Note

I’m presently trying to get used to wordpress. Once I’m comfortable with all its tools I will start posting directly here. In the meantime, please go to redeemedinchrist777.blogspot.com , where you’ll be able to read my most recent posts.

Take care and God Bless!

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Perfect Statistic

We ponder and pontificate about “truth” with our isms–humanitarianism, existentialism, relativism, but we refuse to look into the mirror and see how wretched we are. Do you realize that every single person on the face of this planet is dying? Ten out of ten people die. There is no escape from what we call life and what the Bible calls death. The whole land is cursed, my friend. It’s just so common we accept it as a fact of life. But inside, whether you see it or not, everybody groans with sadness because somehow, someway, we know that life is ultimately purposeless without eternal life. We live in fear of death, and we cannot escape its shadow.

Eighty years is very short. It seems long, but you realize this when you’re on your death bed. And in the moments before you go, the truth looks you right in the eyes–but it doesn’t mean you’ll accept it. You can accept or deny it, but it looks you right in the face and says, “Am I true or am I not?”

When I was in Colima a friend of ours became severly ill. Peter and I went to see him at his house at the foot of one of the two volcanos. At the time I was not a Christian. This man who had been so energetic in my previous trips was now laying in bed with his stomach swollen the size of a basketball. The mask of pride had been ripped off his face and his eyes were filled with terror. A few weeks before he’d been joking around and telling us stories, bulding stuff around his house and taking care of the yard. The look he gave me before I left haunts me to this day. He new he’d never see me again because I was leaving town the following day to go Mexico City. He wished me good luck and shook my hand, he squeezed my hand hard and the look he gave me penetrated straight to my conscience–he knew this was it, that although I’d come back to Colima he wouldn’t be there.

A few days later while I was in Mexico City, Peter sent me an email telling me our friend had died. Where does someone go when they die? One minute you are a person and the other you are a body. The life that was in the person’s body, which was unique in a planet of billions of other persons, which you could not replace at all, is gone.

The Bible is unique in that it accurately describes all the aspect of the depravity of man. There is not a person in the history of the world which addresses this depravity better than Jesus Christ. Before you scoff, think carefully about these words by Edmund Spencer:

“There is principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all argument, and which cannot fail to keep man in everlasting ignorance. That principle is contempt prior to investigation.”

These Men Speak The Truth: Christians, dare to listen to these men, who speak Jesus’ words. Test them, examine them, scan them–they speak the cold, hard truth.

An Unusual Encounter

I was walking down a deserted area of St-Catherine street at about 1am, when I saw a silhouette coming toward me.
“Excuse me, do you have change?”
“No, I’m sorry.” I said, still walking.
“Food?”
Usually, one can be asked for change many times in this area of town. To be asked for food in the middle of the night is a different story. So I stopped and reached into my pocket. I guess the person expected less than I gave her because she had tears in her eyes. It broke my heart. I asked this person, a tiny native lady, what her name was.
“My name is Hannah. I’m hungry; I just want a fry or something.” Tears were now streaming down her face. I could tell she was fed up, overwhelmed, and lonely.
I touched her shoulder and told her that if she ever needed food, she could go to St-Stephen’s Church right behind the hospital. The Open Door is a soup kitchen where workers and volunteers feed and counsel the weak and the weary.
She grabbed my hand and said “You just answered my prayer. The Spirit brought us here.” Then she I hugged her. I felt something tug at my heart. What had happened to this poor woman’s childhood that she wound up roaming these dark streets?
“Do you have anything to read?”She asked me.
I didn’t. But I reached inside my wallet and gave her double what I’d already given her; had she asked for my sweater I would have given it to her. I just wanted her to be okay–to go sit and eat peacefully. I knew this woman was in pain, lonely and searching. She was bolder in her faith than many I have seen, including myself. What struck me the most was that although she had a middle-aged woman’s body, I saw a child looking at me.

As I left I heard her sobbing. I had to blink a few times to hold back tears. As I walked I prayed for her. I prayed for the Lord to counsel and comfort her.

We are not called because of our works. Do you think I could have helped this woman had I told her how many good works I’d done throughout my life? It’s easy to do good works when you’re born in a healthy home, a wealthy country where luxuries abound. And by luxury I’m not referring to fancy cars and spiffy clothes–your luxuries are the food that you can eat so freely, the air you can breathe so easily, the space that you have because your legs are healthy. Arrogance in the “western world” is invisible to most of us. Our arrogance is so ubiquitous that we don’t even see it. We stare at the ceiling every night before going off in a comfortable sleep, yet we don’t ever seem to notice that we have a roof over our heads and clean sheets to sleep in.

It’s been four days since I met Hannah, and I wish I could tell her that God answered a prayer for me too when we met. I was struck by how fragile her little soul was that night, and if I could have taken away her pain that very night, I would have done it without hesitation.

This is an excellent response about why we should take the Bible seriously.

Militant Atheism

It’s one thing to be an atheist; you do not believe in God. Fine. But to start using your own interpretations and conclusions about science to destroy other people’s faith is low and cruel.

On the buses of Montreal we now have signs that read: There’s probably no God, now stop worrying and enjoy your life. I understand that everybody has a right to express themselves. But words have incredible power in them. I think we can all vividly remember hurtful words that were spoken to us while we were in a vulnerable position.

So imagine: You’re walking on the street, thinking that there is no hope. Your whole body and soul screams out in despair. You feel your life has no purpose and you feel you have been abandoned by your parents, your friends, and even strangers. You are genuinely contemplating suicide because you cannot take anymore of the pain. Even when nothing is happening to you physically, you feel attacked by oppressive thoughts about the past and paralyzing fears about the future. You are barely hanging on and your escape plan is already decked out. Then you see this bus pass by telling you there is no God. This happens daily to people. It’s quite ignorant to claim that people nowadays are healthy. Most of us suffer from stress and anxiety whether we know it or not. We are bombarded with news articles of increasingly violent intensity.

What would you do next? You are done emotionally and physically. You can barely take another step, let alone tell yourself that there is a God. You need someone to pick you up and take care of you. You are barely hanging on. You are an ape, the sign tells you. There is no purpose for you, except for the purpose you make-up for yourself. Nobody loves you; even your parents have let you down (or perhaps abused you).

The atheist worldview usually claims that there is no evidence–based on science–that there is a God. The theory of evolution and its backers like Mr Richard Dawkins, claim the earth is billions of years old and that we evolved from apes. Where does this conclusion come from.How is this measured? Billions? Where is the proof? This is not a rhetorical question; I would truly like to ask Dawkins.

There are things that are not tangible that exist. Love. Justice. An objective moral law that all humans break or obey. If you kill someone, you will remember and know that you have done something incredibly wrong.

Atheism is a belief system. But the Dawkins brand of atheism is a religion. He rants and raves about how religion controls and indoctrinates us. I don’t know how he became so convinced that he was forced to believe in God. Faith is a choice. There are consequences to every choice.,and militant atheism is a clear reflection that post-modern thought is hostile to objective truth, hence objective consequences to every choice we make.

I work in a hospital. Through the years I’ve seen many specimens of all kinds of internal organs, but I doubt I will ever see a specimen with “love” written on it. Can you tell me with a straight face that love doesn’t exist because science can’t prove it? (Science can prove that endorphins and other chemicals explains some types of behavior, but that doesn’t prove love and free will.)

Who can prove what causes us to give our lives instead of seeing our child die?Point is, Dawkins and company cannot prove where we come from. Where does science come from? How could time, matter, and chance produce such a beautifully organized system? We are not accidents, cosmic orphans, or mere bundles of nerves and globs of dna.

In between the scoffing, the sarcasm, and the bullying, there are four arguments Dawkins and other militant atheists use to plow-in their worldview:

1. Christianity, like all religions, leads to violence.
2. God is just an invention designed to console losers.
3. Christian faith is a leap in the dark without any reliable basis.
4. The natural sciences have disproved God. (Taken Alister McGrath’s essay, Challenges From Atheism)

I would add a fifth one: Christians have a mental illness. According to Dawkins:

“Like computer viruses, successful brain viruses will tend to be hard for the victims to detect. If you are the victim of one, the chances are that you won’t know it, and may even vigorously deny it.” richarddawkins.net (quotes #8)

Argument #1 refers to wars and massacres that have been committed in the name of Christianity. A true believer in Christ follows the whole Bible, which tells us in no uncertain terms to not kill. Jesus told us to turn the other cheek, forgive, and to love one another. It is power that corrupts. The lust for power will cause all types of violence in the name of whatever is convenient. Satan mascarades as an angel of light. I believe these verses from Paul in 2Corinthians11: 13-15 describe very well the men who have committed murder and sexual molestation in the name of Christianity:

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.”

Argument #2: This is just cruel and ignorant. A mother loses her child. A husband’s wife suddenly dies. Would Mr. Dawkins actually have the arrogance to tell these people they are losers? You can see that what militant atheism attacks is a stereotype of Christian based on what they have chosen to see about Christians.

Argument #3: Faith is belief in something that is not seen. The Bible is clear about the Bible. In 2Timothy 3:16, Paul says:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

That said, we either believe it as the inspired word of God, the ultimate guide for a life in this world–or not. The choice is ours. Believing the claims of Scriptures means that we have faith that God exists and manifested his mercy, love, and grace through the prophets and apostles of the Bible. We believe the Bible to be historically reliable. If you do not believe then I can understand that there is no reliable evidence for you, since you do not believe the evidence.

Argument #4:God is supernatural.Outside of nature. We believe He created nature as we know it. Science is the study of the natural. I once heard this example, which illustrates the issue very well: You walk along the beach, and for miles you see only but ripples in the sand produced by the waves of the ocean. Suddenly, you find letters drawn in the sand which say, I love John. Will you not conclude that someone has been there? Look at all the other planets–no trees, no mountains, no birds–nothing. Then look at the earth. Look at how beautifully designed everything is. Dawkins is using a flashlight to attempt to convince you there is no light-bulb in the house and that therefore no such thing as light exists.

Argument#5: Dawkins’ quote that faith is a brain virus is a serious allegation. It shows clearly that he not only dis-believes in God, but also that he is hostile to all who claim to have a personal loving relationship with Him. I would like to ask him what he suggests we do to eradicate this so-called mental illness. He is blinded by his pride and arrogance.

“The fool says in his heart, ‘there is no God’.” (Psalm 14:1) Dawkins and company bash their own stereotype of Christian and God. It is because of their pride, arrogance, and selfishness that they are blind to the truth of the Scriptures. May God help them. They lead people astray by sounding very convincing and preaching to people who just wanna hear what their itching ears long to hear. And I hope one day they realize that although some people have an adult’s body, inside they have the soul of a broken child, a soul that never healed.

Who Would Die For a Hoax?