Penn Forest Worship Center

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

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