WHY
Apologetics: Making a Defense for My Faith
Answering Common Day Questions that Matter Most
Why? The 3 letter question commonly expressed by atheists, non-believers, doubters and lifelong Christians.
IF there is a GOD:
· WHY would GOD allow satan to exist and allow people to go to hell?
· WHY would GOD not show himself and give us some proof of His existence?
· WHY would GOD allow tragedy such as Cancers, Tsunamis, Hurricanes and suffering?
· WHY is the GOD of Christians different than the god of other religions?
· WHY do Christians believe that GOD sent HIS Son JESUS CHRIST?
· WHY should we believe in JESUS?
The Bible is subject to belief and interpretation; I would like to use some of my interpretation and belief of Biblical information to answer some of these WHYS.
WHY would GOD allow satan to exist and allow people to go to hell? This question is important because it allows people to say, “If God is so great why would he allow a satan and hell.” A common unanswered question used as an excuse to not believe in GOD, and live as though there are no consequences for not believing. This question is significant because it challenges the strength and power of GOD and whether he deserves to be worshiped. As we go through life, super heroes frequently rescue the world by defeating all of the evil enemies. This WHY question suggests that GOD does not deserve our beliefs and worship because he has allowed satan to continue to exist and actually have a significance and influence. Some then say GOD must not be that great and must not be real. Therefore satan is not real and there is no threat of hell. Giving many an excuse to make evil choices because they believe there is no hell and that their evil choices won’t cause them to end up in hell. I believe that satan and hell are real, and that GOD is real and does deserve our beliefs and our worship. As he did rescue His Son Jesus from His enemy and He rescues the rest of us who believe in Him and His Son from eternity in hell:
REVELATION 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven, an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. (4)His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so he might devour her child the moment it was born. (5)She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his thrown.
MATTHEW 25:41 Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
REVELATION 20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name is not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
JOHN 3:16 For GOD so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Perhaps the question should be, WHY would anybody choose satan and eternity in hell over loving GOD and spending eternity in Heaven with a loving GOD. I believe that GOD created satan, an angel, just as He created every angel and all of us, with free will to choose. We have free will to choose between God’s good and Satan’s evil. GOD did not give us freedom from the consequences of our choices. Hell exists as the consequence of our evil choices. I believe that satan, the father of lies, chose to use evil deception to persuade a third of the angels, who also had free will to follow him instead of GOD. Hell is for those who choose not to believe in and trust GOD. The Bible tells us in 2 PETER, Chapter 3, that GOD does not want anybody to go to hell. GOD does not send anybody to hell. Our sins send us there if we do not believe in HIS SON JESUS. He wants everyone to repent of their sins and believe in His SON so they may spend eternity in Heaven. Hell is simply the result of the absence of GOD and the absence of HIS SON JESUS:
2 PETER 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentence.
ROMANS 6:16 Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master. You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive His approval.
ROMANS 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (10)For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
WHY does GOD not show Himself and give us some proof of His existence? This question is important because so many use the lack of visible evidence as an excuse for denial of GOD. He DOES show Himself. Just not visibly. As Christians our faith helps us believe in what we cannot visibly see. Many of us also believe that GOD shows Himself in GOD sightings that many call coincidences. Beginning on page 6, I share a couple examples of GOD sightings in which GOD showed HIMSELF to me. Lack of visibility does not verify non-existence. We can’t see wind or gravity but we accept the existence of them. So using the lack of visible evidence as an excuse to deny the existence of GOD is, for many, a choice made to avoid the inconvenience and accountability of living according to His word and a desire to ignore the consequence of denying His Word and existence. We believe in wind because we can feel it, hear it, and see it move things. For those that choose to believe in GOD, we frequently experience His existence in our life as we feel Him nudge us to make good choices, we see Him move many things in our lives and we hear Him speak to us. We frequently feel His existence in our hearts and our lives. GOD also shows Himself throughout His magnificient creation and in the miracles of medically unexplainable healing. And GOD DID show Himself in His Son Jesus and we crucified Him on a cross:
COLOSSIANS 1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation.
ROMANS 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
WHY would GOD allow cancer, tragedy and suffering? This WHY question is the one that motivated me to write this paper. I have had so many friends and loved ones ask me this question, often times with real hurt in their eyes and in their voice as they were experiencing tragedy of some sort. I felt a strong desire to try to find answers to try to relieve their pain. This is a WHY question that goes back thousands of years to when it was asked by Job in the Old Testament, and after all these years, it is still a prevalent question. In a recent national poll of thousands of people, the question was asked: If you could ask GOD one question, what would it be? The number one response, “Why is there suffering in the world?”
JOB 3:23 Why is life given to a man like me? God hasn’t told me what will happen. He has surrounded me with nothing but trouble.
First we must realize that GOD did not create evil or suffering. Genesis tells us that GOD saw all that He had made and it was good.
GENESIS 9:31 God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.
It was the choices and sin of humans that resulted in suffering and tragedy entering the world. The choice to reject GOD, resulted in moral and natural tragedies being introduced into the world. Because GOD gave us free will, it is our own choices that produce moral evils. Natural tragedies like tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires and tornadoes are also a result of sin entering the world. As one Biblical Scholar explained: “When we humans told GOD to shove off, He partially honored our request. Nature began to revolt. The earth was cursed. Genetic breakdown and disease began. Pain and death became part of the human experience.” The Bible tells us in Genesis that it’s because of sin that nature was corrupted and “thorns and thistles” take over. If GOD allowed His own Son Jesus to suffer, it must just be a necessary part of HIS great plan.
GENESIS 3:17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, you must not eat of it, cursed is the ground because of you; through pain and toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you.
The Bible tells us in James Chapter 1, that as Christians, we believe that we should consider it great joy to face trials, as trials test faith and that faith produces perseverance.
JAMES 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3)because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4)Perserverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything.
We know that it is impossible to please GOD without faith. We may not understand the plan behind suffering but we believe that all things work together for the good of His great plan. Where we are today is no accident. GOD is using what we are going through today to shape us and prepare us for tomorrow. Faith is trusting GOD with His plan even when we do not understand His plan.
ROMANS 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
HEBREWS 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
WHY is the GOD of Christians different than the god of other religions? Answering this WHY question is important to establish WHY the GOD I am writing about is spelled with a Big “G” and all the other gods are spelled with a little “g” I couldn’t hardly bear the thought of acknowledging satan as I wrote this theology. I noticed as I typed the word satan, Microsoft Word underlined the word satan and prompted me to spell the word with a big “S”. If I typed the word god (with a little “g”), there is no such prompt from Microsoft Word. It is disappointing to me that Microsoft gives more acknowledgement to satan than it does to GOD. Regardless of what Microsoft and the rest of the world think, I will always spell my GOD with a big “G”. Because ONLY the Christian GOD that I am writing about can provide an answer to ALL the WHY questions that this paper asks.
I may not be familiar with ALL of the other non-Christian gods, but I may try to make a differentiation between my GOD and some of the other common religions.
The Christian Bible teaches in Genesis Chapters 13,15,17, that the contention by the Islamic faith started all the way back when GOD promised Abraham a son named Isaac to be his heir. Abraham and his wife Sarah thought she was getting too old to become pregnant. Abraham and Sarah decided to use a surrogate and arranged for their Egyptian maid servant named Hagar to sleep with Abraham. Hagar the Egyptian maid gave birth to a son that they named Ishmael. Soon after, Sarah and Abraham had their own promised son Isaac. Jealousy and conflict began between the 2 boys and their mothers which led to a dispute over the land that would be inherited from Abraham. The Bible teaches in the Book of Genesis, that GOD told Abraham that the entire land of Canaan was promised to him and his descendant Isaac. We get the lineage of the Jewish Nation which brought forth Jesus, The Savior of the world from Isaac. Ishmael, the son of the Egyptian maid brought forth the dispute between the Muslim nations and the land of Canaan, now known as Israel and the dispute over the land of Canaan has never ended.
GENESIS 17:8 The whole land of Caanan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you, and I will be their GOD.
GENESIS 17:19 Then GOD said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20)And as for Ishmael, I have heard you, I will surely bless him, I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21)But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”
PSALM 83:4 Come they say, let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more. 5)With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you, 6)the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,
GOD loves us ALL and has no favorites, but His WORD teaches that Jesus is the only way to Him and eternal life. I call my GOD the Christian GOD. But He is actually The GOD of ALL. Regardless of who believes in Him now, one day ALL will in believe Him. He is the ONE who will decide whether all other gods and all the rest of us spend eternity with Him in Heaven or with satan in hell.
ROMANS 14:11 As surely as I live says the Lord, every knee will bow before me, every tongue will confess to GOD.
One of the more significant details of Jesus Christ, the MAN sent by the one true GOD to be the teacher, leader and Lord of Christians is that the history and timing of the life and death of ALL other prophets and their religion is recorded according to that of Jesus Christ. ALL history of all other so called gods and prophets is recorded according to the history of HIS story, the story of JESUS CHRIST. BC does not mean before Muhammad or before Buddha. The dates BC refer to “Before Christ”. Dates before the birth of Jesus Christ become smaller as they approach the time of existence of Jesus or when the life of Jesus began. AD does not mean after Charles Russel or after Joseph Smith. It is commonly believed that AD stands for “After Death”. AD actually refers to the Latin phrase “Anno Domini” meaning in the year of the Lord. All dates recorded after the birth of Jesus Christ are recorded as AD. Each time we date a check or legal document, we are completing a legal binding document that states when the birth of Jesus Christ occurred. When a non-believer files a lawsuit in protest of a Christmas display, in their own handwriting and signature they are swearing that all info is true, including how long ago Jesus Christ was born. Isn’t it ironic that someone would use how long ago, CHRIST was born, to protest Christmas, (when Christ was born)? Think about it. The ironic thing about it is that almost all of those anti CHRISTS accept how long ago Christ was born on almost a daily basis, each time they date a document.
It is hard to deny that Jesus isn't someone pretty special as we have been talking about Jesus for TWO THOUSAND AND SOME YEARS. People all over the entire world have been using the arrival of Jesus as the central focus of our dating system for almost 2000 years. Since about 525 A.D. The entrance of Jesus into the world has been recognized as THE turning point in history (HIS-story). In fact all study of HISTORY and use of the word HISTORY is a reference to Jesus. If Jesus’ arrival has been accepted as special then, and for more than TWO THOUSAND years since, doesn't it seem like it would be a lot easier to just accept it now rather than fight it or try to avoid Him? If any of those other so called gods or prophets were what they claimed to be, the birth and life of Jesus would be recorded according to their existence, not the other way around. Jesus Christ, the SON OF GOD has such significance over ALL other prophets and their teachings, NO history about them or anybody else can be taught or understood without referring to the timing of Jesus over them. Even the scientific community which is highly Atheist and uses scientific theory to deny the existence of any god and to deny that Jesus or anybody could be sent by GOD, uses the birth of Jesus to record the timing of the existence of all pre-HIStoric and HIStoric events and data. The life of Jesus is the point and time that everything changed and revolves around.
WHY do Christians believe that GOD sent His Son Jesus? This question is important because we need a savior to save us from the consequences of our sin. It is our belief that Jesus is our savior, and that is why we love Him and Love GOD His Father. Christians believe that the Bible is the Word of their GOD, and we believe what it says to be true. Jesus Christ was and is who He said He is. He was sent by our GOD to teach us how to live to please GOD and receive GOD’S free gift of salvation, eternity in heaven. Why do we believe that Jesus was and is who He said He is?
Who does Jesus say He is? The name ‘Jesus’ did not yet exist during the time that Jesus Christ was on Earth, approximately 4 BC to 29 or 34 AD. It did not come into existence until it was configured by the Council of Nicea of the Roman Catholic Church in the 4th century.
JESUS CHRIST may not be who you think He is. But, He is what He says He is. His Hebrew name was YESHUA, which means "Yahweh, which means savior or the Lord is Salvation." Jesus says He is the Son of GOD, the One anointed to provide our salvation. His last name is not Christ. The word Christ is actually an ancient Greek synonym for Messiah. So Christ is actually a word given to Jesus as a Title, by those believing He is as He says, The Anointed One. So Jesus Christ is, Jesus The Anointed One. Anointed by GOD as Our Savior to be The Way, The Truth and The Life. By believing in Jesus, The Anointed One, we may receive the free gift of salvation, and spend eternity in Heaven with GOD, his Father. Few scholars deny that there was a man named Jesus who claimed to be the Son of GOD and was crucified. The controversy is over whether he was the Messiah as he claims to be or just a nice loving man. Many of Jewish Faith deny that he is the Messiah and therefore believe the Messiah is still yet to come. Why do Christians believe Jesus Christs’ claims to be true. Because so much of what Jesus did while on earth was written about and recorded in the Old Testament of the Bible as it was foretold by Prophets, hundreds of years before Jesus was ever born. With simple internet searches we can quickly find detailed Biblical descriptions of Jesus Christ fulfilling prophecies of His birth, life and crucifixion. Prophecies are not just random predictions made by ancient fortune tellers. They are instructions, promises and revelations that GOD shared with His kings, servants and prophets who were then expected to disseminate the info with others as GOD instructed. Many scholars believe that Jesus fulfilled at least 300 Old Testament prophecies. If you dig deep enough, you can easily find scholars that claim that Jesus Christ fulfilled as many as 400 plus Old Testament prophecies. Many Gentiles (non Jews) AND teachers of Jewish Laws witnessed as Jesus fulfilled so many of these Old Testament prophecies that they concluded that no ordinary man could have coincidentally accomplished such a task, therefore He must be who He says He is, The Messiah. Many of them became some of the first Christians. Many of these witnesses were so convinced that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, they were willing to have their lives sacrificed, martyred for their belief.
To this day many Christians believe in Jesus Christ because we feel in our heart that He lives within us. Some believe because we have studied the scriptures for ourselves and see that the New Testament describes how Jesus did actually fulfill so many Old Testament prophecies. Anybody that hungers for proof can search the internet and easily find huge lists of Biblical prophecies fulfilled by Jesus Christ. For the benefit of those who desire to see some tangible proof, I suggest that you start in the Bible book of Isaiah. Isaiah is called "The Book of Salvation." The name Isaiah means "the salvation of the Lord" or "the Lord is salvation." Isaiah is one of the first books containing the writings of the prophets of the Bible. The author, Isaiah is called the Prince of Prophets, Jesus is called the Prince of Peace.
Giving more credibility to Jesus’ identity as the Son of God, as Jesus lived, Jesus himself gave detailed prophecy of his betrayal and denial by his dearest disciples. Like many of Jesus’ prophecies, the existence and fulfillment of these prophecies is strengthened by corroboration in all four of the Bible gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Crucifixion, piercing of Jesus’ hands and feet, was prophesied about in the Old Testament Book of Psalms, Chapter 22, about 1000 years before Jesus was born. This prophecy of crucifixion was recorded approximately 700 years before crucifixion even existed on the planet, as crucifixion was not invented by the Persians until about 300 BC.
PSALMS 22:16 Dogs have surrounded me, a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and feet.
Our Easter holiday is intended to be a festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. Despite Crucifixion being perfected by the Romans as the most horrific, excruciating, embarrassing and thorough instrument of death, almost 100 years before the life of Jesus began, Jesus defied death and fulfilled the prophecy of His resurrection as prophesied about 1000 years before in Psalm Chapter 16. Records of His empty tomb are corroborated in the Bible Books of Mark Chapter 16, John Chapter 20 along with witness of His resurrection recorded in the gospels and witnessed by hundreds as recorded in 1 Corinthians Chapter 15.
MARK 16:5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6)”Don’t be alarmed,” “he said, you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene , who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him”
1 CORINTHIANS 15:4 That he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, 5)and he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6)After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
No matter whom we believe in, we will never see Confucius, Buddha, Allah, Muhammad, Joseph Smith or Charles Russel. As Christians we know that by believing in Jesus that we will see Him again. He is the only person who left an empty tomb and lives on. The only one who lives an eternal life in heaven and can therefore offer us the eternal life to see Him again is Jesus. Jesus chose to die there. Why? He could have chosen any form of death and it still would have been enough to take God's wrath. He chose the cross because He was showing us that only God can take something so wretched and cruel and transform it into a symbol of forgiveness and love. God specializes in transforming broken things into beautiful things for His glory. He can do the same thing in your life. Only Jesus can take sinners and make them clean. You can be forgiven and changed by repenting and believing in the name of Jesus today. After all, He didn't stay on the cross. Jesus is alive and His return is soon coming...
Christians do not need or rely on moments in HIStory as proof Jesus Christ was and is who He says. One of the major reasons we believe so strongly in GOD and Jesus of the Bible is because of our life experiences. Non-believers call the alignment of key, related incidents a simple coincidence. When believers see thoughts, hopes, prayers answered or not answered, followed by a sequence of multiple events, too well aligned to happen without someone’s super intelligent guidance and manipulation, many of us call that a divine intervention, or a GOD sighting. I could write a whole book telling stories of all the GOD sightings that I have experienced. I will just share some of the most significant GOD sightings that have occurred in my life, including one that has gone on for decades.
The love that I have for my Wife is one of the strongest reasons that I believe in Jesus. Our parents built a house right next door to each other when we were kids, far too young and naive to have a clue that we were part of the Lord’s great long term plan for us. We made several attempts over the years to interfere with that plan. After years of dating off and on, Brenda and her parents moved thousands of miles away, and we were still drawn back to each other. After a few years of emotional long distance ups and downs, I made a firm decision in my mind to not love, or even like, Brenda and permanently move on without her in my life. Then after about a full year with no contact, I clearly remember, one day, my roommate answered the phone, after a brief conversation, with whoever was on the other end, he handed the phone to me. I said hello, and when I heard Brenda’s voice on the other end I remember my legs became too weak to stand as I turned and sat down on the couch. The feelings I had from just hearing her voice say a few words were so powerful, it was clear that my mind had no control over the love that my heart had for her. And then I later found out that she had sent me a letter informing me of her plan to call at that date and time. If I had received the letter, I strongly doubt that I would have answered the phone. I am confident the Lord made sure that the letter she sent, did not show up until a few days after she called, and also made sure I was home at that date and time to answer the phone and hear her voice.
After 30 years of marriage, I am so glad I answered the phone that answered for me the call of the Lord for Brenda to be FOREVER in my life. After living the Lord’s plan for us for over 50 years, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind, heart and soul that there is a GOD and HE IS GREAT. I thank Him every day for His greatness in our life, for over half a century. I thank Brenda for giving me over half a century of BFF and over 30 years of a great marriage.
Psychological experts and love experts all claim that the feeling of love follows a decision or that love is a decision and an action. I strongly disagree. I had made a firm decision based on numerous experiences, not to love or like Brenda. Regardless of being almost 2 thousand miles apart, before the internet, and the decision and action I made of avoiding contact for about a year, and when I heard Brenda’s voice, I had absolutely no control over the feelings of love in my heart for her. When a new born child arrives, almost all parents and grandparents cannot avoid loving the child. When a loved one dies and is no longer with us, regardless of the pain, and decisions we make to let go, the feelings of love that we have live on, often infinitely. I am therefore convinced that the feelings of love that we feel for another, are often placed in our heart by THE great GOD. He then also sends nudges for us to act on and share the love. Then we have free will to choose and decide to take action on those nudges to feed the love and make it continue to grow and flourish. While I have no doubt that there have been many times over the years that my Wife Brenda has had to make a decision to love me, I strongly believe that our actions may follow our decisions, but our feelings of love, such as I have for Brenda, are often an uncontrollable part of His great plan.
In my opinion, the theory that love follows a decision is possibly fueled by non-believers who can come up with no other explanation. The scientific community struggles trying to explain what cannot be seen and proven. It is possible that their ego prevents them from accepting that somebody may be smarter than them and capable of creating something they cannot fathom, copy or explain. Like GOD, love cannot be seen, so they deny it and downplay its magnificence. We cannot see gravity or the wind. But we can see them move things around us, and we can feel them move us. We can’t see love but most of us believe it exists because we feel it, happily, romantically and sometimes painfully. If we believe in love, whether we want to admit it or not, we believe in GOD, because GOD is love. It is only when we admit that we believe in Him that we please Him and are saved. If we can believe in love that cannot be seen but only felt, it should be easy to also believe in GOD. Believers acknowledge that we see and feel GOD and His love moving within our lives because as the Bible tells us in 1 John Chapter 4, GOD is love. It may not be possible to explain GOD’S love for us. It may only be experienced through faith. Hebrews Chapter 11, tells us, without faith it is impossible to please GOD. Our faith allows us to accept what we cannot see and experience GOD’S love.
1 JOHN 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 JOHN 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him.
HEBREWS 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
I have had GOD sightings more numerous than I can count, in which GOD has humbled me. As the Bible tells us, he who exalts (raises) himself will be humbled. I have always had an immaculate, weed free lawn.
One spring I visited a good friend who takes great pride in his lawn, at his home. As I arrived, I noticed one dandelion in his immaculate lawn. I could feel GOD nudging me not to say anything. But as I was leaving, my ego prevailed and I chose to point out the flaw in my friend’s yard. For the next several years, my front lawn has looked like garbage, sparse with reoccurring weeds, despite numerous applications of products that had a long history of keeping my lawn rich and flawless, GOD who is in ultimate control, humbled me.
Now that you’ve heard my stories about how I’ve seen GOD’S plan unfold in my life and also how I have seen GOD humble me, I encourage you to pay attention and see if you notice similar circumstances take place in your life. See if when you boast or brag, within a very short period of time, a humbling experience occurs. In fact, the Bible tells us in James Chapter 4, that we should not even say “I will”. Because we do not know what will happen next. We should say Lord willing, we may do this or that. I about always stop myself from saying, I will. I try to say, I may or I plan to, or intend to, and I very frequently include the comment LORD WILLIN. Now that you are aware of these Biblical truths, I’ll be quite surprised if you do not see similar GOD sightings unfold in your own life. Watch and see if when you say “I will” if your plans don’t sometimes flop. See if when you think you are doing really great, if GOD doesn’t have a little way of reminding you that you’re only human and that you should be more humble.
JAMES 4:13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14)Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15)Instead you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.
PROVERBS 16:9 We can make our plan, but the Lord determines our steps.
As Christians, we believe in what we do not see, and give up trying to see the visible proof that non-believers hold out for. That is called faith. As believers in GOD, our faith is not based on information. Our faith is based on a transformation that we experience when we welcome the presence of GOD within our heart and soul. Our relationship with GOD within our soul, leads to movement within our soul and of our soles as we dance and jump for joy about the love that we feel when we desire to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. Christianity is not about information or religion. Our proof is in the eternal heartfelt relationship that is only offered by THE only prophecy fulfilling Prophet, Jesus Christ.
I guess that the best answer to the 3 letter question WHY? May be found in the 4 letter question WHEN? The Bible tells us in Mark Chapter 13, that nobody, except GOD, not even Jesus knows when Jesus will return and Earth will pass away.
MARK 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 32)No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
When Jesus hung on the cross, even He asked WHY? Drawing attention to the His fulfillment of prophecy, Jesus quotes the first sentence of Psalm 22, “My GOD, my GOD, WHY have you forsaken me?” If even Jesus cannot always answer WHEN and WHY, then clearly there are some questions we are not intended to have the answer to. Sometimes only GOD knows WHY.
MATTHEW 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”- which means, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”
Just as Jesus accepted the cup of suffering that was part of GOD’S great plan for Him, it is only WHEN we have enough faith to let go of WHY and accept GOD’S great plan for us that we can bear suffering, and that is WHEN healing may take place and GOD’S great plan for us to be with HIM may be fulfilled. Because without faith, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please GOD.
MATTHEW 26:42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink, may your will be done.”
JOHN 10:17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life, only to take it up again. 18)No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and take it up again. This command I received from my Father.
Maybe someday WHEN we get there by His side, we may be able to understand WHY?
Why should we believe in JESUS? This is the most important WHY, because the answer provides a WAY to the TRUTH about an eternal LIFE that may answer ALL questions. Do me a favor. Take a deep breath. Now let it out real slow. Felt pretty good didn’t it? That deep breath we just took, was just by the Grace of God. It could have very well been our last. We never know when we might be one breath away from going to heaven or hell. If we don’t believe in Jesus, we could be on our way to hell and never knowing the answer to ANY of our WHYS. If we do believe in Jesus, we ARE on our way to heaven one day and maybe finding out the answers to ALL of our WHYS.
JOHN 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
As I said toward the beginning of this manual, my initial motivation for writing this paper was to try to help friends and loved ones that were going through the suffering of some sort of tragedy. Most of us naturally want to help others through difficult and painful times. For many of us, offering physical help is frequently not an option. My hope is that if we can just offer some answers to some of life’s most difficult questions, perhaps we can make some of the difficult parts of life more tolerable. I honestly believe that GOD does not want harm or suffering to come to any of us in this life. However if He allowed even His own Son to suffer far beyond what any of us could ever imagine, though we may not understand WHY, perhaps sometimes He allows suffering as a part of His great plan to lead us to an eternal life full of glory.
JEREMIAH 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
ROMANS 8:18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory HE will reveal to us later.
I would like to thank Pastor Tim Brock of White River Christian Church and his family for his many years of leadership, coaching, teaching, mentoring and friendship with my family and I. I am sincerely grateful. J
Soli Deo Gloria
“I'm very pleased with the spiritual maturity I continue to see grow in you. Nice job connecting the theological dots many people miss in Scripture”.
–PASTOR TIM BROCK WHITE RIVER CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Apologetics: Making a Defense for My Faith
Answering Common Day Questions that Matter Most
Why? The 3 letter question commonly expressed by atheists, non-believers, doubters and lifelong Christians.
IF there is a GOD:
· WHY would GOD allow satan to exist and allow people to go to hell?
· WHY would GOD not show himself and give us some proof of His existence?
· WHY would GOD allow tragedy such as Cancers, Tsunamis, Hurricanes and suffering?
· WHY is the GOD of Christians different than the god of other religions?
· WHY do Christians believe that GOD sent HIS Son JESUS CHRIST?
· WHY should we believe in JESUS?
The Bible is subject to belief and interpretation; I would like to use some of my interpretation and belief of Biblical information to answer some of these WHYS.
WHY would GOD allow satan to exist and allow people to go to hell? This question is important because it allows people to say, “If God is so great why would he allow a satan and hell.” A common unanswered question used as an excuse to not believe in GOD, and live as though there are no consequences for not believing. This question is significant because it challenges the strength and power of GOD and whether he deserves to be worshiped. As we go through life, super heroes frequently rescue the world by defeating all of the evil enemies. This WHY question suggests that GOD does not deserve our beliefs and worship because he has allowed satan to continue to exist and actually have a significance and influence. Some then say GOD must not be that great and must not be real. Therefore satan is not real and there is no threat of hell. Giving many an excuse to make evil choices because they believe there is no hell and that their evil choices won’t cause them to end up in hell. I believe that satan and hell are real, and that GOD is real and does deserve our beliefs and our worship. As he did rescue His Son Jesus from His enemy and He rescues the rest of us who believe in Him and His Son from eternity in hell:
REVELATION 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven, an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. (4)His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so he might devour her child the moment it was born. (5)She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his thrown.
MATTHEW 25:41 Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
REVELATION 20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name is not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
JOHN 3:16 For GOD so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Perhaps the question should be, WHY would anybody choose satan and eternity in hell over loving GOD and spending eternity in Heaven with a loving GOD. I believe that GOD created satan, an angel, just as He created every angel and all of us, with free will to choose. We have free will to choose between God’s good and Satan’s evil. GOD did not give us freedom from the consequences of our choices. Hell exists as the consequence of our evil choices. I believe that satan, the father of lies, chose to use evil deception to persuade a third of the angels, who also had free will to follow him instead of GOD. Hell is for those who choose not to believe in and trust GOD. The Bible tells us in 2 PETER, Chapter 3, that GOD does not want anybody to go to hell. GOD does not send anybody to hell. Our sins send us there if we do not believe in HIS SON JESUS. He wants everyone to repent of their sins and believe in His SON so they may spend eternity in Heaven. Hell is simply the result of the absence of GOD and the absence of HIS SON JESUS:
2 PETER 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentence.
ROMANS 6:16 Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master. You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive His approval.
ROMANS 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (10)For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
WHY does GOD not show Himself and give us some proof of His existence? This question is important because so many use the lack of visible evidence as an excuse for denial of GOD. He DOES show Himself. Just not visibly. As Christians our faith helps us believe in what we cannot visibly see. Many of us also believe that GOD shows Himself in GOD sightings that many call coincidences. Beginning on page 6, I share a couple examples of GOD sightings in which GOD showed HIMSELF to me. Lack of visibility does not verify non-existence. We can’t see wind or gravity but we accept the existence of them. So using the lack of visible evidence as an excuse to deny the existence of GOD is, for many, a choice made to avoid the inconvenience and accountability of living according to His word and a desire to ignore the consequence of denying His Word and existence. We believe in wind because we can feel it, hear it, and see it move things. For those that choose to believe in GOD, we frequently experience His existence in our life as we feel Him nudge us to make good choices, we see Him move many things in our lives and we hear Him speak to us. We frequently feel His existence in our hearts and our lives. GOD also shows Himself throughout His magnificient creation and in the miracles of medically unexplainable healing. And GOD DID show Himself in His Son Jesus and we crucified Him on a cross:
COLOSSIANS 1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation.
ROMANS 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
WHY would GOD allow cancer, tragedy and suffering? This WHY question is the one that motivated me to write this paper. I have had so many friends and loved ones ask me this question, often times with real hurt in their eyes and in their voice as they were experiencing tragedy of some sort. I felt a strong desire to try to find answers to try to relieve their pain. This is a WHY question that goes back thousands of years to when it was asked by Job in the Old Testament, and after all these years, it is still a prevalent question. In a recent national poll of thousands of people, the question was asked: If you could ask GOD one question, what would it be? The number one response, “Why is there suffering in the world?”
JOB 3:23 Why is life given to a man like me? God hasn’t told me what will happen. He has surrounded me with nothing but trouble.
First we must realize that GOD did not create evil or suffering. Genesis tells us that GOD saw all that He had made and it was good.
GENESIS 9:31 God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.
It was the choices and sin of humans that resulted in suffering and tragedy entering the world. The choice to reject GOD, resulted in moral and natural tragedies being introduced into the world. Because GOD gave us free will, it is our own choices that produce moral evils. Natural tragedies like tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires and tornadoes are also a result of sin entering the world. As one Biblical Scholar explained: “When we humans told GOD to shove off, He partially honored our request. Nature began to revolt. The earth was cursed. Genetic breakdown and disease began. Pain and death became part of the human experience.” The Bible tells us in Genesis that it’s because of sin that nature was corrupted and “thorns and thistles” take over. If GOD allowed His own Son Jesus to suffer, it must just be a necessary part of HIS great plan.
GENESIS 3:17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, you must not eat of it, cursed is the ground because of you; through pain and toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you.
The Bible tells us in James Chapter 1, that as Christians, we believe that we should consider it great joy to face trials, as trials test faith and that faith produces perseverance.
JAMES 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3)because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4)Perserverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything.
We know that it is impossible to please GOD without faith. We may not understand the plan behind suffering but we believe that all things work together for the good of His great plan. Where we are today is no accident. GOD is using what we are going through today to shape us and prepare us for tomorrow. Faith is trusting GOD with His plan even when we do not understand His plan.
ROMANS 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
HEBREWS 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
WHY is the GOD of Christians different than the god of other religions? Answering this WHY question is important to establish WHY the GOD I am writing about is spelled with a Big “G” and all the other gods are spelled with a little “g” I couldn’t hardly bear the thought of acknowledging satan as I wrote this theology. I noticed as I typed the word satan, Microsoft Word underlined the word satan and prompted me to spell the word with a big “S”. If I typed the word god (with a little “g”), there is no such prompt from Microsoft Word. It is disappointing to me that Microsoft gives more acknowledgement to satan than it does to GOD. Regardless of what Microsoft and the rest of the world think, I will always spell my GOD with a big “G”. Because ONLY the Christian GOD that I am writing about can provide an answer to ALL the WHY questions that this paper asks.
I may not be familiar with ALL of the other non-Christian gods, but I may try to make a differentiation between my GOD and some of the other common religions.
- The Mormon religion is centered on teachings of the self-proclaimed leader and prophet Joseph Smith: 1805AD-1844AD.
- Jehovah’s Witness religion is centered on the teachings of founder and self-proclaimed leader. Charles Russel: 1852AD-1916AD
- Buddhism, a religion that encompasses a variety of tradition, belief and spiritual practice based on the teaching of Gautama Buddha originating sometime between: 400 and 600BC.
- Allah and Islam. Expects you to be willing to sacrifice yourself, die for Allah. The religion is centered on the teachings of self-proclaimed prophet Muhammad: 570AD-632AD.
- Christianity, about The GOD that died for us by sacrificing His Son for us. An eternal relationship centered on the teachings of the ONLY prophet distinguished by actually fulfilling hundreds of prophecies compared to the ZERO prophecies fulfilled by all other prophets and gods combined. Jesus Christ: about 4 BC to about 33 AD.
The Christian Bible teaches in Genesis Chapters 13,15,17, that the contention by the Islamic faith started all the way back when GOD promised Abraham a son named Isaac to be his heir. Abraham and his wife Sarah thought she was getting too old to become pregnant. Abraham and Sarah decided to use a surrogate and arranged for their Egyptian maid servant named Hagar to sleep with Abraham. Hagar the Egyptian maid gave birth to a son that they named Ishmael. Soon after, Sarah and Abraham had their own promised son Isaac. Jealousy and conflict began between the 2 boys and their mothers which led to a dispute over the land that would be inherited from Abraham. The Bible teaches in the Book of Genesis, that GOD told Abraham that the entire land of Canaan was promised to him and his descendant Isaac. We get the lineage of the Jewish Nation which brought forth Jesus, The Savior of the world from Isaac. Ishmael, the son of the Egyptian maid brought forth the dispute between the Muslim nations and the land of Canaan, now known as Israel and the dispute over the land of Canaan has never ended.
GENESIS 17:8 The whole land of Caanan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you, and I will be their GOD.
GENESIS 17:19 Then GOD said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20)And as for Ishmael, I have heard you, I will surely bless him, I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21)But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”
PSALM 83:4 Come they say, let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more. 5)With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you, 6)the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,
GOD loves us ALL and has no favorites, but His WORD teaches that Jesus is the only way to Him and eternal life. I call my GOD the Christian GOD. But He is actually The GOD of ALL. Regardless of who believes in Him now, one day ALL will in believe Him. He is the ONE who will decide whether all other gods and all the rest of us spend eternity with Him in Heaven or with satan in hell.
ROMANS 14:11 As surely as I live says the Lord, every knee will bow before me, every tongue will confess to GOD.
One of the more significant details of Jesus Christ, the MAN sent by the one true GOD to be the teacher, leader and Lord of Christians is that the history and timing of the life and death of ALL other prophets and their religion is recorded according to that of Jesus Christ. ALL history of all other so called gods and prophets is recorded according to the history of HIS story, the story of JESUS CHRIST. BC does not mean before Muhammad or before Buddha. The dates BC refer to “Before Christ”. Dates before the birth of Jesus Christ become smaller as they approach the time of existence of Jesus or when the life of Jesus began. AD does not mean after Charles Russel or after Joseph Smith. It is commonly believed that AD stands for “After Death”. AD actually refers to the Latin phrase “Anno Domini” meaning in the year of the Lord. All dates recorded after the birth of Jesus Christ are recorded as AD. Each time we date a check or legal document, we are completing a legal binding document that states when the birth of Jesus Christ occurred. When a non-believer files a lawsuit in protest of a Christmas display, in their own handwriting and signature they are swearing that all info is true, including how long ago Jesus Christ was born. Isn’t it ironic that someone would use how long ago, CHRIST was born, to protest Christmas, (when Christ was born)? Think about it. The ironic thing about it is that almost all of those anti CHRISTS accept how long ago Christ was born on almost a daily basis, each time they date a document.
It is hard to deny that Jesus isn't someone pretty special as we have been talking about Jesus for TWO THOUSAND AND SOME YEARS. People all over the entire world have been using the arrival of Jesus as the central focus of our dating system for almost 2000 years. Since about 525 A.D. The entrance of Jesus into the world has been recognized as THE turning point in history (HIS-story). In fact all study of HISTORY and use of the word HISTORY is a reference to Jesus. If Jesus’ arrival has been accepted as special then, and for more than TWO THOUSAND years since, doesn't it seem like it would be a lot easier to just accept it now rather than fight it or try to avoid Him? If any of those other so called gods or prophets were what they claimed to be, the birth and life of Jesus would be recorded according to their existence, not the other way around. Jesus Christ, the SON OF GOD has such significance over ALL other prophets and their teachings, NO history about them or anybody else can be taught or understood without referring to the timing of Jesus over them. Even the scientific community which is highly Atheist and uses scientific theory to deny the existence of any god and to deny that Jesus or anybody could be sent by GOD, uses the birth of Jesus to record the timing of the existence of all pre-HIStoric and HIStoric events and data. The life of Jesus is the point and time that everything changed and revolves around.
WHY do Christians believe that GOD sent His Son Jesus? This question is important because we need a savior to save us from the consequences of our sin. It is our belief that Jesus is our savior, and that is why we love Him and Love GOD His Father. Christians believe that the Bible is the Word of their GOD, and we believe what it says to be true. Jesus Christ was and is who He said He is. He was sent by our GOD to teach us how to live to please GOD and receive GOD’S free gift of salvation, eternity in heaven. Why do we believe that Jesus was and is who He said He is?
Who does Jesus say He is? The name ‘Jesus’ did not yet exist during the time that Jesus Christ was on Earth, approximately 4 BC to 29 or 34 AD. It did not come into existence until it was configured by the Council of Nicea of the Roman Catholic Church in the 4th century.
JESUS CHRIST may not be who you think He is. But, He is what He says He is. His Hebrew name was YESHUA, which means "Yahweh, which means savior or the Lord is Salvation." Jesus says He is the Son of GOD, the One anointed to provide our salvation. His last name is not Christ. The word Christ is actually an ancient Greek synonym for Messiah. So Christ is actually a word given to Jesus as a Title, by those believing He is as He says, The Anointed One. So Jesus Christ is, Jesus The Anointed One. Anointed by GOD as Our Savior to be The Way, The Truth and The Life. By believing in Jesus, The Anointed One, we may receive the free gift of salvation, and spend eternity in Heaven with GOD, his Father. Few scholars deny that there was a man named Jesus who claimed to be the Son of GOD and was crucified. The controversy is over whether he was the Messiah as he claims to be or just a nice loving man. Many of Jewish Faith deny that he is the Messiah and therefore believe the Messiah is still yet to come. Why do Christians believe Jesus Christs’ claims to be true. Because so much of what Jesus did while on earth was written about and recorded in the Old Testament of the Bible as it was foretold by Prophets, hundreds of years before Jesus was ever born. With simple internet searches we can quickly find detailed Biblical descriptions of Jesus Christ fulfilling prophecies of His birth, life and crucifixion. Prophecies are not just random predictions made by ancient fortune tellers. They are instructions, promises and revelations that GOD shared with His kings, servants and prophets who were then expected to disseminate the info with others as GOD instructed. Many scholars believe that Jesus fulfilled at least 300 Old Testament prophecies. If you dig deep enough, you can easily find scholars that claim that Jesus Christ fulfilled as many as 400 plus Old Testament prophecies. Many Gentiles (non Jews) AND teachers of Jewish Laws witnessed as Jesus fulfilled so many of these Old Testament prophecies that they concluded that no ordinary man could have coincidentally accomplished such a task, therefore He must be who He says He is, The Messiah. Many of them became some of the first Christians. Many of these witnesses were so convinced that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, they were willing to have their lives sacrificed, martyred for their belief.
To this day many Christians believe in Jesus Christ because we feel in our heart that He lives within us. Some believe because we have studied the scriptures for ourselves and see that the New Testament describes how Jesus did actually fulfill so many Old Testament prophecies. Anybody that hungers for proof can search the internet and easily find huge lists of Biblical prophecies fulfilled by Jesus Christ. For the benefit of those who desire to see some tangible proof, I suggest that you start in the Bible book of Isaiah. Isaiah is called "The Book of Salvation." The name Isaiah means "the salvation of the Lord" or "the Lord is salvation." Isaiah is one of the first books containing the writings of the prophets of the Bible. The author, Isaiah is called the Prince of Prophets, Jesus is called the Prince of Peace.
Giving more credibility to Jesus’ identity as the Son of God, as Jesus lived, Jesus himself gave detailed prophecy of his betrayal and denial by his dearest disciples. Like many of Jesus’ prophecies, the existence and fulfillment of these prophecies is strengthened by corroboration in all four of the Bible gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Crucifixion, piercing of Jesus’ hands and feet, was prophesied about in the Old Testament Book of Psalms, Chapter 22, about 1000 years before Jesus was born. This prophecy of crucifixion was recorded approximately 700 years before crucifixion even existed on the planet, as crucifixion was not invented by the Persians until about 300 BC.
PSALMS 22:16 Dogs have surrounded me, a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and feet.
Our Easter holiday is intended to be a festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. Despite Crucifixion being perfected by the Romans as the most horrific, excruciating, embarrassing and thorough instrument of death, almost 100 years before the life of Jesus began, Jesus defied death and fulfilled the prophecy of His resurrection as prophesied about 1000 years before in Psalm Chapter 16. Records of His empty tomb are corroborated in the Bible Books of Mark Chapter 16, John Chapter 20 along with witness of His resurrection recorded in the gospels and witnessed by hundreds as recorded in 1 Corinthians Chapter 15.
MARK 16:5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6)”Don’t be alarmed,” “he said, you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene , who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him”
1 CORINTHIANS 15:4 That he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, 5)and he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6)After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
No matter whom we believe in, we will never see Confucius, Buddha, Allah, Muhammad, Joseph Smith or Charles Russel. As Christians we know that by believing in Jesus that we will see Him again. He is the only person who left an empty tomb and lives on. The only one who lives an eternal life in heaven and can therefore offer us the eternal life to see Him again is Jesus. Jesus chose to die there. Why? He could have chosen any form of death and it still would have been enough to take God's wrath. He chose the cross because He was showing us that only God can take something so wretched and cruel and transform it into a symbol of forgiveness and love. God specializes in transforming broken things into beautiful things for His glory. He can do the same thing in your life. Only Jesus can take sinners and make them clean. You can be forgiven and changed by repenting and believing in the name of Jesus today. After all, He didn't stay on the cross. Jesus is alive and His return is soon coming...
Christians do not need or rely on moments in HIStory as proof Jesus Christ was and is who He says. One of the major reasons we believe so strongly in GOD and Jesus of the Bible is because of our life experiences. Non-believers call the alignment of key, related incidents a simple coincidence. When believers see thoughts, hopes, prayers answered or not answered, followed by a sequence of multiple events, too well aligned to happen without someone’s super intelligent guidance and manipulation, many of us call that a divine intervention, or a GOD sighting. I could write a whole book telling stories of all the GOD sightings that I have experienced. I will just share some of the most significant GOD sightings that have occurred in my life, including one that has gone on for decades.
The love that I have for my Wife is one of the strongest reasons that I believe in Jesus. Our parents built a house right next door to each other when we were kids, far too young and naive to have a clue that we were part of the Lord’s great long term plan for us. We made several attempts over the years to interfere with that plan. After years of dating off and on, Brenda and her parents moved thousands of miles away, and we were still drawn back to each other. After a few years of emotional long distance ups and downs, I made a firm decision in my mind to not love, or even like, Brenda and permanently move on without her in my life. Then after about a full year with no contact, I clearly remember, one day, my roommate answered the phone, after a brief conversation, with whoever was on the other end, he handed the phone to me. I said hello, and when I heard Brenda’s voice on the other end I remember my legs became too weak to stand as I turned and sat down on the couch. The feelings I had from just hearing her voice say a few words were so powerful, it was clear that my mind had no control over the love that my heart had for her. And then I later found out that she had sent me a letter informing me of her plan to call at that date and time. If I had received the letter, I strongly doubt that I would have answered the phone. I am confident the Lord made sure that the letter she sent, did not show up until a few days after she called, and also made sure I was home at that date and time to answer the phone and hear her voice.
After 30 years of marriage, I am so glad I answered the phone that answered for me the call of the Lord for Brenda to be FOREVER in my life. After living the Lord’s plan for us for over 50 years, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind, heart and soul that there is a GOD and HE IS GREAT. I thank Him every day for His greatness in our life, for over half a century. I thank Brenda for giving me over half a century of BFF and over 30 years of a great marriage.
Psychological experts and love experts all claim that the feeling of love follows a decision or that love is a decision and an action. I strongly disagree. I had made a firm decision based on numerous experiences, not to love or like Brenda. Regardless of being almost 2 thousand miles apart, before the internet, and the decision and action I made of avoiding contact for about a year, and when I heard Brenda’s voice, I had absolutely no control over the feelings of love in my heart for her. When a new born child arrives, almost all parents and grandparents cannot avoid loving the child. When a loved one dies and is no longer with us, regardless of the pain, and decisions we make to let go, the feelings of love that we have live on, often infinitely. I am therefore convinced that the feelings of love that we feel for another, are often placed in our heart by THE great GOD. He then also sends nudges for us to act on and share the love. Then we have free will to choose and decide to take action on those nudges to feed the love and make it continue to grow and flourish. While I have no doubt that there have been many times over the years that my Wife Brenda has had to make a decision to love me, I strongly believe that our actions may follow our decisions, but our feelings of love, such as I have for Brenda, are often an uncontrollable part of His great plan.
In my opinion, the theory that love follows a decision is possibly fueled by non-believers who can come up with no other explanation. The scientific community struggles trying to explain what cannot be seen and proven. It is possible that their ego prevents them from accepting that somebody may be smarter than them and capable of creating something they cannot fathom, copy or explain. Like GOD, love cannot be seen, so they deny it and downplay its magnificence. We cannot see gravity or the wind. But we can see them move things around us, and we can feel them move us. We can’t see love but most of us believe it exists because we feel it, happily, romantically and sometimes painfully. If we believe in love, whether we want to admit it or not, we believe in GOD, because GOD is love. It is only when we admit that we believe in Him that we please Him and are saved. If we can believe in love that cannot be seen but only felt, it should be easy to also believe in GOD. Believers acknowledge that we see and feel GOD and His love moving within our lives because as the Bible tells us in 1 John Chapter 4, GOD is love. It may not be possible to explain GOD’S love for us. It may only be experienced through faith. Hebrews Chapter 11, tells us, without faith it is impossible to please GOD. Our faith allows us to accept what we cannot see and experience GOD’S love.
1 JOHN 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 JOHN 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him.
HEBREWS 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
I have had GOD sightings more numerous than I can count, in which GOD has humbled me. As the Bible tells us, he who exalts (raises) himself will be humbled. I have always had an immaculate, weed free lawn.
One spring I visited a good friend who takes great pride in his lawn, at his home. As I arrived, I noticed one dandelion in his immaculate lawn. I could feel GOD nudging me not to say anything. But as I was leaving, my ego prevailed and I chose to point out the flaw in my friend’s yard. For the next several years, my front lawn has looked like garbage, sparse with reoccurring weeds, despite numerous applications of products that had a long history of keeping my lawn rich and flawless, GOD who is in ultimate control, humbled me.
Now that you’ve heard my stories about how I’ve seen GOD’S plan unfold in my life and also how I have seen GOD humble me, I encourage you to pay attention and see if you notice similar circumstances take place in your life. See if when you boast or brag, within a very short period of time, a humbling experience occurs. In fact, the Bible tells us in James Chapter 4, that we should not even say “I will”. Because we do not know what will happen next. We should say Lord willing, we may do this or that. I about always stop myself from saying, I will. I try to say, I may or I plan to, or intend to, and I very frequently include the comment LORD WILLIN. Now that you are aware of these Biblical truths, I’ll be quite surprised if you do not see similar GOD sightings unfold in your own life. Watch and see if when you say “I will” if your plans don’t sometimes flop. See if when you think you are doing really great, if GOD doesn’t have a little way of reminding you that you’re only human and that you should be more humble.
JAMES 4:13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14)Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15)Instead you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.
PROVERBS 16:9 We can make our plan, but the Lord determines our steps.
As Christians, we believe in what we do not see, and give up trying to see the visible proof that non-believers hold out for. That is called faith. As believers in GOD, our faith is not based on information. Our faith is based on a transformation that we experience when we welcome the presence of GOD within our heart and soul. Our relationship with GOD within our soul, leads to movement within our soul and of our soles as we dance and jump for joy about the love that we feel when we desire to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. Christianity is not about information or religion. Our proof is in the eternal heartfelt relationship that is only offered by THE only prophecy fulfilling Prophet, Jesus Christ.
I guess that the best answer to the 3 letter question WHY? May be found in the 4 letter question WHEN? The Bible tells us in Mark Chapter 13, that nobody, except GOD, not even Jesus knows when Jesus will return and Earth will pass away.
MARK 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 32)No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
When Jesus hung on the cross, even He asked WHY? Drawing attention to the His fulfillment of prophecy, Jesus quotes the first sentence of Psalm 22, “My GOD, my GOD, WHY have you forsaken me?” If even Jesus cannot always answer WHEN and WHY, then clearly there are some questions we are not intended to have the answer to. Sometimes only GOD knows WHY.
MATTHEW 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”- which means, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”
Just as Jesus accepted the cup of suffering that was part of GOD’S great plan for Him, it is only WHEN we have enough faith to let go of WHY and accept GOD’S great plan for us that we can bear suffering, and that is WHEN healing may take place and GOD’S great plan for us to be with HIM may be fulfilled. Because without faith, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please GOD.
MATTHEW 26:42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink, may your will be done.”
JOHN 10:17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life, only to take it up again. 18)No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and take it up again. This command I received from my Father.
Maybe someday WHEN we get there by His side, we may be able to understand WHY?
Why should we believe in JESUS? This is the most important WHY, because the answer provides a WAY to the TRUTH about an eternal LIFE that may answer ALL questions. Do me a favor. Take a deep breath. Now let it out real slow. Felt pretty good didn’t it? That deep breath we just took, was just by the Grace of God. It could have very well been our last. We never know when we might be one breath away from going to heaven or hell. If we don’t believe in Jesus, we could be on our way to hell and never knowing the answer to ANY of our WHYS. If we do believe in Jesus, we ARE on our way to heaven one day and maybe finding out the answers to ALL of our WHYS.
JOHN 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
As I said toward the beginning of this manual, my initial motivation for writing this paper was to try to help friends and loved ones that were going through the suffering of some sort of tragedy. Most of us naturally want to help others through difficult and painful times. For many of us, offering physical help is frequently not an option. My hope is that if we can just offer some answers to some of life’s most difficult questions, perhaps we can make some of the difficult parts of life more tolerable. I honestly believe that GOD does not want harm or suffering to come to any of us in this life. However if He allowed even His own Son to suffer far beyond what any of us could ever imagine, though we may not understand WHY, perhaps sometimes He allows suffering as a part of His great plan to lead us to an eternal life full of glory.
JEREMIAH 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
ROMANS 8:18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory HE will reveal to us later.
I would like to thank Pastor Tim Brock of White River Christian Church and his family for his many years of leadership, coaching, teaching, mentoring and friendship with my family and I. I am sincerely grateful. J
Soli Deo Gloria
“I'm very pleased with the spiritual maturity I continue to see grow in you. Nice job connecting the theological dots many people miss in Scripture”.
–PASTOR TIM BROCK WHITE RIVER CHRISTIAN CHURCH