First off I should state what I believe.  I believe in the God of the Bible. The God whom ”in the beginning” created man, beasts and everything on the earth, I believe He created the earth and everything on it in 6 literal days.  I believe man is inherently sinful, that only by God’s sheer irresistible grace, and through repentance, and faith can man be restored to a right relationship with God. I believe Christ, is God in the flesh, the second person of the Trinity, He came to earth for the main purpose of redeeming mankind’s relationship to God the Father. I believe he died on the cross, was resurrected, and forever defeated death and the grave. I believe through Christ alone is salvation… 

Now WHY? 

It’s easy to say “I believe” and we can say “I believe” and truly think we believe, until a test comes, then I think we’re shown that we really didn’t believe as we though we did. 

Look around; take a glance at the world around you…. The incredible chance that would have had to take place for the only other alternative to be true (evolution) is unimaginable. Way of the master sums it up best with “if there is a design, there is a designer” illustration. But mine goes a little deeper than that… I’ve taken what I consider a relatively in-depth look at evolution, I’ve seen how they think man came from a common ancestor of the monkey, and so on.. I’ve seen their supposed “proof” and I just can’t believe that this was all an accident, that time + chance = me.  But that doesn’t answer “Why?” 

I could say I was a bad person, and now I am not… but that’s not true. I am a wretch, saved by God’s grace. I could say I was “slain in the spirit”, “spoke in tongues”, or was healed from some disease,  and thus I believe… but that’s not 100% true, and could be easily faked.  I could say during worship “I Felt God”, but feelings are hardly a reason to accept anything!! I could claim prosperity, health, miracles, and the like… but NONE of that is WHY I believe. 

I could tell you “my story” and expect you to believe, however thats not “why” I believe, I could say “God did this or that, and thus I believe” however then you see a “prosperity” message, God did this or that, and thats not the point, nor the reason I believe. We should love God no matter whether He blesses us or not, our love and adoration should not hinge on His blessings of His children. Certainly our belief shouldn’t rest on it! Job is a great example of this.

I do not believe Christianity is a religion of blind faith, the evidence is overwhelming if you open your eyes to accept it. 

Why is the “oldest” tree on earth 4,000 yrs old? Because a flood wiped out all life on the planet 4 – 6 thousand years ago. Why when men thought the earth rode on a turtles back, did the Bible say “we were hung in space on nothing”(Job 26:7). Why do ALL fossils appear at roughly the same “age” of the earth? (Cambrian explosion) Why wasn’t erosion a factor? Why are single cell organisms found in layers ABOVE multi-cell organisms? Over billions of years wouldn’t billions of animals be found in virtually every different layer of the earths crust?  (Even Darwin stated that without excessive fossil evidence his theory would crumble)

We have extra biblical writings that confirmed a man named Jesus did mighty things written by His own enemies! We have texts from across the world that can account for the darkness of the days when Christ died. Roman Emperor’s wrote of “this man called Jesus who was himself called the Christ”

Lastly, why would the apostles, who walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus every single minute of every single day for the bulk of 3 years, die for a lie? These men knew Jesus, they knew Him intimately…The records of their deaths are documented, Paul, Peter, and so on… they would have known better than anyone that He was a fake… yet they died, horrible deaths for the belief that Jesus was the Christ. 

No, there is plenty of evidence for Christ. And that being the Case, the apostles dying for Him, and his “cause”, says a lot… it says Jesus was the real deal, and Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life.. no man comes to the Father but through me… I have to believe Him. 

(Mthw 11:27)Christ chose to reveal to me, the Father, the truth of His word, and my eternal state without Him… and I saw utter hopelessness, utter destruction, utter despair.. 

In light of the evidence, in light of the revelation… who could refuse the gracious, undeserved, unmerited gift? So in short, I believe because the Bible is a book of facts, the Bible is a book of an actual account, of God’s divine purpose and plan for us. The Bible is an inerrant account of God’s Love of mankind, God’s Hate towards iniquity, God’s Mercy on the undeserving, and God’s wrath against the unrepentant. In light of all the evidence the question isn’t “Why do I believe” it’s “How can I not?”

Let me tell you my experience, I’ve followed evangelism and been in some way involved in it since the Lord saved me. I’ve read numerous books on the subject, and been to a few trainings on the “how to’s” of it. The first book I read was “Fire evangelism” by Dr Che Ahn (I think) I didn’t agree with most of it. The second book, was “One thing you can’t do in Heaven” by Mark Cahill, third was “The Way of the Master” by Ray Comfort, which led into the School of Biblical Evangelism, and attending Ambassadors Academy through living waters. I’ve also read “Becoming a Contagious Christian” by Bill Hybels. As well as “Evangelism in the New Testament” by Jon Speed…So I think I have a balanced view of some of the techniques involved in evangelism.  I’ll admit, lifestyle evangelism is far easier than all other kinds… after all, I am living a good life hoping someone asks me about the light that’s in me! (Not evangelism, it’s being a good witness, but not evangelism) It takes far more love and courage to walk up to someone and present the Law and Grace… 

Putting yourself out there isn’t evangelism. Putting yourself out there and actively speaking of Christ to everyone you meet might be evangelism. Are you speaking the law and grace? That’s evangelism. Are you telling only one side of the story? Law or Grace? I wouldn’t consider that evangelism, it’s a lie… Not evangelism. The real definition of evangelism is proclaiming the gospel of Christ to the people, if you’re only preaching Love, or only preaching Law, that’s not the gospel of Christ. However an equal and balanced presentation is preaching correctly, congrats that’s evangelism! This goes for food pantry’s, clothing distribution sites, etc.. if we’re not sharing the Law and Gospel DO NOT CALL IT EVANGELISM!!! Also if you’re not sharing the law and grace in those places, shame on you. How can you claim to be showing the love of Christ when you’re not telling them how to be saved, all you’re doing is sending them to hell with warm clothes, and full bellies! Share the whole gospel with them!! 

It’s obvious I don’t believe in Lifestyle evangelism, here’s why – what if you’re planning on sharing the Gospel the next day, and your friend dies the night before? How many years did you hide the gospel, the truth from your friend? It’s deceitful as well, are you making a friend only to share Christ with him? And if you’re not sharing Christ, is that person really your friend? It’s a dangerous game. Everyone has their own evangelism style, however the law and grace is the only right way… Whether you do it through tracts, open air, or one 2 ones.  Lifestyle evangelism is a fear filled, man centered response to the great commission, it’s a lie, saying that you are evangelizing, when you’re not. Friendship evangelism…? Well.. I’m up in the air on that one. I recommend the book “Evangelism in the New Testament” By Jon Speed. Decide for yourself. 

Likewise I don’t believe in preaching grace or love only. (or law only) Why? Because while God is love, how loving is it for me to ignore the law, and not present to you the mirror of the law? How can you know sin, unless the law is presented?  If we go around ONLY presenting love, then we will give the impression that God is only love. That He won’t punish sin, and that He won’t send anyone to hell.  And that’s NOT the God of the Bible.  Likewise going out and preaching ONLY law portrays God as a hate monger who wont save anyone – since this isn’t a problem that I am aware of, I am not even going to address it. 

Paul says in the Bible “I had not known sin but by the law” what’s this mean then? It means that unless we use the law, and share the law people who don’t know it, won’t know their sin before God, hence they won’t see the seriousness of their situation.  A love only gospel has produced a country full of false converts, where 80% of the nation claims Christianity, yet lives like hell Monday through Saturday, we can’t even outlaw abortion! The road is wide to hell; want to send more people there? Preach love only. Now I am not saying don’t preach love… by ALL means preach LOVE!! But balance that love with the law… show them how great that love is! Show them that they’re guilty before the Judgment seat of God, then show them how loving God is!! How HE sent HIS Son to DIE for THEM on a cross, a horrible and brutal death, only to RISE AGAIN forever defeating SIN and DEATH and that HE did ALL THIS FOR THEM.. THAT’S LOVE FRIENDS!!  Is it love to never say repent and turn? Or is it love to warn them, and say repent and turn because here’s what’s waiting if you don’t, and here’s WHO is waiting if you do! 

In short if you’re not preaching the law AND grace… you’re not preaching the bible. 

Exodus 24:12
And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.   (emphasis added) 

Deuteronomy 29:29
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. – (can we do all the law???? NO!! that’s what makes GRACE so wonderful) 

Joshua 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (SHALL NOT DEPART!! IF WE FORGET THE LAW, WE’RE LAWLESS MEN AND WOMAN DESERVING OF HELL, BUT WE DON’T KNOW THAT BECAUSE THE LAW IS FORGOTTEN, YET WE’LL STILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE BECAUSE IT’S THE LAW) 

Luke 16:17
And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. ( WE WILL BE JUDGED BY THE LAW, HOW HATEFUL TO NOT TELL THE LOST ABOUT IT)

**please don’t think these are the only verses that deal with the law, and presenting it, there are tons… look it up!!!

It goes on and on, to preach the gospel, without the law, is nothing short of heresy. And every preacher who does, whether they’re a street preacher, or in a pulpit should be kicked out and banned from preaching until they know the truth. AFTER they repent to those they’ve lied to, and tell them the truth. 

Harsh? Not if you’re telling the truth already. 

Ray Comfort say it far better than I can in Hells Best Kept Secret and True & False Conversion

Imagine you’re sitting at home, eating dinner. Now you’ve had a headache all day, but it didn’t really concern you. Without warning a vessel breaks in your brain causing a massive stroke.. You’re unable to communicate and wouldn’t know what to say if you could. As life goes on around you your family notices something is wrong and takes action. In your mind your screaming out how much you care because you know you’re dying, as all goes black, you see your spouse embrace you, look into your eyes, and whisper “I love you”

without hesitation, nor a moment passing in time your suddenly in front of God Almighty, tears flood from your eyes as you realize you’ll never see your family again… though you can’t help but think that crazy Christian at the mall was right, there is a God. A great booming voice greets you by name.. but your awestruck, you see angels singing to Him, worshiping to Him, in unapproachable light…around you is a room, seemingly walled by clouds leaving a fuzzy visibility into the adjoining rooms, occasionally a form appears, followed by a tremendous light… occasionally the forms slip into blackness. It’s then that you realize they’re all having the same conversation.. again God the Father booms “HELLO” directly to you, greeting you personally by name. Then a faint whisper says “Let it begin” suddenly a mighty book is opened and God searches intently for your name… a thick deep sadness fills the room, so as to cause you to weep uncontrollably then out of no where a question explodes from God “WHY!?” you’re shocked, stunned you dont answer, you’ve no clue what to say or how to answer and again the voice thunders “WHY SHOULD I LET YOU INTO MY REST!!!???” you hear the same voice in the other room, ask the same question, and the Light appears, and you hear rejoicing… but no light comes to you. 10,000 questions fill your head and God knows and hears everyone… “where am I?” you scream in your mind “THE JUDGEMENT SEAT OF GOD” He replies sternly. Another question forms instantly “why am I here?” “BECAUSE YOU DIED, MY APOSTLE TOLD YOU IT IS APPOINTED UNTO MAN ONCE TO DIE, AND THEN THE JUDGEMENT” thoughts of your family and friends tear through your mind, you’re filled with fear, worry, and wonder. A bright light appears in the room next to yours, then rejoicing is heard. Your thoughts betray you “what is that?!” God answers “NOT WHAT, BUT WHO.. THAT IS MY SON, THE DEFENDER OF THOSE HE KNOWS, HE TOLD YOU THAT HE DID NOT COME TO JUDGE THE WORLD BUT SAVE IT” “who is your son?” your think… silence.. in all around not a sound is made… you feel as if all eyes are on you, the only sound is a sobbing, a sorrow fills the air greater than before… and then “I TOLD YOU ABOUT HIM ON JUNE 1ST 1972, ON APRIL 30TH 1973, ON …..” As God names dates images flash across the walls in your room of people telling you about Christ, you remember each event, and how you felt.. how you hated to hear it. Excuses flood your mind…”there was no proof of you” your thoughts rebut God’s anger flares “PROOF!!!???? ” “WHAT PROOF DO YOU NEED? THAT YOU WERE ALIVE? DID YOU SEE THE SUNSET, THE MOON AND STARS THE SUN?! DID YOU SEE THEM WITH THE EYES I MADE FOR YOU? DID YOU BREATHE WITH THE LUNGS I FORMED FOR YOU?!” you speak your first audible words…”b..bu…but evolution…” and before you can finish a sickening, wheezing, laugh permeates the room a putrid whisper fills your ear.. “another one” You see a sickly shadow, always just out of the light as if hidden by a great cloud.. always nearing the light, but never entering it. The sickly form slinks towards you.. vomiting your offenses to the Lord… “He’s a liar Lord, look at his life” the spectre hisses.. as he speaks images again fill the walls of every time you’ve lied… from leaving work without permission, to flattery, to a lie for personal gain… the monsters evil laugh rings loud as you bark out excuses for each situation…

without hesitation the beast continues “Your Son stated that whoever lusts has committed adultery in his heart, look at this ones past” again images flash across the room’s walls, private scenes of glances, lust, pornography are displayed for everyone to see.. Your excuses are deafening!! without second thought the devil hurls offenses against God and backs them up with scenes from your life. “He’s a murderer Lord!!” the king of demons wheezes… “you’re wrong you stated boldly and defiantly” his glare puts you in your place.. then scenes of times when you hated fill the room.. and the creature whispers…”Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”

You say “how could I have known through all the religions what was right?” the devil wheezes laughter and hell shouts victory “another one!!” he belches in delight, you stare at him bewildered, he states “My apostles are at work day and night, Throwing confusion in with the truth, Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, Charles Taze Russell, Brigham Young, L.Ron Hubbard, and Charles Darwin!! Masters of my twisted truth – With new apostles on the rise soon Christianity will be outlawed by my apostles, just like prayer was taken out of schools.. and the gates of hell will flood because of my disciples of death ” the cackling is deafening…

Tears fall from your eyes as you realize you’ve lost the case… with great heaving sobs… you cry out “BUT LORD!!! HAVE MERCY, LOOK AT THE TIMES I HAVE DONE GOOD!!!” the devil whispers, almost giggling.. “no one is good, no not one – you’ve sinned against the Lord, His word shows your condemnation “..The wages of sin is death” there is no escape for you” ………..Then you remember, it all comes back like a flood… “JESUS!!! I NEED YOU JESUS!!!” the creature hurls backward as light illuminates the room, you squint your eyes to see the form of a man, the creature is in the corner cowering in fear, hissing like a caged beast at the Son of God! “Yes, you called on me?” you beg “Jesus, sweet savior, I am wrongly accused here, the devil has brought accusations against me, and I need you” and Jesus looks at you, with more love and compassion then ever and says “I tried to call you.. I had such plans for you, I watched you from afar, loved you from afar, I ensured you had the best job, friends and family, I showered you with the gift of life, and blessed you with times of happiness, and caused you to grow through times of pain, and turmoil, I have watched you grow into a strong man” then the Lord’s eye change, his temperament changes, and the beast is back at your side, his cold dead hands firmly around your arm… as he drags you away to eternal suffering you hear Jesus say “You denied me on earth, you believed I never existed though all the proof was there it wasn’t what you wanted, you wanted more, you wanted proof.. I tried to give you that proof with a personal relationship with me, I sent my servants to you several times, to beg you to come to know me… I smiled when I created you, I cried when you cried, I laughed when you laughed, but, in all that you used my name in vain, and I never hated you, you cursed me when things went wrong, and I never hated you, you through your actions drove the nails through my hands and heart hundreds of times, and I never hated you, as much as I love you….. I never knew you”

You see tears fall from His eyes as you sink into inky blackness.. just before your skin erupts into flames.. you realize that this morning was like any other day….. and now your spouse is a widow (or widower), your kids are without one parent, you’ve left problems behind on earth, you’re eternally in hell… and worse of all.. you’ve taught your kids and wife that there is no God.. You cry out knowing that they could follow you into hell..

Are you ready to die? Jesus is the only way to eternal life.. this story can be replayed hundreds of times with Buddha as the religion, Christian Science, or Mormonism as the religion.. but only the Jesus of the Bible can save you… It’s more than saying a prayer, it’s calling on His name, it’s building a relationship with Him, and learning His word.. Loving Him, giving it to Him, realizing that He alone can save you. Repent of your sins, confess them to God, and ask Jesus to forgive you, read the Bible, find a GOOD Bible believing church.. and have the Pastor pray with you, and for you..

Please please please don’t let this be you, Jesus isn’t a crutch, it takes more strength to stand for Jesus these days than it does to deny him…