Excerpt from my last debate with an atheist

Last year I had a formal debate with an atheist. As I gave my openings I included three points that I wished the atheist to answer. Here is the opening section of my notes:

Last week my good friend Lauren Hickok, was in a terrible van wreck. Her lungs collapsed, her knees are damaged and every bone in her face is broken. At best, if she survives - a 50-50 chance right now - she will undergo years of therapy.

If I am a admirer of Nietzche, as my friend here is, then my response would be to pull the plug and let her die, for Nietsche says the true perfect human being has no room for compassion for the ailing.

If I am a Darwinist, as I believe my friend here is to be, then Lauren is to be cast aside, since only the strongest survive in the species.

If I am to follow Buddhism, then I could care less about her suffering, for my concerns are only about myself.

Yet, I believe in a God, a God who shows compassion. That’s what this debate is about: God. I will show you how reasonable it is to prove that there is a God, for if there is no God, there is no compassion, there are no universal rules, there is no standard of conduct - rape is okay, incest is okay, and the pulling of the plug on Lauren would be okay, which is reprehensible.

(SECOND ROUND)

Let me first say that I have no fear in saying that the Bible is the Word of God and shows many truths which have been unanswered by the agnostic.

My I give a few questions to our friend here:

Micah chapter 5 and verse 2 says that the Messiah, God’s son coming to save mankind would be born in Bethlehem. 400 years later, the exact prophecy was fulfilled to the very tiny town. How would you explain that ourtside of the supernatural?

Psalm 22: tell us exactly what this suffering Savior of mankind would experience on the cross, in shocking detail, and the passage was written 700 years before it happened....700 years before the idea of death by a form of punishment called crucifixion was ever thought of. How could that be made up outside of the supernatural realm?

The very building blocks of physics known as Quantum Mechanics state that a proton, neutron and electron have no NATURAL way of staying together in an atom...since they are positive, neutral and negative forces, all NATURAL science states that since opposites attract, they should instantly bond and create an atomic explosion...yet they don’t. Outside of the supernatural realm, how is this possible?

My atheist friend never answered any of these questions.

Backbone

I see that America has neither a dearth of riches nor a lack of resources. What I do see is this country greatly lacks in true character.

Children need parents with character. Students need teachers with character. Congregations look to pastors for good examples. Readers want authors and columnists with a solid reputation. Non-Christians are looking to Believers for good, solid character.

"Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested." - Oswald Chambers

"A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself." - AW Tozer

"Oh, young man, character is worth more than money, character is worth more than anything else in this wide world." - DL Moody

Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

(To the left is a picture of the Garden of Gethsemane)

I had quite a surprise over the weekend - a call from a classmate I have not seen since 1981! Jesse Bullard was one of the most talented guys I met while at college and is still at it - he is now ministering in Iowa (what a beautiful state, especially in the spring!) and has a heart in assisting music ministries around the country. Great to hear from you, Jess - we'll keep in touch.
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Fantastic news from our Wednesday Bible study ministry at the University of Tennessee. One young man sat in the back a few weeks ago and listened intently to the message. I received word from Britton that this young man had made a decision for Christ! Thank you, Lord.
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From John 18:2-6...
"And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His disciples. Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?" They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am He." And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground."

Can you see the power of Christ in this passage? When Jesus declares who He is (The divine term "I Am"), the soldiers actually fall to the ground. Not only is it a striking display of Jesus' power, it is also a fantastic display of Jesus’ humility and willingness to carry through with His mission. Think of it - He could have destroyed the army with anything from avenging angels to fire from heaven. We see one of the most vivid pictures of Jesus - His majesty displayed in His voluntary humility and weakness.

This is one of the marvelous things about Christianity, to paraphrase CS Lewis - this is one of the reasons we know no man originated this stroy - who could have possibly invented anything like this? No human could have created such a dazzling array of unpredicted supernatural wonderments like we find in the person of Jesus.

Last words of the dying

"Earth is receding; heaven is approaching. This is my crowning day!" - D.L. Moody

"The best of all is, God is with us. Farewell!"
- John Wesley

"I am so weak that I can hardly write, I cannot read my Bible, I cannot even pray, I can only lie still in God's arms like a little child, and trust."
- Hudson Taylor

Where is our commitment?

I deal with young people day in and day out who are obsessed with polishing their fame and reputation; Christ is secondary to the image they feel they must project. Some will even go as far as to "re-invent themselves" on places like MySpace or Facebook.

It's a hard step for us all to swallow the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:13 -

"... we are made as the filth of the world, [and are] the offscouring of all things unto this day."

The Corinthian Christians were filled with pride in their own spirituality, finding it hard to identify with someone as "low" as Paul because of his “weaknesses” like physical infirmities and humility. Paul tells them of the reality of Christianity: we are considered the filth of the world and the "offscouring" to everyone. And that's not necessarily bad.

"Offscouring" is, in the Greek, the word peripsema {per-ip'-say-mah} and has a very graphic descrition of the lowliness of men. The Athenians had a yearly "offering" to the waters in order to "pay off" Poseidon. The human victims were called “scrapings” in the belief that they would wipe away the populations' guilt. In order to avoid public calamities, the Greeks cast a criminal into the sea as an offering; hence the term became used for a ransom. As they threw the worthless people into the sea (especially during a time of plague or famine, they would shout “Be our offscouring!”

Paul uses that term to describe us. We are the ransom, the willing offscouring, ready to pay the ransom. We are really the lowly of the population, fixing our lives to be sacrifices so that others may come to Jesus. Are we willing to take on that mindset...so that others may see salvation's path?

Born only 21 weeks and six days after conception, Amillia Taylor weighed just under 10oz and was only 91/2 inches long...and she is alive.

The London newspaper Daily Mail, on their web site, (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/) states that

William Smalling, neo-natologist at Baptist Children's Hospital in Miami, said: "She's truly a miracle baby. We didn't even know what a normal blood pressure is for a baby this small."

The article went on to say that "Amillia's incredible story will reignite the debate over Britain's abortion laws, which campaigners say must be updated in the light of recent medical advances."

A picture on the web site shows that Amillia is a little bit longer than a ballpoint pen.

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 18:10).

"For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them." (Psalms 139:13-16)

"Making the decision to have a child — it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." --by Elizabeth Stone, appeared in Reader’s Digest

Prayer

Luke 11:2 - And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.

This very rich, deep and yet puzzling word for prayer is proseuchomai {pros-yoo'-khom-ahee}. Does anybody fully understand the impact of this wonderful gift of communication God has given us?

The Greek definition simply means to make a request to a deity, but what else can we learn about this word used by the Savior in this passage?

Prayer is so simple that the smallest child can pray, but it is so great that the mightiest man of God cannot be said to truly have mastered prayer. - (David Guzik)

"Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, only how to pray. He did not speak much of what was needed to preach well, but much of praying well. To know how to speak to God is more than knowing how to speak to man. Not power with men, but power with God is the first thing." (Murray)

"The wrestler strips before he enters upon the contest, and confession does the like for the man who is about to plead with God. A racer on the plains of prayer cannot hope to win, unless, by confession, repentance, and faith, he lays aside every weight of sin." - Spurgeon

So much to be said about prayer. Let's spend the next few days talking about it.

What kind of future?

Today marks the beginning of the Chinese year, and this year has the makings of an unsettling year, I am told. The Chinese Year of the Pig starts today, and fortune tellers all over the Oriental world are saying that this year will be one of violence and unrest.

The pig is one of 12 animals - one is mythical, as in the case of the dragon - based on the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, which follows the lunar calendar. Other animals include rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, snake, horse, sheep, and monkey.

According to the calendar, I was born in the year of the Pig (1959), and being a plump child, I found this revelation quite embarrassing when I first viewed the fact on a Chinese restaurant's placemat. However, Chinese culture compliments me on my position, asserting that because of this I am loyal, hard-working, and honest. Thank you.

However, this year is seen as uneasy.

I cannot disagree. With the Iraq struggle, schools in decline, natural disasters, falling morals and a self-indulgent society, I see this country facing a difficult road ahead.

Here is my best friend Jesus telling us how to cope:

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. - John 14:27-29

The Koine Greek word for peace is eirene {i-ray'-nay} and it means not only harmony and concord but also security, safety, and prosperity. Think of it - if you are free from worry and fear, you have the open road opportunity to be prosperous! (And that means in more than just a monetary way). I also see that it means contentment. Just as the child who sits back and grins when his parents tell him to wait a few more minutes before the birthday party begins - he is happy and content with the way thinks are going. Just as the mother who sits and smiles even though the snowstorm rages outside, because she knows her house is well-secured, her husband is checking the furnace and her children are safe by the fireplace - she is at peace. Just as the frightened, lonely person is taken into the safety of close friends and relatives to have a place to stay and eat and enjoy companionship - he is surrounded with security and care.

Has this year gone to the pigs? Doesn't matter to the Christian who puts his trust in the One who sees and protects.

I remember Mrs. Spinnatiford, an elderly lady much involved in the social side of our rural church in my childhood days.

Coming out of church one fall afternoon, Mrs. Spinnatiford leaned on her eldest son's arm and asked him, "Do you think that Johnson girl is tinting her hair?"

"I didn't even see her," he admitted, helping her into the car.

"And that dress Mrs. Davis was wearing," she continued , "Really, don't tell me you think that's the proper outfit for a mother of two."

"I'm afraid I didn't notice that either," said her son as he sat down in the driver's seat.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," snapped Mrs. Mrs. Spinnatiford. "A lot of good it does you to go to church."

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Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us. -

Thomas Paine

The last word

Nietzsche died in spiritual darkness, a babbling madman.

On a wall in Austria a graffiti said,
"God is dead,
--Nietzsche!"

Someone else wrote under it,
"Nietzsche is dead!
--God."

John 12:21 - "The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus."

I've been fighting a real uneasiness in the past months.

I am tired, so tired of this celebrity-driven society. I go to WalMart and movie mags cover the checkout line. I work out at the local gym and the bank of televisions are constantly playing talk shows and soap operas. I can't even have a meal at McDonald's without turning around and seeing a fictional show on the overhead TV.

I'm wanting a deeper relationship Jesus more and more each day...and I'm wondering if there are many yet who really want to know the Savior. Scores of people I encounter know who is dating in Hollywood but couldn't tell me the first thing about a narrative in the Bible of Jesus and the Heavenly Kingdom.

How I love it when I am approached, as Philip was, by individuals who want to seek and hear about the risen Christ!

Heavenly Father, please help us all. Please deliver a thirst and a hunger for You and Your Word once again to Your people.

Galatians 5:16-26" But the fruit of the Spirit is ' self-control." (vv.22-23)

One of my most dear friends in high school was my spiritual mentor, Eric Frazier. Eric, a college student, moved into our household (we had 12 living under the roof at one time whenever he showed up!) and was almost an immediate influence to me in my 16th year. I saw him enjoy talking about the Scripture and sharing stories about the Bible in ways I never knew.

But the single most profound influence Eric had was the day we were on a Scouting trip with the troop. Eric was assisting in helping the guys set up camp and was given control over the site in the scoutmaster's absence. The only other adult was carrying a rotten attitude; he felt that the scoutmaster was short-changing him on some responsibilities and rights.

When the other adult started to lash out in front of the boys, Eric kindly but firmly told him that he needed to stop.

The adult twirled around and rushed 22 year old Eric, waving his fists and ready to strike. Eric closed his eyes and repeated that the man needed to follow the proper rules of authority.

I stood amazed at Eric's calmness, especially in the face of an open threat. He never lost his cool; in fact, within ten minutes, he had his arm around the other man, walking him around the perimeter of the camp, showing the troopers that there were no hard feelings.

Eric's Christian self-control was given to me in volumes that day. Talk all you like; I prefer to learn by seeing you walk.

Reality of death

Writer Art Buchwald, playwright Sidney Sheldon, Anna Nicole Smith, Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. - James 4:14

Great UT Bible study time again

Ah, going over and leading the Bible study at the University of Tennessee Hess Hall was as much fun last night as it has been all month. I am meeting and making new friends: Austin, Amy, Dan, Charlie, Britton, Chris, and others. We had about 25 in attendance last night and the great students at CAK once again sent me with bags of goodies to share with the "starving" underclassmen.

Our subejcts ranged from the validity of the Bible to the problem with evolution to the power of prophecies in the Bible. Then we had a good Q & A time. It is SO GREAT to be able to be a part of these wonderful students' lives. Thank you, Lord!

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CNN gave a report on little Roberto Salazer in its September 28, 2006 edition. Roberto is now nearing five but he has a terrible problem: he can't feel pain. The CNN report tells us that when he rams his head violently into walls or plays a little too roughly with a schoolmate, all the while smiling, that you are reminded that he suffers from an incredibly rare genetic disorder.
Roberto is one of 17 people in the United States with "congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis," referred to as CIPA by the few people who know about it.

CNN went on to say that his family was shocked when Roberto started teething. He gnawed on his own tongue, lips and fingers to the point of mutilation.

An attending doctor had studied this disease for years. "For some children it's a mild degree such as breaking a leg, they'll get up and walk on the leg. They feel that something is uncomfortable but they keep on moving," she said. "For other children, the pain loss is so severe that they can injure themselves repetitively and actually mutilate themselves because they don't know when to stop."

My heart goes out to this little boy, and I'm going to pray for his treatments which will help him develop "pain sense." As long as he cannot feel the dangers around him, he's in constatn danger.

I'm also praying for those people I meet throughout the week that see no need to deal with their sin or feel a need to get things right with the God of the universe. As long as they cannot feel the dangers around them in facing an eternity without Christ, they're in constant danger.

Contradictions?

I came upon an assertion by an atheist that claimed there were hundreds of contradictions in the Bible. As I studied the claims, I relaized that the critic had pulled passages out right and left but was not fair in his allegations; he had not done the necessary homework in honestly trying to see what the passage was explaining. The best way I can illustrate this is to say that someone would attend an NFL game for five minutes and declare that Peyton Manning could never be a quarterback since they never saw him throw a pass.

Here is a sample of the supposed contradictions:

MT 25:34 Heaven was prepared before the Ascension of Jesus.
JN 14:2-3 It was prepared after the Ascension of Jesus.

The students of the Bible know full well the omnisicence of God in that Heaven was planned and prepared in the mind of God at the time the earth was formed. The Scripture plainly states that two distinct locations - heaven and earth - were createded at that time. In the reading of the coming Kingdom in the book of John in chapter 14, Christ foretells of dwelling places that the Believer will enjoy within the bounds of heaven. Jesus is now preparing these special places for His children.

The fact of Heaven; the fact of the specific lodging within Heaven. These are not ontradictions at all. These are words of hope and joy to the Believer.

GOOD out of EVIL?

When I think of God's goodness arising desite the fact of human evil, I think of the story of Joseph ( Genesis 37–50 ). Joseph got "kicked in the teeth" more than once. He was forsaken by his brothers (coming from a family of ten children, I find this almost incomprehensible) and sold by his brothers into slavery. While some people might feel a reason for this incident to scar them into therapy for the rest of their lives, Joseph went on to be in God's hands to save the lives of multitudes in Egypt, even the members of his own family. As I read the passage, I note no bitterness on behalf of the one who was abused; Joseph kept his mouth shut except to do good for the Lord. There is no doubt about it, his brothers acted terribly - but through Joseph, God used their evil deeds for His glory.

At the point of possible revenge, Jospeh pushed aside any thoughts of violence in responding to the brothers' fears: "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:19-20).

This is one of the things that amazes me about God - He constantly shows His goodness even through the wickedness of man. It's one of the many amazing things about our God.

The love of Jesus

I'm home today, unable to teach at church due to a pretty bad cold. However, I've run into a treasure chest of great devotional reading while recovering. The love of Christ pops out on every page!

Read Oswald Chambers' thoughts:

The love of Christ compels us . . . —2 Corinthians 5:14

Paul said that he was overpowered, subdued, and held as in a vise by "the love of Christ." Very few of us really know what it means to be held in the grip of the love of God. We tend so often to be controlled simply by our own experience. The one thing that gripped and held Paul, to the exclusion of everything else, was the love of God. "The love of Christ compels us . . . ."

This total surrender to "the love of Christ" is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.

Here's Max Lucado:

"...keep in mind the perspective of the lepers of the world. They aren’t picky. They aren’t finicky. They’re just lonely. They are yearning for a godly touch. Jesus touched the untouchables of the world."

And concerning the depths of His love and His ministry, writer Mike DeVries refers to Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus:

What I find fascinating is that Nicodemus walks away from Jesus without a clear understanding of what Jesus is talking about, and that’s okay with Jesus. He doesn’t walk away with a three-step formula for being “born again.” The story, much like the point Jesus is getting at, is unresolved, a mystery that forces Nicodemus, as well as the reader, to walk away... thinking, pondering, wondering, searching.

Faith is a lifelong journey of discovery. Just when you awaken to a new understanding of the depth of who God is, you discover there is something still beyond. As one theologian put it, “God is the beyond that is in our midst.” It’s okay not to have it all figured out. It’s okay not to have all the answers worked out in a nice and easy package.

Apparently, seeing faith as an open-ended quest is okay. It was for Jesus and Nicodemus.
If we had all the answers, it wouldn’t be called faith, now would it?

Jesus, the authority

I will be heading up a new adult Bible study over at Christian Academy of Knoxville on Monday nights through the month of February. Contact me through this web page if you would like more information.

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Jesus' teaching has astounded generations of readers through the ages because of its profound, Godly wisdom and excellence. Jesus needed to quote no previous sources; He was the highest Source of all!

Matt. 7:29 - "for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes."

Bible scholar Robertson says:
"They had heard many sermons before from the regular rabbis in the synagogues. We have specimens of these discourses preserved in the Mishna and Gemara, the Jewish Talmud when both were completed, the driest, dullest collection of disjointed comments upon every conceivable problem in the history of mankind. The scribes quoted the rabbis before them and were afraid to express an idea without bolstering it up by some predecessor. Jesus spoke with the authority of truth, the reality and freshness of the morning light, and the power of God’s Spirit. This sermon which made such a profound impression ended with the tragedy of the fall of the house on the sand like the crash of a giant oak in the forest. There was no smoothing over the outcome. "

This was no fancy high-church rhetoric. There were no memorized odes or epochs. This was Jesus, in His communicative power.

The Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament. Copyright © Broadman Press 1932,33, Renewal 1960. All rights reserved.