How Smart is Your Right Foot?

I always smile when someone says that they are the master of their own destiny. If we are in control of our destiny, surely we would be in control of our own body. Yet, the human body has a mind of its own. If you think that you are in control, then stop yourself blinking. You can’t. You are a slave to it, as well as a slave to sleeping, and daily bodily functions. Your liver, lungs, kidneys, heart and other vital organs work independently of your will. You can’t stop yourself dreaming, or thinking, because your subconscious has a mind of its own.

You can’t even outsmart your right foot, because God has pre-programmed your brain to do certain things that are totally independent of your will. Don’t believe it? Then try this. Sit down and lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction (if you are normal).

The Gay “Christian.”

People often ask how to respond to those who are homosexuals, and yet consider themselves to be Christians. While a fornicator, a homosexual, an adulterer, a thief, and liar can become a Christian, it is important to understand that they cannot remain in their sins. If someone does, he is simply a pretender (a hypocrite). To be a Christian, you must stop your sinful lifestyle, commonly called "repentance."

So, how do you tell someone that, without causing undue offense? I would witness to him using God’s Law (the Ten Commandments). I wouldn't mention the homosexual issue until he is humbled, and sin is seen in its true light. There's a very good reason for this. No proud person can see the nature of his own sins. He is blinded by pride. If you have done marriage counselling, you will know this to be true. If there is no humility, there won't be an open ear to reason. So the Law should be used to humble the human heart, show sin in its true light, and hopefully show the person his error, and his great danger.

"Man will believe anything, as long as it’s not in the Bible." Napoleon Bonaparte

Men in White Coats

Years ago a man carrying a a large ladder and wearing a white coat walked in a courtroom while it was in session. He then leaned the ladder against the wall, climbed it and took the court clock. He was a thief. I guess he took the time to answer some sort of "dare."

You may have noticed that doctors on infomercials peddling stuff usually wear white coats. The white coat helps them get away with more than time. It supposedly shows us that they are trustworthy, and many a man in a white coat has carried on some illegitimate operation until the law caught up with him. Despite this, most genuine doctors still wear white coats, because (arguably) it makes us feel more comfortable as they poke, prod and pry.

Some preachers also wear white coats. It may impress some, but we should reserve respect for the man who is clothed in humility. Is your pastor humble of heart? Or is he a wolf in sheep's clothing (of which Jesus warned us to beware)? To find out, you should listen to what comes out of his mouth, because the mouth speaks the abundance of the heart, and out of the heart come the issues of life. Does he preach the unadulterated gospel? Does he have a deep concern for the lost? Does he treat his wife with the utmost respect? Is he separated from the world? Is he unclean in his humor? Does he love and preach from the Scriptures? Does he walk in the fear of God? If not, it would be wise to question if you should be sitting under his teaching and supporting his ministry.

Please Note

Just a note to those of you who have been accusing me of being deceitful, because I have quoted Charles Darwin “out of context.” There’s really no need to get upset, because his admittance that believing that the eye could have happened by natural selection (by accident) “seems I freely confess absurd to the highest degree” doesn’t show that Darwin didn’t believe his own theory. He used the word “seems.” That’s his qualifier. Further on in his writings he said that he actually believed it. Also, my apologies to those of you who say that I am afraid to answer your questions or refute your arguments. Hundreds of comments come through on this blog and I would like to answer each one (especially those that accuse me of saying things I didn’t say), but it is simply a matter of time. Also, don't forget, cussing (even words now commonly accepted) and web site addresses automatically get deleted.

The Boundaries

We were in Green Bay Wisconsin on a cold day in December, and had lost the key to our hotel room. To our surprise, the desk clerk gave us another one without asking to see our ID. She didn’t even ask for our names. If we had done the same thing in California, they would have wanted our names, ID’s, thumb prints, voice recognition, a deposit, and a $35 key fee.

There was a time in the United States when you didn’t have to lock your car or the front door of your house. It was a time when you could trust your neighbors and they could trust you. There was a time when your wife could go shopping after dark and not fear being raped, or you could go camping and not end up being murdered. There were crimes, but it was nothing like it is nowadays.

What has happened to our nation? We have become what the Bible calls "lawless." We have forsaken God’s Law, and when that happens we forsake the fear of God. When a nation loses the fear of the Lord, we lose our moral boundaries. Thus we have contemporary America.

Most Christians know that the salvation for the United States won’t come through economic policies, or through a change of government. It can only come through a change of heart, and only God can change a sin-loving heart into one that loves righteousness. However, it’s important for us to remember that the agenda of the Church of the Book of Acts wasn’t to make Israel the greatest political and economic nation on earth. It was simply to preach the gospel and see sinners saved from the wrath of a holy God. It’s easy for us to get caught up in the temporal, when we should be putting our energies into the eternal.

The Power of Reason

It is easy to prove the reality of the existence of Hell to a “reasoning” person. However, this can’t be done when a person denies that which is axiomatic. When a human being denies God’s existence, he stands on his own oxygen hose. In his futile effort to break free from moral accountability, he cuts himself off from the very thing that can allow him to keep the precious life he so loves--his God-given power of reason. Charles Spurgeon called such a person, a “learned fool.”

The Blind Faithful

Since falling away from my faith in evolution way back in 1972, I can’t help but notice an intolerance towards freedom of thought. This comes from staunch evolution believers, who hold to their faith like a religion. Charles Darwin is exalted by them into papal infallibility. He is robed in pure white as he stands high upon the balcony of time, waving his hand to the faithful. A word from his lips is the gospel truth, and his great commission to true believers is to embark on a crusade, and bring down the swift sword of intolerance upon all who don’t embrace the true faith.

Yet Darwin was nothing but a racist, a bigot of a man, who held to the belief that black people are inferior to whites. This is what he said: "At some future period not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace the savage races throughout the world. At the same time the anthropomorphous apes...will no doubt be exterminated. The break between man and his nearest Allies will then be wider, for it will intervene between man in a more civilized state, as we may hope, even than the Caucasian, and some ape as low as the baboon, instead of as now between the Negro or Australian and the gorilla." The Descent of Man, "The Races of Man" 1874, p. 178

The above is only one of many racist beliefs of Mr. Darwin. His white robe is hooded and stained with bigotry, and his clan rally to his godless cause with religious zeal. Watch them give a fiery defense of Darwin’s blatant racism.

Building Huts

When I was a kid, I loved building huts. My friends and I would build them on the beach, in backyards, and in trees. It was so much fun. But, even as a child I noticed that there was a problem. We would finish the hut, sit inside it and say, “What will we do now?” There was nothing to do after the hut was finished.

As I matured as a human being I found that adults had the same problem. They would build a house, have kids, the kids grow up and leave, the parents find themselves saying, “What will we do now?” It’s a simplistic and pessimistic view of life, but it's true. Life, because of its transient nature, is futile. It is chasing the wind.

However, when a person is born again, a door opens. It’s the door to the eternal. It banishes the curse of futility. I cannot express the joy that I have in knowing that when I serve God, I am tapping into the eternal: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Plane Speaking

Two hundred years ago “rational” thinking folks would have mocked you if you spoke of the possibility of massive jumbo jets floating through the air filled with human beings. Any sensible person knew that massively heavy objects couldn't possibly float through the air, as though they were lighter than a feather. They "knew" this because of an invisible law--the law of gravity. But we now know that it is possible for this to take place, because of another law that overcomes gravity. When a certain object moves at a certain speed, it supersedes the invisible law of gravity and enters into another invisible law--the law of aerodynamics. Gravity still remains, but the heavy object breaks free from its influence.

The Bible says that all of humanity is subject to an invisible law-- “the law of sin and death.” That law says that the soul that sins will die. Those who deny that it exists should simply take a trip to a graveyard (they will one day). Universal death proves that law is a reality. However, because of the cross, the Christian breaks free from the law of sin and death. The moment he or she repents and trusts in the risen Savior, they move into the influence of another invisible law. This is a higher law--“the law of life in Christ Jesus.” This is simple to prove. The skeptic needs only to step into the plane. Most don't, because of a closed mind. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2).

Interesting Thread

<< Matthew Wooller said... This question raises (for me at least) the whole issue of the rapture. Proof for the existence of god? I think that would pretty much do it for me... According to the myth, people will vanish, the dead will rise and head off to heaven -- and we will most likely be under the control of a Jewish, homosexual world leader... Let us not forget that we will also get a red moon and a black sun - a huge meteor will burn one third of grass and trees -- 200 million horse like creatures will run rampant - oh, and fresh water will become blood. Tell you what, if all that bunk comes to pass -- I will have another think about this god thing, I can't promise anything, even then, but I will certainly have another think. Really, water turned to blood and horse like creatures -- golly. >>

Matthew, you may have been watching too many Hollywood movies, or the Discovery Channel, or maybe reading stuff on weird websites, or eating too much cheese before you go to bed (that can cause bad dreams).

I would suggest that you take a deep breath, then read the Bible with a humble heart, praying that God would show you what is prophetically symbolic and what is literal. If you don't do that, you will end up with the nightmare that you have just related. The Bible is a book filled with symbolism--from Ezekiel’s wheels, to the dreams of Joseph and Daniel, to the Book of Revelation, and course, many of the words of Jesus. Again, some things are literal, and some are symbolic.

When Jesus said that He was “the Door,” He didn’t mean a door with literal hinges that swung back and forth. He is the entry to Heaven (see also John 14:6). When He said that His flesh was meat and we were to eat it, He wasn’t speaking of cannibalism. We spiritually “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” When He held the cup of wine and said “This is My blood” and told us to drink it, He wasn’t speaking of His literal blood (He couldn’t have, because His blood was still running through His veins).

Wine is often used as being symbolic of blood--turning the water into wine at the Cana wedding, and water being turned into blood with the plagues of Egypt. All these have hidden and wonderful meanings behind them for those who are willing to dig a little. If you think about it, things that we value in life usually have to be searched out--gold doesn’t lie on top of the ground. You have to search for it. It’s the same with silver, diamonds, pearls, etc., and it’s the same with Bible gems. You have to dig a little to find the riches.

As much as I would like to be, I am not a prophecy expert or even a prophecy buff. I don’t get too deeply into it, because so many people end up with weird and strange scenarios, and what’s more they all think that have it right. I prefer to put my time into trying to reach people like you with the Gospel. Your salvation is infinitely more important to me than my eschatological interpretation.

Tom’s Cruise

The erroneous message of modern evangelism (that Jesus gives peace and happiness) has another rival. This time it’s a big one. Tom Cruise said of Scientology, “We are the authorities on getting people off drugs. We are the authorities on the mind. We are the authorities on improving conditions. We can rehabilitate criminals, [the] way to happiness. We can bring peace.” The promise is that if you get on board, you can have your best life right now, by being part of their “religion,” a religion that ironically has nothing to do with God.

Does Scientology deliver happiness and peace? Those who believe that Jesus came to give us happiness will be quick to say (as I did for years) that the world can’t give true happiness. Even though I preached that, in reality, I was going through trials, temptations, and persecutions that I never experienced as a happy peace-filled non-Christian. There was a time that I found myself in such a deep ‘wilderness” experience, I was in absolute despair.

The truth is that Jesus didn’t come to give happiness, he came to give us righteousness. The difference between the two, is life and death.

This is Very Strange

There were a group of people who were born blind. One of the leaders planned to take the entire group into an area in which there was dangerous ditch that had a huge drop into fast-moving water. It was such a death-trap authorities had placed a red light front of it, warning people not to go near the crumbling edge. When the blind men were told of the light, they wouldn’t listen. They instead laughed, and mockingly said that there was no such thing as a “red” light. They became confirmed in their error when they cynically asked for a description of it. But no one could describe the color red to someone who was born blind.

Then came one of the reasons for their cynicism. One of them adamantly testified that he pretended for 19 years that "red" did exist. He even taught others about the color, and wrote songs about it. Maybe he liked being the center of attention, or maybe he did it for the money. He was totally blind, and yet he was able to fake it for all those years, which is very strange.

What's even stranger, is that these blind men then decided to meet regularly, and they became so fanatical about their belief that there’s no such thing as ”red,” that they are trying to censor anyone (including school children) from believing in it. And all this is done in the name of freedom and intelligence. Very strange.

They truly are the blind leading the blind: “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

Atheists Evolved From Chickens

A loving Christian brother just emailed me and said, “Man-o-man. There are some bitter, furious, Christian hatin' bloggers out there!!!” I told him that he is seeing comparatively nice ones. They know that I delete anything with blasphemy or cussing. He’s right though. Some of the atheists that are part of this blog are pretty nasty. So, I have decided to return a bit of the fire (in love, of course).

My new theory is that perhaps atheists evolved from the chicken, because they not only have chicken characteristics--a head, eyes, mouth, skin, neck, heart, earlobes and legs (homology structures), but they also have the chicken’s tendencies--they are chicken livered. They hang around Christians like annoying little bugs hang around light, trying to inject their poison whenever they can.

If you are an atheist, I hope I’m ruffling your feathers. I want to get under your skin and ask why you don’t have the courage to even whisper to Muslims what you keep shouting at Christians. Prove me wrong. Get onto a Muslim website and tell them that you don’t believe their god exists. Do your little “I don’t believe in Zeus” thing. Tell them they believe a myth. Make sure you use the word "fairytale." Talk about Mohammed as you do Jesus (use your usual lower case for Mohammed). Do your “I don’t believe in the flying spaghetti monster” thing. Tell them that you believe that they weren’t made by (a) god, but that they evolved from primates (that will go down well).

Explain that you think they are blind simpletons to believe the way they do, and that even though there is a creation, you don't see any evidence that there is a Creator. Let them know that you think that it's intelligent to believe the way you do. You may as well explain that even though you don't believe in God's existence, you use His name as a cuss word, because you think it's worthless. Also, let them know in no uncertain terms that you believe that the Koran is full of mistakes (give some examples), and that their mosques are full of hypocrites.

You wouldn’t dare, because you are chicken-livered. You know that they are not like Christians. Despite the “anonymity” of your little chicken coop, they would come after you to lop off your head. And when they find you, you would fall on your knees and be praying to God for help, quicker than I can move a fly swat . . . and I'm pretty quick. So, think about what you are doing, and think about how much you value your life. Then think about what we are telling you. Think.

The Harmony of the Gospels

I noticed that a skeptic recently mocked the Bible, challenging someone to make sense of the gospel accounts of the resurrection. Let me quote from, The Evidence Bible: “Both Matthew and Mark list women as the first to see the resurrected Christ. Mark says, ‘He appeared first to Mary Magdalene’ (16:9). But Paul lists Peter (Cephas) as the first one to see Christ after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:5). Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, then to the other women, and then to Peter. Paul was not giving a complete list, but only the important one for his purpose. Since only men’s testimony was considered legal or official in the first century, it is understandable that the apostle would not list the women as witnesses in his defense of the resurrection here. The order of the appearances of Christ is as follows: 1. Mary: John 20:10–18, 2. Mary: and women Matthew 28:1–10, 3. Peter: 1 Corinthians 15:5, 4. Two disciples: Luke 24:13–35, 5. Ten apostles: Luke 24:36–49; John 20:19–23, 6. Eleven apostles: John 20:24–31, 7. Seven apostles: John 21, 8. All apostles: Matthew 28:16–20; Mark 16:14–18, 9. 500 brethren: 1 Corinthians 15:6, 10. James: 1 Corinthians 15:7, 11. All apostles: Acts 1:4–8, 12. Paul: Acts 9:1–9; 1 Corinthians 15:8.” Now that it makes sense to our skeptic, he will be quick to repent and trust the Savior. Yeah, right.

Loaded Gunn

A 52 year old man was arrested and his lawn-mower impounded after driving down the street in Dargaville, New Zealand. Richard Gunn, 52, had an alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit for drivers, police said, and he previously had lost his driver's license. Gunn said he has been using the lawn mower to get around town since losing his license. “I thought I was safe,” he told TV One News. Even bicycles went faster than the lawn mower's 5 mph, he said. “I've watched them go past me.”

I’m sure that the courts will take into account the type of vehicle Gunn was driving. If you were the judge, would you think that this was just a man driving a lawnmower who didn’t think too deeply, or was it a rebellious irresponsible drunk, who totally disregarded the law, and could have run over and killed a child? That is the job of the judge--to make the right judgment, once all the evidence comes in.

This brings up an important point that is often leveled at us by skeptics. They maintain that God is unjust in that He is going to throw the little sweet old lady into Hell, along with Adolph Hitler. Not so. Everyone will get exactly what they deserve. It’s called “equity” in Scripture. The Bible uses words like “greater damnation” for certain people. Whatever happens on that terrible Day will be absolute and perfect justice, given fairly to those who are guilty. No more. No less.

Open Air Preaching

<< Rebecca said...First--I am not a feminist, so that does not motivate the question. It is more looking for a way out of such a responsibility. Do women ever do open air preaching? I've never seen it. Call me a coward, I just can't imagine doing it, since (grateful for an excuse) I have my four year old in tow wherever I go. Terrifying thought to get up and have people heckle me. I have a desire to share the gospel, just not that way.>>

Rebecca, I appreciate your honesty. Yes, women do open air preach, and it’s wonderful (two of the girls from our staff do it regularly). Here’s some thoughts: I’m sure you would agree, that sharing the gospel with someone who is prepared to listen is like giving a starving person life-giving food. Imagine having two people listen to what you have to say. Now imagine 200--listening to every word, and hearing how they can find everlasting life. That’s open air preaching on a good day.

Let me tell you two secrets about fear and preaching open air. It is only there before you preach. It’s like standing beside an unheated swimming pool on a hot day. The longer you stand there, the harder it becomes to dive in. You simply have to take the plunge, and when you do there is the initial chill of the flesh, but then it automatically adjusts, and you are swimming. That’s what happens when you dive in and preach. When you see others dive in, and see them swimming, it will give you courage. The second point is about hecklers. This is going to sound weird, but your fear of hecklers will disappear the moment you get a good one. They are the best thing that could ever happen, because they will double your listeners and sharpen your mind. Once you have had one, you will fear getting up to preach and not getting one. Why? Because every question they come up with is old hat. There really in nothing new under the sun. We have a DVD called “Open Air Preaching--Four in One” where you can actually see all this in action, and get teaching on the subject. Here’s the blurb: “Comfort as he takes a team from David Wilkerson's church and open air preaches in Washington Square, New York, right in the middle of a Hare Krishna convention. Witness an encounter with the New York police, learn how to draw a crowd using a fake funeral, and discover how to handle ‘hecklers.’ Then go step by step though open air preaching at UCLA and other Southern California universities. Also join Ray and his team as they preach open air in Paris, Jerusalem, London, Tokyo, Santa Monica, New Zealand and Amsterdam.” It was seeing the New York open air preaching video that caused Kirk Cameron to contact me, and to get involved in this ministry. For details see: www.livingwaters.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=620&Category_Code=DVDs

The Abundant Life

We live in a time of what has been called “Christianity Light.” The word “light” in this context means “without substance.” The principles taught from these lightweight pulpits lack evangelistic punch, and instead are designed to help people make it through the struggles of this life. The hearers learn that there is a better way of living than that of the world. The fruit of this is that there is little difference between the moral lifestyles of the world and those who profess godliness.

Jesus didn’t come to bring us a “better” life. Those who advocate that He did will be quick to point to John 10:10, in which He said that He came to bring us life, and life “more abundantly.” The word “abundant” doesn’t mean better, richer and happier. It simply means life in its “fullness.” And if you study the life of the Apostle Paul, you will find that it was full. It was full of trials, tribulations, temptations, and persecutions. He was hated, beaten, mocked, whipped, stoned, imprisoned, and finally martyred. He told Timothy that all who live “godly” in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. So, what’s the point in being a Christian? Why live godly in Christ Jesus if that’s what you get?

It’s like being in a plane that is soon to crash, and you have a parachute on because you know that you have to jump 10,000 feet at any moment. The flight may get bumpy, and the passengers may mock you, but who cares? What you are temporarily going through is nothing compared to their fate. So, is your goal to enjoy the flight? Of course not. You want to encourage the other passengers to put their parachute on before it’s too late. You can’t live with the thought of what is going to happen to them.

Listen to the wonderful words of the beloved (and much hated) Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon: “If by excessive labor we die before reaching the average age of man, worn out in the Master’s service, then glory be to God. We shall have so much less of earth and so much more of Heaven. It is our duty and our privilege to exhaust our lives for Jesus. We are not to be living specimens of men in fine preservation, but living sacrifices, whose lot is to be consumed.”

The Ending is a Little Cheesy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o_3UIhK-Pw

Toying with Truth

I was alone in our house when suddenly I heard strange voices. They were too loud to be coming from any of the neighbors’ houses, but they weren’t loud enough to be coherent. It didn’t make sense. Who was in our house? I stopped working on my laptop and listened closely. The voices were still incoherent. Then I listened again. This time it was clear what was being said. I distinctly heard “e i e i o.” It was Old MacDonald and his noisy farm. For some reason, one of the toys in the grandkid’s play room had decided to do its thing.

We are reasoning beings, and it’s frustrating when something happens and we can’t explain it. I was once frustrated with the meaning of life. It happened, and I couldn’t explain it. Happy though I was, I needed more than a nebulous theory as to our origins. I wanted to know the truth. On April 25th, 1972 I discovered the truth. I found that “In the beginning God created . . . “ The Creator spoke. He said, “Let there be light.” And that light is still available to those who come out of the darkness. From the moment you hear His voice, you will know the truth. The Christian doesn’t have a million voices telling him a thousand different things. We have One voice, and that’s enough. The mystery is solved.

Something for Atheists to Think About

A personal note to all the atheists that seem to hang around the Light. I moderate this blog myself, and I have watched with amazement as patient Christians have lovingly answered your predictable objections. I have let most of the blogs through in the hope that you may soften your heart and listen, although, by the proud way most of you talk, that doesn't seem likely.

We don’t need to prove to you anything about Christianity. We are very secure in our faith, because it's not founded on a "belief," but on the immovable Rock of Ages--Jesus Christ, before whom you will bow the knee.

The reason we respond to you is because we are deeply concerned about where you will spend eternity, even though you are not. Here’s the bottom line: If you have lied and stolen (anything), you are a lying thief. Jesus said “Whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already with her in his heart.” If you hate someone, the Bible says you are a murderer . . . and you have to face God on Judgment Day whether you believe in Him or not. This is why you need a Savior--“All liars will have their part in the lake of fire.” Adulterers, thieves and fornicators (those who have sex out of marriage) will not inherit the Kingdom of God. We don’t want you to end up in Hell (a place we know exists). The wrath of God came upon the Savior so that it wouldn’t have to come upon you. If you refuse God’s offer of mercy, He will give you justice, and that is a fearful thing. Please, repent and trust in Jesus today, before death seizes on you. Humble yourself and seek the truth. You don't need us to tell it to you. You have enough light, so seek the Lord while He may be found. Thank you for reading this. Please know that there are many people praying for you.

Those who say that Christianity is a “guilt trip” are correct. It’s a guilt trip to the foot of a blood-stained cross, where the guilt is removed.

Stubborn as a Mule

My friend Scotty, his wife Carol, and I were setting up to preach the gospel in our usual spot at Huntington Beach. It was a warm Saturday afternoon, with a lot of people milling around. As we were doing so, a street performer, who ate fire and hammered nails into his nose, (a hard act to follow) came across for a friendly chat. He smiled as he suggested that we wait until he had done his act, before we spoke. He said it was in our best interest. I wasn’t too happy to do that, but he said that he would only be fifteen minutes, maybe twenty, and that we could preach after he had finished. I knew that he had a much longer act, so I told him that I would think about it. He was very congenial, friendly, kind, and very accommodating. He just wanted the best for us, and for him.

After he left, I suggested that we pray about the situation. We didn’t want to upset him, but we didn’t want to stand there for an hour, waiting for him to finish. We didn’t have an “act,” but the message of everlasting life.

I then walked across to my kind and accommodating friend. As I approached him I said, “We have decided to give you twenty minutes, and then we will begin.” His facial expression changed. He gritted his teach and hissed, “Don’t you tell me what to do!” Then he railed at me. Suddenly I saw that I was dealing with more than just flesh and blood. Fire didn’t just go into his mouth.

We went ahead and preached. Our fire-eating-nose-nailing friend had his crowd, and we had ours. It was a good day, and many heard the words of everlasting life.

It’s so easy to forget that our battle isn’t against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. It’s against a subtle demonic world. So be careful to never allow anyone to stop you from sharing your faith, no matter how nice and reasoning they may be. Shake off their subtle poison, and read the Book of Acts. See how the disciples refused to obey those who tried to stop their mouths. Stay in righteousness, be loving, be kind, be as gentle as a dove, and stubborn as a mule. Remember that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a mule. Be lowly of heart, be obstinate in purpose, and carry Jesus of Nazareth to the unsaved. Listen to His voice, not the voice of the crowd. They will cry “Hosanna” one moment, and “Crucify Him” the next.

My Dumb Inventions

I can’t claim that I invented the poor man’s remote. Back in the 1970’s there may have been other poor men who did what I did. I took some fishing tackle and strung it up the wall of the living room, along the ceiling, and down to our TV set, where I hooked it to the channel-changer and volume switch (I have a very tolerant wife). With a mere pull of the tackle, I could adjust the volume and change the channel without getting out of my chair.

I also gave some serious thought to the tragedy of kids drowning in swimming pools. My potential invention was a belt that children would wear any time they were around a pool. It would automatically inflate when it came into contact with water. The problem was, if the child was heavier above the water, it could turn him upside down. I dropped that one.

Then there was the “Air bag T-shirts.” They wouldn’t work, because annoying people would hit the wearer on the chest.

I did have an idea that would stop cars from having head-on collisions. It was the “V” shaped front and rear bumpers. These would protrude at least ten feet in the front and at the rear into sharp points, so that two cars that had them fitted couldn’t have a head-on, even if they wanted to. There were a couple of problems with the idea. Parking wouldn’t be easy, and rear-ending a car that hadn’t been fitted wouldn’t be a nice sight. Side-on collisions would be a problem too.

Then there was my digital-clock-combination-smoke-detector. The user would know that his battery went dead because his clock stopped running. That would be a life-saver.

Millions are off work because they have bad backs from lifting. My belt buckle that snapped down into an “L” shape fixed that. This meant that when a worker picked up a heavy box, he puts it onto the clipped down belt buckle. This would result in straightening, rather than bending of the spine.

There was also the grass-green paint, mixed with a flexible rubber, so that it could be sprayed onto lawns. The lawn would die when it was sprayed, but it would stay the same length. This would result in two things. First, no one would ever have to mow another lawn. And second result would be that I would be murdered by professional gardeners, lawn mower manufacturers and lawn-mower salesmen.

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• “You're going to have to store all of these and put them in a book. You could call it 'Comfort Gold.' I would buy it.”
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• “Shut up, OK?! There is no God . . . OK!!?”
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• “I have no idea why I even read this blog sometimes -- except maybe that it's like slowing down to rubberneck at an accident on the freeway.”
• “It really encourages and gives insight to very important subjects and every day situations and questions.”

“I have known what it is to use up all my ammunition, and then I have, as it were, rammed myself into the great gospel gun and fired myself at the hearers—all my experience of God’s goodness, all my consciousness of sin, and all my sense of the power of the gospel.” Charles Spurgeon

The Smell

No one smells like a smoker. It’s true, and what’s more, they don’t realize how bad they smell. The reason they smell so poorly is that that have deadened the sensitivity of their nose. They literally can’t smell the smells that a non-smoker can.

The conscience is like a nose. It sniffs out the stench of sin. Someone who has deadened the sensitivity of his conscience literally can’t detect how morally bad he is. That’s why we need God’s Law. It stirs the conscience so that it can detect sin. When the conscience does its bloodhound duty, it shows us that we don’t smell like a rose, but that even our very best deeds stink (for want of a better word) to high Heaven. Check out Isaiah 64:6 and Romans 3:10-20 to sniff out more details.

I Don’t Believe in Zeus or Mother Nature

As I daily gather my chicken's eggs, I usually mumble “Thank you ladies.” But I’m not really thanking the dumb birds. I am thanking God. I go to the source. I also thank Him for the miracle of milk. Cows just eat the grass, and it miraculously turns into milk (if you don't think its miraculous, try turning green grass into white milk without one of God’s animals). Then try turning the white milk you have made out of green grass into yellow butter, ice cream, yoghurt, and cheese. The next time you lick an ice cream, think about how good God is to give us those things.

I also thank Him for little green, and big red apples. I don’t thank the dirt that nurtured them. There’s no such person as Mother Earth or Mother Nature. They exist only in the imaginations of the Godless. Nature has no idea what it’s doing when it produces trees that give us oranges, apricots, lemons, bananas, pears, and nuts; or plants that give us tomatoes, grapes and a million different flowers. How wonderful it is of God, to give us those things. Knowing Him enriches creation. It becomes an expression of His great love and His infinite genius. How shallow and empty is the mind and existence of those who don’t see God in everything. Albert Einstein was right when he said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

American Pie

How music-savvy are you? Do you know the words to the famous song American Pie? Sing along: “Did you write the Book of Love? Do you have faith in God above? Do you believe in Rock and Roll? Can music save your mortal soul?” Interesting words. One of the virtues of being made in God’s image is that we can appreciate good music. No doubt you enjoy listening to a catchy tune, but have you ever taken the time to thank God for the fact that you’re not deaf? To be able to hear is an unspeakable blessing.

Do you love the vivid colors of flowers and birds on this amazing planet on which we live? Then thank God that you can feast your eyes on all this color. Count your blessings. Thank Him that you are not blind. If you suddenly go blind, science can’t do a thing for you. It hasn’t a clue how to even begin to make an eye. Where do you start? What would you use? Where do you gather the 137,000,000 light sensitive cells? How do you make focusing muscles that move 100,000 times a day?

Do you enjoy good food? Then thank God that you are not starving to death in some African country, lying on the ground with flies crawling across your face. God has been good to you. He hasn’t treated you according to your sins. We can read, think, feel and love, and it’s a sad fact of human nature that familiarity does breed contempt. We don't know what we've got, until it's gone. The truth is, most of us have been given a generous slice of the American pie.

Do you love life? Then thank God that you haven’t yet died in your sins and been damned from all of His future goodness. It’s not too late for you to repent and trust the Savior. And make sure you don’t fall into the trap of superficial thanksgiving. Thanksgiving without obedience to God is nothing but empty hypocrisy. Prove that you are genuine in your appreciation of His goodness, by obedience to His Word (see John 14:21 for further details).

Now, sing along, "This could be the day that I die; this could be the day that I die . . . "

Never have faith in a man who has no faith in God.

Wrongly Named

On a summer day in 1948, a Swiss mountaineer named George de Mestral returned from a walk with his dog, who was covered with “burrs”--the plant seed-sacs that cling to animal fur in order to travel to fertile new planting grounds. He put a burr under a microscope, and saw the amazing sight of small hooks that enabled the seed-bearing burr to cling to the tiny loops in the fabric of his pants. He realized that they were intelligently designed, and from there George invented “Velcro” (a combination of the word velour and crochet). He should have called it “Copy-God.” Instead, Velcro was patented in 1955. The rest is history.

Interesting Thread

<< captain howdy said...Ray--Failed prophesy: “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 10:23). “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power” (Mark 9:1). All failed prophecies. >>

The key is the word “power” (in the verse you quoted--Mark 9:1). The Kingdom of God came with “power” on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 1:8). Remember, there is a spiritual kingdom (see John 3:3), and a literal Kingdom (the one that will be set up on earth by God Himself). You are greatly mistaken when you say that they are failed prophecies. You neither know the Scriptures, nor the power of God.

Unholy Huddle

Early in 2008, a couple were snowboarding in New Mexico when they became lost in a snow storm. They had cell phone ability to call for help, but decided not to because they were experienced hikers. They believed that they could save themselves. They built a snow hut and spent the night huddled together in the freezing conditions. It was the next morning that they realized that they weren’t going to be able to make it alone, so they called for help, and then they carved an SOS in the snow. Had they not forsaken their own efforts, they certainly would have perished.

Most of humanity huddles together in this cold world, thinking that they are going to save themselves. They trust in their own religious works. It’s only when they realize that their hope of saving themselves is hopeless, that they will humble themselves and call upon the name of the Lord. May God help them to understand this, and that time is running out.

Science Confirms the Bible

I have noticed that some atheists have made blanket statements saying that the Bible doesn't contain any scientific facts. That is not true. Even though it isn't a "scientific book," the Bible does contain scientific facts. Many of these were written thousands of years before man discovered them, showing the supernatural fingerprint of God all over Scriptures. My apologies for the poor reformatting. They are taken directly from our tract "Science confirms the Bible" (www.livingwaters.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=284):

1. THE BIBLE: The earth is a sphere (Isaiah 40:22). SCIENCE NOW: The earth is a sphere. SCIENCE THEN: The earth was a flat disk.
2. THE BIBLE: Incalculable number of stars (Jeremiah 33:22). SCIENCE NOW: Incalculable number of stars. SCIENCE THEN: Only 1,100 stars.
3. THE BIBLE: Free float of earth in space (Job 26:7). SCIENCE NOW: Free float of earth in space. SCIENCE THEN: Earth sat on a large animal.
4. THE BIBLE: Creation made of invisible elements (Hebrews 11:3). SCIENCE NOW: Creation made of invisible elements (atoms). SCIENCE THEN: Science was mostly ignorant on the subject.
5. THE BIBLE: Each star is different (1 Corinthians 15:41). SCIENCE NOW: Each star is different. SCIENCE THEN: All stars were the same.
6. THE BIBLE: Light moves (Job 38:19,20). SCIENCE NOW: Light moves. SCIENCE THEN: Light was fixed in place.
7. THE BIBLE: Air has weight (Job 28:25). SCIENCE NOW: Air has weight. SCIENCE THEN: Air was weightless.
8. THE BIBLE: Winds blow in cyclones (Ecclesiastes 1:6). SCIENCE NOW: Winds blow in cyclones. SCIENCE THEN: Winds blew straight.
9. THE BIBLE: Blood is the source of life and health (Leviticus 17:11). SCIENCE NOW: Blood is the source of life and health. SCIENCE THEN: Sick people must be bled.
10. THE BIBLE: Ocean floor contains deep valleys and mountains (2 Samuel 22:16; Jonah 2:6). SCIENCE NOW: Ocean floor contains deep valleys and mountains. SCIENCE THEN: The ocean floor was flat.
11. THE BIBLE: Ocean contains springs (Job 38:16). SCIENCE NOW: Ocean contains springs. SCIENCE THEN: Ocean fed only by rivers and rain.
12. THE BIBLE: When dealing with disease, hands should be washed under running water (Leviticus 15:13). SCIENCE NOW: When dealing with disease, hands should be washed under running water. SCIENCE THEN: Hands washed in still water.

An Important Question for Christians

How many of you think that our faith stands or falls on the Scriptures--if the Bible is proven to be false, then Christianity falls? Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

By the way. I thank God for the kind and polite replies many of you have given in the face of the condescending mockery that has been leveled at you in the blogs.

Another Wild Idea

I guess that one of the reasons God made flowers was to get men off the hook with women. Many times I have done or said something dumb and been able to redeem myself with a rose from the garden, and a sincere note of apology. I love sending flowers to loved ones or someone I want to encourage. However, the cost often hits me as hard in the conscience as it does in the wallet. I think of how many meals I could buy for a starving child with the same amount of money. If a flower company had an option called “Flowers for Food,” I would take that option. Instead of the recipient getting a $60 bunch of flowers, they would get one beautiful rose and a quality card that says, “This rose is a token of my deep love for you. I actually paid for a dozen roses for you, but only one was sent. This is because 75% of the money spent on you was instead sent to the Children’s Hunger Fund, a reputable organization that spends 99% of its donations on starving children. I thought this would give you more joy than eleven more roses.”

The Whistler

I was sitting with one of my graphic artists in front of his high tech computer, when I heard a strange sound. It was like a very faint whistle. I asked if he could hear it. He stopped what he was doing for a moment, and listened. He couldn’t detect the sound, and so we went back to that on which we were working. A moment later I said, “There is goes again! It’s a very faint whistle. Listen.” He stopped working, and in the quiet stillness, both of us listened intently. No whistle. So, we went back to work. Then I heard it again! It definitely was a very faint whistling sound. I said, “There it is again! It could be your computer.” He stopped working for the third time (he’s a very patient man), and once again, in the absolute stillness we listened intently. Then, after about 15 seconds of dead silence, he heard it. He had a cold and his blocked nose was making a slight whistle as he breathed. Duh. We were both slightly embarrassed.

The Atheist Video

We have a new video coming out very soon. It’s called “Dinner with 40 Atheists.” When it was edited, someone in my office asked who it was who edited it. The short conversation sparked off a lot of laughter. It went like this: “Who edited it? Ed edited it.” Try saying that a couple of times while you are eating tomato soup. After we all tried saying “Ed edited it” a few times, I added to it who actually edited it. Ed didn’t edit it. I was just kidding. It was Duane who did it. He edited it. He is the brilliant director and producer of “The Way of the Master” television series. So if you feel like your mouth may not work when it comes to witnessing to atheists, this educational edifying edition will give you the edge. I will let you know when it’s available.

Even the intricacies of the brain of an atheist should be enough evidence to prove the existence of God.

Witnessing to Witnesses

How do you witness to a Jehovah’s Witness? Simply say this: “I have a knife in my back, and I am dying. I have three minutes to live. How can I enter the Kingdom?” Then listen to what he says. He will be thrown into a flurry, because his religion is based on works (as apposed to the biblical truth that salvation is a gift--see Romans 6:23). A Jehovah’s Witness must do things to be saved, and that scenario exposes his motives--he is trusting in "self-righteousness." From there, ask if he thinks that he is a good person. He will more than likely say that he thinks he is. The reason for this is because his self-righteous efforts reveal it. He knows that he is a sinner, but he believes that his sin isn’t so bad that he can’t earn his own way out of it, and “merit” Heaven.

So, you have to take him through the Ten Commandments to show him that what he is trying to do it impossible. The small leap he is trying to make is a gigantic chasm. To be saved he first must understand that God is perfect and holy, that He considers lust to be adultery, hatred to be murder, and He will see to it that absolute justice is done. That means that adulterers, murderers, liars and thieves will be damned forever. Once a person sees that he is a Law-breaker (a criminal who is trying to bribe the Judge of the Universe with his "works") he will hopefully trust in His mercy alone to save him. That’s how the thief on the cross was saved--through mercy alone. He didn’t do anything to be saved. He couldn’t go door-to-door or do good works. He couldn’t, because he was nailed to the cross. That’s what God's Law does to us. It nails us because of our guilt. The only thing we can do is turn to Jesus on the cross, and say, “Lord, remember me.” And even that ability to “turn” to Him is given to us by God. He “gives repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (see 1 Timothy 2:25-26). We are saved by grace, through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9). So plant that seed in the hearts of those who think they can be saved by their own works, and then pray that God causes it to grow and produce fruit.

The Power of Not Believing

I am reading a book at the moment that was written by a very well-known American Christian. He talks about God helping him to give his best to everything to which he put his hand. He's a real winner. He meets Hollywood celebrities, sports stars, and famous politicians (on almost every page), and they all love and respect him. But not once does he say that he shared the gospel with them. Didn't it enter his mind to ask where these folk will end up if they die in their sins? Doesn’t he care? Doesn't he read the Bible? Doesn't he believe it's words? This is the tragedy of contemporary Christianity. What a contrast to the Book of Acts.

For Christian Eyes Only

We are never so arrogant as when we are young. We think that we are invincible. However, the sad realities of life tend to humble such haughtiness. Add atheism to youth and you have a Molotov cocktail. The Bible says in 2 Peter 2:1 that there is a category of people who will depart from the faith (false converts) and end up “denying the Lord that bought them.” These are the “Judas” category. They look and act like disciples of Christ, and, like Judas, they may be so trusted that they even look after the church finances. But time is the test. Like Judas, they eventually sell out for the world. Temptation exposes them. The scary thing for these people is that they have God’s promise (in 2 Peter 2:1) that they will be swiftly destroyed. If you don’t think God would do such a thing, read Genesis 38, and see how He killed a man because He didn’t like what he did sexually. Or read in the Book of Acts how God killed a husband and wife, simply because they told one lie. God is holy, and His patience isn't everlasting. So, if you are in the Judas category (and you read this when I suggested that you didn’t), make sure you look three ways before you cross the road.

Eggshell Face

Experts tell us that most deaths from sky diving happen because of “human error,” insinuating that if you are careful, you will be okay. Duh. Most premature deaths are from human error. Human error comes into play with car accidents, drug overdoses, pedestrian deaths, falls down stairs, medical “mistakes,” etc. There’s a reason that the “Dummies” series of books sell so well. We are crash dummies that are prone to error. Just read blogs for a few moments, and you will see what I mean. Despite careful checking, typos and wrong words sneak through. None of us is inflammable . . um. . . infallible.

Experts think that when 21 year-old Shana Richardson jumped on her first accelerated free fall from 10,000 feet, she made a mistake. She began to spin out of control and ended up hitting the ground face first at 50 MPH. She was “egg-shelled,” and ended up with 15 metal plates in her face. So, think twice before you risk your most precious possession for a quick thrill. If you are bored with life and you need an adrenalin rush, try open air preaching. It’s more dangerous than sky diving (see Acts 7:57-60), arguably more scary, and infinitely more productive. And if your life is taken from you while you are preaching, at least your death will not be from human error. It will rather be by divine permission.

Be Wise

One key to good health is to check the genetic makeup of your ancestors. Did your great grandmother have problems with diabetes or osteoporosis? Then adjust your sugar and calcium diet accordingly. Did your great grandfather die of heart disease? Then lay off too much fat, and get plenty of exercise. Find out the potential problem, then work towards its avoidance. That’s what I did when I was 22 years old. I looked at my ancestors and saw that they had all died. All of them. So I began to see if there was any way for the potential problem of death to be avoided. First, I found the cause of death (something the scientific community can’t figure). It is a terminal genetic disease called “inherited sin.” Then, to my utter amazement (by the grace of God), I discovered the cure--repentance towards God and implicit trust in Jesus Christ. After all these years, that "amazement" is still there.

A wise man once said that when he became a Christian, he gave up that which he could not keep (his terminal life), to gain that which he could not lose (the eternal life of God in him). Be wise; give up your life. Surrender it to God, and put your trust in the Savior. If you are genuine in your commitment to Him, you will never look back, and you will never regret it. Not for a mille-second . . . and you will live in eternal amazement.

Myth Blown Apart

Do you know much about history? Okay, here’s a question for you. How tall was Napoleon Bonaparte? If you said that he was very short, you are right. Sort of. After he died, his body was measured in French feet (pieds de roi) at 5’ 2”, but it was never correctly converted to the standard English measure. In English feet, he was 5’ 6 ½”. So, you were wrong. The belief that Napoleon was very short, was a myth. To a very short man, he was reasonably tall, but to a tall man, he was fairly short. It all depends on your perspective. These thoughts teach us two things. First, don’t believe everything you read in history books as being factual, including what I have just quoted. And second, “short” and “tall” are relative, just as the words “good” and “evil” are relative terms if you don’t have an absolute (unchanging) moral stand by which to measure them. God has given us an unchanging measuring standard in His moral Law. Our ability to interpret that Law (and thereby determine good and evil) is the measure of our Christian maturity (see Hebrews 5:14). Have you come to the point of knowing what is morally right and wrong? If you are not sure, begin with Matthew chapter 5 and read through to chapter 7. That will give you the right perspective.

Thought Provoking

If there was an announcement that a massive asteroid was going to hit the earth in one hour, what would you do with your last sixty minutes?

Where is God?

Why doesn’t God show Himself to humanity, so that every skeptic would shut his mouth? Just one appearance would do. This was the cry of the prophet Isaiah (see Isaiah 64:1-2). Moses asked God to show Himself, and was told that he couldn’t see Him and live. Here is why. The Bible tells us that God is light. This isn’t the light with which we are familiar. It’s called “unapproachable” light. When Saul of Tarsus was converted on the Road to Damascus, he saw the unapproachable light, and it was “above the brightness of the sun.” It was so powerful, it blinded him permanently (but for God's healing grace).

Think for a moment about the sun. It is so powerful, we can’t even look at for more than a brief moment without it severely damaging our eyes. It is a massive ball of fire that is so big, this earth fits into its volume more than a million times. And it was created by the One who we are told is "fire." Scripture reveals “our God is a consuming fire.” Why does the Bible use the word "consuming?" It speaks of Him coming in a fearful "flaming fire." Why would it say that, if God is supposed to be good and kind? For the same reason a good and kind judge is wrath-filled at a devious and unrepentant murderer, who has raped and slit the throats of a number of innocent young girls. The judge's goodness is manifest in his anger.

God is unspeakably wrath-filled at sinful humanity, because He is holy, just and good. That’s why Moses couldn’t stand in His presence. Moses was like you and me. He was a sinner--a criminal, with a desperately wicked heart. If he stood before God, the holiness of His goodness as a flaming fire would have "consumed" him. Moses would have been an anvil for Eternal Justice. The only way he could be in the presence of the "goodness" of God, was for him to be hidden in the cleft of a rock. Once he was sheltered in the rock, he was allowed to look at where God has been (read the account for yourself in Exodus chapter 33).

Look now at this terrifying warning about the future: “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). When the holiness of God Almighty is manifest at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (and, as sure as Hell, it will be), every unsaved person will scream, “Why didn’t you warn us!” And we will say, “We tried to warn you. Oh how we tried. We told you that God had provided a cleft in the Rock, in which you could hide. He gave us a Savior so that we wouldn't have to perish. We wrote books about this incredibly good news. We printed millions of gospel tracts, we gave away Bibles, recorded CDs, produced television and radio programs, made DVD’s, left our loved ones and the comfort of our homes and preached until we were hoarse. We wept on our knees for you, and then pleaded with you, but you wouldn’t listen. You instead argued about evolution and creation. You twisted our words. Your questioned our motives. You slurred our integrity, and called us liars. Now you have to face the Justice of a holy God. The time has come for the villain to get what’s coming to him. It is time for equity, and Hell is your just reward. You have no one to blame but yourself. Your blood is on your own head.” What a fearful thing, to fall into the hands of the Living God.

<< Hi Ray, I grew up Christian, but have recently been struggling with the existence of an omnipresent, unconditional God. I don't feel it's as easy as a fish in the ocean. I can see my environment quite clearly, but God makes it difficult. I understand. He wants us to choose to love Him. For me, it's not a question of evolution or creation. I just have an abject fear that God doesn't exist. In your opinion, does this make me a "false convert"? Do you struggle with doubt? Do you have any suggestions for someone like me?.>>

Cubprogeny, you need not fear. Just say this to yourself: "Every building has a builder. You can't have a building without a builder (try and think of one). Buildings don't happen by themselves. It's impossible ("For every house is built by some man . . ." Hebrews 3:4). The same principle applies to paintings and painters. The painting is absolute proof that there is a painter (try and think of a painting that didn’t have a painter). Paintings don't happen by themselves. It's impossible. Here's my point. Creation is absolute proof that there is a Creator. You cannot have a creation without a Creator. It is impossible ("Then who then made God?" has a logical answer). End of argument; unless, according to the Bible, you are a fool (read Psalm 14:1 and Romans 1:20). Watch now people on this blog disagree with such basic logic. Then, you try and objectively analyze why they would do such a thing. If you do that, what they say will strengthen your faith in God. To address your other question--do I struggle with doubt? Never. I would never for a moment doubt the existence of God, because of the evidence of creation. I would never doubt the reality of God, because, in a moment of time, He transformed my life. And I would never doubt the character of God because I trust His integrity implicitly. The Bible says that if you doubt God, you call Him a liar (see 1 John 5:10). If I doubt you when you tell me something, it’s an insult to your integrity. It means I think that you are a liar. So, never doubt God. Trust Him with all your heart (see Proverbs 3:5).

The word “atheist” contains the word “God.” The poor folks can’t get away from God. The Bible says, "In Him we live and have our being." They are like fish in a large ocean, saying that there’s no proof the ocean exists.

Beaten by an Ex-cop

I was badly beaten recently by a retired police officer from the LA County Sheriff’s Department. I fought back with everything I had, but it was no use. The man was overpowering. I never thought that it would happen to me. He had the muscle to beat people, and that's what he was doing to me. It was like a nightmare. He wanted to take me down, and so he relentlessly pulverized me, hitting again and again. He struck with his right hand, then before I could recover, his backhand came at me. My heart pounded and sweat poured from my brow. The beating was so painfully bruising it will be some time before I recover. How I hate losing at ping pong, but Tony’s more than 20 years as a police officer had instilled in him a disciplined mind and quick reflexes. Most men have a similar competitive nature. We don’t like to lose. That hard-headedness isn't so common in women, but I did speak to one young lady who said that she feared being a loser more than she feared dying. Maybe you are the same. You would hate to be called a “loser.” If that's true, read these words very slowly: “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” You can't get to be a bigger loser than that. We are talking about your life, and we are talking about eternity. So stop resisting. There’s no way you are going to win your battle against God, so give up the fight, and come over to the winning side.

What is Evil?

After my manager and I had dinner with a group of atheists, a number of other atheists showed surprise that it was considered brave of us to enter into a “den of lions.” The inference was, “Do you think that we are evil?” Well let’s do a little test to see if you are. We will call it “The Evil Test.” To do it we need a “standard” to see if the test has been passed. Without a standard, the test is irrelevant. We will use atheistic morality—a "nothing is absolutely right or absolutely wrong" standard. Question # 1: Is it evil to kill a baby in the womb? Answer: The consensus is that they are not “human,” so the answer is “No. It is not evil. It is a woman's right.” 2. Is it evil to say that there is no God? Answer: “There is no proof of God’s existence, so of course it’s not evil to say that God doesn’t exit. The thought is ridiculous.” 3. Is it evil to hate someone? Answer: “No it's not.” 4. Is it evil to look at pornography? Answer: “Definitely not. It’s not hurting anyone, so how can it be evil? That’s ridiculous. Who is to say what right and what’s wrong? Answer: Of course it’s not evil.” So the atheist passes the test with flying colors, because he judges himself by his own moral standard. However, his “Who is to say what’s right and what’s wrong?” is telling. When we ask the same questions using the absolute unchanging morality of God’s Law (which tells us what’s right and what’s wrong), there is a completely different outcome. The Bible says that even if I don’t advocate abortion and atheism, or don't hate anyone or look at porn, my heart isn’t just “evil,” it’s “desperately wicked” (see Jeremiah 17:9-10). When we are as the Bible says--a “law to ourselves,” we will never think that we are evil by nature. But if we have an honest look at ourselves under the light of God’s unchanging Law, we will find that His testimony is true, as will be seen on Judgment Day.

The Difficulty with Faith

I sat next to a man in a plane, whose job was to purchase land for a well-known handyman chain. Part of this was to count houses in potential areas. He wasn’t interested in how many people lived in each house, because the store chain’s income came from purchases for the houses, not for people. He said supermarket chains were the opposite. They couldn’t care less how many houses were in an area, just people, because it’s people that eat food, not houses. He alone carried out the whole process of negotiating the price for the purchases, and had been doing that same job for 30 years. He agreed with me when I said that he was in a position of great “trust.” Much of what we do in life has its foundation on trust. We trust our dentist when he drills, our taxi driver when he drives, our pilots when they fly us. We trust our history books, our teachers, and some still even trust politicians. Marriage is a trust relationship. So is a business partnership and friendships. We trust elevators, planes, cars, brakes, chairs, doctors, surgeons, brokers and television anchors. This is why it’s hard to understand why skeptics mock the thought of trust in God. They think that a Christian is someone who “believes” in God’s existence. Rather, a Christian is someone who trusts God’s promises, trusts in His integrity and His incredible ability. When we speak of “faith” in Jesus, it’s not an intellectual assent. It’s an implicit trust in Him as our sin-bearer. So, never trust anyone who says that they find it difficult to have trust or "faith" in God. There’s nothing difficult about trust, when the One you are trusting is utterly trust-worthy.

A Small Prediction

I am not too good at predicting the future. I thought that there would be a bloodbath when Communist China took back Hong Kong some years ago. I was wrong. Most of us have been wrong with political predictions, baby sex predictions, etc., so I have learned to keep my mouth shut when it comes to the subject. Almost shut—because I have one small prediction to make about you, if you are a skeptic when it comes to Christianity. I will give you a short list of some of the prophecies of the Bible, then make my little prophecy. These were written 2,000 years ago, and are what are called “signs” of the end of the age. Here’s the list of what the New Testament says would take place just before the second coming of Jesus Christ: There would be an increase in wars and hostility between nations, homosexuality, knowledge, travel, earthquakes, famines, violence, and vegetarianism (1 Timothy 4:1-5. Note the word "creature" KJV). There would also be a breakdown of the institution of marriage, an empty and dead religious system, money-hungry preachers that would have many followers and slur the name of Christianity, a forsaking of the Ten Commandments ("Lawlessness"--Matthew 24:12), and mockery of a world-wide flood (2 Peter 3:3-6). Now here’s my prediction. If you are a skeptic, you will be saying “But these signs have always been around!” To be honest, your saying that, isn't my prediction. The Bible says that you would say it (2 Peter 3:4), and it even says why you are rebelling against the Word of God—because you are full of lust (how’s that for hitting the nail on the head?) The key to understanding the era in which we live is not to be ignorant of the fact that God dwells outside of the dimension of time, and that a day to Him is as a thousand years to us. Jesus said to keep your eye out for one "sign." When the Jews repossessed Jerusalem, that would bring all these signs into culmination. The Jews became a nation in 1948 and got Jerusalem in 1967. They found a homeland for the first time in 2,000 years. What are you waiting for? You had better make peace with God.

Good Will to All Men

Someone kindly sent me a $50 voucher to a well-known clothing chain. I was excited to see their selection because they were known for their trendy clothes. When I found a gap in my time, I went to the store, but became disillusioned within minutes. They were selling jeans and shirts that looked like they had just been rejected from a Good Will store. Everything was either ripped, tattered, holey, faded, torn, or wrinkled. The store’s clientele were vulnerable peer-driven teenagers, who have been made to feel cool while wearing rags. Advertisers must be smiling all the way to the bank. We sure are like sheep. I gave the voucher to a friend.

What is Reality?

In the days when Communists were called “reds,” a man named Rudolph Strauboroff and his wife were looking out of the window of his large wooden mansion in Moscow. As he stared at the freezing conditions he said, "It's beginning to rain." His wife quietly informed him that it was snow, and not rain. He looked her in the eyes, and gently said, “Rudolph the Red knows rain dear.” Yes, I know how bad that is, but it leads me to a serious question on the subject of “knowing” anything. What do we know in this life--of what can we be sure? To find out, I have some strange questions for you. Here’s the first. When is “now”? Tell me if you can. I’m serious. Pinpoint “now.” You can never pinpoint when it is, because by the time you do, it's gone. "Now" is as elusive as evidence for species-to-species evolution. In an instant it becomes “then.” Here’s another dumb question. Where is “here?” Point to it. If you say it’s where you are, six billion others on earth would disagree with you. “Here” is where they are, and to them, where you are pointing to, is “there.” Another one: Which way is “up”? If you point towards the sky, millions of folks Down-under would disagree with you. If they would point to the sky to show the direction of up, they will point in the opposite direction to which you are pointing. Remember, we live on a big round ball. The same applies with the direction of down. If you point to the soil to show the direction of “down,” people on the other side doing the same are pointing in the opposite direction, and people half way around the world (at the equator) would be pointing in a completely different direction. Here’s another one. What color is the sky on a cloudless day? If you said “blue,” you are wrong. There’s no color to it. It’s colorless. If you don’t believe it, check it out from space. There’s no “sky” at all. How about a “sunrise.” Have you ever seen one? No one has. The sun never “rises” or “sets.” Remember, the earth turns while the sun just sits there. So, of what can you be sure in this life? Some say “death and taxes.” That’s not true either--plenty of people avoid taxes. So if we can’t be sure of anything but death, what on earth is reality (truth)? If you leave God out of the equation, you have no answer. What is truth? Is there any such thing? Do you know? Again, if you ignore Almighty God (the “I AM” who transcends time and space), you will end up as lost as the misguided Pilate of Scripture as he stood bewildered in front of Jesus Christ. The Roman Governor asked the rhetorical question “What is truth?” Pilate gazed on Him who was reality itself (see John 14:6), and you are just as close to Him (See Romans 10:8-9). Are you going to wash your hands of Jesus Christ? Or will you obey Him, and know the truth of the words "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"?

The Meaning of Goodbye

good–bye noun Etymology: alteration of God be with you

Be careful of lust. It often masquerades as “curiosity.”

“No man will ever put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness till he is stripped of his fig leaves, nor will he wash in the fount of mercy till he perceives his filthiness. Therefore, my brethren, we must not cease to declare the Law, its demands, its threatenings, and the sinner’s multiplied breaches of it.” Charles Spurgeon

Interesting Thread

John Botha said... Well, as an ex-christian I can say that I was never afraid of most atheists -- only the informed ones! Those are the one's who can show that the Christian belief system is full of holes.

Ray Comfort said...Correction: False convert.

John Botha said…Oh Ray, correction: true convert. Why does your worldview and biblical knowledge not allow you to see that many can be Christians and "fall away," it's clearly taught you know. I understand the concept of false convert but I passed the "test's of a true convert" that YOU WROTE for many years, so maybe you need to re-write those?

Ray Comfort said... Not true. This is what I teach: “But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God'” (Luke 9:62). If someone even looks back, he’s not fit for the Kingdom. You didn’t just look back; you went back, proving the spurious nature of your profession. Judas faked it for 3 ½ years, and it seems you lasted longer. Time usually reveals the hypocrite (the pretender). Please try again, and this time do it properly.

John Botha said... Hey Ray, I know what you teach, I have all your dvd's/cd's, tracts, etc, I even bought the t-shirt! (one with the spider). I don't want to "try again," you really shouldn't trivialize my experience so much, you should be more patient and understanding as it's altogether possible that you could be wrong and the verses you quote contradict other's that say people can fall away - and be restored. Ray said: "You didn’t just look back; you went back, proving the spurious nature of your profession." Look, no point arguing the matter, god knows i spent enough time doing it when i was churching it. I'm happy to concede that according to not only your view but my own I was a "false convert". I must have been, not only because you say so, but also due to the fact that it's not actually possible to be a born again Christian because the new birth, Christ, the Holy Spirit do not actually exist. So I was a false convert believing in a false Christ and false God. All of my experiences were in my little head. All the "fruit's" of my life, ministry and finally the large church I pastored was all a sham. After all, there really wasn’t a big change in my life, I just swapped my heathen sins for Christian ones, one's like pride, arrogance, gluttony, bigotry and narrow-mindedness. Peace out.

Ray Comfort said...Exactly. The whole thing was a fake, from start to finish. Your words confirm the spurious nature of your experience. I don't know how you lasted so long and got so far, but America in particular is full of these empty-experience "conversions" that are the tragic fruit of the modern gospel. I'm sorry you went through all this. If I was in your shoes, I'm sure I would be bitter.

<< Joel said... Ray, I have a few questions. Firstly, what do you mean by "Living God?" Are you saying that god is alive? I assume that's not what you mean, but I can't figure out what you do mean. >>

Mankind is prone to idolatry. Idols are anything in our affections that replaces God as the Supreme Being. For example, atheism is a form of idolatry. It replaces the True and Living God (the source of life), with the god of “Time.” Time is the creative force behind evolution. Time brought everything into being. If time didn’t pass its magic hand over evolution, nothing would happen. Evolution is dead without the life of Time.

<< Secondly, I can't puzzle out how you can so easily dismiss other religions and their gods but find it impossible to do the same with your own. Almost all other religions have their holy books, their devoted followers, and the same certainty that they are correct and everyone else is wrong. What makes your certainty different from theirs? What makes your faith correct while theirs suffers from some obvious fallacy? Why are your sound arguments against the other gods and religions somehow not valid when applied to Christianity? What sets Christianity apart? >>

That is a very good question. Here’s the answer in a nutshell. All “religions” are man-made, and they are based on something called “self-righteousness.” They say that there are certain “things” (righteous deeds) that each of us must do to get to Heaven and to escape Hell. Moslems say that you must pray five times a day, fast, accept Mohammed as a prophet, etc. Hinduism says you must do things to try and escape the hopeless spiral of reincarnation. Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses say the same thing. They say that man’s salvation is based on what he does. The reason they believe that is because they are ignorant of the standard that God requires of them. They think His standard of righteousness is the same as theirs. It’s not. God’s standard is absolute perfection, in thought, word and in deed. He considers lust as adultery, hatred as murder. Lying lips are “an abomination” to Him. He is so holy that His justice requires that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire. It is only when His Law comes into play (the Ten Commandments) that we begin to understand that we are desperately wicked criminals in His sight. We are standing guilty in the courtroom of Eternal Justice. It is the Law that shows us that our “good works” (religious deeds) are in truth attempts to bribe the Judge of the Universe, and that the catalyst of religious works is a guilty conscience, or what the Bible calls an “evil” conscience. However, God will not be bribed. We are guilty criminals against God, Law-breakers, and we are awaiting capital punishment. But the Bible tells us that this perfect and holy Judge of the Universe is “rich in mercy.” If we fling ourselves on the mercy of the Court (through repentance and faith in Jesus), God can dismiss our case, and let us live. He can commute our death sentence, and save us from damnation in Hell. And he can do that because He paid the fine for us in the life’s blood of His Son. The Living God created for Himself a perfect body and filled that body as a hand fills a glove. Jesus of Nazareth was the “express image of the invisible God.” He came to suffer and die in our place; to take the punishment for our sins. He came to pay our fine and defeat death. That’s what separates Christianity from man-made religions. This is explained a little more clearly in my booklet, Why Christianity?: www.livingwaters.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=512

Blowing Your Cover

A"the*ist, n. [Gr. without God; priv. + God: cf. F. athéiste.], Webster’s Dictionary. The word “atheist” is a revealing word. It says nothing about a non-belief in God. It just says that if someone professes to be an atheist, they are without God. A Christian is someone who is with God. That’s why Jesus is called “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” Repent of your sins and trust Jesus Christ, and instead of being without God (an atheist), you will be with God (a Christian). Cool huh?

How To Get Popular

Politicians are some of the most hated people on the planet. However, the way to become almost universally admired as a politician is to be assassinated. It’s tragic but true. Think of Abraham Lincoln. His name is revered by most. Or JFK. Or think of Dr. Martin Luther King. Their demise lifts them about the fray of the average celebrity. In fact, death lifts the most rotten of husbands, the most corrupt politicians, and general the nastiest people into the most moral of people. It is very common of the living say of the dead “He was a good man.” Why do we do that? Why are people spoken of differently in life than they are in death. It may be more than just a respect for the dead. It may come from a sense of self-justification.

Weak-minded Christians

I have lost count of how many times I have heard that Christianity is a crutch for weak-minded people, who can’t make it in life without faith. Well, that may be, but we aren’t the only ones who need to lean on something. Do you know how many people use alcohol and drugs as a “crutch” to get them through life, or how many can’t walk into a room without clutching onto a cigarette? According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration there are 22.6 million Americans who are addicted to drug abuse and alcohol. Those sort of crutches tend to snap and leave the patient in a worse state. Faith in God isn’t like that. He will never let you down, in this short life, or in the life to come. You can lean on Him. I don’t have to be concerned with the troubles of the future, because the future with its trouble is in His hands. He’s already there, and so nothing takes Him by surprise. A “crutch” is a poor metaphor for the Savior. It is more biblical to say that faith in Jesus is a like a “parachute,” and death is a fearful jump into eternity. You may be of the opinion that a parachute is a crutch, used by weak-minded people who can’t handle the jump by themselves. If that’s the case, then I’m weak-minded. I need a Savior.

Charles Spurgeon (the Prince of Preachers) said, "There is a war between you and God’s Law. The Ten Commandments are against you. The first comes forward and says, 'Let him be cursed. For he denies Me. He has another god beside Me. His god is his belly and he yields his homage to his lust.' All the Ten Commandments, like ten great cannons, are pointed at you today. For you have broken all of God’s statutes and lived in daily neglect of all His commands. Soul, you will find it a hard thing to go at war with the Law. When the Law came in peace, Sinai was altogether on a smoke and even Moses said, 'I exceeding fear and quake!' What will you do when the Law of God comes in terror; when the trumpet of the archangel shall tear you from your grave; when the eyes of God shall burn their way into your guilty soul; when the great books shall be opened and all your sin and shame shall be punished...Can you stand against an angry Law in that Day?"

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).

Big News

In Connecticut, a man named Reggie Damone just wanted to jot down a phone number, when he picked up what he thought was litter on a sidewalk this week. But what he found was an envelope containing a $185,000 check. Guess what he did? “Damone, who receives food stamps and works at McDonald's, said he didn't think twice about trying to cash it. Instead, the 47-year-old took a bus Monday from his Jewett City home to a bank and returned the check to the niece of the landlord to whom the check was written.” Wow. That made national news, and so it should. It is big news when a human being does what was right. Every time the media parade something like this on the news, they are verifying the truth of Scripture--that the heart of man isn’t good, it is “desperately wicked.”

Questions and Objections

<< Neil H. said... As Thomas Paine put it, rather more concisely, this was "an order to butcher the boys, to massacre the mothers and debauch the daughters." There are many occasions of the Lord waxing wrath against the people of Israel, never mind the numerous tribes that they came into conflict with who were massacred or enslaved. The oddest example that springs to mind is in Exodus 32 . . . Which suggests that the Lord committed an evil act in contemplating wrath of which he only repented when Moses promised to conquer the lands on his behalf. How could he repent unless he had done something wrong in the first place? >>

If you think that's bad, how about the fact that God has proclaimed the death sentence upon every man, woman and child. It gets worse. Eternal damnation in a terrible place called Hell awaits everyone who has done evil. Everyone. The day will come when absolute justice will be done. That's wonderful news . . . if you are not a criminal in God's eyes. And if His judgments upset you, here's a verse for you to think about: "All of God's judgments are righteous and true altogether." I trust Him and I am not at all offended by anything He does. You don't, and you are offended. There’s a reason for that. Let's now talk about your sins for a moment. Have you ever lusted after a woman? Have you lied or stolen or used God’s name in vain? If you are like the rest of us and have done those things, you are a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart (see Matthew 5:27-28). Then who are you to stand in moral judgment over Almighty God! Delusions of grandeur, indeed. Humble yourself Neil, and you will see things as they are.

Question and Answer

<< Welcome to a dangerous new era - the Unlightenment - in which centuries of rational thought are overturned by idiots. Superstitious idiots. They're everywhere - reading horoscopes, buying homeopathic remedies, consulting psychics, babbling about "chakras" and "healing energies", praying to imaginary gods, and rejecting science in favour of soft-headed bunkum. But instead of slapping these people round the face till they behave like adults, we encourage them. We've got to respect their beliefs, apparently . . . Why should your outmoded codswallop be treated with anything other than the contemptuous mockery it deserves?>>

Mr. Atheist, I found myself saying a hearty “Amen” to everything you said. We are surrounded by weirdo's and crazies . . . superstitious simple-minded people who believe anything they are told. If the folks that write horoscopes really knew the future, they would all play blackjack, be super rich, and live in big mansions in Las Vegas and Reno, or they would have high-paying jobs on primetime TV, telling us about tomorrow’s weather. My TV co-host and I snuck into a psychic store in Hollywood with a hidden camera and tried to expose them. We got kicked out, because our questions cut too close to the bone. Yep, Amen to all the "healing" energy stuff and the “soft-heated bunkum," and another Amen to the “imaginary gods” (a big Amen to your small “g”). Man is forever making up false gods and bowing down to their image. It's crazy. Pizzas that look like Mary really turn my stomach. It is all “outmoded codswallop.” Right on. You’re not alone. Keep preaching it. We just go one step further and say to stop all this nonsense and to love and serve the Living God. I do make one small prediction though (nothing psychic about me). My prediction is that this blog will make you mad. Then after you read that I said it will make you mad, you will decide that it won’t. Then you will be a little confused as to how to respond. Let's see if I'm right.

Beware of Wolves

I noticed that a dear Christian was going through a trying time, and a “kind” atheist gave his two cents worth. All he was trying to do, in the name of hugs, love, and concern for her well-being was to sow seeds of doubt about the promises of God. The woman needed to hear the exact opposite. Needless to say, his blog was stopped by the delete button. This graphic and typically wonderful quote from Charles Spurgeon will stir a hornet’s nest, but it is applicable to the situation: “A smooth tongue is a great evil; many have been bewitched by it. There be many human ant-eaters that with their long tongues covered with oily words entice and entrap the unwary and make their gain thereby. When the wolf licks the lamb, he is preparing to wet his teeth in its blood.”

Questions and Objections

"What really shocks me here are the number of Christians who are afraid of atheists...What is scary about someone not believing the same thing as you...? Perhaps I am asking the wrong question... Perhaps I should be asking, are you that afraid that your belief system is that easily deconstructed...?"

Good question. We are not scared of atheists, although if we weren’t Christians, we should be. A very wise man once said, “Most I fear God. Next, I fear him who fears Him not.” Atheists are probably about as dangerous as “religious” people (as apposed to those who truly love God). Religious people have killed millions throughout history in religious wars (the Crusades of the Catholic church, Islamic terrorism, etc.), the Spanish Inquisition (the murder of Christians by the Catholic church), the killing of the prophets of God (by religious Jews), the murder of Jesus, the persecution of the Church (see the Book of Acts for details, or read Foxes Book of Martyrs for greater and horrific detail). Religious hypocrites come in a close second to atheistic communism, which is responsible for 100 million deaths throughout history. If someone doesn’t fear God, they will lie to you (if they think that they can get away with it), they will steal from you (if they think they can get away with it), and they may even kill you (if they . . . you know why by now). The atheist thinks that he’s getting away with his sin. He denies that there is a God, and therefore he believes that there is no judgment for his actions. He may evade civil law, but there is no way he can ever evade God’s Law. God considers lust to be adultery, and hatred, murder. He sees the thought-life, and Jesus warned that even every idle word he speaks, he will have to give an account for on the Day of Judgment.

Rusty Harp

Some people somehow think that Christians believe that we are going to spend eternity sitting on a cloud playing a rusty harp. If that’s all I hoped for, I wouldn’t be a Christian. The hope that I have isn’t nebulous. It is concrete. It’s what is called an “anchor of the soul.” It is both sure and steadfast. Here’s what it is. Think about the beauty of this massive earth. Think of a tall snow-covered mountain, or a clear babbling book, or a beautiful beach with clean white sand, crystal clear waters filled with an amazing array of brightly colored fish. The pristine waters reflect a sky-blue sky, and the beach is surrounded with straight, tall and green palm trees. Think of magnificent California redwoods or of the incredible assortment of tasty fruit trees, or the breathtaking beauty of a sunrise or sunset, or the magnificence of the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls. Got it in mind? Now think of this. All who repent and trust in Jesus Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, black or white, male or female, rich or poor--will “inherit this earth.” God has given it to us, and it will be ours for eternity. God’s spiritual Kingdom came to this earth on the day of Pentecost, and the time will come when the literal Kingdom will come to this earth, and God’s will, will be done on this earth as it is in Heaven. We not only escape Hell, but, by God’s grace, we get heaven on earth. So, if you are a Christian, make sure you know what God has in store for those that love Him, and if you are not, make sure you know what God has in store for those that hate Him.

Bad Language

The English language is very inadequate. If I say that I “love” another man, it has perverted overtones. That’s because there’s only one word for love in the English language. Not so in the Greek and Hebrew (the languages of the Bible). I have been frustrated as to how to describe the mentality of an atheist. I could say that they are “mentally bankrupt,” but that sounds cruel and degenerates to abuse. Those English words are very limited in their description. However, the Hebrew does a better job. The transliteration of the word used the describe the atheist, used in Psalm 14:1 is “nabal” (pronounced “naw-bawl”). It means “stupid; wicked (especially impious) -- foolish (both male and female), vile person.” That hits the mark. It shows why the atheist is a “fool.”

“Atheists express their rage against God although in their view He does not exist.” -- C. S. Lewis

Stupid Chickens

I have noticed something very strange about my chickens. They are bold. The moment I walk into the coop, they run towards me as though I am going to give them something. Very friendly indeed. But the moment I reach down to pick them up or pat them, they cower like . . . like chickens. They squat. Their wings go out. Then they physically tremble. I have noticed something very strange about myself. I come before my Father in Heaven with great boldness. I am filled with expectation for His blessings. He has good things in store for believers. We have a love relationship. But the moment His hand comes upon me and I feel His guidance to witness to a stranger, I become chicken. I am serious. I have personally witnessed to thousands of people. I have preached open air thousands of times, and yet when I feel that God wants me to approach a stranger, I want to squat right were I am and tremble. Such stupidity in chickens and in myself makes me laugh. We are pretty pathetic. May God help us in our weaknesses.

“If you wish to know God, you must know His Word. If you wish to perceive His power, you must see how He works by His Word. If you wish to know His purpose before it comes to pass, you can only discover it by His Word.” Charles Spurgeon

Into Your Own Hands

Back in 2006, wild life expert Steve Irwin tragically died when a stingray “barb” shot through heart. His natural instinct was to pull it out, and experts say that’s what killed him. Had he left it in and been rescued, there was a possibility surgery could have saved his life. Dr Eugene Costantini, who operated on 82-year-old American stingray victim James Bertakis, said that Irwin might have been able to receive vital medical attention had he not ripped the barb out of his chest. "The key was the removal that released the blood flow from the inside of the heart and I think that was probably the final event for Steve . . . If [the barb] had been left in place, he might have had the opportunity to make it to a hospital.'' The following year (2007) was a difficult one for me. Incident after incident took place to a point where I felt stabbed through the heart. My natural instinct was to try and justify myself. I wanted to take things into my own hands, but I didn’t. I instead committed myself into the hands of the Chief Surgeon. I did so because I knew that that is God’s way, and to do things His way is a life-saver indeed. Look at Jesus, our great example in Scripture: “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judges righteously . . . ” (1 Peter 2:22--23). So if you are going through a tough time, and you feel like taking things into your own hands, stop and think about it for a moment. It may seem like the right thing to do, but the consequences may be tragic.

Questions and Objections

<< Here's a question for you -- if a 'missing link' was discovered, or something showing that men and apes had a common ancestor, would you stop believing in God?>>

To answer this question I’m going to have to use an “ATMAM.” An “ATMAM” is an acronym for an “Analogy That Makes Atheists Mad.” Here goes: The question is similar to asking me, “If you discovered that your mother-in-law was a draught horse, would you stop believing that your wife existed?” The analogy is applicable because I know that it's impossible for Sue’s mother to be another species (it’s against nature), and I could never deny the existence of my wife because I know her. Atheists think that a “Christian” is someone who “believes” that God exists. That’s not true. A Christian (in the biblical sense) is someone who “knows” God experientially. This fact is almost impossible to get through to an atheist, but I will repeat it from another angle. I believed in God’s existence before I was a Christian. I wasn’t dim-witted enough to look at creation and say that there is no Creator. Of course I believed in God like every other sane and reasoning human being. But on the 25th of April, 1972 at 1:30 in the morning, I came to know the Lord. I moved out of the realm of belief, into the realm of experience. I know Him “whom to know is life eternal.” When a sinner comes to know God it’s called “conversion,” or “the new birth” (see John 3:3).

Two Difficult Words to Say

Salvation is unattainable for a proud person, because it entails the humility of saying “I’m sorry. I was wrong.” That’s no easy feat for an ego-centric, self-righteous person. Man’s sinful pride is truly a killer. This is never so clear as in a marriage bust up. A husband or wife would rather keep their pride, and lose their children. They would rather destroy their marriage than apologize. That really stinks (I say that metaphorically). No wonder God “resists the proud.” No wonder “everyone that is proud of heart is an abomination to the Lord.” However, it’s interesting to note from Scripture that salvation isn’t even attainable for a humble person. Even the humble need the hand of God to bring us to Christ. We may not have had the drama of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, but we had the same process. We were on the road to damnation, and God spoke to us through the gospel. He stopped us in our Hell-bent tracks. Jesus said that no man can come to the Son unless the Father draws him. If you are a Christian, you were drawn to the Son by the Father. God even helps us in our repentance (see 2 Timothy 2:25). We are like Lazarus (see John 11:39)--so dead that we stink to high Heaven. A proud person would never admit that. But by His grace, God calls our name, puts life into our dead bodies, then it’s up to us to come out of the tomb of this dark evil world, and live in the light as testimony to His amazing grace.

Hornet’s Nest

We have decided to drop a cartoon of a hornet’s nest now and then with some of my blogs. These seem to stir the buzz. Take for instance my saying that if someone had been in a good lightning storm and didn’t come out of it fearing God, they were either blind or mentally challenged. That stirred some stinging responses. Atheists felt that I was saying that they were mentally challenged, when the truth is that they fit into the “blind” category, as we once did (see 2 Corinthians 4:1-2). Another angry response flew at me from an atheist who spent some time saying that pigs were not unclean animals, and how they made great pets (don’t forget bacon). Then he went into a delirious frenzy because the Bible said that people who go back to their sin were likened to pigs. Why was he so upset, when he believed that pigs were the best thing since sliced bread?

Dinner With 40 Atheists

Late in 2007, a courageous Christian dropped a handful of one of our tracts (“The Atheist Test”) at a gathering of atheists, who meet once a month at the local IHOP at the John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. The atheists then invited me to join them for dinner on January 8th, 2008. They requested that I get there an hour early to “set a baseline,” because some of their members "do get a bit hot headed when discussing religion.” I accepted their invitation and decided to take my manager with me (Mark Spence is the Dean of the "School of Biblical Evangelism"). Before we went I got permission to also take a handheld HD camera. I was determined not to go there to win an argument, but to simply show that I deeply cared for them as people, as most atheists seem to have the impression that Christians don’t like them. We arrived about five minutes early, shook hands and sat down. After the orders were taken, I quietly approached the waiter and told him to give me the bill for the entire party. When he brought it to me I was almost shaking with excitement. If someone had tried to take it off me I would have physically fought them. I felt like I used to feel with my kids early on Christmas morning. When they found out that I had personally paid the tab they were very grateful, polite, pleasant, kind, and extremely thankful (see 1 Peter 2:15). The experience was a highlight of my life. Then about ten of us huddled around a table and talked about the things of God for about an hour. It was up close and personal. Mark answered every question and objection they had, calmly and eloquently. It’s all on film and we hope to be able to make it available through the ministry (to them and you) in a month or so. I took copies of my new book, How to Know God Exists, and all the folks at our table wanted one (it’s a strange feeling signing books for atheists). Then we posed for pictures and left, almost bursting with joy after such a wonderful opportunity to meet and talk with these dear people. Maybe the next time they meet for dinner (at the International House of Prayer) hundreds will show up saying “We heard that this is the atheist group where you get a free meal.” Seriously though, please pray for the “Orange County Atheists.”

Another word for “atheism,” is “defiance.”

Dying Dog

There is a temporary disadvantage for the Christian in that he or she is confined to having to always speak the truth. In a sense, we have to fight with one hand tied behind our backs. However, there are no holes barred for those that don’t fear God. Their weapons of warfare are lies, exaggerations, statements made out of context, hearsay, rabbit trails, misquotes, and false accusations. The unsaved fight against the claims of the Gospel because they love their sin and distain God's righteousness. They are a like a dying dog stuck in an ice cold river, who viciously snaps at his rescuer. Let them bite . . . we will still reach out while there is hope.

Atheist Dictator

We were filming the Fourth Season of our television program in Europe. It was the last day after visiting thirteen countries in thirteen days, and we were preaching open air at a university in Romania. One youth was an atheist who had been brought up in a Christian home and was extremely vocal. He had broken the Ten Commandments, heard the good news of the gospel, but said that if God was real He would stop him from leaving the crowd. Then he turned around and boldly walked back into the building to make his point. God didn’t stop him from leaving. Did his actions prove anything? Yes, they proved that God doesn’t take dictation from atheists. It doesn’t work with presidents either. If I say, “If the President of the United States exists, let him show up outside my house tonight!” I’m going to be standing alone in the dark. Such talk is the epitome of arrogance. It was the arrogant Italian dictator Mussolini who stood on a panicle as a youth, and said that if God was real He should prove it by striking him dead. His prayer was eventually answered.

To say “We told you Hell was real!” will be no consolation for the faithful Christian. The stakes are too high for such shallow trifles.

The Four Letter Word

If you could sum up in one word what it is that is stopping most of this world from coming to Christ, what would that word be? Perhaps you would say “unbelief,” or “rebellion” or “sin.” True, but I believe that it is “lust” that is at the forefront of sin. The Bible says that the corruption we see in the world has its roots in lust (see 2 Peter 1:14). It is the burning and shining light for Hollywood, Soap Operas, the Internet, magazine covers, TV programs, car advertising, the sale of clothes and popular music and contemporary culture. In 2 Peter 3:3 we are told that the reason men mock God is because they love their lust. So, what would make any sane man turn from lust’s powerful pleasure? Two things: One is that we can never separate lust from death. If we embrace lust, we embrace death. A realization of that eternal truth should cause common sense to kick in, in the human brain. No sane man wants to embrace death and on top of that, eternal damnation. The second reason a man walks away from the pleasures of lust is the knowledge of what it cost the Savior for our forgiveness. If my father sold everything he had to raise money to pay a fine for me to get out of prison, what sort of wretch would I be to go straight back into crime, because I enjoyed it? The Prodigal son made a sensible choice. The Bible says that he “came to himself.” When is comes down to it, that’s the point to which we are trying to bring the lost. We want them to exercise common sense (now there’s an oxymoron). All we are saying, is, “Come to your senses and call on the Name of the Lord. He will not only change your unclean desires, but He will also save you from death and Hell.” When the power of the Gospel changes a sinful and lust-loving heart, no amount of atheistic whining or evolutionary silliness comes close to making a Christian even slightly doubt the reality of God.

He who doesn’t fear God, has either never been in a good lightning storm, is blind, or is severely mentally challenged.

How to Have Your Cake

I was in an area of the country where it had snowed the previous night. The white blanket that cover the earth was as pure as the driven . . . snow. Everything--trees, bushes, houses, cars, all looked like a painted scene on a Christmas card. Snow is beautiful for about two days, then it turns to sludge. Many marriages are the same. The heat comes on or the dirt comes in, and what was once pure and pristine bliss, quickly becomes a horrible mess. So, how can you make your marriage work? To change the analogy, you simply go by the recipe book (the Bible), use the ingredients suggested, and your marriage will rise to your expectations. Of course, the world doesn’t open the Bible because it knows better. The Book either sits on a shelf gathering dust, or it’s the object of prejudice and cynicism to a point where every word is mocked. But the ingredients are laid out for the Christian--selfless love, genuine kindness, quick forgiveness, self-control, true humility, and constant prayer. Add the will of God as being the most important factor in the relationship, and you can have your cake and eat it too.

Blood is on Your Hands

<< only first trimester abortions are deemed within the woman's rights to privacy. second trimester is left up to the state to regulate, and third trimester may be outright outlawed. and is, to my knowledge, in every state. in other words, ain't nobody aborting babies that look like that.>>

You are gravely misinformed. Pictured is a 12 week child.

Questions and Objections

<< I am learning so much about atheism, but it makes me wonder... Can you appeal to the conscience if it is seared? >>
The answer is “Definitely.” This is why. A “seared” conscience is not a “dead” conscience. In Scripture the conscience is called “weak” (1 Cor. 8:7-12), “good” (1 Timothy 1:5), “pure” (1 Timothy 3:9), “defiled” (Titus 1:15), and “evil” (Hebrews 10:22), but it’s never called “dead.” In John 8:9 one would think that the accusing self-righteous Pharisees would have had dead consciences, but we are told that when Jesus spoke of their sin, “And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even to the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” Not one of them escape the accusatory voice of the conscience. It was Romans 2:15 in action “Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.” However, I suspect that you are actually asking about casting our “pearls before swine.” When do we stop offering the gospel to the hardened unsaved? Perhaps a clue is given in the word “swine.” The Scriptures use a pig to the describe someone who makes a profession of faith, but goes back to the world (2 Peter 2:22). It’s an appropriate analogy as the pig is considered an unclean animal. But the reason it wallows in filth is to cool its flesh. And that’s the reason a false convert goes back to the filth of sin. His “conversion” is spurious and it’s only a matter of time until he has to go back to the filth of the world to cool his flesh. We often call these people “backsliders,” but they are in reality “false converts,” and most of us would agree that they are the hardest to reach with the true gospel. This is because they usually say that they were “born again,” read the Bible, went to church, witnessed, sang praise songs, etc., but then they saw the error of being a Christian. However, each of us need to make the call ourselves as to whether or not to stop witnessing to such a person. If we do stop, that doesn’t mean we give up on them. God forbid. We may stop sharing the gospel, because they are contentious, but we should never stop praying for their salvation, until the day death seizes them. Then, and only then is the battle over.

The Secret

Sometimes the world betrays itself and reveals its wicked heart. Take for example an interview with an actor who played a greedy oilman, in a major motion picture. He said of the violent character he played, “What does a man, who has become an animal, do with himself? He immerges out of his burrow.” The interviewer picked up on that, and asked, “When you say that, when a man ‘has become an animal,’ I feel like that’s just coming from within you.” He replied, “Yeah, yeah . . . there’s something appealing about that, for sure.” More probing. “What’s going through your mind in some of those scenes . . . where you kill a man?” He answered, “It’s a secret.” “Do you like to kill a man on camera? Do you enjoy those scenes?” “Yes.” “Why?” “I don’t think I have a good answer for it.” He may not have a good answer for why he secretly loves to kill a man on camera, but the Bible does. Listen to Scripture describe the universal wickedness of the human heart: “Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have practiced deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:13-18). How true is the testimony of God’s Word. We certainly do “love darkness and hate the light.” However, the Day will come when this actor’s “secret” will be brought into the light. May he come to the Savior before that terrible Day.

Now You Know

Sinned34 (for some reason you haven’t given a profile. God knows your name). These are my words: “Pedophilia (molesting children), illegal. Abortion (killing children), legal.” This is your response: “Protecting children from predators is something most people can agree on. Preventing a collection of cells from being removed from a woman's body is not something most people can agree on.” This is a photo of a your “collection of cells.” It's a five-month baby in the womb. Now you can see what you are advocating killing. There's blood on your hands . . .

Perfect Timing

Someone sent me a very cool Coca Cola clock (that lights up when plugged in). I hung it in the lobby of our ministry, just above the cool Coca Cola fridge that arrived anonymously a few weeks ago. So, I don’t know who sent the cool fridge, or the cool clock. Neither do I know if it’s the same person that sent both, or two very kind people. So that means that I will have to continue to be nice to everyone. It may have even come from one of our atheist friends. I did notice a loud ticking sound (Calm down Mr. Atheist. It was like a joke. I know you would never think of such a thing). Anyway, if it is one of you that did this, thank you. It is a wonderful blessing to me, and one that I see every day as I go to our ministry. I wonder if there’s such a thing as a Coca Cola Lamborghini.

Half a Yawn

How do you feel when you are cultivating a sneeze and at the last second it dissipates? How about being interrupted when you are in the middle of a serious yawn? Have you ever had something that you were going to say, and at the last second it flies away from your mind like a bird into the distance? How do you feel when you forget a well-known actor’s name? You can visualize his face, his name sits on the tip of your tongue, and after you run through the alphabet you conclude it’s not in there. Each of these experiences are frustrating. However, they are nothing compared to the ultimate frustration of being a thinking person, and looking for an explanation of life that you can never seem to find. Why are we here? What is life’s purpose? Why am I waiting to die? Listen to this agonizing quote from Irish writer, dramatist and poet, Samuel Beckett. He said, “Life is an indefinite waiting for an explanation that never comes.” The terrible tragedy is that the explanation will never come, as long as the gospel is ignored.

Crazy Criminals

There was a criminal who was condemned to die in the electric chair. The courts had appointed a lawyer on behalf of the criminal, and he had worked hard to get him a reprieve. Finally, it came through, signed by the Governor himself. The excited lawyer delivered it by hand to the criminal, but he refused to look at it, and instead began insanely raving about his grandparents being monkeys and arguing about who made the prison in which he was incarcerated. Charles Spurgeon said, “All men are under the Law by nature, and consequently they are condemned by it because they have broken its commands; and apart from our Lord Jesus men are only reprieved criminals, respited from day to day, but still under sentence and waiting for the appointed hour when the warrant shall be solemnly executed upon them.”

Inconsistent Laws

Pedophilia (molesting children), illegal. Abortion (killing children), legal. Fornication with a 17 year-old, illegal. Fornication with an 18 year-old, legal. The sale of pornography in public places, legal. The displaying of the Ten Commandments in public places, illegal.

“Save some, O Christians! By all means, save some. From yonder flames and outer darkness, and the weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, seek to save some! Let this, as in the case of the apostle, be your great, ruling object in life, that by all means you might save some.” Charles Spurgeon

Questions and Objections

<< Can you explain why the New Testament account of Nativity contradicts itself when Herod the Great died in 4BC and Cyrenius did not become Governor of Syria until 6AD, leaving a ten year gap between Matthew and Luke's accounts? Also, any census (of which there is no record) would only have affected Roman citizens and there would have been no requirement for Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem. Also, can you explain why you think that God is a loving deity when he orders Abraham to throw his own child on a bonfire and kill him? OK, so he spares him at the last second, but think of how Isaac would have felt knowing that his father was prepared to kill him.>>

1. Herod: A little research is helpful with these sort of difficulties (and there are plenty of them). Herod I did die in 4BC, but Herod Antipas is the one spoken of in the gospels. Different Herods. I’m sure skeptics of the future will question how George Bush could be the Governor of Texas, and President of the United States at the same time. Again, a little research helps.
2. The Census: There is a record. It's in the Gospels.
3. Abraham: True, God told Abraham to offer his only son, and when he was about to kill him, God stopped him. It is important to understand that this incident is a picture of God actually giving His only begotten Son to suffer on the cross for our sins. Such is His love and mercy for rebels such as us.

Insulting Steel

In places where it freezes, a mass of salt is dropped on the roads to melt snow and make driving safer. However, such a practice also wrecks cars. Salt (the same stuff we eat daily), eats steel daily. We are often reminded that Jesus said of the Church “You are the salt of the earth,” and we are told that salt has many properties that remind us of what we are in Christ—preservation, flavor, etc. But let's not forget that because God is with us, we are the most powerful force on earth. No steel cage can stop a Christian from fulfilling the will of God. Jesus used anthropomorphism to convey this fact when He spoke of just the finger of God being with Him. That's all we need; a little Divine backup. I have often said that a blind, anemic, weak-kneed flee on crutches, has more chance of defeating a herd of ten thousand wild, stampeding elephants, than the enemy has of defeating God. So the next time he tries to intimidate you, think of the most powerful thunder-and-frightening storm you can, and remember that if God made that, and if He is with us, nothing can be against us.

Bible Inspiration

The Bible is amazing in that it can easily be shown to be inspired by God (to any reasonable person). It was written over a period of around 1,600 years, by between 40 and 50 authors from all walks of life, and yet there is a wonderful continuity of thought running throughout its pages. Take for instance the subject of “righteousness,” a word that is used 291 times in the King James Version. The cross happened because God demanded perfect justice to satisfy His perfect righteousness. Look now at the amazing continuity of Scripture: Psalm 9:8 (written around 800 BC), warned that God will judge the world in righteousness: “And he shall judge the world in righteousness . . . .” The Book of Proverbs 11:4 warns again: “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivers from death.” So, how can guilty sinners become righteous in the sight of a holy God? Hosea 10:12 tells us: “. . . for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” It was the on the Day of Pentecost that righteousness rained down from Heaven. Now God commands all men everywhere to repent. Why? “Because he has appointed a Day in which He will judge the world in righteousness.” As the Apostle Paul was about to die he said, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but to all them also that love his appearing" (2 Tim 4:8). In the meanwhile, you and I wait for a new heavens and new earth "within dwells righteousness." So, what should we be doing as Christians while we wait? Daniel 12:3 tells us: “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."

The Common Denominator

I enjoy reading biographies, but I have lost count of how many times I have read in them of the harmful influence of the modern Gospel. I have waded through books where a husband professes faith in Jesus and yet beats his wife over and over. He apologizes, asks God for forgiveness and then does it again. And again. The common denominator with all these professed converts is that they responded to a perverted gospel. They came for a better, victorious, problem-free life. In one book, the author gives his testimony (as a professing Christian): “I hadn’t learned to accept God’s love and grace . . . [I was] trying to win God’s approval.” These are symptoms of a false conversion. They reveal a shallow understanding if not complete ignorance of the purpose of the cross. Before he professed faith in Jesus, someone said to him, "If you are willing to accept Christ, not only as Savior but also as Lord of your life—the leader, the quarterback—great things are possible.” That’s a perversion of the gospel message—we are not to tell sinners that God's purpose is to give mankind happiness, fulfillment, and allow him to get the best out of life. Nowhere in Scripture do we see that message being preached, yet it is the essence of the modern proclamation. It leaves the sinner ignorant of the fact that he is a criminal, and ignorant of the fact that God is his judge. It's the recipe for a false conversion. I find that if I keep the analogy in the courtroom (criminal and judge), it keeps me from straying into the error of the modern gospel.

Wise Words From Richard Dawkins

Many who hear the evolution debate often hear scientific phrases, yet they are never told what these mean. So, in an effort to broaden our understanding of the issues, here is a short lesson for those who don’t know the basics. A “transitional form” is something that shows one form of life evolving (or changing) into another. Darwinian evolution (as proposed by Charles Darwin) said that mankind and primates (the monkey family) have a common ancestor. However, the contemporary theory of evolution teaches that man came directly from apes, and they even have full-color graphics of bent apes growing taller over millions of years, and standing upright, to back up the theory. To be a little simplistic--there was what is called the “Big bang,” and from there water formed, primitive life appeared in the water, it came up on land, became male and female primates, then evolved into modern man. In other words, Mankind “transitioned” from one species into another. Apes became men and women. However, there is a big problem for those that believe this theory. They can’t find the “missing link” between man and apes in “the fossil record.” The fossil record is the historical “record” of human and animal bones that lie beneath the soil or in the rocks.

Here now is a believer of the theory, who, when pressed to produce evidence of even one species to species transitional form in the fossil record, falls back on the predictable tactic of evolutionists by saying that he’s not an expert, “ I am not a paleontologist, so take this post with a grain of salt. I recommend that you contact a paleontologist who can explain to you what a transitional form actually is, and how many of them we actually have. I might remind you that the overwhelming consensus is that we have quite a few.”

No, we don’t have overwhelming evidence for transitional forms. Look at this quote from Science Digest: “The fossils that decorate our family tree are so scarce that there are still more scientists than specimens. The remarkable fact is that all the physical evidence we have for human evolution can still be placed, with room to spare, inside a single coffin .” That’s not true either. They have no “physical evidence” for human evolution. None. After searching and studying quotes from paleontologists, I am convinced that those who spout evolution are guilty of paleontological quackery. Most of them would put Disney imagineers out of work. They have built a lucrative industry out of their imaginations that rivals televangelism. What’s more, their wide-eyed supporters have the same simpleminded mentality that keeps money-hungry preachers in business. For years I have listened to the poker-faced evolutionists’ bluffing that they had a “few” transitional forms or “inside a single coffin.” But after research for Evolution, the Fairytale for Grownups I know that they have nothing in their hand. They are bankrupt. There are no species to species transitional forms in the fossil record. None. The following quote is from Indiana University’s website (italics added): “According to the theory of evolution, the descent with modification road to humans (or any other group, for that matter) is paved with a sequence of transitional fossils . . . fortunately, some members of some of those groups were fossilized, and a few of those are found from time to time, giving us the hit-or-miss, very spotty record of fossils which has led us to hypothesize [imagine] that picture of a branched tree of being which we call evolution .”

The problem is that the species to species transitional forms in the fossil record aren’t “few,” “hit or miss,” or “very spotty.” They don’t exist. There aren’t any, except in the imaginations of those who represent this pseudoscience called “Evolution.” Here is another sincere believer providing me with “evidence”: “The fact remains that at least evolution HAS physical evidence (and reams of it) to debate over . . . Whether you're willing to accept the evidence we're able to produce in copious amounts is irrelevant in light of the fact that it does exists here and now and we can all see and argue over it. And there's not just one piece of evidence... there's millions of years worth buried under our feet. ‘Cambrian Explosion’ period in prehistory that was found in British Columbia in the early 1900's has surely got to be enough to convince anyone (Google it if you're curious). Read that book Wonderful Life by Stephen Jay Gould that I mentioned in another post for all the evidence you could ever want . . . then you can visit any number of natural history museums to see it with your own eyes. What religious apologist could ever offer that kind of varied and immediate evidence? Happy hunting!”

All the Cambrian Explosion [a specific time in history] does is prove that creation came into being as though Someone suddenly created it. It disproves evolution: “And we find many of them [Cambrian fossils] already in an advanced state of evolution, the very first time they appear. It is as though they were just planted there, without any evolutionary history. Needless to say, this appearance of sudden planting has delighted creationists.” (Richard Dawkins, The Blind Watchmaker London: W.W. Norton & Company, 1987, p. 229).

I asked for one piece of evidence of a species to species transitional form in the fossil record, and the best I was given was advice to visit museums and wished “happy hunting.” Why should I have to do the hunting? All I want is one example. That will shut my mouth.

Charles Darwin said, “But, as by this theory innumerable transitional forms must have existed, why do we not find them embedded in countless numbers in the crust of the earth? ” Well, have they found them? David M. Raup, Curator of Geology. Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago said, “... by the fossil record and we are now about 120-years after Darwin and the knowledge of the fossil record has been greatly expanded. We now have a quarter of a million fossil species but the situation hasn't changed much ." Newsweek magazine said, “The more scientists have searched for the transitional forms between species, the more they have been frustrated .” Evolutionist, Stephen Jay Gould admitted, “The extreme rarity of transitional forms in the fossil record persists as the trade secret of paleontology .” Lord Solly Zuckerman, MA, MD, DSc (Anatomy) added, “If man evolved from an apelike creature he did so without leaving a trace of that evolution in the fossil record.” Here are some more experts on the subject of evolution: “I would rather believe in fairy tales than in such wild speculation.” Nobel Prize-winner Sir Ernst Chain. “Evolutionism is a fairy tale for grown-ups. This theory has helped nothing in the progress of science. It is useless.” Professor Louis Bounoure . “I have asked myself whether I may not have devoted my life to a fantasy.” Charles Darwin. “Darwinists are afraid. They are hiding something.” Ben Stein, Actor. “Scientists who go about teaching that evolution is a fact of life are great con-men, and the story they are telling may be the greatest hoax ever.” Dr. T. N. Tahmisian (Atomic Energy Commission). “Ultimately, the Darwinian theory of evolution is no more nor less than the great cosmogenic myth of the twentieth century.” Michael J. Denton, Molecular Biologist. “I myself am convinced that the theory of evolution, especially the extent to which it's been applied, will be one of the great jokes in the history books of the future. Posterity will marvel that so very flimsy and dubious an hypothesis could be accepted with the incredible credulity that it has.” Malcolm Muggeridge, Journalist and philosopher Pascal Lectures, University of Waterloo Research The Advocate, March 8, 1984, p. 17

Again, there is no “extreme rarity” of species to species transitional forms. They don’t exist. I think that believers in the theory of evolution should take notice of the wise words of well-known evolutionist, Richard Dawkins: “And, next time somebody tells you that something is true, why not say to them: ‘What kind of evidence is there for that?’ And if they can't give you a good answer, I hope you'll think very carefully before you believe a word they say.”

From, Evolution . . . the Fairytale For Grown Ups (due to be published Feb. 2008).

PLEASE NOTE: We will be giving the subject of evolution a break for a while. So, please don't spend time writing long emails (blogs) to try and justify why you believe in the theory, because they will not be posted. Don't take it personally, it's just that the subject becomes tiresome after a while. Thanks for your understanding, and for all your interesting thoughts.

What Made Albert Really Angry

<< "Talk about opposites, the awsome brilliance and creativity of almighty God and the utter stupidity and dullness of an athiest." It'd me rather smarmy of me to criticize your spelling in a post where you're calling other people stupid, but stupidity and dullness you say? Stupid like, say, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Thomas Edison and Carl Sagan? >>

Skippy, I think that you are inferring that both Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking (two of the greatest minds in history) were atheists. Please read the following quotes slowly: "In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of such views." -- Albert Einstein (he's talking about you Skippy). "It would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us"? -- Stephen Hawking [A Brief History of Time]. These quotes are from Evolution, the Fairytale For Grownups (coming out soon. I would love to send you a free copy).

Throwing Down the Gauntlet

<< Oh wow, Ray. I'm flattered that you think I'm ripping this stuff off from someone smarter or more knowledgable than I am. >>

I have to be honest with you Joel, evolutionists are not smart. The theory is an intellectual embarrassment. It has nothing to do with true science. Prove me wrong. Give me one undeniable example of a transitional form in the fossil record, that clearly shows one species evolving into another. Just one example. You can’t do it. Don't tell me that museums are full of them, because they aren’t. They don't have one. Don't cut and paste from Berkeley University's site--their examples are a joke. Big words and long names, bone fragments and glued feathers on fish won’t do. Neither will any silliness about bacteria--that is not species to species evolution. There is no evidence of any species to species transitional form in the fossil record. None. Zilch. Okay...I’m waiting.

Cheated Atheists

I love thunder and lightning, especially when a boom is so loud that it makes the house shudder. I love to see massive lightning flash across the sky, and make a pitch dark night as light as noon day. I love it because it puts the fear of God into me, and the fear of God is good for any human being. The atheist has convinced himself that God didn’t create creation. For him “creation” doesn’t exist, because if he calls it creation logic demands a Creator. We are instead surrounded by “accidentation” (yes Mr. Atheist, I just made up another word, especially for you). Everything is a big accident. No one caused it and no one is in control. So when he hears a boom of thunder, or sees an incredible flash of lightning, the thunder doesn’t awaken him and the lightning doesn’t give him light as to what is going on. He, because of what is called “willful ignorance,” cheats himself of perhaps the greatest of all benefits in this life—the fear of the Lord, which is “the beginning of wisdom.” Without having the “beginning” of wisdom, he will keep thinking that nothing created everything from nothing. Such thoughts only make sense to someone who hasn’t got sense.

Daredevils

Every sane person develops healthy fear of danger as they mature in life. As children we learn that fire is hot, and falling from heights can be painful. They are self-preserving fears. But there are some adults that are called “daredevils” who ignore those fears and instead try to cheat death. They are perhaps called dare “devils” because the devil is the one that once had power over death (see Hebrews 2:14,15). He, as the chief executioner, had the legal right to take the lives of every human being, because we are law-breakers under the sentence of death (see Romans 6:23). But that legal power was taken from him when Jesus paid our fine in His life’s blood, and rose from the grave (see Revelation 1:18). Upon repentance and faith in the Savior, the Christian has his death sentence commuted. Our case is dismissed because the evidence of our transgressions is washed away. The Judge of the earth, in His great mercy, legally allows us to live. No wonder the Bible calls what we have in Christ the “unspeakable gift.” No words can express what good news this is for dying humanity--that everlasting life is the free gift of God! So, be a “you-know-what,” and ignore the fear that seeks to stop you from sharing this good news with those who are still ignorant as to what actually happened on that cross, so long ago.

A Special Note to Atheists

<< Strange... Ray deleted my comment pointing to my own blog where I have responded to this. I assume it is due to the catch-all, -covering disclaimer above this posting form:>>

Dear Atheists,
Regarding the above complaint. The comment was deleted because the blog included the address of another site. We have two hard and fast rules--no website addresses, and no bad language. I did take the time to read the response, and there were some good points. So why not put them on this blog? “God” was even given a capital “G,” which is refreshing for an atheist (thanks Brent). Sadly we had to also delete the above complaint because of minor bad language (b-tt). We are honored that you (atheists) share your thoughts, as we enjoy learning what makes you believe as you do. The exchange of ideas is healthy, so keep them coming.

Survival of the Fattest

Experts are now saying that obesity will kill more people than all cancers combined. An amazing 97 million Americans are overweight (self-control-challenged). Hundreds of thousands in the U.S. will die this year because they are obese or are on their way there. A study looked at over a quarter of a million U.S. children, and they found that nearly one in five, aged between 7-13 years, were classified as “overweight.” That means that “by the year 2040, for the first time ever in our species our life expectancy is expected to drop.” Experts are becoming very concerned. I can’t figure evolution believers out. Why the worry? Evolution will make sure that the species of fat kids have fat kids, who will have fat kids, and each of them will evolve fatter veins to carry more fat through the blood to a fatter heart. It will make sure that they will have fat-tolerant livers, fat-tolerant colons and fat-tolerant gall bladders, much larger knees to take the greater weight, and it will all be worked out by the much evolved and chubby brain in our fat heads. So, a quiet word to those of the species who are becoming worried that we are not going to survive. Keep believing. Evolution has taken millions of years to bring Homo sapiens this far, and it will make sure that everything will get sorted out, in time.

Untying Knots

Many an uneducated cyberspace atheist can paint himself as an intellectual by some quick cutting and pasting. Certain words (“Zeus” and “Thor”) and big words here and there, reveal that the painting is a copy. Other clues are objections about Bible civil laws such as “the stoning of children for disobedience,” etc. Through atheist websites the potential doubter can be given just enough rope from the Bible to hang himself. At the sites they will find out-of-context verses, illogical explanations, and untrue and ignorant claims. But, as a Christian, you are told to redeem the time because the days are evil, so you can save yourself time by joining the cut and paste club. Address their questions, but don’t deny your family their time or don’t spend hours trying to reason with someone who is proud of heart. You have better things to do. All you need to do is go to www.evidencebible.com and cut and paste from one hundred of the most common (and predictable) questions asked by skeptics. The specific address is www.evidencebible.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml
There you will find out how these folks twist a Scripture to try and justify their love for sin. For every knot they tie, you now don’t have to spend ages untying them. For example, an atheist says that his morality is based on the issue of happiness. That could take you some time to unravel. They say that if something hurts someone then it is evil. That’s the basis for God-less morality. If it doesn’t hurt anyone, then it’s morally good. Answer that by saying, “So atheists say that pedophilia is morally okay, as long as the pictures are taken without the children’s knowledge. It doesn’t hurt them, and it makes a lot of perverts happy.” Good and evil has nothing to do with the happiness of man. Sin is transgression of God’s Law. When we sin, we sin against Him and Him only. Anything else in comparison is peripheral.

The Elegance of Science

<< Without logic, science would not exist. We can both agree with that, can't we? The elegance of science is that all its discoveries reinforce the rest. If something does not fit in - no matter how much we might want it to and no matter how long we have accepted it as true - it is rejected and a better answer is sought. This is the reason that something like the Big Bang theory is on the outs in the scientific community.>>

Joel, Here’s some questions for you. If science couldn’t exist without logic, where then did logic come from? Is it eternal? Did it have a beginning? Be careful that you are not adamant in your reply, because of your “elegance of science” statement. When science rejects its convictions for a better answer, it is an admittance that science is continually finding that what it believed, is wrong. How could you think that that is good? One minute science believes the Big Bang theory, then it doesn’t. That means that what you are so adamantly arguing for as absolute truth at the moment, could change in the next. And you are okay with it. That’s illogical. Admit it Joel--you are like the rest of us. You love your sins, and all this mumbo-jumbo is just a cover up. Your Watergate isn’t watertight. I would be grateful if you would read John 3:19-21, and give me your thoughts.

How to Beat a Hangover

If you are going to drink alcohol, here is some information about how to treat hangovers--from an expert. He maintains that one of the causes of a hangover is dehydration, so he suggests that you drink plenty of fluids when you drink alcohol, such as water, fruit juices, sodas, etc. Then, the next morning when it hits you like an 18-wheeler, drink plenty of fluids such as water, fruit juices, sodas, etc. He says that the symptoms you will get from a hangover are “headache, muscle aches, fatigue, decreased attentiveness, lack of concentration, difficulty sleeping, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.” Besides drinking liquids, he suggests not staying in bed all day, and then in just eight to twenty-four hours you will feel a lot better. There are his thoughts. Here's a suggestion from someone who isn't an expert on the best way to beat a hangover. Have the good sense not to drink alcohol. Duh.

Hiding Behind Anonymity

<< nameless said...So you're pro life. You think that you're doing the right thing? NO, all you're doing is taking rights away from pregnant women. But why would you care, its not like you could ever get pregnant, so it doesn't concern you either way. No one is making anyone get an abortion so shut the &%@#! up and let women have the right to get an abortion! >>

Dear nameless (not to God--He knows your name, every hair on your head, and every thought of your desperately wicked heart). Of course I’m pro life. The word “murderer” and the word “Christian” cannot go together. Of course, the word “murderer” and “religion” go hand in hand. They have done right down though history. No argument there. So make sure you don’t get confused by the two words. They are as different as night and day.

<< nameless said...
Hey before you start talking X$!*$ about atheist why don't you get to know them. It seems to me that you don't have a clue what atheists are really like. Why don't you talk with some atheist then come up with an opinion before you talk about them. I mean after all, religious people have a far bigger problem with atheists than atheists have of religious people. and if you want to prove me wrong then show my comment, unless of course you only want to show the comments of the people that agree with you. so prove me wrong ray, show my post if you aren't afraid of people disagreeing with you.>>

Hey Mr. Atheist

I have a couple of questions for you. What is it that you trust in to give you peace and joy? What gives you your sense of security for the future? Let me see if I can guess where your faith is directed. Is it money? Do you love it? Come on, admit it. Does having money in the bank give you a sense of peace and security? Is it your source of joy? Of course it is. Listen to what Jesus said about your attitude to money (mammon) and to God: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Mr. Atheist, He’s right isn’t He? You can’t fault the words of Jesus. I dare you to try and find something that He said that was erroneous. Bet you can’t.

I Need Your Thoughts

I have an idea for a set of T-shirts, and I would be grateful for your input. The first one is for a woman who is three months pregnant. On the outside of the shirt would be a picture of a three-month-in-the-womb child. The second shirt would be larger, with a picture of a six month-old-in-the-womb baby, and the third would be a larger shirt still, with the picture of a fully developed child in the womb. Each T-shirt would say “My baby--actual size.” It would not only make a positive pro-life statement, but a proud mother could show "baby" pictures before her baby was born. If you like this idea, to a point where you would actually buy a set of these shirts for yourself or for someone you love, please let me know. If I don’t get any response, I will know that it was just another one of my crazy ideas that would have flopped. But if enough of you like it, we will produce them. Thank you.

Bad News For Zoos

No doubt not too many people will be excited about taking their families to the zoo, after the four year-old tiger killed a man and mauled two others in the San Francisco Zoo, in late December of 2007. How frightening it would be to be chased by a big cat, whose sole intent is to rip your body to pieces, and then eat it. Around the time of the attack I spotted a bumper sticker on an atheist web site that said “Too many Christians. Not enough lions.” Nice folks. One comment on the site said that it was a “clever bumper sticker.” Actually, no-one can “kill” a Christian. It’s been well-said that death isn’t the termination of existence, but the entrance into an eternal and unchanging state. The Christian has been “sealed” with the life of God Himself. All a murderer does is promote those that trust in Christ from this pain-filled futile existence, into reality. Then, in the coming Kingdom we will enjoy forever an earth where the lion will lie down with the lamb.

What Word?

A proud man picked the emergency instructions out of the seat pocket, as he sat in a plane that was about to crash. He laughed cynically at the graphics on the cover, and said that he could have done better. As he glanced at the text, he noticed what be believed to be a spelling mistake on the front page. The “mistake” was his, but because of his belief he didn’t even bother to open its pages. Instead, he mumbled something about the airline using scare tactics, ripped up the instructions, and for some reason became angry at other passengers and tried to stop them from reading them. What word would you use to describe such a person?