Sunday, July 14, 2013
The Case For Christ
I've decided to take a short break here from my series of posts on answering common objections to the Christian faith, to share this incredible short video by Lee Strobel. Those of you who are regular readers of my blog know that this is not the first time I've shared the insight and wisdom of Lee Strobel with you.
I also shared a series of video tapes by Lee called "The Case for a Creator". If you have not watched those videos I highly recommend them if you are currently of the belief that evolution is the truth. Lee does an excellent job of dispelling this non truth as he shows his proof that the world and humanity is a creation of God.
For those who do not know who Lee Strobel is, here is a quick bio. Lee was an investigative legal reporter for the Chicago Tribune. A former atheist, in 1980 he took a journalistic approach to "dis proving" the Christian faith. 100% confident that he could attack and destroy the fallacy of the bible and the Christian faith, he took a 1 year and 9 month journey into researching and preparing to write the article of his career. What happened instead is that he found undeniable proof not only for the bible, but for the proof that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is known for saying that the resurrection of Christ is the "lynch pin" of Christianity and his pain staking research uncovered and convinced him without a doubt that the resurrection was an actual historical event.
He wrote the book "The Case for Christ" which is the 2nd book I read back in 2002 when I began my own research on spirituality. As I've explained in earlier posts, I too have a journalism background and spent my first 2 years in college studying journalism. I was a reporter for my college newspaper and was trained to uncover evidence before reporting facts. This early college training taught me to be very skeptical about things is general. I was NOT one to leap into Christianity based on the fact that it "felt right" or to "try it out and see". Which is why I studied all of the religions I could find information on before coming to the same conclusion that Lee Strobel did. Like Lee, I then gave my life to Christ and over the past 11 years I've continued on my spiritual journey...however with one big difference....the seeking ended when I found that the truth was in Jesus and the bible.
I am completely confident in saying that watching this video could very well be the most important video you ever watch. It is THAT powerful. I challenge you to watch it without pre-conceived thoughts or ideas and to put everything you have ever learned about spirituality and religion aside and open your mind to just hearing the evidence that Lee presents. Forget about all of your pre-conceived feelings about Christianity and your long list of objections. Feel free to take notes, to pause, rewind and listen again and again if you need to. Then, take that evidence and consider it...really give it some thought. If you are intrigued I then challenge you to purchase and read Lee's book "The Case for Christ". This book is also available at your local library.
You may be asking yourself...why is Debi putting so much time into this blog? Why is she trying to convince people that Christianity is true? Trust me it isn't to win any popularity contests! It isn't exactly popular or politically correct to be a Christian in 2013! Coming from a girl who would have done just about anything to be popular and liked back in High School, this goes against that totally! In fact, since starting this blog I've lost Face Book friends. Friends that knew me before I was a believer don't call me anymore....and not because I've said a word to them about my faith...just because they know I'm a Christian! Why would I chose to outcast myself from many for a lie?
Why am I sharing Christ through this blog? To share what I found over a 2 year period of over 4-6 hours a day of research (1 year before my back surgery in 2002 and 1 year after) when I was practically bed ridden due to an injured back & failed back surgery; to be the truth for all of man kind. This truth is so critically important to what we need to know in light of our future destinies that I can not not share it. Additionally, when it became clear that due to my back injury and subsequent journey with chronic pain that I could not return to my pharmaceutical sales career, I cried out in prayer one day to God. I asked Him, "WHY GOD, why oh why would you take my sales career away from me? I love it, I'm good at it! People listen to me and believe me because what I present and share is true. (referring to the products I sold at the time) I was simply devastated that the career I loved and succeeded in was over due to a fall down the stairs. Prior to my injury every day when my alarm went off for work I would bounce out of bed and eagerly drive out into the sales field to visit doctors and pharmacists to talk to them about the medications I sold. I was one of the lucky few that actually LOVED my job. I will never forget God's answer then and again recently when he re-confirmed to me when he said to me very clearly:
"My child, your gift of persuasion is no longer to be used in the pharmaceutical sales field....I need you in the mission field. Share the good news about my Son. Be a light to others"
If you are not 100% sure you have the truth regarding God and if you have not done the same amount of research that I have done and that Lee Strobel has done; and if you are not 100% sure what would happen to you if you died today...then I challenge you to realize that you can not afford to sweep this issue under the carpet any longer. From a journalistic standpoint consider this equation.
RESEARCH+ FACTS=EVIDENCE
You need EVIDENCE to be sure that what your current belief system or religious beliefs are equal truth. Just because you were raised in one religion and it is what your parents taught you does not make it true. It is up to you to be sure that you have the truth.
Enjoy this short video by Lee Strobel. As always I thank you for reading Living a Spirit Filled Life and I welcome your comments.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Objection! Christianity is a crutch.
Christianity is a crutch. Actually, it is much more embarrassing than that. If we want to stick with a medical analogy, I would say that Christianity is more like life support.
During the year after my back surgery, I got hooked on apologetics (Defending the Christian faith). As I mentioned in my testimony of faith I took a journalist's approach when I was seeking spiritual truth. I researched every religion I could find anything written about and I was NOT going to be one of those religious persons who found a blind faith all because of a "feeling it was right". No, I wanted facts. I wanted the truth. After weeks upon weeks of reading and researching I finally found truth in Christianity. Any book I could find that promised to answer questions I had about Christianity, I bought and read without hesitating. Most of these books proved to be very helpful as I met non-Christians and was able to give them reasons why Christianity was true. However as I sought out to evangelize the good news of Christ there has always been one "argument" that I hated, simply because I didn't have a good answer for it:
"Christianity is a crutch!"
It isn't much of an argument, but it is definitely an accusation that needs to be answered. What people mean by saying this is, "You are weak and have a hard time accepting reality. Reality is that you will die and then cease to exist, but you can't handle that, so you make up God, heaven, and the Bible." Recently I also was told, "That's great (Christianity) if YOU need that....but I don't" Again, referring to the fact that as a "weak person in need", I have a NEED for Christianity. This person is in sense saying "I've got life under control, I'm good...I don't NEED God" These are both pretty good accusations, but the reason why they are good is because they have a lot of truth to them.
What people don't understand when they make this accusation is that they have a misconceived idea of what state the world is actually in. If the world were a perfect place, crutches would not be needed, but because the world is incredibly messed up with tons of pain, hurt, and sin, crutches are a necessity. Whoever invented the first pair of crutches didn't do it to make a fashion statement or because it would make for a fun way to walk! They invented crutches because someone hurt their foot, knee or leg and needed help getting around. No one in their right mind would go up to a person with a broken leg and make fun of them for using crutches because crutches are not a bad thing when are broken.
So now when people fire off the accusation that Christianity is a crutch, I wholeheartedly agree with them! It is a crutch, and crutches are incredibly helpful when you have a broken leg. In this world, we not only have an occasional broken leg, but also broken hearts and lives because of sin. Sin has messed up this world drastically, and both you and I play a starring role in that drama. Because of our sin, we are in deep need, we are hurting, and we need help. Jesus is the best crutch that we could ever imagine. He not only helps us get around in this world, but also saves us from this world and ourselves.
In Luke 2, Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." The problem is that we are all sinners. The bigger problem is that most don't think so. The only thing more embarrassing than walking on crutches is limping around without them in pain pretending everything is okay. We need Jesus and He alone can heal us.
Everyone needs a crutch. It's not so much a question of whether you have one, but it is more of a question of what your particular crutch is. Unfortunately we often make other things our crutch: sex, money, our career, popularity, power, etc. In fact rather than being viewed as signs of weakness, many of these crutches are even considered to be relatively normal in society, provided they don't turn into the more destructive behavior associated with strong addiction. Nevertheless, many of these only offer a short-term release from the struggles of life and they sometimes only cover up deeper problems that a person might be suffering from. To suggest, therefore, that atheists are somehow stronger than believers is to deny the darker side of humanity, which is only too apparent if we look at the world around us.
The God of the Bible is awesome and appears to many to be a threat to mankind. A God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, righteous, holy, and just, and who is going to judge the world for it's sin, is an extremely imposing figure to ponder. Thus it is only fair to point out that some need the crutch of denying God's existence in order to live their lives as they please without fear of judgment. None of these crutches will last. They are like crutches made of soggy cardboard. We need a solid crutch that can actually support us. So if you are a believer and someone accuses you that you are weak and need a crutch, nod your head and agree with them. That is exactly who Jesus came to save.
Once again it comes back to the real issue which is the person of Jesus Christ. Does mankind need to lean on Him, or can we lean on something else? Jesus made the issue very clear,
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash" (Matthew 7:24-27, NIV)
It is important to mention however that the crutch of Christianity is NOT based on the objection that believers created or invented a Father like God to comfort themselves. If Christians were just looking for a God who would simply function as a crutch to make life easier to bear, why come up with a God who is holy and just, a God who finds many of our desires and thoughts to be immoral? Shouldn't that be the last sort of God we would want to make up if we just wanted a crutch to get through life? Wouldn't we want a God who just nods at all our behavior and desires? I certainly would have. If I was making up a God before I was a Christian he would have been the very opposite of the God I've just described. Why come up with a God who is impossible to please by our good works and effort? The truth of the matter is that Jesus never offered a crutch, only a cross; it wasn't a call to be a better person with high self esteem or a plan to help us scrape through our existence. It was a call to acknowledge that the forgiveness we all seek is to be found in him by following Him onto the cross. The Bible says that all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Because the wages of sin is death, Jesus died in our place so we could have a relationship with God....and what a relationship it is! My relationship with God is the most important relationship in my life. I look to Him daily to help me. I worship Him in thanksgiving and praise, I petition Him for help in prayer and I give Him my troubles and earthly concerns.
In conclusion, as I have discussed....Christianity in one sense is a crutch. But it is more than a crutch; it is the sure foundation, the truth of life. If Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and creates us to be in a fellowship through Him, then to call Him a crutch would be like a light bulb saying to an electrical socket, "You are my crutch". As a light bulb was created to function properly when inserted into the socket, so we have been created to function properly in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
During the year after my back surgery, I got hooked on apologetics (Defending the Christian faith). As I mentioned in my testimony of faith I took a journalist's approach when I was seeking spiritual truth. I researched every religion I could find anything written about and I was NOT going to be one of those religious persons who found a blind faith all because of a "feeling it was right". No, I wanted facts. I wanted the truth. After weeks upon weeks of reading and researching I finally found truth in Christianity. Any book I could find that promised to answer questions I had about Christianity, I bought and read without hesitating. Most of these books proved to be very helpful as I met non-Christians and was able to give them reasons why Christianity was true. However as I sought out to evangelize the good news of Christ there has always been one "argument" that I hated, simply because I didn't have a good answer for it:
"Christianity is a crutch!"
It isn't much of an argument, but it is definitely an accusation that needs to be answered. What people mean by saying this is, "You are weak and have a hard time accepting reality. Reality is that you will die and then cease to exist, but you can't handle that, so you make up God, heaven, and the Bible." Recently I also was told, "That's great (Christianity) if YOU need that....but I don't" Again, referring to the fact that as a "weak person in need", I have a NEED for Christianity. This person is in sense saying "I've got life under control, I'm good...I don't NEED God" These are both pretty good accusations, but the reason why they are good is because they have a lot of truth to them.
What people don't understand when they make this accusation is that they have a misconceived idea of what state the world is actually in. If the world were a perfect place, crutches would not be needed, but because the world is incredibly messed up with tons of pain, hurt, and sin, crutches are a necessity. Whoever invented the first pair of crutches didn't do it to make a fashion statement or because it would make for a fun way to walk! They invented crutches because someone hurt their foot, knee or leg and needed help getting around. No one in their right mind would go up to a person with a broken leg and make fun of them for using crutches because crutches are not a bad thing when are broken.
So now when people fire off the accusation that Christianity is a crutch, I wholeheartedly agree with them! It is a crutch, and crutches are incredibly helpful when you have a broken leg. In this world, we not only have an occasional broken leg, but also broken hearts and lives because of sin. Sin has messed up this world drastically, and both you and I play a starring role in that drama. Because of our sin, we are in deep need, we are hurting, and we need help. Jesus is the best crutch that we could ever imagine. He not only helps us get around in this world, but also saves us from this world and ourselves.
In Luke 2, Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." The problem is that we are all sinners. The bigger problem is that most don't think so. The only thing more embarrassing than walking on crutches is limping around without them in pain pretending everything is okay. We need Jesus and He alone can heal us.
Everyone needs a crutch. It's not so much a question of whether you have one, but it is more of a question of what your particular crutch is. Unfortunately we often make other things our crutch: sex, money, our career, popularity, power, etc. In fact rather than being viewed as signs of weakness, many of these crutches are even considered to be relatively normal in society, provided they don't turn into the more destructive behavior associated with strong addiction. Nevertheless, many of these only offer a short-term release from the struggles of life and they sometimes only cover up deeper problems that a person might be suffering from. To suggest, therefore, that atheists are somehow stronger than believers is to deny the darker side of humanity, which is only too apparent if we look at the world around us.
The God of the Bible is awesome and appears to many to be a threat to mankind. A God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, righteous, holy, and just, and who is going to judge the world for it's sin, is an extremely imposing figure to ponder. Thus it is only fair to point out that some need the crutch of denying God's existence in order to live their lives as they please without fear of judgment. None of these crutches will last. They are like crutches made of soggy cardboard. We need a solid crutch that can actually support us. So if you are a believer and someone accuses you that you are weak and need a crutch, nod your head and agree with them. That is exactly who Jesus came to save.
Once again it comes back to the real issue which is the person of Jesus Christ. Does mankind need to lean on Him, or can we lean on something else? Jesus made the issue very clear,
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash" (Matthew 7:24-27, NIV)
It is important to mention however that the crutch of Christianity is NOT based on the objection that believers created or invented a Father like God to comfort themselves. If Christians were just looking for a God who would simply function as a crutch to make life easier to bear, why come up with a God who is holy and just, a God who finds many of our desires and thoughts to be immoral? Shouldn't that be the last sort of God we would want to make up if we just wanted a crutch to get through life? Wouldn't we want a God who just nods at all our behavior and desires? I certainly would have. If I was making up a God before I was a Christian he would have been the very opposite of the God I've just described. Why come up with a God who is impossible to please by our good works and effort? The truth of the matter is that Jesus never offered a crutch, only a cross; it wasn't a call to be a better person with high self esteem or a plan to help us scrape through our existence. It was a call to acknowledge that the forgiveness we all seek is to be found in him by following Him onto the cross. The Bible says that all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Because the wages of sin is death, Jesus died in our place so we could have a relationship with God....and what a relationship it is! My relationship with God is the most important relationship in my life. I look to Him daily to help me. I worship Him in thanksgiving and praise, I petition Him for help in prayer and I give Him my troubles and earthly concerns.
In conclusion, as I have discussed....Christianity in one sense is a crutch. But it is more than a crutch; it is the sure foundation, the truth of life. If Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and creates us to be in a fellowship through Him, then to call Him a crutch would be like a light bulb saying to an electrical socket, "You are my crutch". As a light bulb was created to function properly when inserted into the socket, so we have been created to function properly in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Big Daddy Weave - "Redeemed" (Official Music Video)
kk
My current favorite worship song.
"I am redeemed, You set me free. So I'll shake off these heavy chains, wipe away every stain, I'm not used to be. I am redeemed."
"Thank God Redeemed"....amen :-)
My current favorite worship song.
"I am redeemed, You set me free. So I'll shake off these heavy chains, wipe away every stain, I'm not used to be. I am redeemed."
"Thank God Redeemed"....amen :-)
Objection!
Over the years I've heard many objections from people about why they do not believe in Christianity. If you are already a believer, I'm sure you too run into this from time to time with the people you encounter. If you are not a believer, than undoubtedly you have objections to Christianity.
The goal of the next several posts is to hopefully address some of the most common objections. My prayer is that if you are NOT currently a believer in Christianity that this blog will help you to overcome some of your questions and objections as to why you are not a believer. If you are currently a Christian than hopefully this post will help you to be able to answer these objections more effectively should they come up while in a conversation with a non believer.
At this point in my venture with this blog I've covered my testimony about how and why I came to faith in Christ, I've explored why I believe the Bible is the true, infallible word of God, why Jesus had to die and what that means for you and I've discussed why I believe the earth and everything in it is a creation of God, not the result of evolution. If you are new to my blog I recommend you read my past posts which hopefully will help to answer many of your possible questions and/or objections. If you look in the right hand column of this blog you will see past posts. Start at the beginning with my first post posted in January and work your way forward to now.
In today's post I will cover the following objection:
IF CHRISTIANITY IS TRUE, WHY ARE THERE SO MANY HYPOCRITES?
What is a hypocrite?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines hypocrisy as follows: "The assuming of a false appearance of virtue or goodness, with dissimulation of real character or inclinations, especially in respect of religious life or beliefs; hence in general sense, dissimulation, pretense, sham."
To put it in simpler terms, a hypocrite is someone who not only does not practice what one preaches, but a person who does the opposite of what one preaches. Some critics of Christianity who raise the hypocrisy objection usually point to some moral failure in the lives of Christians they know as examples of Christianity as being false or at least highly suspect. "See!" they exclaim. : There goes another hypocrite in the church! How can I believe Christianity if the church is full of hypocrites?" Before I attempt to answer this question I want to take a brief look a biblical examples of hypocrisy.
"Hypocrisy" or variations of it appear 17 times in the NIV translation of the Bible. Often it is Christ calling people hypocrites. For example in Matthew 7:3-5 He says, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
"You hypocrites!" in fact is a recurring phrase spoke by Jesus. (see also, for instance Matthew 6:2, 16, 7:2, 15:7 22:18, 23:13, 15, 23:23, 25, 27, 29, 24:51; Mark 7:6, Luke 6:42; 12:56, and 13:15)
Was Jesus guilty of pointing out the speck in someone else's eye when in fact he had a plank in his own? Not at all. When examining this topic Josh McDowell and Don Stewart write:
"Christianity does not stand or fall on the way Christians have acted throughout history or are acting today. Christianity stands or falls on the person of Jesus, and Jesus was not a hypocrite. He lived consistently with what He taught, and at the end of His life He challenged those who had lived with Him night and day, for over three years, to point out any hypocrisy in Him. His disciples were silent, because there was none. Since Christianity depends on Jesus, it is incorrect to try to invalidate the Christian faith by pointing to horrible things done in the name of Christianity." 1
McDowell and Stewart bring up two important points. First, whether or not Christianity is true does not depend on how it's followers behave. This, of course, does not excuse hypocrisy in the church, but neither does it mean that hypocrisy is sufficient reason to dismiss Christianity. Second, Christ was not a hypocrite in any sense of the word. Often even critics agree with this point, exalting the high moral standards of Christ without understanding His larger claims.
Are all Christians hypocrites? Not at all! In fact, the history of the Christian church is filled with examples of selflessness, courage, moral action and reform and many other positive influences on the world. These are not the acts of hypocrites, but of sincere believers transformed by the resurrected Christ and moved by the Holy Spirit to live according to God's law.
The church is a work in progress (and so are it's members). The process from a new believer to a mature Christian can be long and arduous, but someday it will be complete and stand as a beautiful testimony to the power of Christ to transform lives for the better. Remember, too, that only some professing Christians act hypocritically. What about all those who do not?
We must also remember that, biblically speaking, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24) In other words, no one is perfect and all are dependent on Christ for redemption, salvation and growth in spiritual maturity.
On one hand, Christians should not act hypocritically lest we give critics the flimsy objection to reject the gospel message. On the other hand, critics should no better attempt to throw out Christianity and all of Christ's claims on the objection of hypocrisy.
As I pointed out in my testimony of faith, don't let the failures or actions of people keep you from God. People can and will fail you, but God never fails. Both my parents and my husband's parents left the church due to the hypocritical actions of a person or people in the church. They allowed the actions of a few misguided people to turn them against the church. My husband and myself were also terribly hurt and disappointed in the past by someone in the church as well. However these actions of this person did NOT shake our faith in the Lord or erase what Christ did for us on the cross. In fact it encouraged us to pray for that person and his/her actions and shortcomings in how they treated our family. Lastly, just because someone claims to be a Christian does not mean they are. Sadly, often these are the people who fall into the trap of hypocrisy thus lending people to point the finger at ALL Christians and Christianity as a whole.
__________________________________________________
1 Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, Answers to Tough Questions Skeptics Ask About the Christian Faith (Here's Life Publishers, 1980), 128
The goal of the next several posts is to hopefully address some of the most common objections. My prayer is that if you are NOT currently a believer in Christianity that this blog will help you to overcome some of your questions and objections as to why you are not a believer. If you are currently a Christian than hopefully this post will help you to be able to answer these objections more effectively should they come up while in a conversation with a non believer.
At this point in my venture with this blog I've covered my testimony about how and why I came to faith in Christ, I've explored why I believe the Bible is the true, infallible word of God, why Jesus had to die and what that means for you and I've discussed why I believe the earth and everything in it is a creation of God, not the result of evolution. If you are new to my blog I recommend you read my past posts which hopefully will help to answer many of your possible questions and/or objections. If you look in the right hand column of this blog you will see past posts. Start at the beginning with my first post posted in January and work your way forward to now.
In today's post I will cover the following objection:
IF CHRISTIANITY IS TRUE, WHY ARE THERE SO MANY HYPOCRITES?
What is a hypocrite?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines hypocrisy as follows: "The assuming of a false appearance of virtue or goodness, with dissimulation of real character or inclinations, especially in respect of religious life or beliefs; hence in general sense, dissimulation, pretense, sham."
To put it in simpler terms, a hypocrite is someone who not only does not practice what one preaches, but a person who does the opposite of what one preaches. Some critics of Christianity who raise the hypocrisy objection usually point to some moral failure in the lives of Christians they know as examples of Christianity as being false or at least highly suspect. "See!" they exclaim. : There goes another hypocrite in the church! How can I believe Christianity if the church is full of hypocrites?" Before I attempt to answer this question I want to take a brief look a biblical examples of hypocrisy.
"Hypocrisy" or variations of it appear 17 times in the NIV translation of the Bible. Often it is Christ calling people hypocrites. For example in Matthew 7:3-5 He says, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
"You hypocrites!" in fact is a recurring phrase spoke by Jesus. (see also, for instance Matthew 6:2, 16, 7:2, 15:7 22:18, 23:13, 15, 23:23, 25, 27, 29, 24:51; Mark 7:6, Luke 6:42; 12:56, and 13:15)
Was Jesus guilty of pointing out the speck in someone else's eye when in fact he had a plank in his own? Not at all. When examining this topic Josh McDowell and Don Stewart write:
"Christianity does not stand or fall on the way Christians have acted throughout history or are acting today. Christianity stands or falls on the person of Jesus, and Jesus was not a hypocrite. He lived consistently with what He taught, and at the end of His life He challenged those who had lived with Him night and day, for over three years, to point out any hypocrisy in Him. His disciples were silent, because there was none. Since Christianity depends on Jesus, it is incorrect to try to invalidate the Christian faith by pointing to horrible things done in the name of Christianity." 1
McDowell and Stewart bring up two important points. First, whether or not Christianity is true does not depend on how it's followers behave. This, of course, does not excuse hypocrisy in the church, but neither does it mean that hypocrisy is sufficient reason to dismiss Christianity. Second, Christ was not a hypocrite in any sense of the word. Often even critics agree with this point, exalting the high moral standards of Christ without understanding His larger claims.
Are all Christians hypocrites? Not at all! In fact, the history of the Christian church is filled with examples of selflessness, courage, moral action and reform and many other positive influences on the world. These are not the acts of hypocrites, but of sincere believers transformed by the resurrected Christ and moved by the Holy Spirit to live according to God's law.
The church is a work in progress (and so are it's members). The process from a new believer to a mature Christian can be long and arduous, but someday it will be complete and stand as a beautiful testimony to the power of Christ to transform lives for the better. Remember, too, that only some professing Christians act hypocritically. What about all those who do not?
We must also remember that, biblically speaking, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24) In other words, no one is perfect and all are dependent on Christ for redemption, salvation and growth in spiritual maturity.
On one hand, Christians should not act hypocritically lest we give critics the flimsy objection to reject the gospel message. On the other hand, critics should no better attempt to throw out Christianity and all of Christ's claims on the objection of hypocrisy.
As I pointed out in my testimony of faith, don't let the failures or actions of people keep you from God. People can and will fail you, but God never fails. Both my parents and my husband's parents left the church due to the hypocritical actions of a person or people in the church. They allowed the actions of a few misguided people to turn them against the church. My husband and myself were also terribly hurt and disappointed in the past by someone in the church as well. However these actions of this person did NOT shake our faith in the Lord or erase what Christ did for us on the cross. In fact it encouraged us to pray for that person and his/her actions and shortcomings in how they treated our family. Lastly, just because someone claims to be a Christian does not mean they are. Sadly, often these are the people who fall into the trap of hypocrisy thus lending people to point the finger at ALL Christians and Christianity as a whole.
__________________________________________________
1 Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, Answers to Tough Questions Skeptics Ask About the Christian Faith (Here's Life Publishers, 1980), 128
Friday, May 17, 2013
Worship with Kari Jobe
Kari Jobe is absolutely my favorite worship singer. This song expresses how I feel about my Lord and Savior Jesus better than probably any other. Hope you enjoy this song and Kari's God breathed voice.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Examining the Bible: The proof of Archaeology
This is the last in my series of posts on examining the Bible. To see the other posts go to the tab at the top of this page " The Bible" and you can find them there. So far I've discussed that we know that the Bible is the living, inspired and infallible word of God due to many proof sources. I've discussed the proof of prophecy, the proof of science and in this post I will discuss the proof of archaeology.
Literally thousands of details in the Bible, including references to specific people, places and events have been proven accurate through modern archaeological excavations and study. Archaeological confirmations of the Biblical record have been almost innumerable in the last century. Sir William M Ramsay of Oxford University, one of the great archaeologists of the last century, started out as a staunch skeptic, doubting many of the details recorded in the New Testament. Specifically, he thought Luke was foolish in his storytelling because he named so many specific names, locations and dates. These specifics would be easy to check out and refute--assuming, as Ramsay did at the beginning, that they were not actually true. But over his thirty years of study, research, and excavation, Ramsay increasingly realized that Luke's writings in both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts were accurate records of the events and details they reported. He later summarized his findings in this way: "Luke is a historian of the first rank.....This author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians." 1 Also, renowned archaeologist Nelson Glueck, who once featured on the cover of Time magazine because of his extraordinary work, concluded, "No archaeological discovery has ever controverted a single biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries"2 No other "holy book" outside of the Bible has ever earned such overwhelming support and affirmation, or given us so many reasons to be confident in its integrity as we read.
The bottom line is this: The Bible is historically correct. No one has ever proved otherwise. The more we learn of history, the more the Bible is validated. Hundreds of statements in the Bible, which in times past have been held as untrue by enemies of the Bible, have recently been proven true by archaeologists. The more that archaeologists find from the past, the more the Bible is proven accurate historically.
No archaeological discovery has ever disproved a biblical reference. The Bible is trustworthy and historically reliable. Thank you for reading A Spirit Filled Life.
____________________________________
1. Rudolf Bultman, et. al Kerygma and Myth, www.religiononline.org
2. Mark Mittelberg, Losing your Faith
Literally thousands of details in the Bible, including references to specific people, places and events have been proven accurate through modern archaeological excavations and study. Archaeological confirmations of the Biblical record have been almost innumerable in the last century. Sir William M Ramsay of Oxford University, one of the great archaeologists of the last century, started out as a staunch skeptic, doubting many of the details recorded in the New Testament. Specifically, he thought Luke was foolish in his storytelling because he named so many specific names, locations and dates. These specifics would be easy to check out and refute--assuming, as Ramsay did at the beginning, that they were not actually true. But over his thirty years of study, research, and excavation, Ramsay increasingly realized that Luke's writings in both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts were accurate records of the events and details they reported. He later summarized his findings in this way: "Luke is a historian of the first rank.....This author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians." 1 Also, renowned archaeologist Nelson Glueck, who once featured on the cover of Time magazine because of his extraordinary work, concluded, "No archaeological discovery has ever controverted a single biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries"2 No other "holy book" outside of the Bible has ever earned such overwhelming support and affirmation, or given us so many reasons to be confident in its integrity as we read.
The bottom line is this: The Bible is historically correct. No one has ever proved otherwise. The more we learn of history, the more the Bible is validated. Hundreds of statements in the Bible, which in times past have been held as untrue by enemies of the Bible, have recently been proven true by archaeologists. The more that archaeologists find from the past, the more the Bible is proven accurate historically.
No archaeological discovery has ever disproved a biblical reference. The Bible is trustworthy and historically reliable. Thank you for reading A Spirit Filled Life.
____________________________________
1. Rudolf Bultman, et. al Kerygma and Myth, www.religiononline.org
2. Mark Mittelberg, Losing your Faith
Monday, April 15, 2013
Proof of the Resurrection of Jesus
I want to take the opportunity before too much time passes since Easter to discuss the Resurrection of Jesus. As I mentioned in my last post it wasn't until my late twenties that I knew that Easter had anything to do with Jesus. For me, Easter was always about egg hunts, the Easter bunny and candy. Easter however is much more than that. It is one of the most important holidays celebrated by Christians. It represents Christ's Resurrection. After being humiliated, tortured and nailed to a cross he died on Good Friday. Three days later Jesus rose from the dead, thus proving that he was in deed the son of God. Of course, there are many people out there that do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead. You may be one of those people. If you are, then my hope is that this post will change your mind or at least prompt you to look further into the matter with your own additional research. If you are already a believer than I hope this post will help arm you with information that you can use to share with others or defend your faith.
IS the resurrection of Jesus Christ an historical event that really happened, or is it only a myth, as many atheists and agnostics claim? While no one witnessed the actual resurrection, many people swore they saw the risen Christ after his death, and their lives were never the same.
Archaeological discoveries continue to support the Bible's historical accuracy. We tend to forget that the Gospels and book of Acts are eyewitness accounts of the life and death of Jesus. Further non-biblical evidence for Jesus' existence comes from the writings of Flavius Josephus, Cornelius Tactus, Lucian of Samosata, and the Jewish Sanhedrin. The following seven proofs of the resurrection show that Christ did, indeed, rise from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #1 The Empty tomb of Jesus
The empty tomb may be the strongest proof Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Two major theories have been advanced by unbelievers: someone stole Jesus' body or the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb. The Jews and Romans had no motive to steal the body. Christ's apostles were too cowardly and would have had to overcome the Roman guards to accomplish such a feat. The women who found the tomb empty had earlier watched Jesus being laid inside, they knew where the correct tomb was. Even if they had gone to the wrong tomb, the Sanhedrin could have produced the body from the right tomb to stop the resurrection stories. Jesus' burial cloths were left neatly folded inside, hardly the act of hurrying grave robbers. Angels said Jesus had risen from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #2 The Holy Women Eyewitnesses
The holy women eyewitnesses are further proof that the Gospels are accurate historical records. If the accounts had been made up, no ancient author would have used women for witnesses to Christ's resurrection. Women were considered second hand citizens in Bible times; their testimony was not even allowed in court. Yet the Bible says the risen Christ first appeared to Mary Magdeline and other holy women. Even the apostles did not believe Mary when she told them the tomb was empty. Jesus, who always had special respect for these women, honored them as the first eyewitnesses to His resurrection. The male Gospel writers had no choice but to report this "embarrassing act" of God's favor, because that was how it happened.
The Resurrection Proof #3 Jesus Apostles New-Found Courage
After the crucifixion, Jesus' apostles hid behind locked doors, terrified they would be executed next. But something changed them from cowards to bold preachers. Anyone who understands human character knows people do not change that much without some major influence. That influence was seeing their Master, bodily risen from the dead. Christ appeared to them in the locked room, on the shore of the sea of Galilee, and on the Mount of Olives. After seeing Jesus alive, Peter and the others left the locked room and preached about the risen Christ, unafraid of what would happen to them. They quit hiding because they knew the truth. They finally understood that Jesus is God incarnate, who saves people from sin.
The Resurrection Proof #4 Changed Lives of James and Others
Changed lives are yet another proof of the resurrection. James, the brother of Jesus, was openly skeptical that Jesus was the Messiah. Later James became a courageous leader of the Jerusalem church, even being stoned to death for his faith. Why? The Bible says the risen Christ appeared to him. What a shock to see your own brother, alive again, after you knew he was dead. James and the apostles were effective missionaries because people could tell these men had touched and seen the risen Christ. With such zealous eyewitnesses, the early church exploded in growth, spreading west from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond. For 2,000 years, encounters with the resurrected Jesus have changed lives.
The Resurrection Proof #5 Large Crowds of Eyewitnesses
A large crowd of more than 500 eyewitnesses saw the risen Jesus Christ at the same time. The Apostle Paul records this even in 1 Corinthians 15:6. He states that most of these men and women were still alive when he wrote this letter, about 55 AD. Undoubtedly they told others about this miracle. Today, psychologists say it would be impossible for a large crowd of people to have had the same hallucination at once. Smaller groups also saw the risen Christ, such as the apostles, and the Cleopas and his companion. They all saw the same thing, and in the case of the apostles, they touched Jesus and watched him eat food. The hallucination theory is further debunked because after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, sightings of him stopped.
The Resurrection Proof #6 Conversion of Paul
The conversion of Paul records the most drastically changed life in the Bible. As Saul of Tarsus, he was an aggressive persecutor of the early church. When the risen Christ appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road, Paul became Christianity's most determined missionary. He endured five floggings, three beatings, three shipwrecks, a stoning, poverty and years of ridicule. Finally the Roman emperor Nero had Paul beheaded because the apostle refused to deny his faith in Jesus. What could make a person willingly accept-even welcome-such hardships? Christians believe the conversion of Paul came about because he encountered Jesus Christ who had risen from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #7 They Died for Jesus
Countless people have died for Jesus, absolutely certain that the resurrection of Christ is an historical fact. I am so completely and positively sure that Jesus is the son of God and my savior that I too would rather be killed than deny Him. I know many friends that feel the same. Tradition says ten of the original apostles died as martyrs for Christ, as did the Apostle Paul. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of early Christians died in the Roman arena and in prisons for their faith. Down through the centuries, thousands more have died for Jesus because they believed the resurrection is true. Even today, people suffer persecution because they have faith that Christ rose from the dead. An isolated group may give up their lives for a cult leader, but Christian martyrs have died in many lands, for nearly 2,000 years, believing Jesus conquered death to give them eternal life.
What about you? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins so that you could have a relationship with God? Remember from my last post, according to God the punishment for sin is death. God is incapable of being in the presence of sin. Therefore in order to have a relationship with us a sacrifice was necessary. Because God loves us so much and yearns to have a relationship with us, he sent his own Son to die in our place so that we could come to intimately know and have a relationship with our Father in Heaven. Jesus died for the sins of the world so that we could know God and live with Him eternally in Heaven when we die.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you are walking a very slippery slope. If you died today are you certain you would go to heaven? Or, do you believe in an alternative scenario like being reincarnated or that death is the end. The extensive research I have done has proven to me without a doubt that reincarnation is not possible (more on that in an upcoming post on The New Age Movement) and that death is NOT the end for your soul. If you admit that you are a sinner and in need of Savior and ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins, than you will be saved. You will be guaranteed a place in God's Kingdom and upon your death you can joyfully anticipate living eternally in Heaven. According to the Bible which my research proves is the infallible word of God, the only alternative is to be separated from God eternally in a place no one wants to go.....hell. If you have come to the point where you believe that the Bible is the word of God, that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and you want your soul to spend eternity in Heaven than you need to be saved.
Please do not depend on man's word, including mine! Only one word counts: Almighty God's. Trust entirely in what God says in His word. It is a tragic error to rely on religion, what the world may be telling you, your past traditions, doctrine, personal beliefs or even your church. They are utterly worthless to save you. Religions, doctrine, tradition and churches change with the seasons: Whereas God's words is from eternity to eternity, unchanging.
Take this challenge from the Bible:
"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17
God has promised:
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-11
These words promise that salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart. It is not a complicated process to be saved. If we believe in our hearts and say with our mouths that Christ is the risen Lord, we will be saved. Be assured, God loves you, and wants to forgive, save and heal you. Cast your burden on Him and embrace Jesus with all your heart. Pray the following prayer and mean it with all your heart and you will be saved, right where you sit.
"Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. Please forgive me, and help me to avoid sinning in the future. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen
If you just said this prayer and meant it, then you are born again and saved! The Bible says that the angels in heaven are rejoicing over their new citizen right now! (that's you) I can assure you that you have made a wonderful decision for your life and for your eternal salvation which is now guaranteed to be with the Lord in Heaven. I recommend that you purchase a Bible and find a Bible believing church where you begin to attend and worship God with fellow believers. For me, attending church and Bible studies for the last 11 years has been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. God desires us to be in fellowship with other believers and you will receive wonderful teaching from the pastor and other church leaders to help you grow in your walk with God.
If you did not pray the above prayer for whatever reason, than I ask that you continue to read this blog and keep an open mind to what I am sharing. Don't just take my word for matters of spirituality however! Do like I did and do your own research. I highly recommend the book "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel and "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. Both these books were instrumental in my research that lead me to the truth in Christ.
In the upcoming weeks I will be finishing my series of posts that prove that the Bible truly is the word of God and will be discussing the life and ministry of Jesus. I will be opening up discussion on "Is Satan real and is Hell a real place" as well as discussing the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life. In addition I will be posting a series on examining other religions including the New Age Movement and Mormonism among others.
Thank you for reading Living a Spirit Filled Life. May God Bless you.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Information in this post was compiled and summarized from the following sources:
gotguestions.org,xenos.org, faithfacts.org, newadvent.org,tektons.org,biblicalstudeis.info,
garyhabermas.com and ntwrightpage.com
IS the resurrection of Jesus Christ an historical event that really happened, or is it only a myth, as many atheists and agnostics claim? While no one witnessed the actual resurrection, many people swore they saw the risen Christ after his death, and their lives were never the same.
Archaeological discoveries continue to support the Bible's historical accuracy. We tend to forget that the Gospels and book of Acts are eyewitness accounts of the life and death of Jesus. Further non-biblical evidence for Jesus' existence comes from the writings of Flavius Josephus, Cornelius Tactus, Lucian of Samosata, and the Jewish Sanhedrin. The following seven proofs of the resurrection show that Christ did, indeed, rise from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #1 The Empty tomb of Jesus
The empty tomb may be the strongest proof Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Two major theories have been advanced by unbelievers: someone stole Jesus' body or the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb. The Jews and Romans had no motive to steal the body. Christ's apostles were too cowardly and would have had to overcome the Roman guards to accomplish such a feat. The women who found the tomb empty had earlier watched Jesus being laid inside, they knew where the correct tomb was. Even if they had gone to the wrong tomb, the Sanhedrin could have produced the body from the right tomb to stop the resurrection stories. Jesus' burial cloths were left neatly folded inside, hardly the act of hurrying grave robbers. Angels said Jesus had risen from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #2 The Holy Women Eyewitnesses
The holy women eyewitnesses are further proof that the Gospels are accurate historical records. If the accounts had been made up, no ancient author would have used women for witnesses to Christ's resurrection. Women were considered second hand citizens in Bible times; their testimony was not even allowed in court. Yet the Bible says the risen Christ first appeared to Mary Magdeline and other holy women. Even the apostles did not believe Mary when she told them the tomb was empty. Jesus, who always had special respect for these women, honored them as the first eyewitnesses to His resurrection. The male Gospel writers had no choice but to report this "embarrassing act" of God's favor, because that was how it happened.
The Resurrection Proof #3 Jesus Apostles New-Found Courage
After the crucifixion, Jesus' apostles hid behind locked doors, terrified they would be executed next. But something changed them from cowards to bold preachers. Anyone who understands human character knows people do not change that much without some major influence. That influence was seeing their Master, bodily risen from the dead. Christ appeared to them in the locked room, on the shore of the sea of Galilee, and on the Mount of Olives. After seeing Jesus alive, Peter and the others left the locked room and preached about the risen Christ, unafraid of what would happen to them. They quit hiding because they knew the truth. They finally understood that Jesus is God incarnate, who saves people from sin.
The Resurrection Proof #4 Changed Lives of James and Others
Changed lives are yet another proof of the resurrection. James, the brother of Jesus, was openly skeptical that Jesus was the Messiah. Later James became a courageous leader of the Jerusalem church, even being stoned to death for his faith. Why? The Bible says the risen Christ appeared to him. What a shock to see your own brother, alive again, after you knew he was dead. James and the apostles were effective missionaries because people could tell these men had touched and seen the risen Christ. With such zealous eyewitnesses, the early church exploded in growth, spreading west from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond. For 2,000 years, encounters with the resurrected Jesus have changed lives.
The Resurrection Proof #5 Large Crowds of Eyewitnesses
A large crowd of more than 500 eyewitnesses saw the risen Jesus Christ at the same time. The Apostle Paul records this even in 1 Corinthians 15:6. He states that most of these men and women were still alive when he wrote this letter, about 55 AD. Undoubtedly they told others about this miracle. Today, psychologists say it would be impossible for a large crowd of people to have had the same hallucination at once. Smaller groups also saw the risen Christ, such as the apostles, and the Cleopas and his companion. They all saw the same thing, and in the case of the apostles, they touched Jesus and watched him eat food. The hallucination theory is further debunked because after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, sightings of him stopped.
The Resurrection Proof #6 Conversion of Paul
The conversion of Paul records the most drastically changed life in the Bible. As Saul of Tarsus, he was an aggressive persecutor of the early church. When the risen Christ appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road, Paul became Christianity's most determined missionary. He endured five floggings, three beatings, three shipwrecks, a stoning, poverty and years of ridicule. Finally the Roman emperor Nero had Paul beheaded because the apostle refused to deny his faith in Jesus. What could make a person willingly accept-even welcome-such hardships? Christians believe the conversion of Paul came about because he encountered Jesus Christ who had risen from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #7 They Died for Jesus
Countless people have died for Jesus, absolutely certain that the resurrection of Christ is an historical fact. I am so completely and positively sure that Jesus is the son of God and my savior that I too would rather be killed than deny Him. I know many friends that feel the same. Tradition says ten of the original apostles died as martyrs for Christ, as did the Apostle Paul. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of early Christians died in the Roman arena and in prisons for their faith. Down through the centuries, thousands more have died for Jesus because they believed the resurrection is true. Even today, people suffer persecution because they have faith that Christ rose from the dead. An isolated group may give up their lives for a cult leader, but Christian martyrs have died in many lands, for nearly 2,000 years, believing Jesus conquered death to give them eternal life.
What about you? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins so that you could have a relationship with God? Remember from my last post, according to God the punishment for sin is death. God is incapable of being in the presence of sin. Therefore in order to have a relationship with us a sacrifice was necessary. Because God loves us so much and yearns to have a relationship with us, he sent his own Son to die in our place so that we could come to intimately know and have a relationship with our Father in Heaven. Jesus died for the sins of the world so that we could know God and live with Him eternally in Heaven when we die.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you are walking a very slippery slope. If you died today are you certain you would go to heaven? Or, do you believe in an alternative scenario like being reincarnated or that death is the end. The extensive research I have done has proven to me without a doubt that reincarnation is not possible (more on that in an upcoming post on The New Age Movement) and that death is NOT the end for your soul. If you admit that you are a sinner and in need of Savior and ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins, than you will be saved. You will be guaranteed a place in God's Kingdom and upon your death you can joyfully anticipate living eternally in Heaven. According to the Bible which my research proves is the infallible word of God, the only alternative is to be separated from God eternally in a place no one wants to go.....hell. If you have come to the point where you believe that the Bible is the word of God, that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and you want your soul to spend eternity in Heaven than you need to be saved.
Please do not depend on man's word, including mine! Only one word counts: Almighty God's. Trust entirely in what God says in His word. It is a tragic error to rely on religion, what the world may be telling you, your past traditions, doctrine, personal beliefs or even your church. They are utterly worthless to save you. Religions, doctrine, tradition and churches change with the seasons: Whereas God's words is from eternity to eternity, unchanging.
Take this challenge from the Bible:
"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17
God has promised:
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-11
These words promise that salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart. It is not a complicated process to be saved. If we believe in our hearts and say with our mouths that Christ is the risen Lord, we will be saved. Be assured, God loves you, and wants to forgive, save and heal you. Cast your burden on Him and embrace Jesus with all your heart. Pray the following prayer and mean it with all your heart and you will be saved, right where you sit.
"Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. Please forgive me, and help me to avoid sinning in the future. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen
If you just said this prayer and meant it, then you are born again and saved! The Bible says that the angels in heaven are rejoicing over their new citizen right now! (that's you) I can assure you that you have made a wonderful decision for your life and for your eternal salvation which is now guaranteed to be with the Lord in Heaven. I recommend that you purchase a Bible and find a Bible believing church where you begin to attend and worship God with fellow believers. For me, attending church and Bible studies for the last 11 years has been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. God desires us to be in fellowship with other believers and you will receive wonderful teaching from the pastor and other church leaders to help you grow in your walk with God.
If you did not pray the above prayer for whatever reason, than I ask that you continue to read this blog and keep an open mind to what I am sharing. Don't just take my word for matters of spirituality however! Do like I did and do your own research. I highly recommend the book "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel and "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. Both these books were instrumental in my research that lead me to the truth in Christ.
In the upcoming weeks I will be finishing my series of posts that prove that the Bible truly is the word of God and will be discussing the life and ministry of Jesus. I will be opening up discussion on "Is Satan real and is Hell a real place" as well as discussing the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life. In addition I will be posting a series on examining other religions including the New Age Movement and Mormonism among others.
Thank you for reading Living a Spirit Filled Life. May God Bless you.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Information in this post was compiled and summarized from the following sources:
gotguestions.org,xenos.org, faithfacts.org, newadvent.org,tektons.org,biblicalstudeis.info,
garyhabermas.com and ntwrightpage.com
Friday, March 29, 2013
Why did Jesus have to die?
Before I shared Lee Strobel's video series on the proof of creationism, I shared several posts regarding the Bible. Those posts contained several proof sources that the Bible is indeed the inspired, infallible word of God. So far I have shared information regarding the Bible and the proof of science and prophecy. I promised to also share information regarding the proof of history and archaeology to conclude my posts titled "Examining the Bible". You can find those posts under the tab THE BIBLE.
However, because this is Good Friday (the day Jesus was crucified) and Easter is this weekend, I am shifting my focus to spending the next few posts explaining the central role of Jesus in the Christian faith and why it is that Easter is one of the most important holidays celebrated by believers. I'll never forget when I was in my twenties and pregnant with my 2nd child. I worked at a bank as a personal banker. It was Good Friday and the branch manager (my boss) told us she was leaving early to attend a church service for Good Friday. First of all I had no idea what Good Friday was nor did I even understand the true meaning of Easter. To me Easter was about dying Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts and baskets full of candy and gifts. Curiosity got the best of me and I asked her what Good Friday was. She explained that Good Friday was the day that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. If you read my testimony of faith than you know that it was at my job in banking that I first started to be introduced to Christianity as I worked with many Christians. I basically replied "Oh, I see" and turned around to return to my desk. That is when she said, "Debi, I'd love to have you and your family join mine for Easter service this weekend". I replied that I was not religious, didn't know what Easter was about and would feel strange going. She then told me that Easter was basically a love story. A story about Jesus taking the penalty for my sins and dying on the cross so I could live eternal life with God in heaven. I remember vividly thinking my boss was out of her mind. First of all, I did not believe in "sin" nor did I believe in heaven. I believed that we all created our own reality and were responsible only to ourselves when it came to matters of morality. Sin was nonsense. I lived by the concept of "if it feels right, do it" and believed I was a "good" person and that was enough! I also firmly believed in the idea of reincarnation. Heaven was a myth, we died and were reincarnated into another person. I was very sure of these beliefs and had no time for what she was talking about. This "encounter" with my boss at the bank was the first time in my life that someone had witnessed to me about Jesus. A small door was opened that day. It would take many more years however before I accepted her "story about Jesus" as truth.
You may be where I was in my twenties. Hearing about the concept of "sin" and either not understanding it or believing in it. Trust me I get that! I was once in your shoes. The purpose of this post is to discuss what sin is and what it's role is in us being accountable to God. I'm hoping that at this point, if you have been a regular reader of this blog and have read my posts on the Bible; that perhaps you have come to the point at which you can acknowledge that the Bible is what it claims to be-God's word, his revelation of truth, written for us. Doing so gives you the peace and assurance that comes with knowing God went out of his way to communicate with us, revealing himself as our loving heavenly Father.
But this is also challenging, because the Bible presents us with some very sobering realities. The first of these realities is that God is not only loving, but also holy. The word, holy, seems like sort of an old-fashioned one-we don't hear it much anymore. But the Bible presents it as a vitally important concept, because it tells us that God is absolutely pure and separate from anything that is tainted or stained by impurity, described in the Scriptures as sin.
We live in a culture where the concept of sin has become entangled in legalistic arguments over right and wrong. When many of us consider "What is sin?" we think of violations of the Ten Commandments. Even then, we tend to think of murder and adultery as "major" sins compared to lying, cursing or stealing. The truth is that sin, as defined in the original translations of the Bible, means "to miss the mark." The mark, in this case, is the standard of perfection established by God. Viewed in that light, it is clear that we are all sinners. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 3:23: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
This truths brings us face-to-face with a serious difficulty: God's standard of righteousness is something that none of us can live up to. Specifically, both the Old and New Testaments present a clear message from God that tells us "You must be holy because I am holy." The problem with that is obvious: we are not holy!
We are sinful people, plain and simple. Yes, the Bible says that originally we were created good; God does not create evil. But starting with the first human beings, right down to you and me, we have all rebelled against God in various ways. We've chosen our own path and ignored His will for our lives. We've become sinners.
Lest there by any doubt, just watch the daily news. The human race is marked by violence and immoral behavior, crimes large and small. Our wars destroy countless people--estimates say well over 100 million were killed in the twentieth century alone. Then there's the growing reality or terrorism, with its murder of innocent civilians, including women and children of all ages. Human trafficking and the growing worldwide sex trade. Governmental corruption. Corporate fraud. Immorality and abuse among clergy. Tax evasion, employee theft, students cheating on exams, job applicants lying on resumes. Abuse of our bodies, each other, and the planet. The stories and the statistics concerning our sinfulness are staggering.
The Bible predicted that society would become increasingly like this. Look at this prophetic description in Timothy 3:2-5, written by the apostle Paul some 2,000 years ago:
For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, and be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious but they will reject the power that could make them Godly.
It's easy to read a passage like that and tell yourself that although that may be a good description of the world as a whole, that its not true of you. Remember God sees our impure thoughts, our mixed motives, our ugly envy, our insincere sentiments & our disingenuous gestures. Worse still he sees our PRIDE, which the Bible describes as being among the most destructive of all sins-though it's the one that is often the most transparent to us. Ultimately it is our pride that convinces us that we are really not that bad and that we really don't need God after all.
You might ask why God simply won't forgive someone who comes to Him and apologizes sincerely for their sin. When we sin, we are rebelling against God. The reason sin is rebellion against God is because He made us in His image and wrote His laws on our conscience. Revelation 21:17 says that "nothing impure will enter heaven because God is absolutely Holy and righteous and evil cannot exist in His presence." Psalm 5:4 says, "you are not a God who takes pleasure in evil, with you the wicked cannot dwell" In God's absolute and complete holiness He is simply unable to be in the presence of sin and therefore He can't just simply say "That's OK child, you are forgiven just try harder next time" Because he loves us so much and wants to be in fellowship with us but can not if we are in sin (and we all are!) it is easy to see why God developed a hatred for sin. In His hatred of sin God has said "the wages for sin is death" (Romans 6:23) The whole human race is under a death sentence because "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23)
Since our sin condemns us, God, in His great love for us sent His son Jesus to die in our place so that through Jesus we can be forgiven and enter into His presence. "God's own law says that death is the penalty for sin so He cannot simply forgive as "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22) Therefore, to make a way to forgive us, God put the sins of the world on Jesus who shed His blood as though HE were the guilty one. So now, when anyone repents of their sins, God forgives them and accepts Jesus' death as punishment for sin. In this way God has satisfied His own law which says that sin must be punished by death.
To make it possible for us to enter into God's presence Jesus had to die to pay the penalty of death for sin. Jesus' death satisfied God's law and allows Him, as our just Judge, to forgive us when we repent and accept Jesus as our Savior. Some may say that "all paths lead to God", but as can be clearly seen by what I have presented in this post their is only ONE path to God and that path is through Jesus.
However, because this is Good Friday (the day Jesus was crucified) and Easter is this weekend, I am shifting my focus to spending the next few posts explaining the central role of Jesus in the Christian faith and why it is that Easter is one of the most important holidays celebrated by believers. I'll never forget when I was in my twenties and pregnant with my 2nd child. I worked at a bank as a personal banker. It was Good Friday and the branch manager (my boss) told us she was leaving early to attend a church service for Good Friday. First of all I had no idea what Good Friday was nor did I even understand the true meaning of Easter. To me Easter was about dying Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts and baskets full of candy and gifts. Curiosity got the best of me and I asked her what Good Friday was. She explained that Good Friday was the day that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. If you read my testimony of faith than you know that it was at my job in banking that I first started to be introduced to Christianity as I worked with many Christians. I basically replied "Oh, I see" and turned around to return to my desk. That is when she said, "Debi, I'd love to have you and your family join mine for Easter service this weekend". I replied that I was not religious, didn't know what Easter was about and would feel strange going. She then told me that Easter was basically a love story. A story about Jesus taking the penalty for my sins and dying on the cross so I could live eternal life with God in heaven. I remember vividly thinking my boss was out of her mind. First of all, I did not believe in "sin" nor did I believe in heaven. I believed that we all created our own reality and were responsible only to ourselves when it came to matters of morality. Sin was nonsense. I lived by the concept of "if it feels right, do it" and believed I was a "good" person and that was enough! I also firmly believed in the idea of reincarnation. Heaven was a myth, we died and were reincarnated into another person. I was very sure of these beliefs and had no time for what she was talking about. This "encounter" with my boss at the bank was the first time in my life that someone had witnessed to me about Jesus. A small door was opened that day. It would take many more years however before I accepted her "story about Jesus" as truth.
You may be where I was in my twenties. Hearing about the concept of "sin" and either not understanding it or believing in it. Trust me I get that! I was once in your shoes. The purpose of this post is to discuss what sin is and what it's role is in us being accountable to God. I'm hoping that at this point, if you have been a regular reader of this blog and have read my posts on the Bible; that perhaps you have come to the point at which you can acknowledge that the Bible is what it claims to be-God's word, his revelation of truth, written for us. Doing so gives you the peace and assurance that comes with knowing God went out of his way to communicate with us, revealing himself as our loving heavenly Father.
But this is also challenging, because the Bible presents us with some very sobering realities. The first of these realities is that God is not only loving, but also holy. The word, holy, seems like sort of an old-fashioned one-we don't hear it much anymore. But the Bible presents it as a vitally important concept, because it tells us that God is absolutely pure and separate from anything that is tainted or stained by impurity, described in the Scriptures as sin.
We live in a culture where the concept of sin has become entangled in legalistic arguments over right and wrong. When many of us consider "What is sin?" we think of violations of the Ten Commandments. Even then, we tend to think of murder and adultery as "major" sins compared to lying, cursing or stealing. The truth is that sin, as defined in the original translations of the Bible, means "to miss the mark." The mark, in this case, is the standard of perfection established by God. Viewed in that light, it is clear that we are all sinners. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 3:23: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
This truths brings us face-to-face with a serious difficulty: God's standard of righteousness is something that none of us can live up to. Specifically, both the Old and New Testaments present a clear message from God that tells us "You must be holy because I am holy." The problem with that is obvious: we are not holy!
We are sinful people, plain and simple. Yes, the Bible says that originally we were created good; God does not create evil. But starting with the first human beings, right down to you and me, we have all rebelled against God in various ways. We've chosen our own path and ignored His will for our lives. We've become sinners.
Lest there by any doubt, just watch the daily news. The human race is marked by violence and immoral behavior, crimes large and small. Our wars destroy countless people--estimates say well over 100 million were killed in the twentieth century alone. Then there's the growing reality or terrorism, with its murder of innocent civilians, including women and children of all ages. Human trafficking and the growing worldwide sex trade. Governmental corruption. Corporate fraud. Immorality and abuse among clergy. Tax evasion, employee theft, students cheating on exams, job applicants lying on resumes. Abuse of our bodies, each other, and the planet. The stories and the statistics concerning our sinfulness are staggering.
The Bible predicted that society would become increasingly like this. Look at this prophetic description in Timothy 3:2-5, written by the apostle Paul some 2,000 years ago:
For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, and be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious but they will reject the power that could make them Godly.
It's easy to read a passage like that and tell yourself that although that may be a good description of the world as a whole, that its not true of you. Remember God sees our impure thoughts, our mixed motives, our ugly envy, our insincere sentiments & our disingenuous gestures. Worse still he sees our PRIDE, which the Bible describes as being among the most destructive of all sins-though it's the one that is often the most transparent to us. Ultimately it is our pride that convinces us that we are really not that bad and that we really don't need God after all.
You might ask why God simply won't forgive someone who comes to Him and apologizes sincerely for their sin. When we sin, we are rebelling against God. The reason sin is rebellion against God is because He made us in His image and wrote His laws on our conscience. Revelation 21:17 says that "nothing impure will enter heaven because God is absolutely Holy and righteous and evil cannot exist in His presence." Psalm 5:4 says, "you are not a God who takes pleasure in evil, with you the wicked cannot dwell" In God's absolute and complete holiness He is simply unable to be in the presence of sin and therefore He can't just simply say "That's OK child, you are forgiven just try harder next time" Because he loves us so much and wants to be in fellowship with us but can not if we are in sin (and we all are!) it is easy to see why God developed a hatred for sin. In His hatred of sin God has said "the wages for sin is death" (Romans 6:23) The whole human race is under a death sentence because "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23)
Since our sin condemns us, God, in His great love for us sent His son Jesus to die in our place so that through Jesus we can be forgiven and enter into His presence. "God's own law says that death is the penalty for sin so He cannot simply forgive as "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22) Therefore, to make a way to forgive us, God put the sins of the world on Jesus who shed His blood as though HE were the guilty one. So now, when anyone repents of their sins, God forgives them and accepts Jesus' death as punishment for sin. In this way God has satisfied His own law which says that sin must be punished by death.
To make it possible for us to enter into God's presence Jesus had to die to pay the penalty of death for sin. Jesus' death satisfied God's law and allows Him, as our just Judge, to forgive us when we repent and accept Jesus as our Savior. Some may say that "all paths lead to God", but as can be clearly seen by what I have presented in this post their is only ONE path to God and that path is through Jesus.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Reviewing The Case for a Creator video series
I recently posted 10, 5 minute videos titled "The Case for a Creator" by Lee Strobel. I asked my blog readers to take a "10 day challenge" and watch 1 video for 5 minutes each day for 10 days. For those who have already taken the 10 day challenge I commend you! Whether or not you are already a believer in creationism or subscribe to the theory of evolution, I'm sure that you found Strobel's video series to be thought provoking to say the least. I honestly can not imagine that anyone could walk away from this video series and still believe in evolution. It is simply scientifically impossible and Lee Strobel does a brilliant job in providing the facts for creationism.
If you have not watched the video series I hope you will go back and take the ten day challenge and watch all 10 videos. To recap briefly, Lee Strobel is a former atheist and formal legal editor of the Chicago Tribune. He investigates scientific evidence that points toward a creator. These videos are based on his book of the same name. Mr. Strobel sought out to disprove Christianity many years ago and took a journalistic approach to researching and fact finding. He was certain he could disprove the bible, God, creation and Jesus. Instead he became a believer in all of those things after he simply could not disprove them and instead found the proof that he needed to make that change in his belief system. He has gone on to writing many books and videos. I am drawn to Lee Strobel's work as he approached Christianity in much the same way I did 11 years ago. I too was a journalism major in college and did extensive research as well prior to becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. For more about my personal story please go to the tab "My testimony of faith".
If you watched the Case for a Creator video series, here is a re-cap of SOME of what you learned. If you have yet to watch it, here is a preview of what you will learn about. The framework for this video series follows a logical and well-thought-out progression. Strobel poses the questions hard skeptics ask on such broad topics as: evolution, faith and science, the Big Bang, fine-tuning of the universe, Earth's privileged place in the cosmos, biochemical complexity, the origin of life, DNA and, finally, the mind. He interviews many of the top minds in each of these topics, including many prominent ID personalities, such as Michael Behe, Jonathan Wells, Stpehen Meyer, Jay Richards, Guillermo Gonzalez, and J. P. Moreland. The following topics among others, are thoroughly covered:
EVIDENCE FROM PHYSICS:
1) Life depends on many constants such as gravity-to show how extremely necessary this is, imagine a ruler stretched out in one inch increments all the way back to the center of the universe. To show how fragile life is where we exist in that one inch increment, if it was shifted just one inch back in terms of gravity, life could not exist. All life forms would literally be crushed.
2) Cosmological Constant- the expansion of the universe has a certain spot on the ground that is about the size of an atom. Similarly, the strong exponential rate that if it were to go faster, stars, galaxies and planets could not form. The equivalent to this fine tuning is like throwing a dart at earth from orbit and hitting a spot on the ground that is about the size of an atom. Similarly, the strong nuclear force binds atoms together. If it were to decrease even slightly the only element left in the universe would be hydrogen. Chemical life could not be possible. If the universe is so fine tuned, maybe it has a Fine Tuner.
3) Escape Hatch Fails- the most popular theory to try to circumvent this fine tuning is Multiple Universes which says by chance ours is the one that came into being for us that could sustain life, but then you still have to ask the question who built the generator for all these different universes?
Fact: "The universe is finely tuned to sustain complex life by an intelligence that is beyond the constraints of time and space."
MICROSCOPIC UNIVERSE EVIDENCE:
1. Cells are like complex machines-but with billions of parts. These could not be chance combination of parts, but they are a complex assemblage of parts. e.g. the flagellum cell operates at 100,000 rpm's. It is the most efficient machine in the universe. It has two gears, forward and back. It has sensory mechanisms to gain feedback from its environment. It uses a flow of acid from outside the cell to motor the propeller. It has a water coolant, proton motor, stater, rotor u-joint, drive shaft. Altogether there are 40 parts need to build a flagella motor. And it has constructor proteins that build all these parts.
2. Irreducible Complexity- If you remove just one part of that system, the system ceases to function or exist. Like a mouse trap, if you take out even one of it's parts it will never work.
Charles Darwin admitted the failure of his own theory when he said: "If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not have possibly been formed by numerous, successive slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down."
DAMAGING EVIDENCE FOR ATHEISTS
1) Negative evidence: amino acids are light years away from producing a living cell. Non-living chemicals cannot arrange themselves into a living cell.
2) The erroneous theory of the Cambrian explosion of life about 53 million years ago-in a sudden geological instant equivalent to about 2 minutes in a 24 hour period from the first single-celled organism about 3.8 billion years ago, a great explosion of life occurred accounting for most animal forms and body plans today. (The branching tree pattern of Darwin's theory is not seen anywhere in the fossil record unless we impose it with our own minds)
3) 600 scientists with P.H. D's from major universities have signed a document called "A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism" which says, "We are skeptical of the claims for random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination for Darwinian Theory should be encouraged."
4) Background microwave radiation-this remnant heat from the universe's early history helps us see the ancient Kalam Cosmological Argument, which says: a)whatever begins has a cause, b)the universe began to exist, therefore, c)the universe has a cause; which points to a transcendent reality beyond space and time.
Purpose of God:
Series of Clues- One of the purposes of God is for us to find Him. He has left behind a series of clues. We have to take our blinders off and take our suppositions and put them aside, and be willing to go where science shows us. And if we come to what might be an uncomfortable position.....the fact that there IS a Creator, then that is the way we should go and maybe it would not feel so uncomfortable after a while.
It is my belief in studying these videos that atheism and agnosticism would be a dwindling faith if people would take the time to examine the FACTS. I feel that quite frankly it takes more FAITH to be an atheist or agnostic than it does to be a believer in a Creator. Former atheist Lee Strobel found this to be true as well as all of the experts that were interviewed for these videos.
If you are reading this then you must be interested in the topic of intelligent design. Why not take 50 minutes out of your life and watch the 10 5 minute video clips I have posted on The Case for a Creator. You will be glad you did. I welcome your comments below and I thank you for reading Living a Spirit filled life.
If you have not watched the video series I hope you will go back and take the ten day challenge and watch all 10 videos. To recap briefly, Lee Strobel is a former atheist and formal legal editor of the Chicago Tribune. He investigates scientific evidence that points toward a creator. These videos are based on his book of the same name. Mr. Strobel sought out to disprove Christianity many years ago and took a journalistic approach to researching and fact finding. He was certain he could disprove the bible, God, creation and Jesus. Instead he became a believer in all of those things after he simply could not disprove them and instead found the proof that he needed to make that change in his belief system. He has gone on to writing many books and videos. I am drawn to Lee Strobel's work as he approached Christianity in much the same way I did 11 years ago. I too was a journalism major in college and did extensive research as well prior to becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. For more about my personal story please go to the tab "My testimony of faith".
If you watched the Case for a Creator video series, here is a re-cap of SOME of what you learned. If you have yet to watch it, here is a preview of what you will learn about. The framework for this video series follows a logical and well-thought-out progression. Strobel poses the questions hard skeptics ask on such broad topics as: evolution, faith and science, the Big Bang, fine-tuning of the universe, Earth's privileged place in the cosmos, biochemical complexity, the origin of life, DNA and, finally, the mind. He interviews many of the top minds in each of these topics, including many prominent ID personalities, such as Michael Behe, Jonathan Wells, Stpehen Meyer, Jay Richards, Guillermo Gonzalez, and J. P. Moreland. The following topics among others, are thoroughly covered:
EVIDENCE FROM PHYSICS:
1) Life depends on many constants such as gravity-to show how extremely necessary this is, imagine a ruler stretched out in one inch increments all the way back to the center of the universe. To show how fragile life is where we exist in that one inch increment, if it was shifted just one inch back in terms of gravity, life could not exist. All life forms would literally be crushed.
2) Cosmological Constant- the expansion of the universe has a certain spot on the ground that is about the size of an atom. Similarly, the strong exponential rate that if it were to go faster, stars, galaxies and planets could not form. The equivalent to this fine tuning is like throwing a dart at earth from orbit and hitting a spot on the ground that is about the size of an atom. Similarly, the strong nuclear force binds atoms together. If it were to decrease even slightly the only element left in the universe would be hydrogen. Chemical life could not be possible. If the universe is so fine tuned, maybe it has a Fine Tuner.
3) Escape Hatch Fails- the most popular theory to try to circumvent this fine tuning is Multiple Universes which says by chance ours is the one that came into being for us that could sustain life, but then you still have to ask the question who built the generator for all these different universes?
Fact: "The universe is finely tuned to sustain complex life by an intelligence that is beyond the constraints of time and space."
MICROSCOPIC UNIVERSE EVIDENCE:
1. Cells are like complex machines-but with billions of parts. These could not be chance combination of parts, but they are a complex assemblage of parts. e.g. the flagellum cell operates at 100,000 rpm's. It is the most efficient machine in the universe. It has two gears, forward and back. It has sensory mechanisms to gain feedback from its environment. It uses a flow of acid from outside the cell to motor the propeller. It has a water coolant, proton motor, stater, rotor u-joint, drive shaft. Altogether there are 40 parts need to build a flagella motor. And it has constructor proteins that build all these parts.
2. Irreducible Complexity- If you remove just one part of that system, the system ceases to function or exist. Like a mouse trap, if you take out even one of it's parts it will never work.
Charles Darwin admitted the failure of his own theory when he said: "If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not have possibly been formed by numerous, successive slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down."
DAMAGING EVIDENCE FOR ATHEISTS
1) Negative evidence: amino acids are light years away from producing a living cell. Non-living chemicals cannot arrange themselves into a living cell.
2) The erroneous theory of the Cambrian explosion of life about 53 million years ago-in a sudden geological instant equivalent to about 2 minutes in a 24 hour period from the first single-celled organism about 3.8 billion years ago, a great explosion of life occurred accounting for most animal forms and body plans today. (The branching tree pattern of Darwin's theory is not seen anywhere in the fossil record unless we impose it with our own minds)
3) 600 scientists with P.H. D's from major universities have signed a document called "A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism" which says, "We are skeptical of the claims for random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination for Darwinian Theory should be encouraged."
4) Background microwave radiation-this remnant heat from the universe's early history helps us see the ancient Kalam Cosmological Argument, which says: a)whatever begins has a cause, b)the universe began to exist, therefore, c)the universe has a cause; which points to a transcendent reality beyond space and time.
Purpose of God:
Series of Clues- One of the purposes of God is for us to find Him. He has left behind a series of clues. We have to take our blinders off and take our suppositions and put them aside, and be willing to go where science shows us. And if we come to what might be an uncomfortable position.....the fact that there IS a Creator, then that is the way we should go and maybe it would not feel so uncomfortable after a while.
It is my belief in studying these videos that atheism and agnosticism would be a dwindling faith if people would take the time to examine the FACTS. I feel that quite frankly it takes more FAITH to be an atheist or agnostic than it does to be a believer in a Creator. Former atheist Lee Strobel found this to be true as well as all of the experts that were interviewed for these videos.
If you are reading this then you must be interested in the topic of intelligent design. Why not take 50 minutes out of your life and watch the 10 5 minute video clips I have posted on The Case for a Creator. You will be glad you did. I welcome your comments below and I thank you for reading Living a Spirit filled life.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
The Case for a Creator (Chapter 10 of 10)
Here is the final Chapter in the Case for a Creator video Series. Thank you for devoting 5 minutes a day to these videos. Stay tuned for my post where I will review these videos further.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The Case for a Creator (Chapter 9 of 10)
Day 9 of the Case for a Creator Videos. You are almost done! Only one more day to go. Enjoy!
The Case for a Creator (Chapter 8 of 10)
Thank you for continuing on with The Case for a Creator videos! Here is day 8.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
The Case for a Creator (Chapter 7 of 10)
Day 7 of the Take the 10 day challenge! Thank you for continuing on with The Case for a Creator videos.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
The Case for a Creator (Chapter 6 of 10)
Here is Day 6 of The Case for a Creator. Thank you for devoting 5 minutes a day to watching these videos.
Friday, February 8, 2013
The Case for a Creator (Chapter 5 of 10)
Thank you for continuing of with The Case for a Creator. Enjoy!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The Case for a Creator (Chapter 4 of 10)
Thank you for moving on to Day 4 of The Case for a Creator.
The Case for a Creator (Chapter 3 of 10)
Thank you for moving on to day 3 of The Case for a Creator!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The Case for a Creator (Chapter 2 of 10)
Thank you for taking the ten day challenge and moving on to day 2 of The Case for a Creator videos!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Ten day challenge!
I've decided to take a detour from examining the Bible, to share with you a series of videos from Lee Strobel. If you missed my last post which introduces Lee and where he shares his abbreviated testimony, I highly recommend you watch that first! I feel led to share this series of 10 short videos (less than 5 minutes each) over the next 10 days because I feel this is an area that affects our spirituality SO STRONGLY. That is the debate over evolution vs creationism.
My son is studying evolution this week in Biology and I have to say I'm so glad! Although our family firmly believes that God created the earth and every living thing on it, I think it is so important to know about what Darwin had to say as well. As I said before, I am a researcher. I encourage my children to be researchers as well. To simply believe something because it is what your biology book tells you to believe or because it is the predominant worldly view is once again having blind faith. For that matter I don't want my children to believe in creationism just because it is what I tell them to believe! They need to examine all the evidence for themselves. Therefore, in addition to studying evolution in his biology book I'm also having my son watch these videos as well. I challenge you to join my son over the next 10 days and watch these videos too!
I'm confident that after you do, you will realize that evolution is simply not possible. Lee Strobel does a much better job than I could ever do of explaining why creationism is truth....and here's the thing; once you believe it too, it literally will change your mind set when it comes to spiritual matters. Because if creationism is the truth...then there HAS to be a God that created the world and everything and everyone in it. Additionally a lot of what is discussed in these videos ties right in to my last post regarding examining the proof of science in the Bible. It's just another piece of the "spiritual puzzle".
If you are already a believer in creationism I also challenge you to watch these videos as it will increase your faith and give you powerful information to share with others.
So with that being said, I pray that you will take the 10 day challenge. Less than 5 minutes a day for the next 10 days to watch these series of videos on The Case for a Creator hosted by Lee Strobel. It just might change your mind.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Lee Strobel's Testimony
As I continue to examine spirituality in my blog, I will be occasionally sharing short video clips from Lee Strobel. Mr. Strobel is a former investigative journalist with the Chicago Tribune. A former atheist, he went on a quest to disprove Christianity. After over a year and 9 months of research he found that he could not disprove it and became a believer.
Mr. Strobel has written many books including "The Case for Christ", "The Case for Creation", and many more. In this short 2-3 minute video Mr. Strobel shares a portion of his testimony.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Examining the Bible: The Proof of Science
Although the Bible is not a science book, it is scientifically accurate. Some scientists would not agree that the Bible is correct--but none can prove the Bible wrong. And there are many, many scientists who acknowledge that the Bible IS scientifically correct. As I said in an earlier post, the majority of people who attempt to disprove the Bible simply can not, therefore they become believers.
Striking evidence of divine inspiration is found in the fact that many principles of modern science were recorded as facts of nature in the Bible long before scientists confirmed them experimentally. Below I will list statements that are consistent with known scientific facts. Many of them were listed in the Bible hundreds or even thousands of years before being recorded elsewhere. Man has taken many centuries to discover many things the Bible stated thousands of years ago. Where did the writers of the Bible get their information--if not from God?
Statements Consistent with Paleontology
*Dinosaurs are referred to in several books in the Bible. The book of Job describes two dinosaurs. One is described in chapter 40 starting at verse 15, and the other in chapter 41 starting at verse 1. I think you will agree that 1 1/2 chapters about dinosaurs is a lot-since most people do not even realize that they are mentioned in the Bible! In fact I will be discussing dinosaurs in more detail in a future post.
Statements Consistent with Astronomy
The Bible frequently refers to the great number of stars in the heavens. Here are two examples.
Genesis 22:17
"Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies."
Jeremiah 33:22
"As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and Levites who minister to Me."
Even today, scientists admit they do not know how many stars there are. Only about 3,000 can be seen with the naked eye. However estimates reveal that there are so many stars that they simply can not be numbered.
*The Bible also says that each star is unique.
1 Corinthians 15:41
There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the star; for one star differs from another star in glory.
All stars look alike to the naked eye. Even when seen though a telescope, they seem to be just points of light. However, analysis of their light spectra reveals that each is unique and different from all others.
*The Bible describes the precision of movement in the universe.
Jeremiah 31:35,36
Thus says the LORD,
Who gives the sun for a light by day,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs the sea,
And its waves roar
(The LORD of hosts is His name):
"If those ordinances depart
From before Me, says the LORD,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease
From being a nation before Me forever."
*The Bible describes the suspension of the Earth in space.
Job 26:7
He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing
Statements Consistent with Meteorology
*The Bible describes the circulation of the atmosphere.
Ecclesiastes 1:6
The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And cones again on its circuit.
*The Bible includes some principles of fluid dynamics.
Job 28:25
To establish a weight for the wind,
And apportion the waters by measure.
The fact that air has weight was proven scientifically only about 300 years ago. The relative weights of air and water are needed for the efficient functioning of the world's hydrological cycle, which in turn sustains life on the earth.
Statements Consistent With Biology
*The book of Leviticus (written prior to 1400 BC) describes the value of blood.
Leviticus 17:11
"For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul."
The blood carries water and nourishment to every cell, maintains the body's temperature, and removes the waste material of the body's cells. The blood also carries oxygen from the lungs throughout the body. In 1616, William Harvey discovered that blood circulation is the key factor in physical life-confirming what the Bible revealed 3,000 years earlier.
*The Bible describes biogenesis (the development of living organisms from other living organisms) and the stability of each kind of living organism.
Genesis 1:21
So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to it's kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:25
And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
The phrase "according to its kind" occurs repeatedly, stressing the reproductive integrity of each kind of animal and plant. Today we know this occurs because all of these reproductive systems are programmed by their genetic codes.
Statement Consistent with Anthropology
*We have cave paintings and other evidence that people inhabited caves. The Bible also describes cave men.
Job 30:5,6
They were driven out from among men,
They shouted at them as at a thief,
They had to live in the clefts of the valleys,
In caves of the earth and the rocks.
Note that these were not "ape-men", but descendants of those who scattered from Babel. They were driven from the commune by those tribes who competed successfully for the more desirable regions of the earth.
Other statements to examine are:
Statements Consistent with Hydrology: The Bible includes reasonably complete descriptions of the hydrological cycle, condensation with electrical discharges and precipitation. Psalm 135:7 and Jeremiah 10:33. In these verses you can see several phases of the hydrological cycle-the worldwide processes of evaporation, translation aloft by atmospheric circulation.
Statements that describe the recirculation of water are found in Ecclesiastes 1:7 and Isaiah 55:10. Furthermore the Bible refers to the surprising amount of water that can be held as condensation in clouds in Job 26:28 and Job 37:11. Hydrothermal vents are described in two books of the Bible written before 1400BC-more than 3,000 years before their discovery by science.
Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the window of heaven were opened.
Job 38:16
Have you entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
I will discuss the "Fountains of the great deep" and hydrothermal vents further in a future post about Creation Versus Evolution.
I literally could write another 5-6 pages on all of scientific evidence found in the Bible. However I will conclude by providing these additional principles of modern science which where recorded as facts of nature in the Bible long before scientists confirmed them experimentally.
*Roundness of the earth (Isaiah 40:22)
*Almost infinite extent of the sidereal universe (Isaiah 55:9)
*Law of conservation of mass and energy ( 11Peter 3:7)
*Law of increasing entropy (Psalm 102:25-27)
If you do not own a Bible you can easily pull up any of these Bible verses on one of the many free on line Bible sites.
At this point in my posts in which I have examined the Bible, we have covered the proof of prophecy and the proof of science. Stay tuned for my next post where I will discuss the unique historical accuracy of the scriptures and point out many archaeological confirmations.
Thank you for taking this journey with me as I examine the truths of the Bible. I hope that you are beginning to see what I saw 12 years ago when I began to research the truths of the Bible. It truly IS the inspired word of God and it has immeasurable value for your life. I hope you are realizing now that the contents of Scripture can
be verified, not only by the discoveries of modern science that I just discussed but additionally by the facts of history and archaeology which I will discuss in my next post.
Thank you for reading Living a Spirit Filled Life and may God bless you!
---------------------------------
References:
-The DEFENDER'S Study Bible, Word Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan (1995)
-The Number of Stars
-The hydrologic Cycle
-Submarine Volcanic Ecosystems (An article on hydrothermal vents)
-All Bible passages were taken from the New King James Version
Striking evidence of divine inspiration is found in the fact that many principles of modern science were recorded as facts of nature in the Bible long before scientists confirmed them experimentally. Below I will list statements that are consistent with known scientific facts. Many of them were listed in the Bible hundreds or even thousands of years before being recorded elsewhere. Man has taken many centuries to discover many things the Bible stated thousands of years ago. Where did the writers of the Bible get their information--if not from God?
Statements Consistent with Paleontology
*Dinosaurs are referred to in several books in the Bible. The book of Job describes two dinosaurs. One is described in chapter 40 starting at verse 15, and the other in chapter 41 starting at verse 1. I think you will agree that 1 1/2 chapters about dinosaurs is a lot-since most people do not even realize that they are mentioned in the Bible! In fact I will be discussing dinosaurs in more detail in a future post.
Statements Consistent with Astronomy
The Bible frequently refers to the great number of stars in the heavens. Here are two examples.
Genesis 22:17
"Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies."
Jeremiah 33:22
"As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and Levites who minister to Me."
Even today, scientists admit they do not know how many stars there are. Only about 3,000 can be seen with the naked eye. However estimates reveal that there are so many stars that they simply can not be numbered.
*The Bible also says that each star is unique.
1 Corinthians 15:41
There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the star; for one star differs from another star in glory.
All stars look alike to the naked eye. Even when seen though a telescope, they seem to be just points of light. However, analysis of their light spectra reveals that each is unique and different from all others.
*The Bible describes the precision of movement in the universe.
Jeremiah 31:35,36
Thus says the LORD,
Who gives the sun for a light by day,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs the sea,
And its waves roar
(The LORD of hosts is His name):
"If those ordinances depart
From before Me, says the LORD,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease
From being a nation before Me forever."
*The Bible describes the suspension of the Earth in space.
Job 26:7
He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing
Statements Consistent with Meteorology
*The Bible describes the circulation of the atmosphere.
Ecclesiastes 1:6
The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And cones again on its circuit.
*The Bible includes some principles of fluid dynamics.
Job 28:25
To establish a weight for the wind,
And apportion the waters by measure.
The fact that air has weight was proven scientifically only about 300 years ago. The relative weights of air and water are needed for the efficient functioning of the world's hydrological cycle, which in turn sustains life on the earth.
Statements Consistent With Biology
*The book of Leviticus (written prior to 1400 BC) describes the value of blood.
Leviticus 17:11
"For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul."
The blood carries water and nourishment to every cell, maintains the body's temperature, and removes the waste material of the body's cells. The blood also carries oxygen from the lungs throughout the body. In 1616, William Harvey discovered that blood circulation is the key factor in physical life-confirming what the Bible revealed 3,000 years earlier.
*The Bible describes biogenesis (the development of living organisms from other living organisms) and the stability of each kind of living organism.
Genesis 1:21
So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to it's kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:25
And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
The phrase "according to its kind" occurs repeatedly, stressing the reproductive integrity of each kind of animal and plant. Today we know this occurs because all of these reproductive systems are programmed by their genetic codes.
Statement Consistent with Anthropology
*We have cave paintings and other evidence that people inhabited caves. The Bible also describes cave men.
Job 30:5,6
They were driven out from among men,
They shouted at them as at a thief,
They had to live in the clefts of the valleys,
In caves of the earth and the rocks.
Note that these were not "ape-men", but descendants of those who scattered from Babel. They were driven from the commune by those tribes who competed successfully for the more desirable regions of the earth.
Other statements to examine are:
Statements Consistent with Hydrology: The Bible includes reasonably complete descriptions of the hydrological cycle, condensation with electrical discharges and precipitation. Psalm 135:7 and Jeremiah 10:33. In these verses you can see several phases of the hydrological cycle-the worldwide processes of evaporation, translation aloft by atmospheric circulation.
Statements that describe the recirculation of water are found in Ecclesiastes 1:7 and Isaiah 55:10. Furthermore the Bible refers to the surprising amount of water that can be held as condensation in clouds in Job 26:28 and Job 37:11. Hydrothermal vents are described in two books of the Bible written before 1400BC-more than 3,000 years before their discovery by science.
Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the window of heaven were opened.
Job 38:16
Have you entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
I will discuss the "Fountains of the great deep" and hydrothermal vents further in a future post about Creation Versus Evolution.
I literally could write another 5-6 pages on all of scientific evidence found in the Bible. However I will conclude by providing these additional principles of modern science which where recorded as facts of nature in the Bible long before scientists confirmed them experimentally.
*Roundness of the earth (Isaiah 40:22)
*Almost infinite extent of the sidereal universe (Isaiah 55:9)
*Law of conservation of mass and energy ( 11Peter 3:7)
*Law of increasing entropy (Psalm 102:25-27)
If you do not own a Bible you can easily pull up any of these Bible verses on one of the many free on line Bible sites.
At this point in my posts in which I have examined the Bible, we have covered the proof of prophecy and the proof of science. Stay tuned for my next post where I will discuss the unique historical accuracy of the scriptures and point out many archaeological confirmations.
Thank you for taking this journey with me as I examine the truths of the Bible. I hope that you are beginning to see what I saw 12 years ago when I began to research the truths of the Bible. It truly IS the inspired word of God and it has immeasurable value for your life. I hope you are realizing now that the contents of Scripture can
be verified, not only by the discoveries of modern science that I just discussed but additionally by the facts of history and archaeology which I will discuss in my next post.
Thank you for reading Living a Spirit Filled Life and may God bless you!
---------------------------------
References:
-The DEFENDER'S Study Bible, Word Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan (1995)
-The Number of Stars
-The hydrologic Cycle
-Submarine Volcanic Ecosystems (An article on hydrothermal vents)
-All Bible passages were taken from the New King James Version
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Examining the Bible: The Proof of Prophecy
The Bible is the only written revelation of God to man. In the Bible we find out what God wants mankind to know about Himself and His Plan. No one has ever successfully refuted the Bible. Many mock the Bible but avoid challenging it point by point. No one who has done in-depth research, honestly examining the evidence for the Bible's inspiration and truthfulness, has been able to disprove the Bible. In fact, history records many who set out to disprove the Bible, who instead became believers.
The Bible is composed of 66 books, by about 40 different writers of various backgrounds, living during a period of about 1,600 years-yet they present ONE message. Such a miracle can only be explained by there being ONE author, who was in control of all these human writers.
The Bible was written in three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
One of the strongest arguments for the accuracy of the Bible is its 100% accuracy in predicting the future. These future predictions are called "prophecies." The Old Testament was written between approximately 1450 BC and 430 BC. During that time, many predictions of the future were recorded in the Bible by God's prophets. Of the events that were to have taken place by now, every one happened just the way they predicted it would. No other "sacred writing" has such perfectly accurate predictions of the future. Could man, especially dozens of men, writing in different countries and different times, foretell the future so accurately? Never! Only God could do such a tremendous thing.
No one but God could reveal the future in such detail, often hundreds of years before the events occurred. Not only the future of cities, nations and the world, but also concerning the future birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ.
For example, the truth of 2 Peter 1:20-21 can not be denied. "Above all, you just realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God"
Just consider, for example, this powerful report:
He was despised and rejected-
a man of sorrows, acquainted with
deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were
punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God's paths to follow
our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
Would you like to venture a guess about who is being discussed? It's pretty clear is it not? It's a description, with detailed accuracy, of the suffering and crucifixion of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. What is remarkable is not so much the accuracy of the account, but the DATE when it was written: these words were written by the Jewish prophet Isaiah (in Isaiah 53:3-6) more than seven hundred years before the life and death of Jesus. Even more revealing is that he had predicted that Christ would be "pierced for our rebellion" centuries before crucifixion as a method of execution had been invented. Furthermore, in the last three verses of that chapter he even foreshadows the resurrection of Jesus. Read the passage for yourself! It's like a historical account-written in advance.
The above evidence of fulfilled prophecy is just one case in point. Hundreds of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled, specifically and meticulously, often long after the prophetic writer had passed away. Another example comes from Daniel who predicted in about 538 BC (Daniel 9:24-27) that Christ would come as Israel's promised Savior and Prince 483 years after the Persian emperor would give the Jews authority to rebuild Jerusalem, which was then in ruins. This was clearly and definitely fulfilled, hundreds of years later.
More prophecies that were given in the Bible regarding Jesus' First Coming were all fulfilled to the letter. Below are a few of the prophecies written in The Old Testament hundreds of years before Jesus' birth. The fulfillment came in the New Testament when the events actually happened.
1. He would be born of a virgin (prophecy, Isaiah 7:14)
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit" (fulfillment, Matthew 1:20)
2. He would be born in Bethlehem (prophecy, Micah 5:2)
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem (fulfillment, Luke 2:4)
3. He would be crucified (prophecy, Psalm 22;fulfillment can be found by reading Mathew 27 and in parallel Gospel passages)
In all, there were over 100 prophecies made about the First Coming of Jesus Christ. All were literally fulfilled. This gives us confidence that the more than 300 prophecies in the Bible related to His Second Coming will also come to pass exactly as predicted. These are just the prophecies related to Christ himself, there are actually about 1000 prophecies in the Bible as a whole, approximately 500 of which have already been fulfilled. Many are related to historic events in Bible times.
God's nature as a God of truth, plus His faithfulness in bringing Bible Prophecy to pass, give us confidence that future prophecies will also be fulfilled. This should give us added assurance that the Word of God is a trustworthy document on which to base our salvation, our relationship with God, and all other aspects of living our lives in the light of His presence.
Consider this: If everything that was prophesied thousands of years ago that was supposed to come true by now has...doesn't that at least slightly concern you that the rest of what is prophesied for the future MIGHT COME TRUE TOO??? Are you ready for those things to happen? Do you even know what they are and what they might mean for yourself on earth AND in the after life? If you are reading this I'm guessing you are at least wondering about now. The answers lie in the Bible. I hope that you will continue to read this blog as I continue to examine the Bible.
coming soon: Examining the Bible: The Proof of Archeology and Science
The Bible is composed of 66 books, by about 40 different writers of various backgrounds, living during a period of about 1,600 years-yet they present ONE message. Such a miracle can only be explained by there being ONE author, who was in control of all these human writers.
The Bible was written in three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
One of the strongest arguments for the accuracy of the Bible is its 100% accuracy in predicting the future. These future predictions are called "prophecies." The Old Testament was written between approximately 1450 BC and 430 BC. During that time, many predictions of the future were recorded in the Bible by God's prophets. Of the events that were to have taken place by now, every one happened just the way they predicted it would. No other "sacred writing" has such perfectly accurate predictions of the future. Could man, especially dozens of men, writing in different countries and different times, foretell the future so accurately? Never! Only God could do such a tremendous thing.
No one but God could reveal the future in such detail, often hundreds of years before the events occurred. Not only the future of cities, nations and the world, but also concerning the future birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ.
For example, the truth of 2 Peter 1:20-21 can not be denied. "Above all, you just realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God"
Just consider, for example, this powerful report:
He was despised and rejected-
a man of sorrows, acquainted with
deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were
punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God's paths to follow
our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
Would you like to venture a guess about who is being discussed? It's pretty clear is it not? It's a description, with detailed accuracy, of the suffering and crucifixion of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. What is remarkable is not so much the accuracy of the account, but the DATE when it was written: these words were written by the Jewish prophet Isaiah (in Isaiah 53:3-6) more than seven hundred years before the life and death of Jesus. Even more revealing is that he had predicted that Christ would be "pierced for our rebellion" centuries before crucifixion as a method of execution had been invented. Furthermore, in the last three verses of that chapter he even foreshadows the resurrection of Jesus. Read the passage for yourself! It's like a historical account-written in advance.
The above evidence of fulfilled prophecy is just one case in point. Hundreds of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled, specifically and meticulously, often long after the prophetic writer had passed away. Another example comes from Daniel who predicted in about 538 BC (Daniel 9:24-27) that Christ would come as Israel's promised Savior and Prince 483 years after the Persian emperor would give the Jews authority to rebuild Jerusalem, which was then in ruins. This was clearly and definitely fulfilled, hundreds of years later.
More prophecies that were given in the Bible regarding Jesus' First Coming were all fulfilled to the letter. Below are a few of the prophecies written in The Old Testament hundreds of years before Jesus' birth. The fulfillment came in the New Testament when the events actually happened.
1. He would be born of a virgin (prophecy, Isaiah 7:14)
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit" (fulfillment, Matthew 1:20)
2. He would be born in Bethlehem (prophecy, Micah 5:2)
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem (fulfillment, Luke 2:4)
3. He would be crucified (prophecy, Psalm 22;fulfillment can be found by reading Mathew 27 and in parallel Gospel passages)
In all, there were over 100 prophecies made about the First Coming of Jesus Christ. All were literally fulfilled. This gives us confidence that the more than 300 prophecies in the Bible related to His Second Coming will also come to pass exactly as predicted. These are just the prophecies related to Christ himself, there are actually about 1000 prophecies in the Bible as a whole, approximately 500 of which have already been fulfilled. Many are related to historic events in Bible times.
God's nature as a God of truth, plus His faithfulness in bringing Bible Prophecy to pass, give us confidence that future prophecies will also be fulfilled. This should give us added assurance that the Word of God is a trustworthy document on which to base our salvation, our relationship with God, and all other aspects of living our lives in the light of His presence.
Consider this: If everything that was prophesied thousands of years ago that was supposed to come true by now has...doesn't that at least slightly concern you that the rest of what is prophesied for the future MIGHT COME TRUE TOO??? Are you ready for those things to happen? Do you even know what they are and what they might mean for yourself on earth AND in the after life? If you are reading this I'm guessing you are at least wondering about now. The answers lie in the Bible. I hope that you will continue to read this blog as I continue to examine the Bible.
coming soon: Examining the Bible: The Proof of Archeology and Science
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Examining the Bible: What do YOU believe about the Bible?
Can the Bible be trusted? Is it just a collection of legends and stories, or is it the inspired word of God? Many people today assume that modern way of thinking has discredited the Bible, but the facts of history, and the discoveries of archaeology, confirm its contents to be true! The Bible recounts the past with amazing accuracy, and it predicts the future like no other book. Most of the world has been misled and misinformed about the Bible.
As I discussed in my previous post, I spent my two first years of college as a Journalism major. I was a reporter for my college newspaper. Every good journalist is a researcher. You can't report about something that "might" be true. You certainly can not hope your "hunch" is correct when reporting a news story! This journalism training as well as my own natural tendency to be a skeptic, made my seeking my spiritual path that much more difficult. There was simply no way I was ever going to put my trust in a religion or spiritual movement that had no proof source. If this was something I was going to devote my life to and teach my children about, it had to be 100% accurate and I needed proof.
Therefore the focus of this post is the proof supporting the accuracy of the Bible. After all, if the Bible is not true or it is filled with errors, Christianity would only be a "blind faith", something people believe without any evidence to support it. Christianity is NOT a blind faith. In fact it is the ONLY religion that can prove itself, and a main source of that proof is the Bible. The existence of all this evidence is one reason why I started this blog. In the year I was almost completely bed ridden before and after back surgery and in the 12 years since I have never found another religion or spiritual movement that can prove itself. In fact I'm constantly amazed to see how people can put all of their trust and blind faith into something that has no evidence to back up what it claims.
What do YOU believe about the Bible? Is it really the inspired word of God? Was it accurately preserved for thousands of years as a unique revelation from the Creator of the universe? Or is it just a collection of humanly devised myths and fables? Do we even have the right books in the Bible, or are important sources missing that would change our view of God, Jesus Christ and Christianity? Can we trust Scripture? Is the Bible vital and relevant today?
Today, many educated people assume that science and modern thoughts and concepts have thoroughly discredited the Bible. The assumption thrives because so many know so little about the Bible. Many people today are simply unaware of discoveries that continue to confirm the historical accuracy of Scripture. Instead, people are encouraged to believe that all religions are equally credible, without comparing the source books of those religions. As a result, millions are unaware of how the Bible is unique, and what amazing features distinguish it from all other religious books.
Before you accept the idea that the Bible is "just like any other book", or that it has no relevance for you, you need to examine the evidence for yourself. That evidence is eye-opening and you need to understand why so many today doubt the Bible's credibility, and what the truth about the Bible can mean to your future.
Because I feel that the Bible is so important to my faith and is in fact the proof source of what I believe, it will be the first and foremost piece of the Christian puzzle that I will write about and I will be spending several posts on this topic. My prayer is that if you are a believer, you will be blessed to learn about the solid evidence that supports your faith, and can share it with others. If you are spiritually seeking, or already believe in another religion, spiritual movement or are agnostic or even atheist...than I challenge you to at least read the series of posts with an open mind and heart. I am very confident that your eyes will be open to the Bible like never before.
The contents of Scripture can be verified by the facts of history and the discoveries of modern science and archaeology. Additionally the Bible provides the answers to life's big questions. Not only do the hundreds of detailed Bible prophesies accurately reveal the future course of world events, they set the Bible apart from all other religious books. The Bible provides a dimension of knowledge that is simply not available from any other source.
With so much evidence available, the real question that we face today is simply whether or not we can believe the Bible. As you read my series of posts on this topic, you will see that the answer is, "Yes, we can!"
return soon for: Examining the Bible: The Proof of Prophecy
As I discussed in my previous post, I spent my two first years of college as a Journalism major. I was a reporter for my college newspaper. Every good journalist is a researcher. You can't report about something that "might" be true. You certainly can not hope your "hunch" is correct when reporting a news story! This journalism training as well as my own natural tendency to be a skeptic, made my seeking my spiritual path that much more difficult. There was simply no way I was ever going to put my trust in a religion or spiritual movement that had no proof source. If this was something I was going to devote my life to and teach my children about, it had to be 100% accurate and I needed proof.
Therefore the focus of this post is the proof supporting the accuracy of the Bible. After all, if the Bible is not true or it is filled with errors, Christianity would only be a "blind faith", something people believe without any evidence to support it. Christianity is NOT a blind faith. In fact it is the ONLY religion that can prove itself, and a main source of that proof is the Bible. The existence of all this evidence is one reason why I started this blog. In the year I was almost completely bed ridden before and after back surgery and in the 12 years since I have never found another religion or spiritual movement that can prove itself. In fact I'm constantly amazed to see how people can put all of their trust and blind faith into something that has no evidence to back up what it claims.
What do YOU believe about the Bible? Is it really the inspired word of God? Was it accurately preserved for thousands of years as a unique revelation from the Creator of the universe? Or is it just a collection of humanly devised myths and fables? Do we even have the right books in the Bible, or are important sources missing that would change our view of God, Jesus Christ and Christianity? Can we trust Scripture? Is the Bible vital and relevant today?
Today, many educated people assume that science and modern thoughts and concepts have thoroughly discredited the Bible. The assumption thrives because so many know so little about the Bible. Many people today are simply unaware of discoveries that continue to confirm the historical accuracy of Scripture. Instead, people are encouraged to believe that all religions are equally credible, without comparing the source books of those religions. As a result, millions are unaware of how the Bible is unique, and what amazing features distinguish it from all other religious books.
Before you accept the idea that the Bible is "just like any other book", or that it has no relevance for you, you need to examine the evidence for yourself. That evidence is eye-opening and you need to understand why so many today doubt the Bible's credibility, and what the truth about the Bible can mean to your future.
Because I feel that the Bible is so important to my faith and is in fact the proof source of what I believe, it will be the first and foremost piece of the Christian puzzle that I will write about and I will be spending several posts on this topic. My prayer is that if you are a believer, you will be blessed to learn about the solid evidence that supports your faith, and can share it with others. If you are spiritually seeking, or already believe in another religion, spiritual movement or are agnostic or even atheist...than I challenge you to at least read the series of posts with an open mind and heart. I am very confident that your eyes will be open to the Bible like never before.
The contents of Scripture can be verified by the facts of history and the discoveries of modern science and archaeology. Additionally the Bible provides the answers to life's big questions. Not only do the hundreds of detailed Bible prophesies accurately reveal the future course of world events, they set the Bible apart from all other religious books. The Bible provides a dimension of knowledge that is simply not available from any other source.
With so much evidence available, the real question that we face today is simply whether or not we can believe the Bible. As you read my series of posts on this topic, you will see that the answer is, "Yes, we can!"
return soon for: Examining the Bible: The Proof of Prophecy
Sunday, January 20, 2013
My testimony of faith
Before I dive into everything I am excited to share about my faith in this blog, I think it is important to share how I came to believe in the things I do.
I became a Christian 12 years ago. It happened shortly before I had a very serious back surgery and I had been in chronic, life altering pain for over a year. Prior to that I had some exposure to God and church, but mostly I would say I was agnostic. I did not subscribe to any religion. I believed there was a "God" which to me was a "higher source" or "power" that I mostly misunderstood and knew nothing about. I also believed in mostly metaphysical or New Age ideas including that we create our own reality through projecting positive thoughts and feelings out to the universe. I did not believe in concepts like sin, heaven, hell or Satan. I also believed in reincarnation and believed I had lived several prior lives. I never read the Bible, knew nothing about Jesus nor did I care to. Then, suddenly in my early thirties I suddenly found myself surrounded by Christians. At work, in my neighborhood and just about every where I turned it seemed I was in the presence of what I then referred to as "one of those annoying Christians"
I was always annoyed when anyone tried to talk to me about their Christian faith. I was invited to church many times and had several people witness to me....but I was just simply NOT interested. I felt confident in the fact that I was in control of my destiny and I had absolutely no need for religion. Looking back I realize that is how I saw anything having to do with God or Jesus. I saw it as a religion.....and THAT was a turn off. Both my husband's parents and my parents had experienced bad experiences with going to church. My husband and I both looked at the idea of church and religion as something that we were just not interested in.
Then around the time my children were 2 and 7 something in me changed. I can't explain it really other then to say that I felt like something was just MISSING from my life. God continued to send Christians into my life and suddenly these people did not seem as annoying anymore. In fact one of my co-workers Carol and another friend and neighbor Carrie, were Christians and they just seemed so happy and so fulfilled. It wasn't that I wasn't happy and fulfilled myself...to the outside world I had everything. A loving husband, two beautiful children, a beautiful home to live in, an exciting career....but still I felt this VOID. So when I was invited to church with both of these friends I decided to give it a try. My husband agreed to come along so we went to two different churches and even joined a small couples group. Suddenly my mind became very interested in what I was learning about. I was still very skeptical, but I was willing to keep an open mind and learn. At this time Kevin suggested that we try going to the Catholic Church as that was his background. I agreed we should try it. So for a year we went to Sunday masses and went through a series of classes on Catholicism called RCIA. Part of me loved the Catholic church...but another part of me was bored there. I found the Sunday masses boring, and mostly after a year there I was more confused then ever. I didn't know who to pray to...God? Jesus? Mary? I learned how to pray the rosary and went to confession. All of it seemed very ritualistic and confusing to me. However I thought, well if this is what I need to do to get to fill my spiritual void...then so be it. I thought to myself...the more I go to mass, the more I pray the rosary...the more the void will be filled. We had the kids baptized in the Catholic church, my daughter and I received our first communion and I was confirmed. I remember coming home from church with our certificates that afternoon and STILL feeling a void, I still felt like something was missing. After a few more months of attending the Catholic church Kevin and I realized it was not for us and we stopped going.
After that I spent a couple of years just drifting along continuing to feel like I was in a spiritual void. I just pushed the whole idea of God and Jesus aside and threw myself into my career in Pharmaceutical Sales and parenting my children.Then one day in 2001 my life changed in an instant. One evening after work I was busy doing house work and came around the corner from the hall in our home upstairs. I had a laundry basket in my arms that was piled very high with laundry. I was in a hurry and wasn't paying close enough attention to the fact that I was about to step onto the first step of the staircase. I lost my footing and before I knew it I had lost my balance and was sliding down the stairs on my rear end. I fell down very quickly and my tail bone was bumping along each stair as I went. I was powerless to stop the fall and ended up landing very abruptly onto the tile below. I landed with a thump on my tail bone first and then my body twisted and my lower back made a very distinctive cracking noise I will never forget. I had fallen down a very steep flight of stars in an instant and I found myself seriously hurt and crumbled on the tile below.
That day was the last day of my Pharmaceutical Career. I had herniated a disk in my lumbar spine (L5-S1), seriously bruised my tailbone and dislocated my left sacroiliac joint. My very busy and active life as a working Mom was no more. I lived with non stop excruciating pain for months on end. I was on large amounts of narcotics to just take the edge off of the pain. I endured several cortisone injections in my low back, tail bone and sacroiliac joint. I tried physical therapy. Nothing worked and in fact I just kept getting worse and worse. A typical day for me was to do nothing more than lie in bed or the couch and only get up to use the rest room. I was unable to sit as the pain was so unbearable every time I tried. I ended up falling into a deep clinical depression. My Mother n Law was an incredible support to us and helped our family during this difficult time. She cooked meals, she took me to all of my Dr apts., she cleaned and did laundry. She helped the kids with their homework. Honestly if it would not have been for her help I don't know what we would have done.
I also had 3 neighbors that came over and brought meals. Two of these neighbors were Christians and one was Mormon. One of the Christian neighbors brought her Bible over to my house and would sit and read scripture to me. She prayed for me and shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with me. This was the first time in my life that I learned the whole story, the true gospel of Jesus. The other Christian neighbor left a book for me by Stormy O'Martian called "The power of a praying women" Those neighbors and that single book is what finally began to fill the spiritual void inside. Several more months went by with me being almost completely bed ridden. I filled those long days lying there in pain reading. I read over 40 books on Christianity and purchased my first Bible and started completing Bible study work books. In addition to the books I read on Christianity I also researched other religions. I spent my first two years of college as a Journalism major and I was a reporter for the school newspaper. I knew the importance of research to find the truth. I had nothing but time on my hands as I was literally bed ridden for a year. So I poured all of my time into researching and looking for my spiritual truth. I knew the void in my life had to be filled and I was desperate for something, anything to fill that void. After extensively researching Mormonism, further research into Catholicism, and really examining the New Age movement... as well as examining several other religions; what I found was 100% proof without a single doubt that Jesus was the true son of God and that the Bible was a 100% accurate, infallible, living and breathing word of God. I came to believe that God created the universe and the earth and that he created me. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and invited the holy spirit into my life. Once and for all...the void was gone. I was saved. There is more to my story but I will stop here and save the rest for another post. I WILL say that I am 100% sure that my fall down the stairs was not an accident. I believe that God stopped me in my tracks to get my attention. He knew my nature, which was to push Him and the spiritual hole inside aside. He knew that if He put me in bed for a year with nothing to do but read, research and pray; that He would finally get my atttention. I'm happy to say that twelve years later my back is much better and I am absolutely glad that God pursued me, even to the point of causing a health crisis to get my attention.
I know to some of you what I have just described may seem way "out there" or very strange and confusing. I know that, because I was once in that position. I looked at anyone that would tell me they were "saved" or were a Christian as very odd and none of it ever made sense to me. So that is why, I feel God has asked me to write this blog. To hopefully help anyone who is in the same position I was the first thirty odd years of my life. Feeling a void. Feeling confused about ideas like God or Jesus. If you are that person, if you ask yourself what would happen to you if you died today...where would you go, would you just perish? Would you be reincarnated into another person? Would you go to heaven...to hell? If you do not have the answers to these questions or if you are not 100% sure that what you believe in is true....then I ask you to become a reader of this blog. This blog is also for fellow believers. I plan on sharing many exciting topics that are relevant to today's Christian.
Maybe you will live to the ripe old age of eighty, ninety or even higher. Actuary tables say that these days your chances are fairly good. By most standards that would be a pretty long life span. But have you ever thought of that length of time against the backdrop of eternity? Try plotting those eighty years on a chart next to eternity and you'll soon realize that your entire earthly life in represented by a tiny dot that's barely visible next to what follows it. What if all your days here are mostly just preparation for the life that comes next--the REAL one? How would knowing that now affect your priorities and daily decisions?
Many people today spend all their time and energy on their bodies, which are only containers of our real self, the soul, which, according to Jesus and the writers of the Bible, will persist long after our bodies have turned to dust. When you think of it that way, it's easy to see that the soul has immeasurable value. A person's soul, my soul, your soul, according to Jesus, is incomparably more valuable than the entire world of possessions, pleasures, power and prestige.
In fact, Jesus...known for his ability to speak directly to the heart of the matter--asked in Mark 8:36-37; "And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?"
Maybe you aren't so sure about matters of the soul at this point in your life. Perhaps the whole realm of the spiritual seems unreal or unimportant to you, or like something you'd rather not think about until later...like when you get closer to that seemingly distant age of eighty or ninety.
May I encourage you to think again, and at least to say, "Maybe"? Admit to yourself that if these things are true, then Jesus' point about the importance of the soul is valid-big time! Do you doubt that? Then at least be consistent enough as a skeptic to also doubt even your own doubts, and keep reading. As you come back each week and read this blog, keep saying to yourself, "Maybe God IS real"; "Maybe the Bible IS God's message to us", "Maybe Jesus truly WAS the Son of God", "Maybe I NEED what Jesus offers me", "Maybe God is speaking to ME." I'm hoping that you will be open minded enough to genuinely consider the possibilty that these things could be true.
In the upcoming posts I will write in this blog I will cover many of the following topics and many more:
Is there a God?
Can the Bible be trusted?
Are we accountable to God?
Who was Jesus and what was his purpose?
Is divine forgiveness available?
What do I need to do?
I'm assuming that these are some of the questions that most perplex those who think seriously about spritual matters, their own lives, and the future. I'd like to end this post with one last comment. If you have had a bad experience at a church or with a person who claimed to be a Christian but certainly did not act like one....please do not let those experiences keep you from God. I realize now that PEOPLE (yes even Christians) will fail you. However GOD NEVER FAILS.
Thank you for reading my testimony and for pondering the topics I have covered today. I'm so excited to share with you in what I know will be a very exciting journey. The journey of living a spirit filled life.
I became a Christian 12 years ago. It happened shortly before I had a very serious back surgery and I had been in chronic, life altering pain for over a year. Prior to that I had some exposure to God and church, but mostly I would say I was agnostic. I did not subscribe to any religion. I believed there was a "God" which to me was a "higher source" or "power" that I mostly misunderstood and knew nothing about. I also believed in mostly metaphysical or New Age ideas including that we create our own reality through projecting positive thoughts and feelings out to the universe. I did not believe in concepts like sin, heaven, hell or Satan. I also believed in reincarnation and believed I had lived several prior lives. I never read the Bible, knew nothing about Jesus nor did I care to. Then, suddenly in my early thirties I suddenly found myself surrounded by Christians. At work, in my neighborhood and just about every where I turned it seemed I was in the presence of what I then referred to as "one of those annoying Christians"
I was always annoyed when anyone tried to talk to me about their Christian faith. I was invited to church many times and had several people witness to me....but I was just simply NOT interested. I felt confident in the fact that I was in control of my destiny and I had absolutely no need for religion. Looking back I realize that is how I saw anything having to do with God or Jesus. I saw it as a religion.....and THAT was a turn off. Both my husband's parents and my parents had experienced bad experiences with going to church. My husband and I both looked at the idea of church and religion as something that we were just not interested in.
Then around the time my children were 2 and 7 something in me changed. I can't explain it really other then to say that I felt like something was just MISSING from my life. God continued to send Christians into my life and suddenly these people did not seem as annoying anymore. In fact one of my co-workers Carol and another friend and neighbor Carrie, were Christians and they just seemed so happy and so fulfilled. It wasn't that I wasn't happy and fulfilled myself...to the outside world I had everything. A loving husband, two beautiful children, a beautiful home to live in, an exciting career....but still I felt this VOID. So when I was invited to church with both of these friends I decided to give it a try. My husband agreed to come along so we went to two different churches and even joined a small couples group. Suddenly my mind became very interested in what I was learning about. I was still very skeptical, but I was willing to keep an open mind and learn. At this time Kevin suggested that we try going to the Catholic Church as that was his background. I agreed we should try it. So for a year we went to Sunday masses and went through a series of classes on Catholicism called RCIA. Part of me loved the Catholic church...but another part of me was bored there. I found the Sunday masses boring, and mostly after a year there I was more confused then ever. I didn't know who to pray to...God? Jesus? Mary? I learned how to pray the rosary and went to confession. All of it seemed very ritualistic and confusing to me. However I thought, well if this is what I need to do to get to fill my spiritual void...then so be it. I thought to myself...the more I go to mass, the more I pray the rosary...the more the void will be filled. We had the kids baptized in the Catholic church, my daughter and I received our first communion and I was confirmed. I remember coming home from church with our certificates that afternoon and STILL feeling a void, I still felt like something was missing. After a few more months of attending the Catholic church Kevin and I realized it was not for us and we stopped going.
After that I spent a couple of years just drifting along continuing to feel like I was in a spiritual void. I just pushed the whole idea of God and Jesus aside and threw myself into my career in Pharmaceutical Sales and parenting my children.Then one day in 2001 my life changed in an instant. One evening after work I was busy doing house work and came around the corner from the hall in our home upstairs. I had a laundry basket in my arms that was piled very high with laundry. I was in a hurry and wasn't paying close enough attention to the fact that I was about to step onto the first step of the staircase. I lost my footing and before I knew it I had lost my balance and was sliding down the stairs on my rear end. I fell down very quickly and my tail bone was bumping along each stair as I went. I was powerless to stop the fall and ended up landing very abruptly onto the tile below. I landed with a thump on my tail bone first and then my body twisted and my lower back made a very distinctive cracking noise I will never forget. I had fallen down a very steep flight of stars in an instant and I found myself seriously hurt and crumbled on the tile below.
That day was the last day of my Pharmaceutical Career. I had herniated a disk in my lumbar spine (L5-S1), seriously bruised my tailbone and dislocated my left sacroiliac joint. My very busy and active life as a working Mom was no more. I lived with non stop excruciating pain for months on end. I was on large amounts of narcotics to just take the edge off of the pain. I endured several cortisone injections in my low back, tail bone and sacroiliac joint. I tried physical therapy. Nothing worked and in fact I just kept getting worse and worse. A typical day for me was to do nothing more than lie in bed or the couch and only get up to use the rest room. I was unable to sit as the pain was so unbearable every time I tried. I ended up falling into a deep clinical depression. My Mother n Law was an incredible support to us and helped our family during this difficult time. She cooked meals, she took me to all of my Dr apts., she cleaned and did laundry. She helped the kids with their homework. Honestly if it would not have been for her help I don't know what we would have done.
I also had 3 neighbors that came over and brought meals. Two of these neighbors were Christians and one was Mormon. One of the Christian neighbors brought her Bible over to my house and would sit and read scripture to me. She prayed for me and shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with me. This was the first time in my life that I learned the whole story, the true gospel of Jesus. The other Christian neighbor left a book for me by Stormy O'Martian called "The power of a praying women" Those neighbors and that single book is what finally began to fill the spiritual void inside. Several more months went by with me being almost completely bed ridden. I filled those long days lying there in pain reading. I read over 40 books on Christianity and purchased my first Bible and started completing Bible study work books. In addition to the books I read on Christianity I also researched other religions. I spent my first two years of college as a Journalism major and I was a reporter for the school newspaper. I knew the importance of research to find the truth. I had nothing but time on my hands as I was literally bed ridden for a year. So I poured all of my time into researching and looking for my spiritual truth. I knew the void in my life had to be filled and I was desperate for something, anything to fill that void. After extensively researching Mormonism, further research into Catholicism, and really examining the New Age movement... as well as examining several other religions; what I found was 100% proof without a single doubt that Jesus was the true son of God and that the Bible was a 100% accurate, infallible, living and breathing word of God. I came to believe that God created the universe and the earth and that he created me. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and invited the holy spirit into my life. Once and for all...the void was gone. I was saved. There is more to my story but I will stop here and save the rest for another post. I WILL say that I am 100% sure that my fall down the stairs was not an accident. I believe that God stopped me in my tracks to get my attention. He knew my nature, which was to push Him and the spiritual hole inside aside. He knew that if He put me in bed for a year with nothing to do but read, research and pray; that He would finally get my atttention. I'm happy to say that twelve years later my back is much better and I am absolutely glad that God pursued me, even to the point of causing a health crisis to get my attention.
I know to some of you what I have just described may seem way "out there" or very strange and confusing. I know that, because I was once in that position. I looked at anyone that would tell me they were "saved" or were a Christian as very odd and none of it ever made sense to me. So that is why, I feel God has asked me to write this blog. To hopefully help anyone who is in the same position I was the first thirty odd years of my life. Feeling a void. Feeling confused about ideas like God or Jesus. If you are that person, if you ask yourself what would happen to you if you died today...where would you go, would you just perish? Would you be reincarnated into another person? Would you go to heaven...to hell? If you do not have the answers to these questions or if you are not 100% sure that what you believe in is true....then I ask you to become a reader of this blog. This blog is also for fellow believers. I plan on sharing many exciting topics that are relevant to today's Christian.
Maybe you will live to the ripe old age of eighty, ninety or even higher. Actuary tables say that these days your chances are fairly good. By most standards that would be a pretty long life span. But have you ever thought of that length of time against the backdrop of eternity? Try plotting those eighty years on a chart next to eternity and you'll soon realize that your entire earthly life in represented by a tiny dot that's barely visible next to what follows it. What if all your days here are mostly just preparation for the life that comes next--the REAL one? How would knowing that now affect your priorities and daily decisions?
Many people today spend all their time and energy on their bodies, which are only containers of our real self, the soul, which, according to Jesus and the writers of the Bible, will persist long after our bodies have turned to dust. When you think of it that way, it's easy to see that the soul has immeasurable value. A person's soul, my soul, your soul, according to Jesus, is incomparably more valuable than the entire world of possessions, pleasures, power and prestige.
In fact, Jesus...known for his ability to speak directly to the heart of the matter--asked in Mark 8:36-37; "And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?"
Maybe you aren't so sure about matters of the soul at this point in your life. Perhaps the whole realm of the spiritual seems unreal or unimportant to you, or like something you'd rather not think about until later...like when you get closer to that seemingly distant age of eighty or ninety.
May I encourage you to think again, and at least to say, "Maybe"? Admit to yourself that if these things are true, then Jesus' point about the importance of the soul is valid-big time! Do you doubt that? Then at least be consistent enough as a skeptic to also doubt even your own doubts, and keep reading. As you come back each week and read this blog, keep saying to yourself, "Maybe God IS real"; "Maybe the Bible IS God's message to us", "Maybe Jesus truly WAS the Son of God", "Maybe I NEED what Jesus offers me", "Maybe God is speaking to ME." I'm hoping that you will be open minded enough to genuinely consider the possibilty that these things could be true.
In the upcoming posts I will write in this blog I will cover many of the following topics and many more:
Is there a God?
Can the Bible be trusted?
Are we accountable to God?
Who was Jesus and what was his purpose?
Is divine forgiveness available?
What do I need to do?
I'm assuming that these are some of the questions that most perplex those who think seriously about spritual matters, their own lives, and the future. I'd like to end this post with one last comment. If you have had a bad experience at a church or with a person who claimed to be a Christian but certainly did not act like one....please do not let those experiences keep you from God. I realize now that PEOPLE (yes even Christians) will fail you. However GOD NEVER FAILS.
Thank you for reading my testimony and for pondering the topics I have covered today. I'm so excited to share with you in what I know will be a very exciting journey. The journey of living a spirit filled life.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Welcome to Living a Spirit Filled Life!
Welcome to my new blog! If you are reading this you are either, A. a reader of my other blog, Definitely Debi (www.definatelydebi.blogspot.com) or B. a new reader. Either way, I thank you for taking the time to check out my new blog. This blog was born out of what I can only describe as a "calling". I've felt God asking me for at least the past 6 months to start this blog and I've spent that time praying about and planning how I would fit this new venture into my already very busy schedule.
My goal is to write at least one post a week on this blog. Unlike my other blog "Definitely Debi" which focuses primarily on myself, my interests and my family; in this blog I will be writing about spiritual matters.
Before I begin however I want to share a quick disclosure. Anything I write about is 100% about my OWN personal beliefs and feelings about God and spiritual matters. We all have our own personal truth in life and this is mine. My hope is that other believers will enjoy what I have to share and that those who are either seeking or of another faith might find something interesting or beneficial for wherever they may be (or not be) in their own personal walks through spirituality. The number one thing I learned from my Mom is to always keep an open mind. It is because I have done that in my life that I have been open to researching many areas of spirtuality and continue to do so even after becoming a Christian 12 years ago. I will say that the more I research, the more convinced I become that Christianity is my spiritual truth.
On some occasions I will discuss religions and matters of faith/spirituality that are OTHER than my own. This in no way will ever be meant as an attack or criticism of these alternative religions or matters of faith/spirituality. If you read something that you do not agree with or believe in, I am open to constructive comments or concerns, but would appreciate it if you would not use the comments section of the blog to attack my post or my faith.
My hope is to leave the comments area "open" to be a place where readers can share their constructive and/or encouraging thoughts and comments. If however, it becomes a place for attacks or nasty criticisms I will have to close the comments area.
With all of that said.....once again, Welcome to Living a Spirit Filled Life!
My goal is to write at least one post a week on this blog. Unlike my other blog "Definitely Debi" which focuses primarily on myself, my interests and my family; in this blog I will be writing about spiritual matters.
Before I begin however I want to share a quick disclosure. Anything I write about is 100% about my OWN personal beliefs and feelings about God and spiritual matters. We all have our own personal truth in life and this is mine. My hope is that other believers will enjoy what I have to share and that those who are either seeking or of another faith might find something interesting or beneficial for wherever they may be (or not be) in their own personal walks through spirituality. The number one thing I learned from my Mom is to always keep an open mind. It is because I have done that in my life that I have been open to researching many areas of spirtuality and continue to do so even after becoming a Christian 12 years ago. I will say that the more I research, the more convinced I become that Christianity is my spiritual truth.
On some occasions I will discuss religions and matters of faith/spirituality that are OTHER than my own. This in no way will ever be meant as an attack or criticism of these alternative religions or matters of faith/spirituality. If you read something that you do not agree with or believe in, I am open to constructive comments or concerns, but would appreciate it if you would not use the comments section of the blog to attack my post or my faith.
My hope is to leave the comments area "open" to be a place where readers can share their constructive and/or encouraging thoughts and comments. If however, it becomes a place for attacks or nasty criticisms I will have to close the comments area.
With all of that said.....once again, Welcome to Living a Spirit Filled Life!
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