Archive for June, 2008

Thursday Thoughts - A Cast for Reason

Published by Pastor Myron on Jun 19, 2008 in Notes from the Pastor. 0 Comments

Last week I discussed the philosophical arguments for the existence of God. These arguments are good arguments but not foolproof. There is only one solid argument for the existence of God and that is found in Jesus Christ.

The Jesus Argument

Many people like to say that Jesus was just a “Good Man,” “Prophet” or “Teacher” however, you can not say that because of the claims that Jesus made. In his famous book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes this statement, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg–or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”We are left with four options He was a:

Legend – There is enough historical and archeological evidence to disprove this argument. Every reputable historian agrees that Jesus Christ was not just a legend.

Liar – If He were a liar, why would he die for His claims, when He could have easily have avoided such a cruel death with a few choice words? There is so much more to this argument than just this point but for brevity’s sake I’ll stop here

Lunatic – If He were a lunatic, how did He engage in intelligent debates with His opponents or handle the stress of His betrayal and crucifixion while continuing to show a deep love for His antagonists? Psychologists and psychiatrists have examined His life, His words and His actions, He is and was far from being a lunaticSo we are left with our last option He is who He said He was:

Lord – He said He was God and the evidence supports that claim.Since Jesus Christ is the only foolproof argument for the existence of God, it would behoove us to study His life, follow His teachings and do everything possible to have the personal relationship with Him that He promised. Time is short and eternity is far too long for us to be gambling with our lives. I would love the opportunity to share with you more about how you can have this personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

May God bless you this week!

Because of HIS Amazing Grace,
Myron D. Atkinson
Pastor

Labor Day Camping Retreat Information

Published by Pastor Myron on Jun 17, 2008 in Recent Happenings. 0 Comments

Our annual “All Church” Labor Day camp out will be at Fairy Stone State Park. For those who have not gone with us in the past, we have had a great time! The cost will be $78.75 for three nights camping (Friday - Monday). I have reserved 10 spots (I have 3 already taken and 3 spoken for leaving 4) and have 14 days in which to send payment in. These spots DO have ELECTRICITY. See the web-sites below for more information. Also talk to me ASAP if you are able to go. If we need more than 10 spots I believe we can still get them but I still need to know ASAP. Thanks!. Activities for Children - This year it would be great if we could do some sort of activity with the children so that parents could be free for a while. If anyone is interested in doing something with the children for a little while on Saturday morning and maybe Sunday early evening,  please let me know. I have sent an email to Fairy Stone Park inquiring as to what activities they may have. Retreat Activities - We will meet Friday & Saturday evening around 8:00 for a devotional time. On Sunday we will hold a service around 9:00 or so with music. If they do not offer a service out there, I would like to open it up to the camp and utilize out people. We can bring the keyboard and guitars and have a great time. Food - Each family is responsible for their own food.  We will not organize anything like we did last year because it’s too confusing. (With the exception that I might make some pancakes.:)  If families want to coordinate that’s great.   Questions:I can’t go camping that long! - If this is the case then let Pastor Myron know, we can make adjustments and it will reduce the cost.  I don’t like camping! - Then come out and spend the day or get a cabin (2 bedroom Cabin is $102.00 per night)How far away is it? - 1 hour from Roanoke near Stuart, VA Can I invite others? - Sure!  This is a great time for the seldom church and unchurched friends to get to know us.   Should I bring games? - Yes that’s a great idea.  If you have games that are fun for groups bring them along as well.  What if it rains? - The reservations will have a $10.00 fee for canceling however you can transfer within a week of the date after that?  It’s rained before and we went ahead with the retreat.  We improvise!  If it rains it’s a great way to find out if your tent leaks.  :) 

Thursday Thought – How do we know there is a God?

Published by Pastor Myron on Jun 11, 2008 in Notes from the Pastor. 0 Comments

Many people say that they believe in God but when asked the question, “How do you know?” It causes them to question and they have their faith shaken. We live during a time where we must know why we believe in God. He is not just a crutch or some fairy tail myth! So, how do we know that there is a God?

There are several philosophical answers to this question. Philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Descartes’ and many others have philosophized about this for years. There are several arguments for the existence of God:

The Ontological argument – Extremely simplified, this argument says that since we can conceive of a God then God exist.

The Cosmological argument – This argument is also called “The First Cause” says that the universe must have been caused by something that was itself uncaused, which was God.

The Teleological argument – This argument looks at nature - the order, purpose, design, and direction - or some combination of these – and says that there must have been someone who put it all together. Much like a watch does not exist without a watchmaker the world and universe does not exist without a creator.

The Moral Argument - According to this argument, there couldn’t be such a thing as morality without God. The fact that there are moral laws and that not everything is permitted proves that God exists.

Each of these arguments are good arguments for the existence of God, however they are not foolproof. I remember sitting in a philosophy class at a Christian college where the professor took each of these arguments and totally obliterated them. After he destroyed these arguments for the existence of God he gave no solid alternatives for his students to grasp on to. Was my belief all based on just faith or was there something more? As I wrestled with this I discovered that there was one argument that could not be philosophized or argued away. That argument was based solely upon one person – Jesus Christ! He is the only foolproof argument for the existence of God! Next time we will look into who Jesus Christ is!

God Bless you this week!

Because of HIS Amazing Grace,
Myron D. Atkinson
Pastor

Losers for Jesus? - Part II

Published by Pastor Myron on Jun 5, 2008 in Notes from the Pastor. 0 Comments

Throughout life I have observed many times that people view Christianity as something for “needy”, “weak Minded”, or “ignorant” people. In fact several years ago, former governor of Minnesota Jessie Ventura remarked, “Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people.” Why do people have this idea about Christianity? Could it be that we who claim to be Christians enable the idea? How do we enable it? In my last Thursday Thought, I said one way is by our lack of using reasoning. Another way is the focus of our communication. There have been many times in my life that I have observed in others and myself negative attitudes being verbalized. Sometimes things don’t go exactly the way we think they should. During those times it’s easy to tell everyone the details of our problems striving to gain sympathy or support. What this does is undermine what we say we believe as Christians. We say we believe that God: will provide all of our needs (Philippians 4:19), will protect us (Psalm 121), will give us peace (Romans 15:33), is faithful (I Corinthians 1:9), heals all our diseases (Psalm 103:3), cares about us and that we are valuable to Him (Matthew 6:26). I too believe this! However, when we begin complaining and being negative about the situations we are in, it tells others that we really don’t believe what we say we believe. That is “weak minded!” If we truly believed, we would say as Paul said in Philippians 4:10-13 “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Instead of being negative and critical when a challenge comes our way, let’s ask ourselves what we can learn from the situation and give it to God! I Peter 5:7 (NLT) says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” Maybe… if we began to believe and praise God all the time and not complain it would give people a different idea of Christianity. Philippians 4:4 (Amplified) says, “Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!” As we rejoice in Him, people will inquire about the reason we have hope. 1 Peter 3:15 (The Message) “Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy.” Remember that our attitudes and our faith are contagious! Let’s make ours worth catching!

If you are a Christian and you are struggling with a negative attitude let me encourage you to ask God’s forgiveness. The negative attitudes are a red flag of something deeper that is wrong (Matthew 15:18 “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.”) God will forgive you and He WILL help you! Life is short and eternity is way too long for any of us to get caught up into an attitude of bitterness and negativity.

Let’s change the focus of our communication this week! May God bless you this week! I look forward to seeing you in church this Sunday!

Because of HIS AMAZING GRACE!

Pastor Myron