The small town of Nags Head ensconced in the greater Outer Banks, North Carolina bears a name reflective of the piracy legend of old. It is said that the locals of Outer Banks heard news of the piracy of Blackbeard at sea and decided to try their own clandestine adventure by tying a lantern around the neck off an old horse, otherwise known as a “nag” and lead it along the top of the tallest sand dunes such as Jockey’s Ridge casting the light out to sea.
Upon seeing this light from the sea, the ship’s captain would assume it to be coming from a ship anchored safely in a harbor and would direct his ship to do likewise. Unfortunately for captain and crew, by following this light as a guide he would beach his ship upon the dangerous shoals. The ship and crew quickly fell prey to these land pirates of Outer Banks who forced the crew to walk the plank, looting and burning the ship whilst making away with the plunder.
These infamous land pirates succeeded because they were counterfeiting something real. They knew that their light would signal ships that there was a safe harbor when in fact they would soon be beached upon the land and plundered. In contrast, had the captains known where the real harbor was they would not have been taken in by a counterfeit.
Casting out the lights
It is the same with religions. Many belief systems are casting out their lights and yet they are only counterfeits of the real. They allure because there is a real, but once accepted as the truth they leave you plundered and lost upon the rocks. One can avoid it all and stay drifting upon the sea of uncertainty, never making a landing, always fearful that the light of the harbor is as false as the next one. Or they can learn about how to find the real and avoid the pitfalls of the counterfeits. We can live our lives afraid of being plundered by false hope or we can look past the false for the real and latch ourselves securely to what is real. Once the real is attained the counterfeits are more easily seen for what they are not and any allure they may have had dissipated.
Jesus is the way the truth and the life
Jesus said that He was the way the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father but by Him. His audacious statement was not unsubstantiated for He proved His right to make such a statement by giving His life for ours and rising again victorious over death. Many witnesses attest to this fact both in Scripture and in secular sources.
The Church began in the vicinity where Jesus walked the earth
Had His claims not been true, it would have been evident to local people. Instead, many faced certain torture and death to serve Jesus as Lord. They were in a position to talk to the eyewitnesses and investigate the claims of Christ themselves. Most likely, many of them were eyewitnesses of this man called Jesus who raised the dead, cleansed lepers, healed the sick, and ate with sinners. This is where Christianity was birthed. These events happened in a real-time and place in history and there is an overwhelming plethora of evidence supporting this truth.
There is a path that leads to a relationship with God, and that path has been given to us by God. Jesus said that if we seek Him we will find Him. If we love truth, we will come to know the Truth. The amazing thing about Jesus is that knowing Him isn’t a matter of believing a bunch of facts, but knowing a real God experientially. It’s about belonging to our Creator and entering an amazing out of this world relationship with Him.
Are you ready for the journey?
