His Smiled Showed Him Jesus

The following is another installment from the book Extreme Devotion.  I want to tell you that you can read more about Milan Haimovici in the Voice of the Martyrs book Tortured for Christ.  Pastor Haimovici’s story is very inspiring and humbling.  It is said that he would willingly go and take beatings so that others did not have to receive them, and also so that he could keep preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The cold, dark prison cell was crowded with Romanian Christians who were determined to bring the light of Jesus into the darkness. One of these prisoners was a Jewish believer named Milan Haimovici.

    One day, Milan began a discussion with another cell mate who was a great scientist but a godless man. Milan was not of the same intellectual and cultural level as this professor, but he told him about Jesus. The professor scorned him, “You are such a liar. Jesus lived two thousand years ago. How can you say that you walk and talk with him?”
    

Milan replied, “It is true that he died two thousand years ago, but he is also resurrected and is living even now.”

    Then the professor challenged Milan, “Well, you say that he talks with you. What is the expression on his face?”

    Milan answered, “Sometimes he smiles at me.”

    “Such a lie,” the professor laughed. “Show me how he smiles.” Milan graciously conceded. He was shorn and only skin and bones, with dark circles around his eyes. He was missing teeth and was wearing a prisoner’s uniform, but such a beautiful smile appeared on his lips. His dirty face shone. There was so much peace, so much contentment, and so much joy on his face.

    The godless professor bowed his head and admitted, “Sir, you have seen Jesus.”

A smile is a natural human expression of confidence, peace, and contentment. A smile during pain and suffering and even agony can give supernatural evidence of God. If Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, is really living in our hearts, then some of us need to inform our faces of the good news! In church, we sometimes sing hymns like funeral dirges—our thoughts a thousand miles away from our words. What does your face reveal about your relationship with Jesus? Are you a witness to others who pass you by on the street? Do you attest to Christ’s contentment in your heart? Or is your brow furrowed with worry and your lips constantly pursed? Ask God to help you be aware of your silent message and to fill you with his joy.

2012-08-06 23:39:33

Source: http://www.persecutionblog.com/2012/08/his-smiled-showed-him-jesus.html