Reflections on Ravi

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We want to thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement of the team because of your faithful giving because of the cold is been put on the team, the gospel of Jesus Christ is being covered to the ultimate regions of this earth. It is been a privilege and a joy to see lives transformed on people receive new life and new hope because of the ministry and the partnership that we have with you despite the challenges of lockdown is been remarkable to see how many other doors have opened in some instances, the digital holdings were reaching up to 10 times larger than the original venues could have accommodated had we actually be met in person once more, putting the ministry onto a digital platform is ultimately been able to do things we couldn't have imagined or even just a few months ago a short while ago I had the privilege of while sitting at a desk in Atlanta before speaking to the church in the United Kingdom. Then, speaking of the church in Malaysia and then speaking to a Bible study group hosted by the president's office in the Philippines. There wasn't a plane fast enough.

The code of going from one location to another to speak three times in three different parts of the world which is so culturally diverse and separate from each other, but that is just one instance in which we have single give us a new opportunity and a new possibility because of the new tools that he is open. Thank you for standing with us and thank you for your support and compliance apostolate May 19, 2020, some 50 days let my people think we sang with my flex team on Rafe's life and legacy.

Ancien these reflections from Vincent J. Vitale, Dean Larry, and Michael Ramsden. Joe, you and I are morning the loss of Ravi Zacharias's. I was thinking this morning that Rob is the best man that I ever knew that I was thinking that the best thing about him is that that thought never would've crossed his mind.

We always have the words humility come to mind first whenever we thought of Ravi right humility has characterized his whole life. His entire ministry on that and that is just the man continued to be his entire life. Yeah that's right he never lost that tenderness that humility that gratitude I remember the last phone conversation that we ever had with Robbie and Margie.

He said at one point. At this point it was not looking very good in terms of his cancer and and he said you know I only give myself 17 years.

I gave myself 17 years and that I tried to end my life. Jesus has given me another 57 years and on into eternity. I have nothing but gratitude That spirit of gratitude and humility in an even thinking about him and that hospital bed at 17, and in that verse from John 14 being read to him because I live, you also will live and it gives us great hope and a smile starts to come on our faces despite the sadness that we feel to know that those words are more true for Ravi today than they ever have been before because I live, you also will live in. It was beautiful to see Robbie's face and Margie's faith only continue to deepen and grow he yeah he really live life with a lot of joy and silently we have so many fun memories attend at one of the fast times around hanging out with him that we we just need to do is generally done at a late night event and we were coming back from the events and we are discussing waffle house is a great apostle and I said I'd never been to believe that they immediately thought of calling to let the car go to take the Vitale at the local house.

They got any longer without going this is not right so awful that even when we got in that he reads and you can send that we that we appreciate the fine is that waffle house had to offer him telling us we had to get the pecan pancakes and add they had a bit of bacon but on the side and then ethically and I think he liked the level of CAD. He takes the Eastern mindset of hospitality.

He can enjoy himself unless he felt like the people around him when doing something right down to the finest talent was a just the fact that you Rafe love feedback whether it is a fancy restaurant, a waffle house. He didn't actually he would just appreciate the finest thing that that that someone had to offer and get through people is that I see what he was speaking with someone in the highest situation old hello a second Steins. He didn't see he was just always look for the best in the past. Yeah, that's right. That spirit of generosity was so characteristic of him and I've often struggled to explain to people what Ravi did when you think about it. It is confusing in our culture. So yes, this is my colleague in my Boston and he goes to secular university campuses and he makes a case for Christianity and he doesn't compromise his message, not the slightest bit and thousands of people show up, many of whom believing things wildly different than what he believes and then after the event. Not only is it received well by those same people but dozens of them stand in line, sometimes for hours at a time just to be able to speak with him and to get his insight on something. At present there question with him and to build relationship with him and that's it's very difficult to understand because that is not generally how disagreement ends in our culture today. It never ends that way disagreement leads to intolerance into canceling each other into attacking one another and somehow Robbie stood in those places.

Places of disagreement surrounded by people who disagreed with him, and yet was received so warmly. The people were drawn to him and literally wanted to walk forward to spend more time with him afterwards. Why is that the case reminds me even in the in the Scriptures of Jesus longing after Jerusalem looking out after drizzle missing. I long to gather you as children under my wings. There was that heart of Jesus was so deep within Ravi.

Every time someone stepped forward to ask a question and people could see that in the way that he looked at them in the tone of his voice as he spoke with them in the way that he cared for them and there question.

He was never interested in winning and arguments and losing the person had no interest in that whatsoever he wanted to win the person he wanted to relate to the person he wanted to love the person. People could see that and I think that's why so many even though he disagreed with them and was very explicit about that for many people they wanted to come forward and spend time with him and he would often then invite them down to our offices and encourage them and even help them to get down here so that we could continue to spend time with them continue to talk to them about Jesus. That's what they unlock about him is actually he was just as much that way off the platform is on it. I think sometimes when you admire somebody from the flaw you want it. Will that will they live up to the high compassion is not really who they are. The thing that is outstanding about Rafe is actually he was impact the heat. Shasta had this amazing ability to see someone for heyday reading and just wore them out one story that I just discovered in the last week that really highlights this to me is that there's somebody using some contracts whacking all building someone who, at wasn't a believe that we can really thinking he Rafe was a member of a soft Sabbath and what was going on with Rafe in his diagnosis and his passengers fell to the ground and started picking and then act as numbers, office banquet, and they discovered that actually the fat. One of the fast times past may come into the building. Ravi had to had seen them. He'd already taken the time to lend my name, he went up to them ship behind and sets them into Jesus often said to them, thank you so much for the wet team to take care of us.

The hot black doing this person felt so offended and astonished that the head of an organization may take the time to vent who they will thank them. They went away and started pushing his DTPA and started chatting with that family. Now that the fact that fast. It was in English. They were fighting Rafe let about how to understand that then and the content whack which had been a family out and why I find him hot understand is that this file, but if you prayed to God he will help E seems like without any of the rest of us even being aware that Ravi had been his impact on this one passing just say the kindness of seeing them of letting the name of making himself, recognizing Cadfael was so profound that that wanted Jenny to become a Christian and is one example of the thousands of stories that go on in the background intensive.

Rafe's witness and his path of people may even be treated.

His impact behind-the-scenes than the one from the states, because that was just the way that he lived his life and when I think about him, I think, is what I want to be like that is the past. I want to model myself off to someone he just like Jesus Christ always lived not for the platform. Not for the crowd to the audience that the one. Yes and actually when you read through the Gospels and the rest. The question was Jesus more impact ON his preaching and public speaking ministry worn his conversational ministry in his interpersonal ministry. It's really difficult to say and it's interesting you make that connection because I think that is true of Robbie as well. Many people have seen that public ministry, not as many have seen that private ministry, but the private ministry shines with even more integrity and power. The public ministry that so many of us have seen a net that is really what we want to carry on were saddened to move forward in this instance without Robbie, but were excited to move forward with the vision that God gave to him to clear away the bushes so that people can see clearly to the cross as I reflect on Robbie Zacharias and his ministry would slip to me. I go as far back as years before I became a Christian. There was one Sunday morning I found myself in a 2 Hour Dr. through the middle of Michigan.

If you know anything about the middle of Michigan got a whole lot better.

So I was driving with just the scenery to keep me company. This was in the days before iPods and iPhones and devices you can plug up your car so you can share whatever you wanted on the speakers. Instead, I was stuck with the scan button on my radio and see the scan button and it goes through the various channels until lands on something that you like spas for five seconds on each station during the scan station was an Indian accented voice talking about Jesus.

I haven't heard too many Indians in my life. Talk about Jesus so immediately caught my attention.

Of course it was Robbie so I went back to that station.

I listened for the brief period of the show he was on and I was captivated by the UC.

I wasn't a Christian I was a Muslim father Christianity has some very serious intellectual flaws and I heard a couple of Christians who seem to know what they were talking about, but Ravi had a way of not just elucidating the truth, but bringing the beauty out of the truth: poetry and that spoke to my soul because he didn't just give me propositional truth, he expressed so beautifully. Quoting poetry big up or even himself in the way he was expressing. It was captivating. Remember trying to find him on various stations after I left at mid-Michigan area is chronicled and crackers that signal is weak as it was, was about time I did find phone tapes. The Harvard Veritas form. I got the tips of it and I was listening to those because I was just enthralled with Christianity. You wouldn't believe it to be so adequately so beautifully defended their maturity into the intellectual side of Christianity, along with others other voices as well. Rogers was one voice of the course, but he was the strongest force spoke to my heart and my mind and over the course of a nine year journey. I eventually became a Christian when you fast for little while later, after I become a Christian, was the question for a few years, a lot of my questions were already answered.

But I still have a lot to remain which of the beauty of the Christian faith.

You never stop learning in the Christian faith. What had a very deep-seated probing question, but still not got me quite a bit and found out I was working at a law office and I found out that Robbie was coming to town. It was clear to the University of Michigan about 45 minutes from where I live, the petard I called my wife in a surgical Ravi Zacharias is to become the town right now is to be numerous Michigan tonight so we got in the car my wife and my best friend. We drove to Ann Arbor and we were in Rackham Auditorium River. The where it was and he was given a defense of the gospel and he this is a masterful job and I remember hearing listening to it and just enthralled by what he was saying in the culinary type so the time comes, and the MC of the event said that we want to give priority to the non-Christian fury skeptic or some non-Christian worldview. Please come to the microphone for first your question one. Please give priority to the skeptic and I was a Christian. Of course, although I had a burning question and so I asked the person behind you a Christian noise if you don't like people in front of me so the line was getting longer and longer front of you, and finally came to my to my turn to ask the question, no more questions for the night.

Robbie, are you for quite a few men were done, you can imagine my disappointment that I could see Ravi standing by the dais after the talk was over in a crowd gathered around him and began to dwindle little bit and I thought now's my chance. I'm not going to stop. What a waste will ask the questions. I walked up to them with Mr. Zacharias. Your ministries influence me so much. I used to be a Muslim. Employee ministries influence me so much that now I become a Christian. No small part to your efforts. We looked at me really worry from when he asked he rose from my heritage is from Lebanon in August and I survive. Question for you okay which are question I asked my question now. I asked him the same question I already asked the other apologists in the other part is give me a wonderful answer probably also took the time we set so you're from Lebanon. You will lessen such a person if you've heard this at all. This rethinking. Interestingly answered my question was just as philosophically robust, just as intellectually defensible and just as meaningful as the other answer but he answered in a way that spoke to a Middle Eastern took care to answer me directly because of my background taking me into account will Robbie have left the building eventually had to leave and I left with my friend and my wife went to a coffee shop just to get caffeinated enough for the drive back and I looked at both my friend, my wife and I said no I don't know ministry like she's doing but I feel called to do is answer questions.

If I ever answer questions. I hope answer them the way she did want to answer questions I want to answer people as he answered, well, fast forward 14 years of the future and I find myself standing at the University of Michigan platform with Ravi Zacharias answering questions, you see that how wonderful that is. You will Robbie's theme is always talking with the grand Weaver.

God is the grand weaver who weaves the tapestry of our lives together in ways we can't imagine what is the single threat, but they were all comes together.

We see the grand design.

The beauty of it all. The momentousness of how God calls and then God provides an Robbie was an instrument that can answer questions from the platform with how amazing is that what I want to say is this is that the grand Weaver was a grand theme and Robbie speak worked its way in my life selected begin doing ministry and seeing God move and change hearts and minds through the power of the gospel. Ravi, no matter how large the crowds work.

The matter how small the crowds were always took time to answer the individual.

Every time I saw him do it from the stage because he was doing what Jesus did, sometimes you just did leave the 99 to reach the one Robbie took that message to heart emulate what Jesus does. Sometimes you leave the crowd to focus on the single event every time he taught me the figure taught so many of us that evangelism without love is just the clinging gong something simple that Paul says it is evangelism undergirded by love and care for the individual that something far deeper. That's what are you I am it's always been about. It started with Robbie's heart. You made it. Robbie put into it and all the speakers in the entire team are attracted to this ministry will be a part of it because of that we continue even after Ravi is now gone. That lives hopefully me and my teammates so we can see the tapestries of the moments you and I can have all the encounters we have Ravi not only the trail blazed, but he also paved the way for these kind of things as he puts on her be part of this ministry. The grief rule going through right now with Ravi G is always between just with hope, and mixed. Indeed, actually, with sense of joy, of thanksgiving for his life. Knowing where he now is knowing they'll be a time when will see him again. Of course we miss being with him, but we will have such fond memories as I know you do too for me.

My first encounter with Ravi G. Was I think is most people encounter him was to an audio cassette only been a Christian, a couple of days.

Someone gave me a plastic bag filled with 42 of them and said I think you might enjoy listening to them mimicking the first one. The cassette player pressing play and had an introduction introducing who refugee walls and then finish with the words art is outbred that this message will be a spiritual blessing to you and it was as a matter of fact it was such a blessing.

I remember listening to every single one of those tapes or sinkholes in writing it down, sentence by sentence with a pencil in the pen took me about 3 1/2 to 4 hours per talk to transcribe them but they meant that much to me and they spoke so strongly to me, even as a new Christian, even as a new Christian, I will sometimes listen to those messages and feel like a how to become a Christian all over again and I remember I give them out to friends enough pulse amount to family and my mother in particular became very accustomed to his voice, because it felt like you've moved into a house and was living with us because he was constantly playing in the background. I can then remember having moved to University. He was so instrumental I really been a Christian for a few years.

From the very first days I knew I wanted to be an evangelist.

Maybe that's why I felt such a strong connection to what he was doing. Ravi, I think often felt that maybe people didn't understand his ministry. They told him as a thinker or philosopher, or was a someone who understood cultural analysis, but he always knew and his family always knew that he was first and foremost an evangelist that was always the title.

He was most comfortable with. I can remember being asked to speak and to share in the church thinking. What will I do taking one of refugees favorite messages. Just removing the references to his wife and children because at that point I wasn't even married, let alone I don't spring and preaching is as best as I possibly could. As I walking out the church. I remember two old ladies at the back one. Turning to the other saying wow this guys only been a Christian for a few months. Please learn so much so quickly and I think there was a hat that impact I think him so many of us, we begin to simply listen and feel blessed wanted to share what he had given in order to multiply its reach an extended, it was a few years after that I had the privilege of actually sitting down at an airport hotel actually the first face-to-face meeting I'd written to him asking Weathers anyway. He would come over to the UK to speak that is now living in that part of the world's as we sat and talked to simply remember :-) so strongly because there was such a gentleness in the consciousness to the way he treated me. He was talking to a little student, but he could have been speaking to maybe one of the most important people in the world. Such was his focus and attention, and you knew that you were being valued by him in terms of the time he gave to you and your I think little histories of that all over the world. It didn't matter if someone struggles to sweep the floor or to leave the country. He wanted to engage you, so everybody is being equally important and simply refused to prioritize as so many of us may be tempted to do at times we as a team and as a ministry. Our goal now is to continue with what he wanted to his his final words to me when I saw him a few days before he passed away please. Off the team to focus and to commit commit to Ozzie. I am focus on the gospel. Fix your eyes on Jesus, he said multiple times over in a very short period of time people need the lights and they need the love of God and the love of Christ. They must hear the gospel, the gospel must go out and is overwriting the concern is overwriting care was that the gospel be preached in this message be shed that lies be changed and people say yes to Christ and that's precisely what we'll do is precisely the reason why the organization was set up and is precisely why he and Margie made so many sacrifices, knowing that it will be worthwhile because the tunnel life with state and there was a total war to be reaped and that is now exactly what we will proceed to do as a team to make Christ known to take the question seriously to find a way to onset share the gospel through the difficult questions of a culture and not go around them and I think all I can say is I is I wrap this up in terms of my own personal time with him was it felt that's there was a friendship that in the quality of the relationship that you may not necessarily expect to find in an employment type situation. He really didn't think that way saw us as friends and welcome us as friends and we saw him as a friend to we going to miss him. Thank God for him and were looking forward to continue the race and to continue going the same direction. The same mission same values the same goals and also with a single school. Thanks for joining this message isn't available for patch if you can listen again on our website and on VIN.LYG is that I am to see a few days in Canada. While that.

Be sure to check out more about the Ozzie I am team Holly reaching guys around the weld with the gospel. We see it everywhere for musicians and movie stars to neighbors and friends at work people are interested in having a life, but treat faith more like an à la carte menu at a restaurant choosing what they like and dismissing the rest Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra, the cheerleaders calling on Western culture, to embrace the spirituality to avoid Christ cutting through the-seduction is the clear voice of author and apologist Rob is in his book why Jesus rediscovering his truth in an age of massmarketed spirituality.

Ravi answers the attraction known as the new spirituality they have sort of hijacked everything under the nomenclature of Eastern spirituality is valued this value in silence.

This value reflection is value in solitude, something that I win the West have forgotten. So I think they harnessed something of value and made exclusively their own.

As of the Christian faith, never talks about it dear spirituality in the Christian tradition due has had a lot of these ideas. The only differences they don't gaze in word they have to gaze outward towards God. God is the ultimate vision, not yourself really Graham calls why Jesus a powerful defense of how Jesus Christ brings meaning and hope to an individual control swindle says I am not acquainted with a brighter mind or a more relevant and devoted defendant's why Jesus available online at Ozzie. I am.org if you like to donate online or by calling one 800 867 my people think the listener supported radio ministry managed by content