Why believe in God?

 

Why do you believe in God? A good question from a 12year old.

This basic question is full of helpful insight.

Last week I was listening to a prominent scientist describe his atheism – his trust in science leaves him without hope, with no meaning to life and moral values based on humans being nothing more than a bundle of cells!

I would like to present 4 reasons to believe in God:

1.      Evidence

2.      History

3.       Experience

4.      Revelation

When I stop to think about it, it is so difficult to not believe in God.

1.    1  The evidence of what I see and hear and touch and know, directs to one very intelligent creator. I love science , and how every discovery leads to more detail and brilliance. The design, the make up, the sustainability of the finely tuned world around us, shout out that a very intelligent mind created something very special out of nothing.

Considering the extreme detail of DNA , to the extreme majesty of the galaxies and so much in between, only deliberate unbelief can say the is no God.

It is thrilling to read of scientists who became Christians because of their work in science. For example – Hugh Ross, F Collins

 

2   History is full of people who have interacted with God. So often the narrative of the Bible is punctuated with God using an unwilling person to achieve an outstanding result. Moses is one example – unwilling to go to Egypt, yet through him God gave the world the ten commandments. That code of conduct has changed the world!

David was an insignificant shepherd, yet we are still singing his songs of trust in God, 3000years later.

Jesus lived in relative obscurity, but because of His teaching, His death and resurrection the whole world has been changed for the better. He claimed to be the Son of God and His resurrection validates that claim. More than 500 people saw Jesus after He rose from death. This detail of history brings hope now and forever.

Why did William Wilberforce persist in seeking to abolish slavery? – because God was working in him.

History records God working miracles, God healing sick people, God appearing in visions and dreams etc.

 

3    Many, many people have experienced God in their lives. Perhaps I will give a little of my experience of God. As a boy, God appeared to me in an unusual, yet visible way – I was afraid. He often spoke to my conscience , that I needed to be saved. Sometimes the words of the Bible came to me like God’s voice. When I gave up trying to please God, and trusted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, I experienced a peace that seemed supernatural.

God has so often kept me, heard my requests, that I can only praise Him – not myself or others!

God becomes so real when I take time out to listen to Him. Maybe through something in nature, or what someone else may say, but usually through something from the Bible – I know that God is very near.

And that is what I want for every reader today.

 

4   Revelation.- the Bible

History records many people having spiritual experiences. Most religions have founders who had spiritual inspiration. It is interesting, yet disappointing to study the origin of religions.

The record of the Bible is sad reading – humans so blest, yet turning away from God, only to be destroyed in their own foolishness. But in spite of this ‘warts and all’ record, God reveals Himself  deliberately and with distinct effect.

Initially God chose to ‘commune’ (communicate, reveal) with Adam in the garden.

The God of glory appeared to Abraham. This revelation changed a family and still affects the world today.

Moses was educated in Egypt, but the revelation of the ‘code of conduct’ given to Israel was ‘something out of this world’ – it was God revealing Himself.

Isaiah the prophet, along with many others communicated the revelation of God. This included denouncing wrong, but better still was God revealing the anticipated Messiah, the Christ. Daniel , by angelic appearances, was able to predict world events.

 

Finally, Jesus claimed to be the full and final revelation of God. No one has been able to prove Him a liar. He spoke God’s words, He did God the Father’s works. He said:” I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by Me”

He made it possible to know God and be connected to God. This is revelation at its best!

The Holy Spirit continues today to reveal Christ to those that seek Him!

 

Seek Him today and experience the great joy of knowing God for real.

johnmckee@internode.on.net

How does God make things

 

How does God make things?

For us to make things we need raw material, we need design or idea, we need tools and skills etc. This is the basic problem with the ‘big bang ‘ theory -where did the material come from to go ‘bang’?

 Who designed the brilliance of the stars? Who wrote the mathematics of a snowflake symmetry? What tools were used to create DNA? How come atoms bind together to form our finely tuned world?

The very fact that we can ask the question, points to the fact that someone, somewhere, somehow, sometime did a lot of designing, calculating, creating, connecting. When I look into the face of a sunflower I am sure He enjoyed artwork. When I consider the workings of a human being, I can only say – How smart is God!

To me it is most intriguing “how “ God made things. With living things He began with a single cell and wrote into that cell a 3 billion bit information code for that living thing to live , grow, reproduce and communicate etc. Then to be special, the growth was not so much by expansion, but rather by division – each cell splits into two cells!

May I request that you consider closely the ‘evolution’ of hen’s egg from a cell, connected with another  cell forms an egg and after three weeks has ‘evolved’ into a living chicken with chirp, heart, brain etc etc etc

How smart is our God!

John McKee

Questions

 

How was God made and where is God? Is He still alive?

One of the names of God is “I am”  -  that means He was not made but has always existed.

If it is true, and the Bible says it is, that God made the earth and the heavens, then He must exist in and outside the universe. He being spirit can be in many places at the same time.

There is a lot of evidence that He is alive today  - alive in peoples lives, appearing to people in visions, holding our planet together, doing wonderful things as He may choose, fulfilling His promises etc

 

Best of all is to get to know Him and test for yourself that He is very much alive.  Turn away from wrong and let Him enter your life through faith in Jesus Christ. The change He can make is proof that He is indeed alive today!

johnmckee@internode.on.net

Time

 

How long has God been alive?

This question from a boy at school is relevant. 

According to the Bible, He has been alive forever and ever. Our small minds have trouble thinking about forever. We cannot understand what is beyond our universe. What will it be like one million years from now? 

The God who inhabits ETERNITY is so much greater than ourselves. So much is beyond our horizon, we do well to accept the way we were made and honour the God who is not limited to time and space.

Humans

 

Next question: “Why did God want humans?”

When I look around at the violence, selfishness and hateful words, I too sometimes wonder. Yet God does want and loves humans. Humans are the best and smartest of all creation. In their minds they have the ability to know about God, and better, they can know God. In their hearts they can choose to love God and others.

I well know that things have gone wrong, but God still wants humans to live as His friends. He loves all, and He wants to love and enjoy each individual. God still speaks to those who take the time to listen.

The Bible record indicates that God made humans to enjoy friendship with Himself. All the rest of creation was intended to support that purpose.

 

Perhaps someone reading this article has never enjoyed nearness to God. Perhaps your sins are still a barrier to reaching God. Perhaps you are living in the dark.

            ‘There’s a way back to God

            from the dark paths of sin

            There’s a door that is open

and all may go in

At Calvary’s cross is where you begin

When you come as a sinner to Jesus’

 

The Lord Jesus continues to say:

“Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in…..”    Revelation 3.20

 

At the heart’s door the Saviour’s knocking

At the heart’s door fast barred by sin

Can’t you hear him

Gently knocking

Draw the bolt and let Him in

A good question

 

A new question from the children:

What’s the difference between Catholic, Anglican and Christian?

Very simply – Christian was the name given to all the  followers of Jesus Christ, about 2000 years ago. Catholic (Roman Catholic) became a large church organisation when the Emperor Constantine tried to unite Christians under his rule,  and has continued for 1700 years. About 500 years ago, the king of England decided to break away from the Catholic church and is now called the Anglican church.

‘Christian’ today often represents people who want to believe and live by the Bible without so many church traditions that have developed over the centuries. Catholic is a very organised religion with the Pope as head and a large arrangement of sacraments and rituals for acceptance with God.

Anglican often continues with many of the Catholic rituals, but is usually distinguished as protestant in doctrine. That means acceptance with God is based on faith in Jesus Christ as being sufficient .

The many other churches have many and varied differences in doctrine and practices, but generally believe the fundamental belief in Jesus as the Son of God, once crucified for our sins and raised from death , now exalted at God’s right hand in heaven.

Religion can and will change, but Jesus Christ remains the same yesterday, today and forever. Trust HIM.

God's love produces hope, joy and peace

 

As I finish my reading of Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians, I find this brilliant conclusion to this treatise of God’s grace to broken humans.

 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope”.        Romans 15:13

 

Instead of instilling fear of the future and gloom in the present, Paul presents the outcome of the good news to be -  filled with hope, joy and peace. In our sad, sick, suffering world, this is only possible by God working for us, His Holy Spirit working in us and Jesus Christ coming again.

Our God is a blessed (happy) God. For those who trust, rest and hope in Him, we too are blessed.

johnmckee@internode.on.net