Recall Notice

Received this email this morning and wanted to share:        RECALL NOTICE: The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been identified as "Subsequential Internal Non- morality," more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed. Some of the symptoms include: 1. Loss of direction 2. Foul vocal emissions 3. Amnesia of origin 4. Lack of peace and joy 5. Selfish or violent behavior 6. Depression or confusion 7. Fearfulness 8. Idolatry 9. Rebellion The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory- authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect. The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R. Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component. No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with: 1. Love 2. Joy 3. Peace 4. Patience 5. Kindness 6. Goodness 7. Faithfulness 8. Gentleness 9. Self control Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E.(BEST Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes. WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list, and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded. For free emergency service, call on Jesus. DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility. Thank you for your attention! - GOD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evidence for the Resurrection

Adapted from a presentation by Razi Zacharias (www.rzim.org)

Without the resurrection, there is no Christianity.  It is meaningless, the religion collapses on itself.  It is through the resurrection of Christ that our sins are forgiven and that we too will be resurrected and live in eternity with Him.

In the past 2000 (+) years, no one has reported a case of anyone being resurrected.  Since we have never seen it, we don't believe it.  Like the Apostle Thomas, we want to put our fingers in His wounds to believe.

Meaning we want PROOF.

But for the person who is willing to do a little study, the proof is there!  It is reported by eyewitnesses in the Gospels.  (the reliability of the Gospels would be for another post, but do the research, it is there, the Gospels are reliable and trustworthy---check out Lee Strobel's "A Case For Christ")

So in review of the Gospels, we can ask and answer the following 10 questions that will provide us with the evidence the Jesus did rise from the dead.

1.  Prior to His death, why would Jesus claim that He would die and  bodily rise up if he planned to fool everyone?  This would be impossible to do, unless you faked your death.  And if it was His plan to fake his death, then He would not plan to be scourged and crucified---no one can survive that.  So why not say he would spiritually rise again, which could never be proven.

2. In a world where women are second rate citizens, where their word cannot be given in court; why would the news of the resurrection come to women first?   No one fabricating this story would've done that in that day.  But isn't it just like Jesus, to reach out to the outsiders and put them ahead of all others. Isn' t it just like God to choose the lowliest and least likely to do a great task?

3. There were eyewitness, over 500 in fact.  Some people today say this was a case of "mass hallucination".  But there has NEVER been a single documented case of a "mass hallucination", hallucinations are a product of an individual's mind, not a groups.   In addition, the Risen Christ interacted with His Disciples who saw, felt and touched the Risen Christ.

4.  There was an amazing transformation from fear to martyrdom.  Prior to His death, the disciples fearfully ran and hid.  The punishment for being associated with Jesus would be death.  Not one disciple stood up for Jesus prior to his death. Not. A. Single. One.

But after His death, all 12 disciples were suddenly transformed from cowards to brave men, risking their lives to spread the good news of the resurrection.   The Jewish leaders considered this blasphemy punishable by death.  The 12 who were so fearful and hid before, now are spreading Christianity without fear.  Even as 11 of the 12 died a horrible martyr's death (ex. Thomas was speared to death, Peter crucified upside down)

Why?  Would you die horribly for what you knew to be a lie?

No, you wouldn't and they wouldn't.  The disciples knew that regardless of how horrible the death, it was nothing compared to the glory of Heaven and being with Jesus.  They knew that they too would live again as Jesus did.   

5.  If the story of the resurrection was a myth or legend created by the disciples for whatever purpose, why would they begin their lie almost immediately after the death of Jesus, and in Jerusalem?  This is where Jesus was tortured and killed and where the religious leaders would (and did) search for anyone spreading this "myth" and stoning them to death.  So why not run off to some other place to start this fairy tale? It only makes sense if it was the truth.

6. Jesus and His disciples had many enemies in Jerusalem.  And yet there was no contradictory evidence produced to persuaded Jews that the resurrection was a hoax.   We have all kinds of evidence saying Big Foot is a hoax, if the Resurrection (so much more important than Big Foot) is a hoax, wouldn't the evidence against it be pouring in?  Wouldn't that squash this movement then and there?

7.  Peter and Paul began the formation of the Catholic Church----why would it be needed if this was one grand hoax or scheme?  There was nothing to gain by doing this, except torture and death---which they did receive---unless the Resurrection was real.

8. For thousands of years, the day of worship, the Sabbath was (still is) on Saturday.  Why would early Christians change of day of worship from Saturday to Sunday?  It is because Jesus arose on a Sunday.   Otherwise, it would be so deeply ingrained into the disciples that Saturday is the day to worship, they would've kept the Christian worship day to that day.

9.   Not everyone who knew Jesus believed he was Christ  or Messiah.  Even some of His own family members did not believe!  James, brother of Jesus did not believe Jesus was Christ.   He did not follow Jesus, did not believe in the miracles Jesus was reported to have performed.  But after the resurrection of Jesus, James believed.  Had Jesus died and not resurrected, there would be no reason for James to change his beliefs and join this radical group of new Christians and risk his own life to perpetrate a lie.

10.  In the times of Jesus was a  man named Saul.  He was a highly educated Jew who loved the law and hated the Christians.  He believed the Christians were blasphemers and should be swiftly executed, and he volunteered for the job of rounding them up and bringing them to justice (death).   Saul was very good at his job and he was highly feared by the Christians.  Then in a single day....he changed.   He reported that the Risen Jesus appeared to him and spoke to him.  And from that moment on, Saul (whom we know as Paul) became the greatest defender of Christianity in all of history.   Nothing can explain this, except to accept it as truth, that Saul did see and speak to the resurrected Christ.


Hopefully many of you will read this and feel fulfilled in your beliefs.  Some of you will read this and be persuaded and will hopefully be encouraged to learn more and come to faith or grow in your faith.  And I know there will be some (because I was one) who will scoff and think, nice story.  I pray for you to be enlightened and challenge yourself to learn more---your eternal soul depends upon it.

Innocent until proven Guilty

One of the backbone principles of  America is that our constitution states we are Innocent until Proven Guilty.  Today's society seems to have forgotten that, condemning people in the media of their perceived criminal behavior before all the facts / evidence are brought to the public eye.

But controversy sells, right?



I was thinking about this in relation to Christianity.

Why is it that Christians are condemned as naive at best, stupid at worst, for our faith?   Because those who condemn us refuse to look at the evidence. The Bible in inherently wrong---until proven right.  (which atheists think is so impossible they are not even willing to try)

Time and again, the Bible is proven right and true.  Cities such as Jericho were believed to be fiction of the Bible...until archeologists uncovered the remains of these cities.  David was considered a legendary, mythological figure...until archeologists found evidence proving he lived.

Jesus is assumed by many to be a fictional character.  But those thinking that have not studied the evidence.  There is more evidence confirming His existence than for any other historical figure.

Science on the other hand is accepted by society as true and accurate---until proven wrong.  Scientists once believed the Earth was the center of the universe---until other scientists proved that wrong.  Scientists once thought dinosaurs were slow, sluggish creatures, having to support their great mass in waters.  Then more recent scientists proved that was wrong.

Scientists once knew for a fact the universe was eternal--without beginning or end.  Until more recent scientists showed the Big Bang was more likely the case.  (kinda like what Genesis has been telling us all along, right?!)

Time and again, scientific "fact" is thrown out for new "facts".  That is truly one of the things I love about science---it "evolves".


But in regards to the Bible---Nothing in the Bible has been proven wrong.  Not everything has been proven true...but nothing has been proved false.   That is what I love about our Bible--it does NOT evolve.  It is something we can be sure in and secure in.

If agnostics and atheists would study the evidence when judging Christians, and be open minded, they would be swayed by the evidence that we do have something truthful to rest our hearts and souls in.



The Bible is True.  Always True.



Science---what's true today....well, just may not be true tomorrow.  

Gay Marriage and the Christian.

The Bible is clear.  

Homosexuality is a sin.

So as a Christian I  am against Gay Marriage. 

  

Unfortunately, 

 I have heard other Christians speak out
against Gay Marriage 

in very condemning, even self righteous tones. 

 I even have heard Christians state that they would not 

welcome a gay person to their church!

I recall the story in the Bible (John 8) when the Pharisees 

were about to stone the woman caught in adultery.  

(funny how the man was not arrested too).  

As they were about to cast their stones,

 Jesus says

 "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

 and then he writes something in the sand at the feet of each Pharisee.   

Each Pharisee drops his stone and walks angrily away.

So I look at the Christian

 who looks at a LGBT person with contempt,

 I wonder what I could write in the sand at their feet?

Drinks to get drunk 

Smokes Pot to get High

Tells Lies to get out of Trouble

Had sex before marriage

Is Prideful before Others

Yes, homosexuality is a sin.  

But we are ALL Sinners!   

And God sees / condemns all sins equally.  

The person who abuses his body with drugs is no different 

than the person participating in homosexuality.

So Christian, we are no different than the one we are condemning.  

Embrace him or her with the loving arms of Christ.   

We are taught to love God and one another. 

We are taught to not condone the sin, 

But we are taught to LOVE the sinner.

(If this post is found offensive, I apologize. Gay Marriage is a very controversial subject today.  Yes I am against Gay Marriage.   Marriage is a 3 way covenant with God, a man and a woman for the purpose of bearing / raising children.   Anything other than that is not a marriage and it will not be blessed by God.

That being said, couples who have been together for years (gay or straight) should have the same legal rights / benefits as married couples.   Call it a civil union.  Call it common law marriage.  Or call it as a friend of mine does, a "Hippy" marriage.   But it cannot be equated to a religious marriage.)