Welcome to the Atheist Church

"And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all" (Luke 5:17-19).

The skeptic says that Christianity is "a catch-22." This phrase was coined by Joseph Heller in his novel Catch-22. It is in reference to "a logical paradox arising from a situation in which an individual needs something that can only be acquired by not being in that very situation." They level that Christianity is "You have to first believe before you believe." But that's not true. It is rather "You have to trust before you discover something is true." If you doubt that a plane could fly you, the way to see if it can is to take a step of faith and get into it. Your doubts would disappear the moment it flies.

The issue with planes has little bearing on life. But the issue with Christianity has everything to do with where you will spend eternity.

The multitude sought to touch Jesus. This was because the people that touched Him were healed of their diseases. Of course, any good skeptic would have stood back and done what skeptics do best. He would have been skeptical. However, those skeptics who wanted to find truth merely had to press in and touch Him to experience the "virtue" (power) that flowed out of Him.

So skeptic, do what the multitude did. Reach out and touch the Lord. There’s the gauntlet. Repent and trust in Him and the power will flow into you. The same power that touched sinners in Thessalonica 2,000 years ago is open to you today:

"For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance..." (1 Thessalonians 1:5).