78 Answers Pt 3: Talking to the Big Man Upstairs

  Prayer is a very difficult topic to address and understand even as a Christian, and as an unbeliever it is easy to see how it could get confusing.

  

8 If your child were dying, and I hope that never happens, would just pray for them or would you take them to a doctor? And if you'd do both, which one do you think has more of an impact?

9 Whose prayers does God answer? And if it's ultimately His Will, why bother praying?

10 If you have cancer, what would help you more: Certain drugs, or prayer?

11 If you had an amputated limb, would prayer ever bring it back?

12 If you have an exam coming up, what would contribute more to a higher score: Prayer or more studying?

13 If you prayed for me over YouTube right now, do you think I would know it?

14 What matters to God more: The quantity of people praying or the quality of their prayers? If quantity matters, shouldn't the most popular team always win the Super Bowl? If quality matters, why do people you love sometimes die no matter what you do?

15 Is it possible that your prayers have no supernatural effect and only serve to make you feel better?

16 Would you ever admit it if that were true?

  What we know for sure from Bible passages is

    (a) God is sovereign (Psalm 135:6)

    (b) God is moved by our prayers (1 John 5:14)

 These two seem to be irreconcilable, but I don't think they need to be.  Our tendency is to think that God is going to do whatever he is going to do, and answer our prayers as He sees fit. While this is true it is not to the exclusion of our request, in fact He assures us that our prayers are valuable to Him and will at times actually affect change.

  The Bible records times when prayers actually changed God's mind. Two of these that I can think of off the top of my head are the petition of Abraham for God to spare his nephew Lot (Gen 18) and when Moses convinces God not to wipe the Israelite off the face of the earth (Exodus 32).

  While this is said, we know that God doesn't change His mind. He does what He has always planned to do. The best way to reconcile this is to say that God's will was to change his mind.

 I think that this is entirely feasible, and I think that this is a small picture of what prayer does in the grand scheme of things. We must understand that God is outside of time, so our prayers have factored into God's decision making for as long as He has existed. God has heard our prayers for eternity, every word. Because God is sovereign over everything I think we can safely say that He ordained our prayers and our requests. He does not hold these requests lightly.

    The truth is that God's sovereignty should be a motivating factor for us to pray. If He was not in ultimate control of all things, if His will was not set in place before time began, than He would not be powerful enough to affect any change on our behalf. What we need to realize is that God is fighting for us. We don't want to believe this when things like cancer, death and trials happen, because in our tiny worlds our comfort is most important If we submit ourselves to God's will we will find that there is a greater joy that awaits in glorifying the only one worth the glory and refusing to demand He glorify us through answering our prayers to our specifications. It's all a matter of who we believe to be God: the creator of the universe and author of life itself, or us. Should we be serving God, or should he be serving us?

   So is prayer effective? If indeed God is sovereign, and I could argue many reasons to believe this, then prayer is effective. Not only are miracles possible through prayer, but prayer is more effective then any other form of activity.

 Should this keep us from being active. Not at all. In fact, the Bible has very harsh words to speak against laziness. However, if God created the world and sustains it by His hands it is foolish to think that our actions have greater effect than His.

 The Bible also has harsh words for those that demand miracles of God. During Jesus's ministry there were many people who either only followed Him only for his miracles, or who found excuses to hate him despite His miracles. If you are a true believer in God, miracles and wonders are not as important as God's glory and your relationship with Him. Jesus often deliberately alienated the people who were following him only for the things they could get from him (John 6) and chose not to do miracles for those who He knew were not going to believe (Matt 13). We also see this working out in reality when Christ raised Lazarus from the dead and the spiritual leaders of the day had no problem believing that the miracle had happened and were more interested in their reputations than the fact that God might be walking among them. (John 11:45-54)  While we often hear that people want to see miracles before they can accept Christ, the truth is that if shown these signs most would still find reason to turn away. God is not a beggar or a sales-man. If you don't want Him as the son of God who takes away the sins of the world, why would He lower Himself to your genie? If we can demand that we be loved for our own sake, why do we think that God is only worthy of our love if He serve us? If anyone deserves to be loved only on the basis of who they are, it is God.

  I will address one last thing before I end. What kind of prayers will God listen too? If you are asking this then you are looking at prayer and God all wrong. God is out for HIS glory. Your prayers serve many purposes, and many you will never see or understand in this lifetime. They draw us closer to God, they teach us compassion for our fellow humans, they give us hope during times of trouble and YES they move the heart of God. There is no right or wrong prayers because the spirit of God moves in us as we pray. The Bible records some of the most heart-wrenching and real prayers to the Lord and encourages us to do the same. These however are conversations between a father and child. While some guidelines are given for how we should pray, and some sins do hamper those prayers, in general all God wants from His children is that they talk to Him. If we misunderstand this we will find ourselves attempting to manipulate that relationship for our own gain. God will not allow that any more then a good parent would. God, like any good parent, will place relationship and the good of the child before the momentary happiness of that child.

 If you are not a believer though, the same does not apply for you. Every prayer answered for an unbeliever is a act of grace beyond what you can imagine. It is the loving hand held out from a Father to the people who brutally killed His son and sing songs celebrating the slaughter. You cannot expect God to lower himself to respond to the demands of such people.

  There are so many more things that could be said about prayer, and so many more resources to find those on, but for the sake of brevity I will leave it here. This I will say, if you have questions about prayer there is no one better to ask then God Himself. Ask those questions, open the Bible. Come truly ready to listen and get answers, and you might be surprised what you find.

  If you enjoyed reading this be sure to look back over the last few posts where earlier questions were addressed. Be sure to keep updated as well as I work on my Christian non-fiction book on Satan and Demons. I will be updating with the next installment in two weeks. You can find me on twitter at @J23hawkE and on FB at https://www.facebook.com/JPurrazzi. I hope you will keep me in your prayers as I study the Word and seek to glorify God through my writing.

I'm Back.

    Hey all, its been a while. My heavy schedule has gotten the best of me and finding time to write blogs has been difficult. I have big news to share with you all! First I will fill you in with what you should expect for the future of this blog.
   From here on out it is my intention to put out a blog on the second and forth weekend of every month. My last few blogs were apologetic blogs answering 78 questions posed to Christians by a popular atheist you tuber. I would like to see that series through to the end. If you haven't seen them yet I encourage you to read back over the last three blogs.
   For Christmas this year my mom and dad gave me a journaling Bible to illustrate.  If you are unfamiliar with the growing trend you can see a glimpse of what people are doing by searching "Illustrated Faith"  It really is a beautiful movement.
    I have already finished two spreads and hope to share with you my progress as I study through and illustrate the Bible. I have pushed myself to read and illustrate it page by page, and I hope you will enjoy following along.
 
   Now for the big announcement. This year I have decided to pursue a calling I have felt for some time. I believe that God has given me a gift of teaching. My love for the Word and study and my tendency to talk too much has both gotten me into a lot of trouble and been used by God to his glory. Because I do not feel that leadership is a gift I have been given (though that is often given with the gift of teaching) I feel like one of the best ways for me to pursue that gift is to write both in blogs and in book form.
  Because of this I have decided to pursue my dream of becoming a published author. I have two projects I am currently working on. The first is a fantasy trilogy that has been growing in my mind and my writing since I was twelve. It is entitled "Smoke, Fire and Ash". If you are interested in following the progress on that you can look into another blog I am writing entitled "The Vow" at orenvow.blogspot.com.
   I tried a variety of different subjects for my breakout Christian Non-fiction, however I never felt released to pursue any of them until the Lord reminded me of my desire to share my experiences with Spiritual warfare.
   I am going to be writing this book on the subject of Satan and Demons. It may seem like an odd choice for a first book, and is in fact very daunting for me. It is one thing writing a theological book with both feet on the ground. It is another thing sharing the deeply personal and easily ridiculed experiences that have shaped this book. I have seen that our culture in particular has a lot of misconceptions on the subject however, and I must be obedient if I feel the Lord wants me to address it.
   My hope with the book is that I can finish the first draft this year between the first and second draft of my fantasy book, which is in it's final chapters as we speak. After some edits I will be looking for a few Christians who I trust who might be willing to read the book and check the theology and writing. If all is well I will complete the final edits before self-publishing the book. The current plan is that I will be publishing the book on Kindle first and using the money from the sales to publish paper-back copies. If the Lord is willing I will be using the sales from this book to fulfill my desire to support some Christian ministries I am invested in. I will be using a "reverse tithe" method, keeping 10% to invest back into my writing and art, and donating the remaining 90% into Christian ministries. Some of these ministries might include my Church, Sent Church in Sanford FL, and "Unearthed" a ministry that fights human trafficking through media, distribution of funds to existing ministries in need, and the creation of resources for churches.
   What has caused me to want to write on the subject. A more complete testimony of my experiences will be included in the book, but I will explain briefly to you.
   I remember being terrified of the dark as a child. Apparently most people are afraid of the dark because of what they cannot see and therefore imagine in the dark. However, when I was a child I very vividly saw what I called monsters walking through my room.
     I would often sit awake on my bed watching as monsters milling about. I was afraid to close my eyes or turn away because on an early occasion when I had done so a monster had laid it's hand on my shoulder.
   As I grew older I dismissed most stories of demons. Though I believed they existed, I did not feel like people were telling the truth when they talked about seeing demons or feeling them. All the while I was plagued with bizarre nightmares, sleepwalking and hearing voices during the night.  Most of these were terrifying experiences, but became a family joke when I recounted them. I didn't want to let on how truly terrifying they were, or relieve it in the telling.
 As I grew older these symptoms got worse and began to include complete spiritual and emotional break-downs and occasional waking sights of demons. During this time a friend suggested that what was happening was not just my subconscious but active demonic oppression.
   After this suggestion I searched for books, sermons and articles on Satan and demons. I found that most of the resources I found were based not on Bible study and exegesis but on experience and conjecture. Most sources prescribed exorcisms with specialists and treated demonic oppression as if it were a disease that needed a certified spiritual doctor to fix.
  After trying a variety of these remedies with both terrifying and hilarious results, I was more terrified and disappointed then ever. I was struggling with an eating disorder, panic attacks, a multitude of unaddressed sin habits and I was loosing sleep with almost nightly demonic dreams and visions.
 Finally, God stepped in and showed me His presences through the same thing that was so plaguing me: Nightmares. Two, specifically. After this point I threw out most of the teaching on demons and opened my Bible.
  Since this time my experiences have been few and far between and all without fear. When demons enter my dreams I cast them out in the name of Christ. When I wake to see them I feel no fear but follow the Biblical prescription for such times: the name of Christ and prayer.
   I have come to resent much of the teaching on Satan and demons, which drags believers away from the power of the Cross to that of incantations, self-help and humanism. Christians have become enslaved to fear and to false teachers, more ensnared by their attempts to flee the enemy than by the actions of the enemy.
   This is why this book is one that I have always wanted to write, though I never expected it to be my first book. I hope you will follow along, open your Bibles, and learn what is meant by "spiritual warfare".
  If you want to follow me as a writer you can find me on Twitter under the name @J23hawkE and on my FB page at Jill E Purrazzi. If you have any stories or thoughts on the subject of Satan, demons, and Spiritual Warfare, I would love to hear anything you have to tell. Please message me your stories and thoughts! I may even include some of them in the book, with your permission of course.
  I hope that you will keep me in your prayers, that I will listen to the voice of God and not veer into false teaching. Pray that God will use this book or stop my writing it.
 

78 Answers pt 2: The Down and Dirty of Judgement.

 A lot of this post will be referring back to my arguments in earlier videos, so if you haven’t seen that yet, go ahead and find it. It is entitled “78 Answers: Hell or Heaven.
  In this post I will be addressing questions 4-7
 They are as follows:

     4 Should a killer who genuinely repents be able to go to heaven
     5. Should a kind-hearted atheist be forced to burn in hell for eternity
     6. What about any “good” person.
     7. Would you be happy if someone you loved was burning in hell?

Should and Shouldn't are moral terms. As such, I’m not sure if the questions are asking me to explain or asking me to judge if those things are right or wrong.
  I’ll try to answer both.
     Morally, Should  good people go to hell, an evil people go to heaven.
Firstly, God can do whatever He wants, and I have no right and no moral ability to sit in judgement. God created everything, I think he knows a bit better how to run it than I do.
   Secondly...how do you judge what qualifies as a good person? Take for instance, a murderer. Did he kill because he was protecting someone? Out of revenge? What if the person he killed had murdered his family? Was he mentally well? What if they rest of his life all he did was good things? What if it was an accident.
   These questions are hard enough to answer in human court. Try in a court when you know each and every thought they had. Jenny fed the homeless, but she went mostly because she had a crush on the homeless shelter owner. Benjamin helped an old lady with her groceries, but when he was he was judging her constantly for being so over-weight and not taking care of herself when she was younger so she could do these things herself. Matthew loves working with the orphans in India, but he is doing it to impress the college he is applying for.
   How do we judge what is too much sin for mercy. Is it quantity or damage done? Lets suppose one man was awesome his whole life. He was an obedient child. He grew up to be a high-school teacher who worked in the inner-city school for little pay and tutored for free after school. On the weekends he volunteered at animal shelters, and owned multiple rescued animals himself. During his summers He would travel over-seas to the poorest of countries and help hand out food, clothing and medicines. When tragedies hit he would take time off work to help. he went to Haiti after the earthquakes, Japan after the Tsunamis, and Louisiana after Katrina. But, one night while working late one of his students came in crying. One thing led to another and he ended up touching her. Now...should he go to heaven or hell? What if he was really sorry and quit his job to make sure he never did anything like that again?
  What about girl? When she dies, if she goes to heaven, will she be forced to spend eternity with the man who molested her just because he’s a good guy?
 Which opens up even more! What if everyone went to heaven? After all...no matter how "bad: someone is, we want them to have a chance to do better, right? Now murderers are with the people they killed for eternity. Hitler would be hanging out with all the Jews, blacks and gays he slaughtered. The suicide bombers on the flights that hit the twin towers would be living next to the people they killed and their families. Children would be stuck with their abusers, Who's to say that even if everyone could manage to forgive the other that evil wouldn't continue to flourish and more "bad stuff" wouldn't be done.
  How can we separate the evil inclination in people without taking away freedoms? How do we take that desire to molest teenage girls away from that really nice professor. After all. He’s going to be surrounded by them.
   You know what this heaven looks a lot like? Earth.

  So we see that by judging God as being unfit to sit in judgement over man-kind, we are indicating that someone else might be better suited for the job. Actually, the one sitting in judgement is indicating that they themselves are better for the job. Would you like to make those choices?

   Who gets into heaven or hell is far more involved for God. His plan includes not only justice...as each man is judged for His wrong, but mercy, as no one could reach the standards set by even an earthly court to live in such a utopia. he answer is through the work and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Through Christ the evil nature of man is put to death. When we die and go to heaven the only things that keeps a Christian in sin (the flesh, it’s called in the Bible, or the sin nature) is left behind. In heaven the worst of sinners has no desire to sin because they are so thankful to God for mercy and living in the light of all that is good and holy. . The victims of said sinners have received such amazing grace for their own sins that seeing those who harmed them in heaven will cause them only joy. You see, if you have been forgive for horrible sins, then you can forgive horrible sins.
   Nothing has more draw than the glory of God. So in heaven when we are exposed in full to God’s perfection any addictions, sins or competing desires will fade away in the joy of being with the One we love most! No one is better than anyone else, because we have all sinned and have all been forgiven. The thief on the cross who repented just hours after he took his last breath will be equal with the early Christian martyrs who died horrible deaths before giving up on their faith.
    God’s judgment has been poured out on his son...and His son has given us perfection so that, while we are still our own person with our own wills and our own desires, we are all perfect and sinless. That sounds good to me.

  So, will the killer who genuinely repents go to heaven? According to the Bible yes. The thief on the cross, (previously mentioned) as described in the gospels was most-likely a murder too. After all, crucifixion was the worst execution invented in the world that we know of...even today. I highly doubt he got on the cross by stealing bread. More likely he pulled someone into an alley and stabbed or beat them to death before taking their stuff. Probably raped a few women too, as long as they were there. Just a guess.
   Christ told him “Today you will be with me in Paradise”. He told him he was going to heaven. Not because of anything good he had done. He never got off that cross. He never got a chance to turn him life around.
  What about the atheist. Will he go to hell. If he doesn't accept Christ, yes he will.  No good deed he commits will ever be enough to wipe away his rebellion against God. God judges based on perfection. That’s not just moral perfection...it’s also motive perfection. Perfect motives always include God. If God is the ultimate good and the source of all good, you cannot truly do good if you are not doing it for and through him. Therefore, while an atheist or unbeliever can be morally good in their earthly life, they can never be blameless before God. Unless he turns from himself and runs to Christ for rescue, there is only one way it can end.
And yes, that goes for ANY unbelieving person. “good” bad, or anywhere in between.

 Would you be happy if someone you loved was burning in hell?

   Of course not. I think that answer is self-evident. But let me take it a step further. My heart hurts at the thought of ANYONE going to hell.
   If I get to heaven and see Hitler and Osama Bin Laden having a coffee and talking about the wonders of God I will cry with joy! I don’t want a single soul lost to hell, and neither does God. That is why it is such a big deal for Christians when we speak to you about God. Sure, we can be nasty at times, but any true Christian only desires to see you come to Christ.
When A Christian hands you a Bible, or leaves a tract for you, or stops you on the street to talk to you, understand that they are not being hateful. In this modern world tolerance means everything, and it may seem hateful for someone to tell you that they disagree with you. For a Christian, this is how we express our love for you. Even if you don’t agree with us, understand that we are not getting anything out of it! I’m not saying everyone who talks to you about Jesus is right; or that there aren't jerks out there...there are. But true believers are driven by the love of God and love for man.
 I believe the gospel with every fiber of my being. I know you may not. And it may be that nothing ever convinces you, but here is a start. Stop, listen, ask questions, and understand that we aren't here to condemn or judge, we are there motivated by a desire to see you in heaven some day.

78 Answers pt 1: Hell or Heaven

I’ll go ahead an take on the first 3 questions in one post
  Those questions are as follows:

  1 Is Anne Frank burning in Hell
  2 Is Mahatma Ghandi burning in hell?
  3. Is Fred Phelps in heaven?

I never got to read Anne Franks diary. I’d love to. I’ve read a lot of books about that era of history though. The things that were inflicted on people without reason was beyond horrible. One could say that in her short life Anne Frank went through enough hell for one person to have to bear. The thought of any innocent child, but especially of a sweet little girl who was cut down before her time, going to eternity in hell,  is heartbreaking. As forGhandi, he seemed by all accounts to be a really good person.
   The thing is: morality is not what gets us into heaven. In fact, morality has nothing to do with the gospel. Lets be clear, We go to hell, because of sin. However, we will not, and cannot, get to heaven on the basis of good works. Largely because we cannot be good enough.
   I can understand the confusion. The church has been teaching it for a long time. Part of that goes back to roots in the dark-age era Catholic church. More like to a political power than to a religious organization the catholic church used a fear of hell to control the masses. When death is in your face every day, that fear can overwhelm a lot easier than we see in todays first world.
   That isn’t the only place it came from though. “Legalism” as it is called in the church, was a common problem well before the time of the Roman Catholic Church, though not as widely taught by the leadership. In the Bible we find multiple letters from the apostle Paul encouraging people to turn away from the legalism of jewish religious practices and into the freedom of Christ.
  What do I mean by legalism? Legalism is the mind set that some particular action or world view can get you into heaven. Its the idea that something you do or don't do can justify you in the sight of God. An example would be the jewish belief that you had to avoid certain foods to be worthy for heaven. A more modern example would be instances when someone is sick and are told that they are not getting better because they lack faith. It is any mindset that focuses any power to save on anything other that Jesus Christ and His sacrifice.
  As one example of legalism in the Bible, In Galatians 2:11-12 Paul needed to actually correct Peter on some of these same  practices. As did God himself by giving Peter a vision of unclean animals coming down from heaven and telling him to eat...contradicting everything the Old Testament taught on the subject. This takes place in Acts 10:13-15 This was such a common struggle among Christians that even the Apostles that God placed over the church struggled with it.
   The picture given on salvation in the new testament gives of salvation is less a division of “good” and “bad”, and more a division of belonging, or not belonging. The two illustrations most used are that of family, and that of nationality.
   First we see (1 John 3:1-2 and others) salvation is described as adoption. Once, we did not belong to God. We were not his children, we were His enemy. But, because of Christ’s sacrifice adoption into the family of God became possible. If you think of heaven in terms of this illustration heaven would be the family home. The family lives in the home with the Father. If you don’t belong in the family, you don’t belong in the home.
 The next illustration calls to mind a country. Salvation is described as a new citizenship (Philippians 3:20 and others). Heaven is a new Kingdom. Not one we can see but what is described as a spiritual kingdom. When we give our allegiance to Christ, we transfer our “earthly” citizenship to a “heavenly” one. In this illustration we are encouraged to follow the laws of the country we live in here on earth, as we might follow the laws of a country we are visiting on vacation...unless they ask us to contradict the laws of our actual country. For instance, if I went to Italy, I would drive on the same side of the road they did. However, I would not join the army and fight for them.  I would not give away American secrets.
  Returning to heaven would be like returning to my home country: America. Because I am a citizen here, It’s natural for me to be there. If I were from another country I would not be whole-hardheartedly serving America like I am when I identify America as my home country. Only Americans “belong” in America in this sense.
    These illustrations are earthly, and so not perfect, but they offer some explanation into the mind of God when he allows some into His kingdom, and some are forced to stay behind. Just like a Father offers his lap only to his crying little girl and not to some random child off the street, so God offers heaven only to his world-weary saints...the ones who BELONG to Him, and not to just anyone who comes knocking. No amount of trying on their part can change that.
  Another argument is often used by Frank Turek. That is the one that heaven is not only (as it is so often viewed) a place of hedonistic happiness and complete self-perfection. It  may have all those things, but all those things are IN God. God is the ultimate good, so heaven is eternity spent absorbing who He is.  Heaven is sometimes described in terms of marriage....God being the groom, his waiting church being the bride.
  Imagine spending a life-time looking into the eyes of someone you hated. Imagine forever being chained in marriage to a mortal enemy. If you hate God on earth, He is merciful not to force you to spend eternity with Him. You made your choice, He's the ultimate gentleman in respecting it. The problem is, if God is the ultimate good than hell is made evil not by God purposely creating a place of torment, it is made evil simply by God not being there in love and in power. He isn't there as a groom, he is there only as a jailer. His grace and providence has departed utterly and eternally. I am sorry, there isn't a middle ground. We are enemies in our own power, or family in Christ's power.  What we must understand is that hell wasn't created for disobedient humans, but for Satan and the demons. If we chose to take Satan's side over God’s we are choosing the same fate as him and his minions..
   The final argument I will present. God is Light, and in him there is no darkness. What happens to the dark when you turn on the light in a room. It disappears, right?
   When we say that God cannot be around sin, we should probably reverse that and say that sin cannot be around God. Sin, when before God, self-destructs because He is so holy. It’s like throwing bleach on bacteria....it just cant handle it. Its pure and simple. In fact, in the Bible (Exodus 33) Moses, in order to witness just the tip of the robe that trailed behind God as He walked (in Bible terms, we know that God is not human, doesn't have a body, and doesn't wear clothes in a literal term, so the language here is just Moses doing his best to describe what he saw) had to hide in a hole and be covered by God’s hand until he passed by...or else he would die. Even that glimpse of the glory of God changed him so much his face glowed like the sun and he had to where a veil for the rest of his life so that it wouldn't scare others.
   So what would happened if sinful man went before God in heaven without their sin first being put to death in Christ? We know that living man would die. But an eternal soul before God, the Bible never describes. However, we know that God will not allow it, and all His purposes are done, so we do not need to concern ourselves with it too much. What we do know is that sin cannot exist in God’s presence. It just doesn't work. The only thing that allows us to God before God is that He sees us through His son’s righteousness. When even our righteousness is as dirty rags before God,  Christ took our sin on himself and killed it in our flesh. In doing that he also gave us his righteousness. That means when God looks at us through Christ (as Christians) He sees only His son’s perfection. The only way we can God to heaven then...is through Christ.

  So where does that leave us with Anne Frank, Mahatma Gandhi and Fred Phelps. I pray they are all in heaven. I will never weep over someone going to heaven...no matter how evil, so for me, they are all on the same plane. The thing is the Bible says that we have all sinned and fallen short of God.  There is no good...no not one. If those people then allowed Christ to take their sins away and give them new life in themselves, I will be seeing them in heaven. If not the only alternative is eternal separation, also called "eternal death" in scripture.
   It may be sad, but that’s only when we are viewing God as the fallible one and humanity as in the place God should be. You see, we don’t deserve any mercy, so everything God gives us is more than we deserve....and He gave us His son! That’s a lot.
   If God was the way atheists portray Him...He would be begging for mercy at our feet. I sure don’t want a God like that. Would you? And as far as heaven, well, it wouldn't be much of a heaven any more. We will talk more about that in the next post.

78 Answers

Recently I watched a video on you tube entitled "78 Questions for Christians" by an atheist you tuber who goes by the name "The Atheist Voice".I wasn't offended, I wasn't angered. I still am not.
 What I did find, was that all of these questions could be answered without the use of what the typical Christian would consider "apologetics. In other words, you don't need to read a ton of science books, delve into history, or study philosophy to have the tools to stand up against these types of challenges. (All though I highly suggest you equip yourself to be able to do so on some level.)
      That is what these questions are, after all: Challenges. The man posing these questions doesn't want answers. He wants to shake the faith of whatever Christians would listen and give fodder to the ridicule of his "militant atheist" followers. A goal, that honestly, I've seen present in just as many believers in conversation or in presentations such as this.
   I've re-watched the video a few times, and I thought it might be fun to do a response. This is not to knock him off his high-horse or to convert him. I think social media is a poor conduit for evangelism. Not to say that God can never use it; but I feel like His intention for out-reach was personal friendship and love...something that can't be displayed in written words or video very well.
  I was hoping to make a response in kind. However, with the tools I have right now, you-tube is just a little out of my range. Having already written out some of the answers however, I thought this was one outlet through which I could share my thoughts.
   My real hope for this is not to feed into Christian arrogance, but to help us see that the best way for us to give an answer is to know our own scripture. When people come to use with questions or arguments a good knowledge of basic theology will not only help to anchor us against doubt which has pulled so many away, It will help us to minister to them by giving them an answer to the real doubts that are hidden under the challenging questions and comments.
   I hope that some of what I have written will help you grow and see how truth and reason are overflowing in God's word.
  The video I am making the response to is on you tube under the previously mentioned title. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI-_FJuTPns

    Please feel free to add any thoughts and share stories.God bless.

Because of your Faith

  Ephesians 2:8
 For by grace you have been saved. And it is not your own doing, it is the gift of God.
 
   Since I've been participating in a woman's group this past year we have been talking a lot about faith. In particular, is it faith that saves? The Bible is clear that we are saved by faith. It is also clear that we cannot do anything to reach that salvation, it is a free gift of God. However, there are some questions here.
  Can salvation be a free gift if it has a requirement: faith?
  Aren't we DOING something to get that salvation if we have to have faith?
  And, if faith is that influential in salvation, what happens when we doubt?

There are also questions as to the role faith plays after salvation. Will faith, or lack there-off influence what happens in our lives? For instance, will I be healed from disease if I just have faith? Will I not be able to pay the bills if I don't have faith? Is it sin for me to use birth-control because I'm not having faith that God will provide for me in my family just what I need.
 There is also the common atheist argument against faith. I was saddened, but not actually surprised to have my husband ask me this one night.
  Why would a good God demand that we have faith in order to be saved, but then fail to provide us the proof we need to be saved. Especially if, all it would take is for Him to show up, say a word, do a something miraculous. A famous Atheist quote answers the question, what would you say to God if you died and ended up standing before His judgement seat. "Sir,Why have you taken such great pains to conceal yourself"
    Is it fare that God demand our faith when belief in Him is, admittedly as a Christian, very hard.

      When my husband expressed that frustration to me, God answered it very clearly for me.
My faith hasn't saved me. Don't get me wrong, my faith plays a role. It is clear that is has. There are countless verses explaining justification by Faith. It is as much in the Old Testament teachings as it is in the New Testament. Faith in God saves. So why can I say that my faith hasn't saved me.
   There are many people who have faith and are not saved. Humanists have faith in humans. Scientism has faith in Science and hard proof. Buddhists have faith in the teachings of Buddha, while Islam places its faith in Allah. All are not saved. No matter how strong or weak their faith. No matter if that faith pushes them to murder, to die or to rescue.
   Now imagine that I have faith that God exists. That He created the world, that He is who the Bible said who He is, but Christ, contrary to scripture, was not God. If we was just a man and the Jewish viewpoint was correct. Would my faith save me?
  No, it would fail. The Bible is clear that there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood. (Hebrews 9:22)
  We further read that without the call of Christ, even the free will choice to become a Christian would have not been possible.( John 15:16) And that Christ is responsible not just for our creation, our call and our justification, but also for our perfection (Hebrews 12:2)
   What does this all mean. Does our faith mean nothing? Of course not. The Bible is clear that our faith is fundamental in our salvation. But it is a one time choice, freely made but influenced to it's outcome by the intervention of the Spirit. In the end, it is not our faith that saves us, it is Christ that saves us. This is why nothing can take us out of the hand of our Lord, because while our feelings and beliefs may change, Christ never does. It is He who saves you, and it is He who keeps you.

The Heart of a Woman, the Heart of Christ.

   Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the Joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of of the throne of God....Hebrews 12:1-2

    I am a complimentarian in theology.
"Complimentarianism Is the view that though man and woman were created equal in their being and personhood, they are created to compliment each other via different roles and responsibilities manifested in marriage, family life religious leadership and elsewhere."...Theopedia www.theopedia.com/complimentarianism.

  In Genesis God created man and women, and He created us...both man and woman, in HIS image. What does this mean. That means that in the essential core of every man and woman there is something inherent in them that is meant to point back to God.
   I believe that for man; that is their role as leader. Leadership means sacrifice, it means protecting. It means laying yourself down for the good of others. It means being held responsible for the actions of others. It may sound enviable to be the "leader", but I will say right now...I do not wish I was a man. God has a heavy charge to lay on them

  So if that is a heart of man, what is the heart of woman. God calls woman the "helper". It is not an offensive term. It is the same term used to describe the Holy spirit. When I hear this term I think of long suffering. I think of patience through pain. I think of the garden of Gethsemane.  In reading John chapters 17-18 we see a trait in Christ that the Bible speaks very highly of. Despite knowing what pain was coming. Despite knowing the horror and death that awaited Him, Christ lay himself down to the will of God and to the pain. While doing that though, there was no bitterness. Christ didn't throw up emotional walls, He didn't shut out His friends or try to run from His feelings. No, Christ felt the pain deeply. He experience the fear fully, he drew in the agony of waiting for the worst. He searched for the will of the Father with great trepidation. In all this he was, as the Bible says, silent like a lamb to the slaughter. (Isaiah 53:7)
   I think this is the beauty that Christ want to share with us as women. The beauty of the woman is that we are the weaker vessel. We are the warm arms for the world. We are the soft place to land. We are the safe haven. Children when in pain cry for their mothers. Men, when weary from a long day at work seek comfort in their wives. When men go without the touch of women they wither away. To be blunt, sex is a desire for women, but for men it is a NEED. Men need us.
  In Eden Adam had animals, he had the beauty of nature, he had the personal living presence of God walking in the garden with him; yet he needed more. He needed Eve...mother to all.
  You see, the beauty of woman is also our greatest curse. That curse is that we are purposely created to be open and unprotected. We are created in such a way that we need the protection of men to be whole (not necessarily in marriage, but that of fathers, pastors and warriors).
  In the world however, Satan has used the very thing that was meant to protect us, that we were meant to shelter in the wonder of our gentleness, to cause us great pain. Men have used and abused women in the most profoundly heart-breaking way since creation.
  So what do we do as woman in those situations? How do we mirror the beauty of Christ in those instances? We stay open.
   It is our first reaction as human that when pain is caused us that we retreat inside an emotional or sometimes physical barrier to avoid this pain. We wall ourselves off. Had Christ done this in the garden, our salvation would have never been possible. Had Christ reacted as most of us do to the pain he felt through His life...both before and after that John 17-18 moment, we would not have the safety of His love to run to, but would find instead a wall of bitterness, anger and selfishness.
   No, Christ allowed the pain to fall on Him in it's fullness...for the joy set before Him. This is the call on all Christianity: to rejoice in suffering and to "Go out to Him" (Hebrews 13:13). But there is special need for women to do this: we are the picture of Christ to the world in our joyful suffering.
 
   Now, I don't mean in this that we are to remain in abusive situations that we are not called to. Or that we are to simply accept pain and never look for a way out. I don't mean that we shouldn't use wisdom in our relationships to avoid unnecessary pain. What I do mean though, is that we should not stop holding out our arms because they are bruised broken or bleeding. Like Christ, who's arms where wide open on the cross, not because they were nailed there; but because He in His love for us chose to stay there.
  No man has this call, and so the strength of man is a different kind. So stand up tall woman of God. Open your arms to the world. Draw in the hurting, the orphaned, the afflicted. Draw in the weary warrior to find rest with you. Draw in the scared child to find a home in your heart. Draw in the broken and tired women around you to help bear their hurt unselfishly and fully invested. How grateful I am for the women who are in my life who fully invest themselves into my life...even if it means bearing great pain on my behalf!
   Finally, know that you do not stand alone. When the pain falls down on you without buffer, remember that you are in Christ. He is the one who is your shelter. So when you feel the pain, He feels it so much stronger for you.
   Let us glorify Chris together and endure the pain so that when the joy comes it is not held back by the walls we foolishly built to keep out the pain. And though the sorrows may last for a night, Joy will come in the morning. The promises for our pain are promises that last but for a moment, the promises for our joy will be forever in the glory of our greatest Joy: Christ.