The Star Thrower

Early one morning, at the breaking of dawn, a young tourist took a walk by the beach that was near to his hotel. As he walked, he noticed that there was a human figure, moving like a dancer, far down the beach. He smiled to himself wondering who would dance at this time of the day. 

As he got closer, he realised that it was an elderly gentleman and he wasn't dancing. The elderly man was doing something far weirder than dancing - he was picking up something from the beach and throwing it far into the ocean.

As the tourist got closer, he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"

The elderly man paused, looked up and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

The tourist corrected himself, "I guess I should have asked, ‘Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?’"

The man pointed to the waking sky and said, "The sun is coming up fast and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them back into the ocean, they'll die."

"But Sir, don't you realise that there are miles and miles of beach with countless stranded starfish. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The elderly man did not stop but picked up another starfish, threw it past the breaking waves, and said, "It made a difference for that one!"

Suddenly, it dawned on the young tourist that for that moment, while on the beach, he could make a difference for some starfish. With strong arms, the young man was able to gather and throw more starfish into the ocean. For the few days the young tourist was staying at the hotel, every early morning, he joined the elderly gentleman in throwing back starfish. He felt good that he could make a difference.

And that is our challenge today. There are many souls that need to know Jesus Christ as their Saviour. The number of people with such need is staggering. The only danger for us is when we throw up our hands and say that we cannot make a difference in helping these people into the Kingdom of God. Our only assignment is to find our starfish and throw them wisely back into the ocean of God’s love and forgiveness.

Yes, you can make a difference! Be a Star-thrower and Christ-witness for the Kingdom of God.



Adapted from Loren Eiseley’s book, ‘The Star Thrower’.

The 33’: A Beautiful Illustration of the Gospel of Grace

On a Thursday afternoon in August 2010, thirty-three miners were digging, hauling and drilling rock, deep beneath the Atacama Desert, in Chile. A mineshaft above the workers exploded and then collapsed. The 33 Chilean miners were trapped in rubble some three miles underground. For about two weeks, the world assumed the men had died.

Then, 17 days after the collapse, a drill bit returned to the surface with a message taped to it written in bold, red letters: “Estamos bien en el refugio, los 33.” (In English, “We are well in the shelter, the 33 of us.”)

One source records that, “Once the rescuers, and the world, knew that the men were alive, Chile implemented a comprehensive plan to both care for the workers during their entrapment and to rescue the miners from the depths.”

In the same way, when God looked down and saw humanity trapped in the contaminated rubble of sin, He implemented a two-prong rescue plan: First, to sustain us during our entrapment in this fallen world; and second, to rescue us out of this darkness. This is why Jesus left heaven and came to earth, on a rescue operation.

Jesus spoke about this rescue plan when He said, “I have come that you may have abundant (or full) life.” He came from Heaven to give us peace and purpose during our time in this dark world. He also came to rescue us out of the depths entirely. He referred to this escape plan when He said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” He didn’t come to make Rocky Flats into heaven. He came to light the way out of Rocky Flats, to drill to an escape route for you.

This is why Jesus spoke, time and again, of another Kingdom, another world and of “eternal life.” He said, “I go to prepare a place for you…and I will return, to take you there with me” (John 14). And “He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”

The government of Chile spent more than $20 million dollars attempting to retrieve those 33 miners. It spared no expense.

Does $20 million seem like a lot to spend on 33 people? Not if you love the people who need rescue, or especially if you love one of them deeply. In the same way, God so valued and so loved you, that He spared no expense to rescue you. God does not desire for anyone to die in the hopelessness of this contaminated world. (1 Tim. 2:4, Titus 2:11)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)

John S. Dickerson

The BEST Method for Sharing the Gospel

The BEST Method for Sharing the Gospel


One day a lady criticized D.L. Moody for his methods of evangelism in attempting to win people to the Lord.

Moody's reply was: “I agree with you. I don’t like the way I do it either. Tell me, how do you do it?” 

The lady replied, “I don’t do it.”

Moody retorted, “Then I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.”

A lame method is better than no method at all when explaining the Gospel.

Are You Gonna Talk, or Are You Going to Fish?

Are You Gonna Talk, or Are You Going to Fish?

There was a man in a community that had the reputation for always being able to catch fish. 

Regardless of the time of the year it was, or whether anybody else was catching fish, this man was always managed to come back with a boat load of fish. 

His brother-in-law, who happened to be a Game Warden had always been amazed at the man's success. 

So, one morning the man agreed to take his brother in law fishing with him. They went to a lake that was known for its poor fishing. 

The game warden watched his brother-in-law take the boat out to the middle of the lake and cut the motor off. 

The game warden was confused as he noticed that his brother-in-law didn't worry about finding a ledge or brush-pile, or anything like that. 

Then instead of getting his rod and reel out, the game warden's brother-in-law pulled a stick of dynamite out of a sack, lit it, and threw it overboard. 

A few seconds later, there was a big BOOM, and almost immediately the surface of the lake was covered with stunned fish. 

The Game warden couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. 

He immediately began reciting the fishing laws and regulations to his brother-in-law. 

But this didn't seem to bother his brother in law in the least. He simply reached into the bag for another stick of dynamite, lit it, and tossed it to the game warden and said... 

..."You gonna talk, or you gonna fish?" The game warden noticed the fuse was almost to the end and He quickly decided to fish. 

Now that story probably isn't true, but it's still a good story. 

Unfortunately, I think God would like to throw some of us a stick of dynamite this morning and say, "Are you gonna talk, or are you going to fish?" 

Criticizing D. L. Moody

Dwight L. Moody, the famous evangelist, was once told by an irate church lady, "Mr. Moody, I don't like the way you do your evangelism."

In reply, Mr. Moody said, "I don't necessarily like all of it either, but it's the best way I know how. Tell me, how do you do it?"

"Oh, I don't," was the reply.

"Well," said Moody, "I like the way I'm doing it better than the way you're not doing it."

It's always easy to know what to do when we don't have to do the job, and very easy to criticize others when we're not doing the work ourselves.

The End Is Near!

A local priest and pastor stood by the side of the road holding up a sign that said, "The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before its too late!" 

They planned to hold up the sign to each passing car. 

"Leave us alone you religious nuts!" yelled the first driver as he sped by. From around the curve they heard a big splash. 

"Do you think," said one clergy to the other, "we should just put up a sign that says bridge out instead?"

The Giant Squids Hunting Club

It’s an old story used by many preachers. However, it illustrates an important principle that is applicable to our churches today.

Many thousands years ago, the islanders of Lepsog islands were champion squid hunters. They harpooned giant squids that roamed their oceans and brought prosperity to their islands. Every young man who reached 18 years of age was required to join the older men in the great sea hunt.

There were many accounts of exceptional courageous and successful hunts recorded in the ancient book known as the ‘Chronicle of Sea Warriors’. Recorded in one of its illustrious chapters was a story of a Master Squid Hunter known as Nomis who with his long-time navigator, Nhoj hauled in giant squids that fed the islanders for years.

In another account, Luap, another Master Squid Huner singlehandedly speared his game with his very own handmade harpoon. There were of course stories of cowards and quitters. There was a report about Kram, a young man, who jumped out of Luap’s boat even before the team reached deep ocean because he was really afraid of giant squids. However, the legend did record that that Kram overcame his fear and became a Master Squid Hunter himself. Another man whose name was Samed was one of the top squid hunters but left the islands forever because he wanted nothing to do with hunting giant squids any more. He was attracted by the lights of the mainland. No one knew whether he and his canoe ever reached the land of his dream.

The Master Squid Hunters left behind manuscripts on how to make the right types of harpoons, appropriate baits and also techniques in catching these sea monsters. They wrote good advice on how to avoid the tentacles and if attacked, what squid hunters should do to free themselves. For thousands of years, the manuscripts were compiled and became a treasured manual. This was a book of success as far as the squid hunters were concerned. Many copies were reproduced by hands and even translated into different languages and dialects.

After the first generation of Squid Hunters passed away, new hunters rose to fill their places. With the manual and the direct instructions from squid hunting veterans guiding them, they were just as effective as the old-timers. Many of these younger hunters pursued larger giant squids in far deeper oceans than their predecessors had even been. Years passed, as more and more people from other islands sailed to the Lepsog island to learn how to hunt giant squids, the people of these other islands were enjoying a very good healthy diet of giant squids.

Fast forward to today. The Islands of Lepsog are filled with Giant Squid Hunting schools and colleges. The students of the original schools set up similar institutions on other islands outside of Lepsog too. Squid hunting professors are very impressive. They are fantastic lecturers. To help the students, they have beautiful PowerPoint presentations and even some black-and-white film footages on how those brave squid hunters of antiquity brought in thousands of giant squids.

The libraries of these institutions are filled with countless volumes that tell and retell these old stories. Many graduates of these institutions have gone on to become the Grandmasters of the Giant Squid Hunting League. They in turn write many books about how those ancient mariners caught their amazing giants.

There is just a slight hitch.  None of these grandmasters has ever caught a giant squid before. Don’t get me wrong – they are believers of the previous existence of giant squids. However, they do not believe that there are any more giant squids in the oceans. How did they know that? They had gone to the oceans to hunt for giant squids but without any results. They have the most modern boats and ships. They have the latest hunting equipments. They have lots of money to buy anything they need for deep-sea hunting. The only problem is that they have not encountered any living giant squids in the deep oceans.

To pacify their disappointments and justify their lack of success, they assume that the giant squids have become extinct. Most likely, these squids existed in the past for the purpose of testing the courage of their ancestors. More books are produced year after year about the extinction of the giant squids in spite of sightings made by many outside their immediate circle.

The social activities of the Giant Squids Hunting Clubs in all the Lepsog islands are alive. They organize weekly events to celebrate the past existence of the giant squids. They also celebrate the bravery of their ancestors who risked their lives to harpoon these amazing creatures. Some islanders convert their clubs into museums and draw large crowds of tourists.

Then some members of the Giant Squids Hunting Club, claim that they have sighted a few giant squids during some of their fishing trips. The Grandmaster and his committee quickly dismiss these as unsubstantiated reports and thus should be considered as mere rumors. Even though, they were brought to view a decomposing carcass, they concluded that “it looks like a giant squid, smells like a giant squid and feels like a giant squid but it is not a giant squid”. Those fishermen were given warnings not to spread the rumors or face severe punishment such as being expelled from the Giant Squids Hunting Association. Without any further interruption from these ignorant fishermen, the Giant Squids Hunting Clubs continue to have exciting activities without having to actually hunt giant squids. The clubs prosper and develop franchises all over the world.

This is what happened to our churches today. Many churches have not experienced signs and wonders for such a long time that our preachers only preach about miracles of yester years. One of the popular sermons is about how Peter and John healed the lame beggar at the gate known as ‘Beautiful’ (Acts 3). We love to repeat what Peter said to the lame man, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” What an irony! Today, we have much silver and gold but in the name of Jesus, no lame person can rise up and walk. 

By Reverend Albert Kang

"Power Evangelism"

Jarhead the Bear

It took ten days for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists to catch a black bear cub that was running around with a clear plastic jar stuck on its head.
"They were ultimately successful, but it took extraordinary efforts from both FWC employees and local residents working together," FWC said in a news statement released with these photos on Friday.

Jarhead and a sibling elude biologists trying to capture it.

(FWC photo)

"The 6-month-old cub, its two siblings and mother were regular visitors to unsecured trash containers in a small community near Weirsdale, in the Ocala National Forest. One day in late July, FWC dispatch got a call from one of the residents concerned about a cub running around with a clear, industrial-size plastic jar stuck on its head. The jar made it almost impossible for the cub to eat or drink, FWC said.

The agency's Mike Orlando, Brian Scheick and Cathy Connolly, and Mike Connolly, a bear-response agent for the agency, knew that if they didn't catch the cub, affectionately dubbed "Jarhead," it would die, so they developed a plan to trap it.
"It was a lot easier said than done," Orlando said. "The residents were really great about calling us when they saw the bears, but it seemed like we were always about 20 minutes behind."

The team set traps in different areas, hoping to catch the mother and tranquilize her, which would then allow them to catch the cubs, FWC said. "Unfortunately, the good mother bear refused to be tricked by the baited trap."
After eight days of sightings, two days went by when nobody saw the bear family, the agency added.

"The team feared the cub may have finally succumbed to his condition. Ironically, the day the team resigned to pull the traps and head home, Orlando got a call from FWC dispatch. A resident had called to report the bear family was back. The team rushed back to the community.

"Orlando found the mother and was able to shoot her with a tranquilizer dart. Then Orlando and Scheick literally caught the cubs by surprise and managed to grab Jarhead. But the tough little bear lived up to its U.S. Marine moniker and did not give up without a fight.

"Eventually, they subdued the cub long enough to get the jar off its head, and then let it go to rejoin its siblings. The team, with the help of some concerned residents, placed the mother bear's sleeping body in a trap, and eventually the cubs joined her."

Biologists monitored the bear family overnight after removing the jar from the cub's head.

(FWC photo)

After observing the family overnight in the trap, and making sure it was able to nurse, biologists released the family in a nearby, less populated area, FWC said.

Jarhead scampers behind its mother back to the woods after biologists 

released them from an overnight stay in the trap.

(FWC photo)

"Although the story appears to have a happy ending, it truly illustrates one of the worst things that can happen when wildlife gets into garbage," the agency concluded.
The FWC has not gotten any further reports of the bear family. "And that's good news indeed," the agency said.

Posted by David Braun from media materials provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/08/bear-relieved-of-plastic-jat-stuck-on-its-head.html 

If people make so much effort to free a bear from its trapped situation, we may be able to learn from them. Shouldn't we make every effort to evangelize and free the people around us from the traps of sins and death?

Why Ask Me?

An Amish man was once asked by an enthusiastic young evangelist whether he had been saved, and whether he had accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior?

The gentleman replied, "Why do you ask me such a thing? I could tell you anything. Here are the names of my banker, my grocer, and my farm hands. Ask them if I've been saved."

Evangelist Billy Graham

William Franklin Graham, Jr ...better known as Billy Graham, is an evangelist and an Evangelical Christian. He has been a spiritual adviser to multiple U.S. presidents and was number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for the 20th century. He is a Southern Baptist.

Graham has preached in person to more people around the world than anyone who has ever lived. As of 1993, more than 2.5 million people had stepped forward at his crusades to "accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior." As of 2002, Graham's lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, topped two billion.

Graham was close with every American President from Dwight D. Eisenhower to George W. Bush, who said it was a conversation with Graham that led him to become a Christian.

For many years Graham wrote a daily advice column à la Dear Abby, where every reader's dilemma was answered with the same ultimate advice: Come to Christ. His many books include How to be Born Again. 

In 1953, Graham started World Wide Pictures, a Christian studio that has been cranking out Christian films ever since. In WWP films, the protagonist's problems are resolved by finding Christ. In several of these films, Christ is found at a Billy Graham rally. Graham is retired, and his son Franklin Graham is now CEO of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

The Banana Argument

Ray Comfort using the Banana Argument

Ray Comfort of 'The Way of the Master' holds up a banana and continues with, "Behold, the atheists' nightmare. Now if you study a well-made banana, you'll find, on the far side, there are 3 ridges. 

On the close side, two ridges. If you get your hand ready to grip a banana, you'll find on the far side there are three grooves, on the close side, two grooves. 

The banana and the hand are perfectly made, one for the other. You'll find the maker of the banana, Almighty God, has made it with a non-slip surface. It has outward indicators of inward contents - green, too early - yellow, just right - black, too late. 

Now if you go to the top of the banana, you'll find, as with the soda can makers have placed a tab at the top, so God has placed a tab at the top. When you pull the tab, the contents don't squirt in your face. 

You'll find a wrapper which is biodegradable, has perforations. Notice how gracefully it sits over the human hand. Notice it has a point at the top for ease of entry. 

It's just the right shape for the human mouth. It's chewy, easy to digest and its even curved toward the face to make the whole process so much easier. 

Seriously, Kirk, the whole of creation testifies to the genius of God's creation."

Check out

The Way of the Master

From Gangster To Disciple

Nicky Cruz was only 3-1/2 years old when his heart turned to stone. As one of 18 children born to witchcraft-practicing parents from Puerto Rico, bloodshed and mayhem were common occurrences in his life. He suffered severe physical and mental abuse at their hands, at one time being declared the "Son of Satan" by his mother while she was in a spiritual trance.

When he was 15, Nicky's father sent him to visit an older brother in New York. Nicky didn't stay with his brother long. Instead, full of anger and rage, he chose to make it on his own.

Tough, but lonely, by age 16 he became a member of the notorious Brooklyn street gang known as the Mau Maus (named after a bloodthirsty African tribe). Within six months he became their president. Cruz fearlessly ruled the streets as warlord of one of the gangs most dreaded by rivals and police. Lost in the cycle of drugs, alcohol, and brutal violence, his life took a tragic turn for the worse after a friend and fellow gang member was horribly stabbed and beaten and died in Nicky's arms.

As Cruz' reputation grew, so did his haunting nightmares. Arrested countless times, a court-ordered psychiatrist pronounced Nicky's fate as "headed to prison, the electric chair, and hell."

No authority figure could reach Cruz - until he met a skinny street-preacher named David Wilkerson. He disarmed Nicky - showing him something he'd never known before: Relentless love. His interest in the young thug was persistent. Nicky beat him up, spit on him and, on one occasion, seriously threatened his life, yet the love of God remained - stronger than any adversary Nicky had ever encountered.

Finally, Wilkerson's presentation of the gospel message and the love of Jesus melted the thick walls of his heart. Nicky received the forgiveness, love and new life that can only come through Jesus. Since then, he has dedicated that life to helping others find the same freedom.

He reaches today's youth because they relate to his background, trust his peer authority, and respond to the message of hope he delivers with both passion and conviction. As one kid said after an outreach into his neighborhood, "All I knew was he was an O.G. (original gangster) and he was having this big meeting tonight."

"These kids are young, hardened criminals who don't respond to parents, teachers, or the jail system. They receive a glorified message of gang activity everyday in rap music, television, and films. They need to hear a different message - and they need to hear it now! They come to our 'invasions' looking for an alternative to the hopeless cycle of drug abuse, alcoholism, and violence. We must offer them an alternative source of security than the one they find in the gangs. They won't surrender to authority figures that have let them down all their lives. But, believe it or not, they will respond to a message about God if it comes from others who have survived their same living hell."

http://nickycruz.org/about/nicky_story/

Chopsticks Logic

A man having lunch at a Chinese restaurant noticed that the table had been set with forks, not chopsticks. He asked why. 

The waiter said "Chopsticks are provided only on request."

"But," the man countered, "if you gave your patrons chopsticks, you wouldn't have to pay someone to wash all the forks."

"True," the waiter shot back, "but we would have to hire three more people to clean up the mess."

In the same manner, when the believers are not trained in evangelism and witnessing, they would be making a great mess of sharing the Gospel. How often the pastors and elders have to clean up the mess of lives left terribly misinformed as to what the Gospel is all about. It takes more effort and a longer time to explain to someone who has received a completely different Gospel.

You Can't Even Find The Post Office

Billy Graham tells of a time, during the early years of his preaching ministry, when he was due to lead a crusade meeting in a town in South Carolina, and he needed to mail a letter. 

He asked a little boy in the main street how he could get to the post office. 

After the boy had given him directions, Billy said, "If you come to the central Baptist church tonight, I'll tell you how to get to heaven." 

The boy replied, "No thanks, you don't even know how to get to the post office!" 

Elevator Attendant For Christ

Elevator Lady in Winter Uniform

Madam Cho, who lived alone, had recently given her life to Jesus Christ. Madam Cho was in her seventies and had a strong desire to serve the Lord but did not know how.  She wanted to do her part in obeying the Great Commission. She had heard her pastor talking about winning souls by opening home cells.

After Madam Cho had prayed, she decided to open her home for a cell meeting. However, she felt that since she was new to this apartment block, she had to get to know the neighbors. The problem was that majority of her neighbors were working folks and they hardly had time for any socializing.

Madam Cho came out with a great idea. She decided to meet her neighbors by offering her free service as a elevator attendant. She purchased a cap and a white uniform-like dress so that she would look like an authentic elevator attendant. She also purchased a little plastic stool so that she could sit in elevator if she became tired. 

Every morning and evening, Madam Cho positioned herself in the elevator and greeted every passenger. In the beginning, the neighbors were very aloof and quiet. Some of them expressed surprise that the management of their apartment had hired an elevator attendant. 

Madam Cho always smiled and had a cheerful greeting for every neighbor. Soon, one by one, these neighbors began to smile and greet her in return. The ice of strangeness slowly melted and soon they even greeted one another in the elevator. Everybody smiled more and they started chatting with their 'elevator attendant'. 

Before too long, Madam Cho started to invite these neighbors to weekend dinners. How thrilled they were when they learned that she was not an official elevator attendant. They were even more surprised by her willingness to do such a chore just to share the Gospel. Those neighbors who were Christians began helping Madam Cho to invite their non-Christian friends to her many weekend dinners. Soon, people were getting saved through her dinner-ministry.

Yes, Madam Cho did have a home cell at her apartment now. The fact was that she had been promoted to become a Zonal Cell Supervisor because the members of her home cell had gone out and opened many more new home cells in that area.

Today, Madam Cho is in her eighties and she no longer attends to the elevator anymore. There are now a few hundred similar "Madam Cho Elevator Attendants" in different parts of Seoul, ministering to thousands and getting them to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

By Albert Kang

Why Some Christians Do Not Know How To Save Souls

Charles Finney (1792-1875) wrote: 

Make it an object of constant study, and of daily reflection and prayer, to learn how to deal with sinners so as to promote their conversion. It is the great business on earth of every Christian, to save souls.

People often complain that they do not know how to take hold of this matter. Why, the reason is plain enough; they have never studied it. They have never taken the proper pains to qualify themselves for the work. If people made it no more a matter of attention and thought to qualify themselves for their worldly business, than they do to save souls, how do you think they would succeed? 

Now, if you are thus neglecting the main business of life, what are you living for? If you do not make it a matter of study, how you may most successfully act in building up the Kingdom of Christ, you are acting a very wicked and absurd part as a Christian.

—From Charles Finney's sermon “To Win Souls Requires Wisdom”

The Trickiest Questions

“What about all those people who never heard of Jesus, like people in Africa? Do they go to Hell just because they never heard of Him?”

 
Those are the Trickiest Questions, and they are usually asked by people who don’t want to consider their dismal eternity. 

Please read this article by my friend Tony Yu that explains this more clearly. Then read how I answer this question when it’s posed to me.

True or False: You mean I’m going to Hell just because I don’t believe in Jesus?
The correct answer is “false”.

If you said “true” you have fallen for one of the most subtle deceptions. Please read on before you label me a heretic and a blasphemer.
The key to understanding the correct answer is found in John 3:17-18:

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Did you catch that? Humanity’s condemnation has nothing to do with Jesus. We were condemned before Jesus ever stepped foot on earth. It was our need for a Savior that moved God the Father to send God the Son. This need predated Jesus’ arrival on earth. We would all still be condemned if it wasn’t for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. The best way to explain the principle is with the following illustration:

Sin is the disease, hell is the prognosis, Jesus is the cure.
Is it clear now why the correct answer is “false”? We are not going to Hell because we don’t believe in Jesus. We are going to Hell because we are sinners. 

Every single one of us, because of our sinful nature, is inexorably and irrevocably headed for Hell. Everyone of us has sinned by breaking His 10 Commandments. All have lied, stolen, blasphemed, looked with lust (which is adultery), or hated someone (which is murder). This is the only way that God redeems mankind: to put His own Son on the cross to atone for our sins. 

To say that we are going to Hell because we do not believe in Jesus is tantamount to blaming God for our well-deserved fate. Adam tried to do that in the Garden of Eden when he said “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12)

Here’s another way to look at this. Imagine you are walking in the woods when all of a sudden you feel a sharp pain in your calf. You look down and see a snake slithering away. You’ve just been bitten by a black mamba. You go to the doctor and he tells you that he needs to administer anti-venom right away or you will surely die. At this point you self-righteously say to the doctor, “Do you mean I’m going to die just because I refuse your anti-venom?”

First, it’s silly to get mad at the doctor. He’s trying to save your life. This is what people do when they get mad at God because Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Rather, we ought to be glad that there is any way at all to Heaven.

Secondly, it is technically true that you will die if you refuse the anti-venom. But the root cause of your impending death is the snake’s venom and your own stubbornness—not the anti-venom. Similarly, you won’t go to Hell just because you don’t believe in Jesus. You are headed for Hell because you have sinned and you won’t believe in Jesus.

Why does it matter?

Is this an exercise in semantics or spiritual trivia? No! There are real-world implications. The enemy did not craft this deception for fun and games. He had a goal in mind when he did this. 

The trickiest part of this question does not lie in the fact that most people—even Christians—get it wrong. The most deceptive aspect of this question is that it’s not even a question. For most who pose this question—especially if there is poison in their voice— it is a statement disguised as a question.

This is what most people are actually asserting when they ask, “You mean I’m going to Hell just because I don’t believe in Jesus?”:

• This sounds arbitrary and capricious. It doesn’t make any sense.

• God could never send people to Hell just because I don’t believe in some ancient rabbi.

• Christianity is nonsense.

• You are a fool.

Just as the word of God is the Sword of the Spirit, this question is a weapon formed by the enemy to attack God’s servants who are obedient to the Great Commission. Be on notice Christian. 

When an non-believer asks this question, you are most likely being attacked spiritually. You and God are being mocked and discredited before an unbelieving audience. 

If you have a heart to reach the lost and yearn to serve the Lord you need to have the right answer to this question. Fortunately, not only can you deflect this attack, you can turn this attack back upon the one asking the question and go on the offensive (but always in love).

The following is a sample script of how you can effectively defend the faith:

Him: You mean I’m going to Hell just because I don’t believe in Jesus (sarcasm in his voice)?

You: Actually, NO, you’re not going to Hell because you don’t believe in Jesus.

Him: What (stunned)? I thought you Christians think we have to believe in Jesus to get to Heaven.

You: Jesus has nothing to do with you going to Hell. All of human-kind was headed for Hell because we are all sinners. Hell is mankind’s eternal destination because we have all sinned. Jesus came to change all that.

Him: Oh (flabbergasted).

You: Do you understand how you’ve sinned? Do you know what sin is? Would you like to see how you’ve broken God’s law? (You then take this opportunity to go through a few of the Ten Commandments…Have you ever lied, have you ever stolen anything…etc.).

******

Steve’s note: This is how I answer someone who asks me: “What about all those people in Africa who never heard of Jesus?”

Me: If you are so concerned about those people you should get saved now—then become a missionary so you can tell those people about Jesus.

Source: Stone The Preacher 

http://stonethepreacher.com/2010/10/19/atheist-tuesday-the-trickiest-questions.html#more-6091

The Laboring Crew

Many churches today remind me of a laboring crew trying to gather in a harvest while they sit in the tool shed. 

They go to the tool shed every Sunday and they study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and then get up and go home. 

Then they come back that night, study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and go home again. 

They comeback Wednesday night, and again study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and get up and go home. 

They do this week in and week out, year in and year out, and nobody ever goes out into the fields to gather in the harvest.

Paul W. Powell, in The Complete Disciple

Changed Whiskey Into Furniture

An alcoholic became a believer. He was asked how he could possibly believe all the nonsense in the Bible about miracles.

"You don't believe that Jesus changed the water into wine do you?"

"I sure do, because in our house Jesus changed the whiskey into furniture."

Ray Stedman, Authentic Christianity, p. 36