterer. He must no longer hide his sins from God, but must forsake them all, and ask God to help him to turn to Him to love and obey Jesus with all his heart. Ray began to pray, quietly confessing his sins to God. Then I prayed for Ray. I thanked God for chasing Ray and catching him that day on the golf course. I thanked Him for Ray’s broken heart and willingness to repent of all his sins and trust in God’s mercy. I asked the Lord to bless Ray, to protect him and his family, and to change Ray into a godly man. While I prayed for Ray, I could hear Ray quietly saying, “Yes, Father…in Jesus’ name…in Jesus’ name.” We were two gathered in the name of Jesus, and I was sure that God had just soundly saved a man in the middle of a parking lot.

I asked Ray if he had a Bible—he did. He was going to start reading it. We had become good friends and Ray had become a new creation. Later that Day, I saw Ray sharing his story with another person. He was tearing up again, sharing the story of the God that had chased him down on the golf course and caught him that day. I was later told by my wife that when Ray was asked how his golf game went, he said, “It was the best day of my life, and golf had nothing to do with it.”