Faith and Evidence

Have you been considering whether or not there is a higher power?

A power that formed the Universe and all that's in it.

A power that took nothing and created the earth, the sky, water, and living things?

Where did the simplest plant come from?

The most complicated creature... man?

I struggled with the question for years.

I sought the answer in science.

Surely the answer can be found through the study of these things

all around that amaze and mystify us.

The answer had to be in the most minute part of every creature and thing.

The atom!

The essence of life must be found there.

It wasn't.

It wasn't found in the nuclear material

or in the electrons spinning around it.

It wasn't in the empty space that makes up most of everything we can touch and see.

All these thousands of years of looking and no one has found the essence of life

inside the common things around us.

I knew there must be a force, a power, that was doing all this around me.

Was it God?

Okay, why doesn't He just reveal Himself to me?

Why not?

If this force is a living God why all the mystery?

Wouldn't it be more logical for Him to say,

"Okay, here I am. I did all this. Now go about your business."

Not until I met a special woman who I reluctentantly went to a Bible study with

did I start to understand any of this.

The people there were studying the Scriptures

and I thought they must be searching for the same thing I was,

but just haven't found it yet.

The leader of the group read a passage from the Bible

written by a man who used to hate Christians but was changed.

Changed in an amazing way.

His name was Paul and he wrote,

"For by grace are ye saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast."

               ~ Ephesians 2:8-9

Those words "grace" and "faith" fascinated me.

What did they really mean?

Later that night she asked me to go see a movie,

of course she tricked me into going to a Christian movie.

At the end of the show there was a short message by Billy Graham.

Here he was, a farm boy from North Carolina, explaining to me the very thing

that I had been struggling with all along.

He said, "You can't explain God scientifically, philosophically, or in any other intellectual way."

You simply have to believe God is real.

You have to have faith that what He said He did as it is written in the Bible.

That He created the heavens and the earth,

that He created the plants and animals,

that He spoke all this into existence as it is written in the book of Genesis in the Bible.

That He breathed life into a lifeless form and it became man.

That He wanted to have a closer relationship with the people He created

so He took on the form of a man who was God's Son

and came to the earth and lived among us.

This Man, Jesus, paid the debt of sin for those who will believe

by being crucified on the cross.

How could it be so simple?

Just believe?

Have faith that all this was the truth?

I went home that night and got little sleep.

I struggled with the issue of God giving me grace - through faith to believe.

That He was that force, that essence of life and creation of all that ever was and is.

Then He came to me.

I knew that I simply had to believe.

It was by God's grace that He showed me His love.

That He was the answer and that He sent His only Son, Jesus,

to die for me so that I could believe.

That I could have a relationship with Him.

He revealed Himself to me in that moment.

I called her to tell her that I now understand.

That now I believe and want to give my life to Christ.

She told me that she prayed that I would not sleep

until I took that leap of faith and believed in God.

My life was changed forever.

Yes, forever, because now I can look forward to spending eternity

in a wonderful place called heaven.

No longer do I concern myself with needing evidence to prove

that Jesus could actually walk on water,

or that the Red Sea could have parted

to allow the Israelites to pass through,

or any of the dozen other seemingly impossible events

written in the Bible.

God has proven Himself over and over in my life.

He can reveal Himself to you also.

If you find yourself seeking proof of His existence

ask Him to reveal Himself to you.

Take that leap of faith as a child,  and truly believe in Him.

Open yourself up to His love by faith, not evidence.

***

The Scripture says,

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

               ~ Romans 3:23

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,

and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,

thou shalt be saved."

                ~ Romans 10:9

Don't fall asleep without Jesus

until you are assured of a place in heaven.

Tonight, if you would like to receive the gift of eternal life

first you must believe in the Lord.

You have to ask for your sins to be forgiven

and put your trust in the Lord.

There's only one way to heaven and that's through the Lord Jesus.

That's God's wonderful plan of salvation.

You can begin a personal relationship with Him

by praying a prayer such as the following:

"Oh God, I am a sinner.

I am sorry for my sins.

I want to turn from my sin.

I receive Jesus Christ as my Savior;

I confess Him as my Lord.

From now on I want to follow Him.

In Jesus' name, Amen."

                         ~ Ephesians 1:4

If you received the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior

after reading this invitation, please let us know.

We would love to hear from you. Your first name is sufficient.

We'll leave the light on for you...