If Asked, "Are you a Christian?" Would You Tell the Truth?

Why aren’t more people paying attention to the final question asked of the nine victims of the Oregon shooting?

Hillary Clinton is trying to turn it into a gun control campaign, but thousands die in car and motorcycle accidents every year. Should we eliminate cars and motorcycles? It makes more sense to me to address the problems when hurting PEOPLE don’t take their meds for Asbergers. Maybe they should be denied gun licenses due to an obvious mental instability, but this isn’t the story I want to address.    

According to the CNN report, “While reloading his handgun, the man ordered the students to stand up and asked whether they were Christians," Boylan told her family.

"And they would stand up, and he said, 'Good, because you're a Christian, you're going to see God in just about one second,'" Stacy Boylan told CNN, relaying his daughter's account.  ‘And then he shot and killed them.’”

That murderer was fixated on their response, which would determine their fate. All they had to do was say “no” and their very lives would be spared.” Instead, each one stood up and said, “yes.”

Every one of them, after the first believer had fallen to the floor, knew what was coming next.

Still, they answered truthfully! Think about that.

Who in our society tells the truth? Even when precious little is at stake, we live in a fairly dishonest world! I used to work in the dean's office and in judicial affairs I've seen people lie over something as simple as academic integrity over a grade. How many people would have at least thought for a fleeting moment, how can I get out of this predicament to save my life? 

But the ONLY WAY OUT would involve denying their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christians follow Jehovah, our God who loves truth. He IS truth and in him there is no darkness.
Every one of those nine victims knew the Lord in their hearts and thought it important enough to tell the truth about Jesus, no matter what it cost. 

Like Daniel's friends, they went into that fire with the fire of God in their hearts. Perhaps they thought, God is able to save us, but even if he doesn't, I will not lie. I love him! 

They told the truth and said, “yes,” and promptly found themselves surrounded by angels and being carried to a heavenly city where they would see Him face to face. Instantly pain free and fully healed, comforted, and amazed at the glory of God, they have no regrets. Hard, not to say goodbye to loved ones, but if they could, I'm sure they would only tell us it's worth it.  

Of course, we hate the fact that nine families suffer this horrible untimely grief. They have lost a dear son, daughter or parent. But in heaven, we know there is rejoicing in the presence of angels. 

Thank God that these brave souls left a testimony to the truth and the love of the Savior who bought them. They are now safely in his arms forever.

But for all who don’t know Him, they will meet Him under different circumstances. Not to hear, “Well done my good and faithful one,” but sadly it will be, “You can’t stay here. I never knew you.”

The one who held the gun that day heard the latter message a few moments after turning the gun on himself. He apparently had a beef about people who love God, so instead he sent himself directly into the clawing arms of the devil and his demons. He tried to squelch Christians and their faith, and chose an eternity of anguish and separation from the very One who would have forgiven him!  What a sad ending to his sad story.

We are all writing our story and as the song says, we get to decide what legacy we will leave behind. We get to decide how the rest is going to read.

May it move us to consider that we all have just one life to live, one brief span to make up our minds about Jesus, and only one life to stand for what we believe. 

As it is written, "Man is destined once to die and after that to face judgment."  
Hebrews 9:27

"We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." 
2 Corinthians 5:10

Dear God, help me live my faith fully, bravely, and boldly for You and for your glory! Amen.