By Cathy Martin

He called out from the back of the room, heckling to distract from the speaker and draw attention to himself.

“How rude, I thought, “doesn’t he know who this guy is? This story of one man’s brush with death could change his life forever!”

Many of the other students were on the edge of their seats as Roman Gutierrez recounted his horrendous childhood and his eventual salvation.

But a small minority remained unmoved and downright rude, if you ask me!

I walked over and shushed them repeatedly.

“What’s their problem?” I found myself asking God, and it’s funny how God responds when you least expect it.

His answer got me curious, so I went back and questioned one of the young men.

“José, why are you being so rude? Listen to this man’s story. You might learn something.”

“Nah, Miss,” he replied. “This guy’s lying! There’s no way anybody could go through all that and not be dead or in jail or something.”

It was a fleece-and-dew moment. Cool!

“They’ve traded the truth for a lie,” was what God told me.

Weeks before these kids were living in fear because they saw a movie about the world coming to an end in 2012.

How could these same kids question a living, breathing human being who has experienced the powerful hand of the one true God?

Weeks later after watching another movie they were walking around preaching the “Gospel of Edward,” talking about a vampire’s willingness to lay down his immortality for the love of his life.

“That’s true love, Miss.” What? Those are fables!

But II Timothy 4:3-4 talks about people in the last days “turning their ears from the truth to hear fables.”

True love is what Jesus did for you on the cross, I’m quick to tell them.

He gave his very mortal life for those who would curse Him, slap Him, beat Him, blame Him, and deny Him. Out of His love for us He gave up His sinless life so that we could have an earthly relationship with Him and experience eternal life with Him!

It’s Jesus who is called Faithful and True in Rev.19:11-16!

It’s Jesus who became flesh and is called Grace and Truth in John 1:14!

I don’t think José had a problem with the “stories” Roman Gutierrez told that day.

Today our kids hear, watch and believe just about any story that comes out of Hollywood.

I believe his spirit had a problem with the Name above all names, the Name that demons tremble at (and heckle at), the Name of Jesus.

Ultimately, Jesus has become the Inconvenient Truth for our culture.

But this world has listened to lies for so long, their minds and hearts are hardened to the truth.

In II Corinthians 3:15 the Bible talks about this, and even speaks of “a veil over their hearts.”

How can they be free? We pled the blood of Jesus over that auditorium that day.

Satan, the father of lies, was overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimonies (Rev.12:11).

Roman Gutierrez and others preached the truth of the everlasting gospel of Jesus.

Souls were saved and lives were changed.

Do you need a battle cry in today’s fable-filled society?

I suggest Romans 3:4: Let God be true and every man a liar!

Walk in truth, and seek truth in the pages of God’s Word.