Evidence's Verdict...

"This is the verdict, that light has come into the world and men loved darkness greater than light, because their deeds are evil," (cf. John 3:19). 

Josh McDowell wrote the book, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, in which he systematically unfolds and lays out proof and arguments for Christianity and its tradition, the Scriptures.  There are several volumes and there is sufficient evidence for the seeker who wants to believe and is willing to do God's will. But for the skeptic who wants to stay in his sin because he is fond of it, and not repent, there is never enough evidence--you cannot argue someone into the kingdom; they must be receptive and open-minded. 

Where there's a need God will fulfill it; therefore the kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit (those who recognize their need and sin).  If you are earnestly and diligently seeking God you will find Him  (cf. Deut. 4:29; Jer. 29:13) and God is no man's debtor and will let Himself be found by the sincere and willing seeker.  The truth of the matter is that you don't need all the answers to believe. It is not an intellectual problem, but a moral one and the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart!   Mark 9:24 says: "I believe, help thou mine unbelief."

We may find we have doubts, but this is a good thing that will strengthen our faith in the end--doubt is not the opposite of faith, but an element of it.  Our faith must be tried in the fire and tested as to its validity and whether it is genuine, saving faith.  God will not make a person believe against their will, that would be coercion and against our natures, to be forced or coerced by someone to do something we don't want to do; however, God is able to make the unwilling willing and to woo (cf. Jer. 20:7; John 6:44, 65; Psalm 51:12; Col. 1:29; Heb. 13:21) us to the Father and melt our hearts in grief for our sins and repent in all sincerity.  "God is at work within you, both to will, and to do of His good pleasure" (cf. Philippians 2:13).

There is no question that is going to make Christianity come to its knees without the answer:  The Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties by Gleason Archer, and the book, Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible by John W. Haley, answer just about every question about the Bible skeptics have.  Apologetics is a discipline that takes many forms: literary like C. Lewis; philosophical like Francis A. Schaeffer; scientific like Henry Morris; cultural like Charles Colson; and historical like Josh McDowell, et al. Belief in God is universal and in every culture, nation, people, group, and tribe.

God is the Potter and we are the clay and He is ultimately in control of our destiny and all those who are the elect shall believe--His divine decree (cf. Acts 13:48).  You practically have to teach a child not to believe in God, because he instinctively knows everything we observe has a purpose, and that ultimately leads to the uncaused cause or the necessary being, which is God. A child's heart isn't hardened and it is with the heart that man disbelieves according to Psalm 14:1.

The original tradition, historically speaking was of one God, not a pantheon.  Eventually, they thought the more gods, the better! Paul is right in Romans 1:20 that man has no excuse and he also says that God has never left the world without a witness (cf. Acts 14:17). People are without excuse and we are not God's judgment, weighing the evidence--He doesn't need evidence--His fingerprints are on all creation and every living thing.  God accommodates us and condescends to strengthen our weak or little faith, but we must take that first step in the right direction when He woos us.

Many scholars have attempted to disprove the Bible and have been forced to admit its truth and found out the truth does set you free--they wrote books, such as General Lew Wallace's Ben Hur:  A Tale of the Christ; Lawyer Frank Morrison attempted to disprove the resurrection, and ended up writing Who Moved the Stone? with the first chapter entitled, "The Book that Refused to be Written;" Simon Greenleaf, the world's foremost expert on legal evidence in the nineteenth century, and professor at Harvard, considered the evidence and then wrote, The Testimony of the Evangelists.  Many archaeologists have tried to discredit the Bible's historicity and have ended up becoming believers because no dig has ever contravened the Bible's record.

What they say is that you don't have to prove the Bible it can defend itself--you can prove it yourself by just reading it and giving it the opportunity without a closed mind. The Bible makes no effort either to prove God's existence, but assumes this and asserts that all knowledge begins with the fear of God (cf. Prov. 1:7).  The Bible actually declares a person a fool if he doesn't believe in God!  In sum, there's never enough evidence to convince someone who's unwilling to believe or do God's will; there's just enough light to see for the willing, and enough darkness not to see for the unwilling. Soli Deo Gloria!

Defender Of Faith

We are called to contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to us, according to Jude 3. Christianity is rightly called a faith, rather than a religion, because of two things:  The common body of knowledge adhered to; and the virtue of faith that is essential for its doctrine of redemption.  Religion is not a faith in the same sense--our faith is in a person that we know ("I know whom I have believed..," says 2 Tim. 1:12), and our faith is not in a system or code of ethics or rules and ritual.

Saving faith is a living faith that grows--where is it going?  It is not being credulous or believing for no sound reason--we have ample reasons to believe and don't believe despite the evidence.  We take God at His Word and accept His authority over ours as self-attesting (which means that if you appeal to any higher authority than Him, then you are saying He is not God, but the authority is). We are not inclined to believe due to our depravity and must be regenerated unto faith by an act of grace of the Holy Spirit. The only manifestation of faith and the test of faith is obedience--you cannot believe in the Lord without submission, it's a contradiction in terms.

These two are equated in Hebrews 3:18-19; 4:6).  Faith commences with receptivity and an open mind, and you don't need all the answers to believe; you are required to take a leap of faith because faith is what pleases God (cf. Heb. 11:6). Some think of it as going with the preponderance of the evidence as a jury making a decision and going in the direction of the evidence, though you don't have all the evidence that is possible and there may be gaps in it to fill by faith.

It takes more faith to be an atheist than a believer and there is sufficient evidence for anyone with an open mind (can have your own opinions, but not your own facts; some say, "I already have my mind made up, don't confuse me with the facts"), a willing (i.e., to do God's will) spirit, and a needy (poor in spirit, or recognizing need for God and depravity and sinfulness of self) heart.  Not believing in God is not evidence and one must always inquire, "What evidence is there that there is no God, etc?" You cannot prove that God doesn't exist, or that Jesus didn't rise from the dead; the opposite of Christ rising from the dead is not that people don't normally do this, but that He didn't--and there's much circumstantial, historical, and empirical evidence that suggests He did!

There is historical or story-book faith that's all in the head, and then there's heart belief that saves. We must not only believe that Christ lived but that He lives.  And that He died for you personally.  Christ wasn't just born, but must be born in you!  We may come to Christ, which is believing in Him and say, "I believe, help thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24).  You need to be sincere, but can be sincerely wrong--you have to believe the right thing about Christ and be orthodox--sincerity is necessary, but not sufficient.  Finally, saving faith is childlike, but not childish, and simple, but not simplistic.

We do not believe it is the amount of faith that saves, but the direction or object that counts.  You can have great faith in the church and its program and be lost (that's why some will say to the Lord, "Lord, Lord, did we not [do this or do that]?").  There are some whose faith is weak, but at least it is in the right direction.  It's like having only a little faith to step out on the frozen lake that has 2-foot-thick ice--it doesn't take much faith!  Our God is so great, it isn't our faith that saves--it's Jesus, who is the only Savior who saves.  The problem most people have is not that their faith is too small, but their God is too small and their thoughts of God are too human! We boast of a big God who can do anything, and with whom everything (except going against His nature) is possible.  That's why Jesus said that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains (which means attempting great tasks that seem impossible without God).  With God on our side, little is much and we can do a lot with our small ability--we all have the small ability and need to depend on God.  It isn't how much self-esteem we have, but God-esteem!

The crown prince of Great Britain wants to change his motto of the monarchy, "Fidei Defensor" or defender of the faith (FD), to defender of faith. Faith is a virtue but it is the gift of God and we are to use it to His glory.  Peter wrote "to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with [their]..." (2 Peter 2:1, ESV).  Paul says in Romans 12:3 (ESV) that we serve "each according to the measure of faith God has assigned [us]." Jesus said, that to whom much is given, much is required.  And also of a woman that she has done what she could.   Being the defender of faith per se is not biblical, because it must be the faith that saves, not just faith for faith's sake or faith in faith.

The Bible says, "... For not, all have faith"  (2 Thess. 3:2, ESV).  This is referring to saving faith because everyone has faith in something, even if it's oneself and he thinks he's a self-made man. Some have faith in the system or in religion, and some have faith in nothing (nihilism), which takes more than to believe in God because there is more evidence for God than against Him.   It isn't for lack of evidence that a person rejects God, but with the heart, he doesn't believe out of his stubbornness and unwillingness to do God's will--for Jesus said, that if any man is willing to do His will he shall know of the doctrine. Man simply doesn't want to believe, it's not an intellectual problem--these are just smokescreens designed to change the subject and stump the Christian with side issues--the real issue is repenting of sin and following Jesus as Lord and Savior for a new and more abundant, eternal life.

There is no such thing as easy-believism whereby your faith involves no commitment nor surrender of the ownership of your life--salvation is free but it's not cheap!  The only kind of faith that saves is productive faith that yields good fruit, for you shall know them by their fruits. We are indeed saved by faith alone, but the formula of the Reformation says, it is not by a faith that is alone.  James 2:20 says that faith without works is dead--that kind of faith cannot save.  No fruit--no faith--no salvation! Faith comes by the hearing [or preaching] of the Word (cf. Rom. 10:17), and isn't conjured up, caught like one catches a cold by going somewhere, imagined, gained by osmosis, or even hanging around the right people.  We don't work ourselves into the mood to believe!  It is the gift of God and comes through the power of the Word of God.

The first step to believing is a willingness to listen and receptivity, you must understand next and then put your trust and reliance on Christ and stop trying to save yourself or get your act together--you can never do this; cleaning up your act comes after salvation as a fruit and sign of a changed life.  Faith must be put to work and it consists of knowledge but knowledge put to use and acted on:  By faith, Abraham obeyed, etc.  We must realize and act on our faith to make it real saving faith by taking the leap of faith.  Works are the byproduct of saving faith and not the substitute for it because we are ordained unto good works according to Ephesians 2:10.  We don't do them because we have to (legalism) but because we want to out of a grateful and changed the heart.  We are not saved by works and we are not saved without them either!  They can be distinguished, but not separated.

There is not saving faith without genuine repentance either! They go together as one package and are the flip side of each other.  In Scripture, they are often mentioned in juxtaposition.  They can be distinguished, but not separated.  Repentance is turning from sin and faith is turning to God--in other words, you do an about-face or U-turn (cf. Acts 20:21).  We exchange our life of sin for a life in Christ as we choose to follow Him. If a person is impenitent, he cannot be a believer; likewise if one doesn't believe, he is also impenitent, because they go hand-in-hand. If you have a problem with believing, it's probably some sin you are cleaving to and refusing to surrender to the Lordship of Christ.

The formula of the Reformers was that we are saved:  By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and by the authority of Scripture alone, and to God alone be the glory!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Bible Skeptics Challenged

In the nineteenth century, academia was beginning to doubt the historical authenticity and even historicity of the Old Testament tradition. They even doubted that Jesus ever lived!  They even doubted that Moses could've known how to write and that he was literate because they didn't believe people were in his day. The Holy Bible is dramatically different from the many (some twenty-six) books in the world claiming to be Scripture and deemed holy, such as The Qur'an or Koran, the Book of Mormon, the Bhagavad Gita, the Brahman Vedas, the Buddhist Canon of Sacred Scripture, et al.

Let's inspect the differentiation and how the Bible is unique:

None of these "bibles" or scriptures have a word of predictive prophecy that isn't self-fulfilling like when Muhammad said he'd return to Mecca and then did.  The Bible, on the other hand, has over 2,000 fulfilled predictive prophecies, which are not a just random chance, but in great detail--shouldn't we trust it with the future, since it has proved worthy of our faith?  To be specific, 456 details of Christ were fulfilled in his life, which would be an astronomical chance event, if one didn't believe in a God who used Providence and orchestrates all history at will.

The Bible's authenticity and veracity are backed up and verified by archaeology, with over 25,000 digs which confirm the Bible's records, and there are no contradictions that would be evidence against the accuracy of the writers and their integrity.

One need only peruse the Scriptures to notice they are dramatically different from all other books--over 3,000 times they claim to be a declaration from God and repeatedly claim to be the Word of God--no other book does this.  Jesus spoke, not as the teachers of the Law, but with authority, and didn't footnote his pronouncements:  His formula was not, "So and so say," but "Amen, amen, I say unto you."  No man ever spoke like this man! You can take the miracles out of other scriptures and the religion remains intact, but not so with Christianity!   He spoke as one having authority and if He had never performed miracles he would've only been a footnote in history and His movement wouldn't have amounted to anything, but His followers would have disbanded and become demoralized after His death--but He rose from the dead and changed history (this is either the most fantastic event in history or the biggest and cruelest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind).

Some say that the Word of God is inspired because it inspires them: Shakespeare, Bach, and Michelangelo were also inspired, but in a different sense--their works don't change lives and transform sinners!  Some skeptics say they don't believe the Bible, but I don't believe you have to accept the Bible to be saved, but God will convict you afterward.

If they insist it's untrue and full of lies and modern man doesn't accept it anymore because it's pre-scientific, ask them what's the main message--chances are they don't even know what it's the main point is nor understand it (salvation in Jesus from our fallen nature)  The Bible is one of those books that people are against but have never read it themselves.  What you ought to tell them if they ask you to prove the Bible is that they can prove it themselves by just reading it--you don't defend a caged lion; it can defend itself!

Christianity is a religion of salvation and deals with the sin issue and problem--no other faith does; they may deal with enlightenment, or self-control, or legalistic rules, but not victory over sin, like Matt. 1:21 (NIV) says, "[Y]ou] are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."  We need forgiveness from what we've done, and deliverance from what we are!   This makes the Bible radically different, in that it deals with the issue that man is inherently evil and full of sin and needs salvation, not enlightenment or to just get religion to reform himself. Religion can change your life, but Christ transforms it and renews it!

What really makes the Bible stand out as unique is that it is a historical document, unlike those of all other religions (Buddhism is basically just philosophy because Buddha was agnostic and said that if there was a God, He couldn't help you find enlightenment--you must find it on your own as you are an island to yourself).

No historical fact in the Bible has ever been disproved or demonstrated as unreliable--but it seems like if a secular historian says something he is automatically assumed to be right and the Bible erroneous; the Bible has always ended up vindicated!  History cannot be proved scientifically, but relies on the veracity of the witnesses and records, because history is nonrepeatable it takes faith to believe it. You cannot prove that Julius Caesar ever lived unless you accept historical evidence.

There are no scientific absurdities in Scripture, and where it does say something pertaining to science it is correct, such as describing the water cycle. But the Bible is not a scientific document but meant to show the way of salvation as Galileo said when put under house arrest for disagreeing with church dogma of his time.  According to Paul Little, The French Academy of Science produced a brochure that cited fifty-one scientific facts that controverted Scripture in 1861; today none of these so-called facts are believed anymore! The Bible never changes but science is like a moving train--who knows what they'll believe in a thousand years?

Another fact that makes the Bible so unique is that there is so little "copyist error" found among some 5,000 Greek manuscripts that show that God has protected and preserved His Word from corruption and we have it largely unchanged from the original manuscript and has great integrity. The utmost fidelity of manuscripts examined has proved the texts reliable.

The main historical fact of the Bible, the Gibraltar that everything rests on, is the resurrection of Christ;  this is arguably the most attested fact in antiquity, though, and has much circumstantial and historical evidence; Luke says it is given "many infallible proofs." The Bible has withstood attacks and attempts at abolishing it out many times throughout history, yet is survives by God's intervention.  The books were written by eyewitnesses and are not fables, or cleverly made stories. They are not the creation of deluded madmen, nor consummate liars neither; these are not the rantings and ravings of madmen. All the apostles, except St. John the Elder, died as martyrs--one usually tells the truth in that type of situation, and these men were in a position to know the truth, they just didn't believe it and become fanatics (not knowing it as fact by personal encounter).

One fact that cannot be contravened is that the New Testament was written within a few decades (c. AD 50-90) of the events in question--all writing within the lifetime of living witnesses, by eyewitnesses. The Buddhist writings were not compiled till two centuries after Buddha lived. The Bible claims to be history, written by witnesses and it's veracity would be confirmed in a court of law looking at the evidence with an impartial jury examining the evidence.

The Bible is relevant to everyone in every culture and every age and language throughout history--it's never obsolete, outdated, nor passe. Truth is truly timeless!  It doesn't need to be updated but speaks to everyone with a needy heart, an open mind, and a willing spirit.  It doesn't need to be rewritten, just reread, as Billy Graham says.  It has been translated into over 1800 languages and sells over 150,000,000 each year as the number-one bestseller of all time.  It is the Highest Law of God and has been called the blueprint of the Master Architect.  It has the solution to every ailment and problem or issue we face.

Rick Warren in, God's Power to Change Your Life,  tells a story of an anthropologist in the South Seas who approached a cannibal reading his Bible:  "What are you doing," he asked.  "The native replied, "I'm reading the Bible."  The anthropologist scoffed and said, "Don't you know that modern, civilized man has rejected that book?  It's nothing but a pack of lies.  You shouldn't waste your time reading it:"  The cannibal slowly replied, "Sir, if it weren't for this book, you' d be in the pot!"

In the best-selling book, Through the Valley of the Kwai, by Ernest Gordon, chaplain at Princeton,  American POW's in the Malay peninsula during WWII, discovered that their Bible reading dramatically changed their lives simply by reading it--they had resorted previously to becoming mere savages, and they decided to read the New Testament together, and became a loving fellowship.

The best proof of the inspiration of Scripture is its many testimonials of how it changes lives and sets people free form their sin and even civilizes pagans--Western culture has forgotten the paganism that the church saved them from.  You don't make an AA pledge, nor reform yourself, nor turn over a new leaf, nor even make a New Year's resolution--you get exposed to the transforming power of God in the Word to change lives from the inside out.

Religions are all the same--your performance and good works ingratiating you. They all are based on lifting yourself up by your own bootstraps and are all a do-it-yourself proposition. You can be inspired to change your life yourself from other scriptures, but the Bible changes you by its own power to transform as the inspired Word of God.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Consequences Of Witness

ARE YOU READY, OBLIGATED, INDEBTED, EAGER, AND UNASHAMED?

When you mention God you break a sound barrier that opens doors of spiritual inquiry and brings the subject around to eternal matters.  If you can get them to dwell on eternity for a few minutes, you are well on the way to opening their eyes to the eternal truth.  There are always drawbacks and pros of being a witness--you may develop enemies or people that express and take out their animus toward Christ on you as an outlet.  You must be willing to suffer shame, persecution, and maltreatment for Christ's sake and "share in His sufferings."

There are several so-called sound barriers to break, and don't just be under the illusion that mentioning God is all there is to it: Mentioning the person and work of Christ is where the conviction is, because they will have smoke screens for not accepting this as historical, eternal, objective, and universal truth (which they may deny even exists).  People can, and often do, get upset and angry when they don't have the answers and go on the defensive with common intellectual problems they believe you cannot answer to their satisfaction to change the subject and get it off Christ--He is the issue, and steer the conversation His way.

By definition, a witness is someone who has a first-hand account or can attest to a fact personally and experientially.  We must bear in mind that God does the wooing, drawing, convicting, and regenerating, we are just to be obedient and speak forth what the Spirit leads us to say faithfully.

Don't be discouraged by personal attack, known as ad hominem, or "to the man," because this just reveals that they don't have the answers nor even adequate questions to challenge you and have resorted to defaming your reputation and discrediting your witness or testimony--just make sure you are not to blame for jeopardizing your testimony.  Be willing to suffer for righteousness sake and for the kingdom of  God, just like the prophets who were persecuted and even martyred--one of the Beatitudes pronounces a special blessing for this experience. Why?  Because experience is the best teacher or the school of hard knocks--you must be willing to get down and dirty or to get your feet wet and venture into uncharted territory.

They have to realize that it takes faith and you cannot scientifically prove any historical event because they are by nature non-repeatable; you can only depend upon how reliable the testimony and witnesses are and their veracity.  It is a known fact that people usually tell the truth on their deathbed and would certainly not purposely die for a lie if they could help it and knew it was one.  People will die for what they believe is true and even become martyrs but not for what they know is a lie if they are in a position to know the truth of the matter because they were eye-witnesses.  God only reveals the truth to those who are willing to obey Him and will not force Himself on anyone--they have the choice and are responsible for it.

Don't expect every encounter in witnessing to be successful, but you are always in a win-win situation and will be rewarded for your faithfulness and standing up for Jesus and being obedient, which is the test of your faith, and, even if the person doesn't get converted by you, you may just be planting a seed that others will water and still someone else reap. The point is not that you will win everyone over but that you gain experience in witnessing and be faithful to the Great Commission--we are ambassadors for Christ and must urge people to believe in Christ for salvation.  Thank God that He opened a door and gave opportunity, regardless of the outcome--leave this to God, who is able to make the seed grow.

When they find out that you "know your stuff" they will back down and find excuses to end the dialogue and short-circuit you personally, especially insulting you or getting personal, because there is nothing that can be charged against Christ or make Him a sinner. A good point, in fact, is that you can answer all their questions and they can still be unwilling to believe--it's with the heart that man doesn't believe and the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart.

You might jump ahead and anticipate this by challenging them, "If I answered all your questions satisfactorily, would you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and repent of your sins?" They really don't have intellectual problems, but moral ones and they don't want to live a godly, moral, and spiritual life of obedience to God, but do their own things instead of being accountable to God.  They will realize that they might not win the discussion and then they will attempt to abort it by any means they can and look for an easy out that preserves their integrity (this should never degenerate into arguing or insults--you can never argue someone into the kingdom, because you can win the argument and alienate the person--you must nevertheless be a bold witness on behalf of Christ in His name).

They view flaws in your character as evidence against Christianity, but don't know that no one is perfect, not even believers--they are only works in progress who are forgiven.  Jesus alone is without flaw and sinless and we should all compare ourselves to Him, not each other. Of course, you may think yourself a saint compared to Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler, but they are not the standard and God doesn't grade on a curve and we all fall short of God's glorious standards.  Proving a Christian a hypocrite doesn't show that Christ was flawed or negate the faith.

It is extremely vital that you show love and compassion and patience in witnessing and to be "prepared to give an answer" like Peter said in 1 Peter 3:15.  If you are abused for your testimony just be reassured that they treated the prophets in like manner and you are being honored to suffer for His name's sake ("When they say all manner of evil against you falsely...").  God looks at the heart and our motive and even if we make mistakes is able to use it because we are His vessels of honor, not dishonor and God has chosen to use us to convert a dying world with no hope and without God.

Experience is the best teacher and we all have some learning to do--no one has arrived to be the perfect irresistible witness that cannot be denied.  You may just be losing a battle, but about to win a war.  We must be willing to accept temporary defeat or what seems like a failure, because, with God on our side, we can never lose--"We are more than conquerors through Him."  "If God is for us, who can be against us?"  We all have a lot to learn but you must get your feet wet and venture out in faith.  It may be uncharted territory, but we must be willing to leave our comfort zone and test the waters.  It is like any skill in a sport, the more you do it, the better you get at it.

The most important link to success is making a beeline to the gospel and realizing its power to convict.  We must learn to depend on the Holy Spirit, not our wisdom or cleverness--be Spirit-led and let God give you an answer for the critics, skeptics, doubters, and even seekers. Try to identify with people and show your compassion, that you care about them--people don't care how much you know, till they find out how much you care.  And if you really do care about people you will be concerned about their eternal state and where they will spend eternity--ask God to open the door and talk to God concerning the person, before talking to the person concerning God.

Finally, you will sometimes make a scene, or make enemies--some people are totally negative to the truth and have hardened their hearts. A person is not the same after encountering Jesus, they are either softened or hardened.  It is well said that you win some, and you lose some--don't be discouraged because only God can see the person's heart and future. You are designed or tailor-made for a certain sort of witness and appeal especially to them in our sphere of influence and circle of friends.

Steps to heed:  Just pray for guidance, be prepared with a testimony, know the gospel message, and always look for and sense an open door (jumping at the chance to ask intriguing questions that pique curiosity about salvation, such as, "Do you know what is on the other side?" Other good ones are: "Why should God let you into His heaven?" And "Are you 100 percent sure you would go to heaven if you died right now?" Jump at the opportunity like the saying, "Seize the day!"  This may be your big chance, so "go for it!"  Soli Deo Gloria!

Frantic Search For Happiness

Augustine said that our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God (we can even get desperate).   Pascal said that there's a God-shaped vacuum that only God can fill.  The chief symptom of the times is emptiness and boredom with life--not feeling fulfilled or what they would call "happy."  We are not made for boredom or idleness, but to serve God in productive living--work manifests the image of God in us. Nature abhors a vacuum and it is unnatural for us to be bored, as only humans can be, because we are in the image of God, meant to glorify Him and have a relationship with Him.

God doesn't exist for our happiness, but we exist for His glory and only when we seek God with our whole heart can we find happiness.  If you are desperate to find it, it will remain elusive.  Happiness is akin to reaching for each passing straw, and as you grasp it, it disappears--it is a nebulous thing indeed. Americans have the "right to the pursuit of happiness," but God gives us no right to happiness.

Happiness depends upon "happenings," and, even if you are in jail, you are not happy about the circumstances--but can still rejoice in the Lord, and also when you are mourning the loss of a loved one are you not happy per se.  But the Word says "... [For] the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10, ESV).  We can have "inner joy" despite our circumstances and rejoice always in the Lord (cf. Phil. 4:4) as Paul did from prison in his treatise on joy in the book of Philippians.  Joy comes from within and needs no outward stimuli.

Temporal and spiritual bliss is only found in Jesus.  It is said that the secret to joy is to think of Jesus first, others second, and yourself last!   Dr. Albert Schweitzer (Nobel Prize winner) said that the happiest people are those who've learned to serve.  If you are busy serving you will not think of yourself.  A non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms and you should be so busy serving others, you don't have time to worry about yourself.

We are bound to have emotional ups and downs, but we are not to ever change our attitude towards a life of contentment.  God doesn't sanction or countenance excessive whining or complaining.  God wants us to be satisfied with what we have and not to covet nor be greedy for ill-gotten gain.  The "love of money is the root of all kinds of evil."  If we love money, we will miss out on the real pleasures of life that money can't buy.

Instead of seeking happiness as your goal, and God's plan is not necessarily your happiness--so don't tell Him that all you want is to be happy--God wants you to do His will!  God's purpose is to bring glory to Himself through you and for your life to have an impact for His kingdom.  We need fulfillment and meaning in life, not necessarily happiness.  The purpose for a living is a basic need of man and when you have a reason why you have to endure something, such as a trial or tribulation, you can endure it because you know God is with you:  "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you ..."  (cf. Isa. 43:2, ESV).

Being happy or blessed as the Beatitudes calls it is a byproduct of living in God's will and obedience. Christ lists eight principles to live by if we want true "blessedness."  Remember:  happiness depends upon happenings!  Happiness that's more than skin deep and lasts is kingdom happiness that results from being in the image of Christ:  For example, being meek, humble, peacemakers, pure in heart, merciful, etc.  The more Christlike we become the more fulfilled we are and enjoy a more meaningful life.

Paul most likely suffered more than any other apostle (cf. 2 Cor. 11) and rejoiced in them.  In Philippians, he said he had learned the secret of contentment in all situations--in plenty and in need. We should likewise aim to be content (cf. Philippians 4:13) with whatever situation we find ourselves, and not think that God is holding out on us.  We should emulate Paul's attitude; we have the choice to choose our attitude no matter the circumstance.

If you begin a frantic search for happiness, it will be elusive or a will-o-the-wisp and you will never attain your goal. Happiness must be bestowed on you as a gift, not something you go out and purchase or find desperately.  Some people are so deluded into thinking that money buys happiness, and when they get it they just want more money and a lid never gets put on the greed.  If you love money, you will never have enough--that's why you ask a millionaire how much money he needs, and he will tell you, "Just a little more!"  Don't fall into the temptation to desire to get rich.

God is looking for smiling faces (some people's face just say they are happy, and others need to tell their face that they're happy!) and people who are happy campers.  People content with God's will for their life (which is not accepting the status quo with complacency) are a good advertisement for the Lord, while malcontents and grumpy believers are darkness and do not show the light of the gospel that we should be promoting as lights in a dark world.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Our Beatific Vision

The pagan Emperor Trajan once asked a Christian why his God was invisible and you couldn't see him (it sounded atheistic to him--just worshiping a spirit), and he was informed and given the scoop: "Look at the sun!"  Trajan said he couldn't because it's too bright.  "Then don't you now realize that, if you cannot behold God's creation, how much less the splendor and glory of God?" Jesus said that God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth (cf. John 4:24).

The Greek believers asked the disciples if they could see Jesus.  "We would see Jesus!"  We don't need to see Him in order to know Him, because Jesus said blessed is he who believes and hasn't seen (cf. John 20:29). We can see with the eyes of our hearts which are opened by the Holy Spirit's illuminating ministry. We are seeing the glory of God when our eyes are opened to see how He is manifest in believers, and we see Jesus in them and they see Him in us--this is only a taste of the glory which shall be revealed us.  As Hebrews 2:9 (ESV) says: "But we see him [i.e., Jesus, with our spiritual eyes] ...."

We shall all be satisfied in heaven by beholding the face of God (in Jesus), but only because we will not be in the flesh, but without any sin to corrupt our spiritual bodies and souls. God has revealed Himself throughout the Bible in many theophanies (revelation of God, such as in the burning bush) and Christophanies (revelation of Jesus, such as the Angel of the LORD).   From the burning bush to appearances as the Angel of the LORD, to Gideon and as the Son of Man, to Daniel's friends in the furnace and to Daniel in a vision.  John saw Jesus in His glory at the transfiguration and then finally at Patmos in a vision of heaven.

Jesus is how God manifests Himself as the embodiment, personification, or icon of God. When Philip (cf. John 14:8-9) asked Jesus during the Last Supper in the Upper Room to show them the Father, Christ said, that he who has seen Him has seen the Father--they are one!  All that God wants to reveal of Himself is presented in the Son--all that God has to say to us and all that we can know.  God is Spirit, according to Jesus, and became a man for our sake so we would have something to relate to and what to think of when we meditate on God.  Jesus is analogous to the sun because He gives light to all He shines on, and makes life possible too.

Jesus has the Shekinah (glory of God), not reflected the glory of God, as Moses had after being in His presence.  Jesus does not reflect light--He is light: John 8:12 says, "... I am the light of the world...."  Jesus willingly veiled His glory because they couldn't behold it in full. Jesus has all the glory of the Father, there is no diminishing of it, but He voluntarily laid it aside (known as the kenosis in Philippians 2) while incarnated on earth before His ascension. Actually, Jesus shines brighter than the sun, which is only an analogy or symbol of Him.

In glory, we shall behold Him: "... [B]ut we know that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him as he [Jesus]" (1 John 3:2, ESV).  Moses wanted to see God's face but God said that no man shall see His face and live [in the flesh], as Jesus told Moses in Exodus 33:23.  Jesus said in His Beatitudes that the pure in heart are blessed, for they shall see God [in the NT God usually refers to God the Father].

Don't forget the Aaronic benediction in Numbers 6:24-26 as a promise to claim:  "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."  What man has always yearned for is a God they can see; one that has skin on and we can relate to.  Jesus is just that incarnation:  God with skin on! There is a true story of a boy drawing a picture and the teacher asking him what he's drawing.  He replied, "I'm drawing God."  The teacher told him that no one knows what God looks like.  Then the boy answered:  "They will now!"

Jesus said that "God is glorified in Him" (cf. John 10:34) and this is when He is glorified.  At His priestly prayer in John 17 Jesus besought the return of His glory after He had glorified the Father by doing all His will and being obedient in His subordination and humility.  He did it by accomplishing all God's work for Him on earth that was given Him to do (cf. John 17:4).  By analogy we give up our glory to share His glory and to glorify God:  "The chief end of man is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever"  (The Westminster Shorter Catechism, ca. 1646).

Everyone will bow to the glory of God, either at Judgment Day, or to become a believer and surrender the control over himself, and even others, to the lordship of Christ.  We must give up the ownership of our lives and realize we owe all to Him because He purchased us at the cross with His blood.  But Jesus wants more than our bodies dedicated to Him as reasonable service (cf. Rom. 12:1), He wants us (to surrender everything we have and are to His lordship)! This entails and involves giving up your personal throne and kingdom and surrender it to God's sovereignty and guidance or plan for your life--we don't ask God to bless our plans, but Him to reveal His plan.

We leave our throne to bow to His and ultimately get a crown to reign with Him, just like Jesus left His throne in Heaven to humble Himself in obedience all the way to the cross.  This surrender and acknowledgment of His lordship is not only done at salvation but renewed daily, as we learn to walk in the Spirit and in fellowship with God and our brethren (cf. 1 John 1:7). We actually have more authority in Christ after surrendering our authority and this is a paradox indeed (i.e., if we are lords, we are to become servants for Christ's sake and humble and meek enough that no service is beneath our dignity).  We have nothing in comparison to lose and everything in eternity to gain, including the right to rule in glory with Christ, as we go from glory to glory to an ultimate glorified state in the New Jerusalem.

He doesn't want sacrifice or offering, or even going through the motions of the rituals of worship--Jesus internalized religion to make it a matter of the heart (He said evil comes out from the heart of man), because the Pharisees had externalized it to outward obedience to the letter of the Law, and neglect of the spirit of the Law.  He wants all there is of us--all of our minds, hearts, souls, spirits, strength, and wills. John was stunned at the sight of the Lord, so just imagine how we would react!

Jesus is the Great Inspector General of the church and we all need to pass muster and be ready for daily inspection of our daily walk--take regular spiritual check-ups so as not to jeopardize your testimony to the world.  Paul said to "test yourselves whether you are in the faith."   We are to examine ourselves (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5)--not others--regularly and especially before the Lord's Supper. We are fruit inspectors--not detectives.  We must examine ourselves first because judgment begins at the house of God, and when we have cast the beam out of our own eye we can help someone else with the speck in theirs.

In other words, don't throw bricks if you live in a glasshouse, because we all have feet of clay or have vulnerabilities not readily apparent--we may see the sins of others as obvious; however, we just sin differently and have no right to look down on our brother or criticize him, and we are all vulnerable to Satan's attack, which Martin Luther called the Anfectung, and we should never succumb to this nor even his accusations.  If we take care of our witness and testimony, God will take care of our reputation and open doors for us--we must just be ready!  Soli Deo Gloria!