Fibonacci numbers - The Fingerprint of God

I know this should go on my apologetics web site, but I will have it here for right now. The apologetics web site is: www.awestruck09.wordpress.com   This might be helpful for those doing evangelism, in understanding the God of order. Some people will be able to see God in the order of things, such as numbers. Atheists will try to put a smoke screen up, but it doesn't matter. God has already proven Himself. They just reject the proof. We don't have to prove God to anyone. We just present the proof so it is visible to see. A person's argument is not with the evidence (or lack of evidence). The person's argument is with God. It will be interesting to see the person before God with all his or her arguments made out in the open. No more arguments after that point!

Everyday Evangelism - My Ticket From Waterford Lakes 3 Years ago

   I was looking through some old attachments on another computer a couple of days ago, and found a copy of the ticket I got for disobeying the security guard at a shopping center called "Waterford Lakes". The story goes like this; I was out with my son at this shopping center one Friday night three years ago. The rest of the group was at the church building praying. They would come later. My son wanted to go by the movie theater, which I didn't think was a great idea. I noticed the security guards car there and wanted to be careful. Nevertheless, I found myself slowly giving out tracts and when I was talking to a group of boys, my conversation with them was interrupted by a security guard. The security guard explained that I would not be allowed to pass out the flyers unless I got permission from the people that owned the shopping complex. He also asked me if the conversation I was having with the boys had anything to do with the literature I was passing out. Then he went back to his car. Probably less than five minutes later, he came back to us and shooed the boys away with anger. My son and I headed toward another section of the shopping complex. The rest of the group still had not shown up.
   We were in a different section now, but still in view of the security guard if he were watching. As we were walking, a woman noticed the tracts and indicated she wanted one, so I gave one to her. I started talking with her and there were two other people who were with her. I started talking to all of them and gave tracts to the other two as well. While I was talking to them, my son informed me that the security guard was looking at me. I continued to talk, and my son noticed that the security guard was coming over toward me. We left quickly and started walking fast. I called back at the group on the phone and asked them to pray. The security guard reached us and began hollering at me. He accused me of disobeying him three times. He said he was going to call the cops.
   The cop came a few minutes later, and those from the group also showed up at this time. The cop asked a bunch of questions and after a little while, he wrote out the ticket and said that I wasn't allowed on this store's property for a year, and if I did go on the property and were seen, I would be arrested. One of the men in the evangelism group asked the cop a lot of questions. It seemed like the cop was subject to whatever the security guard wanted.
  Some time before this happened, I was at this particular shopping complex and was carrying my Giant Money tracts. I noticed some cops and they noticed me. They wanted to know what the tracts were, so I gave them one (which they seemed to enjoy). There were about four of them and one said that it was fine for me to give them out. He said that it would be different if I were trying to advertise an event, but since I wasn't trying to do that, it was o.k. So, that is one reason why I felt it shouldn't be a problem passing out tracts there, but I guess I was wrong. From now on, I use the smaller tracts that aren't so noticeable. That way, I shouldn't stand out like a sore thumb if security guards are watching.

Waterford Lakes shopping center now has a security 'tower' where they can see

from all angles. Is the Gospel that much of a threat to them? I think so. Satan isn't happy when the Gospel gets into the hands of people. It shows that there is power in the Gospel. Satan doesn't want people to be saved either. He doesn't want them to hear the Gospel. This is all the more reason why we should be preaching it. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace;  who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation; who says to Zion, Your God reigns!" Isaiah 52:7

                                                  

Everyday Evangelism - "Jesus Loves You"

   I have been hearing this phrase a lot lately. "Jesus loves you". I wonder what we are trying to convey when we tell people this. I guess there could be different answers. The most logical one would be that, in order to communicate the Gospel completely, we would have to somehow let the other person know that they are going to hell. That is a hard thing to tell someone. I do understand that. So we cushion it with "Jesus loves you".
   I see this phrase on balloons, pencils, bumper stickers, etc. What does it communicate though, to an unsaved person? Could it be sending the wrong message if we don't finish telling the whole truth? After all, if Jesus really does loves us, doesn't that mean everything is ok between Him and us? That is what I am afraid we are communicating to people. If we just leave our message at "Jesus loves you" then why would there be any need for the other person to respond to God? If Jesus really loves us, He won't send us to hell. That is the great misconception.
   You see, the person who doesn't know the Lord yet, doesn't have the mind of Christ. He doesn't understand spiritual concepts yet. He doesn't understand how God can love a person, yet send that person to hell. That doesn't make sense to him.
  I believe we need to be careful about how we communicate God's love to people. If we tell people that God loves them, it relaxes their consciences when God would be dealing with them. It also leads to the concept of Universalism, which is the belief that everyone goes to heaven when they die. Or at least people who believe that Jesus is the one who died for our sins. It is not a matter of believing the right facts that gets a person into heaven. The devil knows the right facts and he won't be in heaven. People can know that God exists and that Jesus died for our sins, and still go to hell, if they have not applied that truth to their hearts.
   Perhaps a better way to communicate the fact that "Jesus loves you" would be to teach what the Bible says about God's love. It says that "God is love". That is a characteristic of God. He is love. But He is also judge and will judge people for their sin. We need to communicate both truths to people.
   Finally, I think we need to deal with one other reason why we tell people "Jesus loves you". I personally believe we are afraid of people. If we tell them the other side of the coin, they might reject us. I understand how hard it is to speak the truth to someone, and how hard it is when the truth is hard to digest. But the opposite side of the coin is that if we don't communicate both the love and judgment of God, we are essentially lying to people about God. We are not representing Him properly. We are not telling people the whole truth and what they need to know. Can you imagine this; a person who dies and stands before God. The person died in their sins. The person is devastated when he hears the words "Depart from me into everlasting fire". All the person can say is that all his life, he always heard that Jesus loves him. Would that be fair? Can you imagine how puzzled that person would be?
   So the next time you give out that balloon with "Jesus loves you" or that pencil with that saying on it, please make sure the person hears the whole message of the Gospel. God does love that person and doesn't want them in hell. Let's be motivated to share the Gospel in truth, with the love of Christ constraining us.

Everyday Evangelism - The Fox Among the Dogs

I don't have a whole lot to say about this picture as it speaks for itself. If you notice, the fox blends in with the other dogs. It is amazing that this same scenario is in the church (at large) today. There are many professing Christians, but if you talk to them at any length, you realize the don't have a clue of the Gospel.  There are even famous pastors preaching God's Word on TV or wherever they have a platform, but there is something missing. They appear to be like other pastors, but as you listen to them, you don't see that Christ is being formed in them. They are still very selfish and teach selfish principles. But they blend in with everyone else. So when we listen to someone preach God's Word, we need to listen with our Spiritual ears and make sure that what is taught is based on Scriptures. We need to be alert to the devil's tactics.

                                     

Everyday Evangelism - Serving the People Who Come to Our House

   Today was a day I got to do something that I haven't had time for in ages. That is, making a batch of cookies to give to the man or woman who comes to the house to do repair work (or anything we have hired them for). It started a couple of years ago, when a UPS driver delivered a package to our home. I gave him a tract. My husband thought I should have done more to show my gratitude to him. So I came up with the idea of making Seven Layer Bars and giving them out to these people, along with a tract.
    Sometimes, when someone comes over to our house to do some kind of work, I will put in a DVD (Like Way of the Master) and have it going so it can be heard (I don't want to be obvious though). I remember one guy had his ear tuned to the TV. This same guy said that he thinks he knew me from somewhere and asked if I were a teacher. I wouldn't be surprised if I gave him a tract one time or talked about the Gospel with him somewhere on the streets. I did give him a tract too before he left.
   I think the thing I want people to know is that I really do care about them. Today, I tried to talk to the guy doing the work on the stove. I wanted to be tactful though and let him do his work (and not come on too friendly and make him suspicious!). I have come to the point also, where I offer them a bottle of water, and try to keep some bottled water in the fridge.
   The cookies got made this morning, and everything was put on a paper plate next to a New Testament (Living Waters has some really cool looking New Testaments). Plus the ones at Living Waters have the Gospel spelled out throughout the Bible. I gave the man the cookies and New Testament. He seemed impressed about the way it looked. He thanked me for them and seemed genuinely grateful. I'm sure he was puzzled too. After all, it is not every day that you get a New Testament from someone whose house you go to in order to do work on!
   I know the Pocket Testament League has Gospels of John available even at no cost. There are testimonies of people who have been saved because someone gave them a Bible. That is how Ravi Zacharias came to Christ. He was in serious condition in a hospital bed, and someone gave him a Bible. He read it and came to know the Lord.
   So the next time I have someone coming over to fix something at our house, I need to plan to bake cookies (I wish there were something more nourishing to make!) and give them away. I need to spend some time talking with the person and drawing them out a little (but not be overbearing). Then they will feel comfortable taking the tract and they can read it at home. If they have any questions, they know where they can go to ask them too!
  One more thing that is cool about this too. I have had Christians come to the house to do some kind of work. It is amazing to be able to have fellowship with these people. Sometimes, they don't get work done very quickly though, but at least we have had fellowship. You never know what will happen in this country, and it might be a good thing to get to know who the believers are in the community. That way, a network can be built that won't have to be broken, even if the world falls apart. And that is really good news!
"Use hospitality one to another without grudging." I Peter 4:9

Everyday Evangelism - Dealing With The Occult

Today I am pondering the thought of what happens when we give ground to Satan. First of all, I had never heard of that term before and was unfamiliar with the concept. But it is an important one to be aware of, for, Satan has no hold on us unless we allow him to.
  The Bible is clear that Christians cannot be demon possessed. But there are many other schemes of Satan that he would like to trap us in, if we are not careful. One of the temptations people have is to dabble in the occult. The word 'occult' means 'hidden'. If the works of darkness have light shine on them, then they will be exposed and no longer hidden.
   I can give a clear example of how I gave ground to Satan. When I was about 11, I got a Ouija Board. To most people, a Ouija Board sounds innocent. Not many are aware of the powers of darkness that really do lurk in Ouija boards, especially when they are in use.
   I got my Ouija board and a friend and I were experimenting with it. I actually became afraid of it and didn't like this thing we were doing with it. Well, it wasn't long after that, when I would hear a man's voice at night. I would hear it occasionally but it sounded like mumbling. It sounded like the same voice and I would hear it more often. It continued.
   We moved to a new house. The Ouija board came with us. Interestingly, I heard voices again in this house. They continued. I could tell that it was the same voices as before too, but now there were more voices. Sometimes, I could hear them conversing with each other. Sometimes, they would be laughing. It really was terrifying. Then the final episode came. Early one morning, while it was still dark out, I heard a voice very smoothly and clearly call out my name. I screamed. I heard it again and I was terrified.
   Somehow, I knew enough to get rid of the Ouija board. I never heard the voices again, thank God. I was not a Christian when this was all happening, and I did wonder why God was allowing this to happen. I couldn't put two and two together though at this point. But now I look back and know that I gave ground to Satan by using the Ouija board, and I definitely know that there is a living supernatural world out there.
   So my warning to you is this; please don't dabble into the occult! Don't give Satan any ground in your life! Trust in God. Repent of sin! Ask Jesus to cleanse you and give you a heart to love God with.
  If you are involved in the occult and can't break free, please get help. God will set you free. People can be praying for you and helping you to see what God's Word says. God wants you to be free to live a new life in a new way. Please contact me if you have any questions about this. RUgood@mail.com

Everyday Evangelism - Presuppositions

   I was just thinking about how the nonbeliever sees the believer who is trying to communicate the Gospel to them. When we approach a person with the intent of telling them the Gospel, we have to understand that there are many presuppositions that these people already have about Christianity. I was talking to someone yesterday and realized some things as we started the conversation. Before I got to any Gospel part of what I was going to say, I just asked her a basic question about life and eternity. She responded by saying that we have to just be as good as we can and do as much good as possible while we are here. I have a feeling that most people understand Christianity as a 'good works' religion. They may consider themselves as good people, or people who aren't 'that bad'.
   Here is my thought for the day; How many times do we approach someone with the Gospel, only to find them offended, but not directly because of the Gospel, but perhaps indirectly. What I mean is that most people believe that our salvation comes from being good, or having done good deeds, or maybe a combination of both. When we offer them a tract, they automatically assume that we think we are better than they are, because we have met the standard of whatever God requires to get into heaven. So, before we even get to say too many words to them, they have already categorized us and feel threatened by us, that we are going to make them conform to our standards and be like us (and join our church and believe what we believe, etc). They think that we (the holy people) are looking at them (the unholy people) and think that we are going to judge them.
   Sometimes, I forget that people think like that, and I am the one that gets offended! I shouldn't because they don't know any better. It is a different story if I talk to them about the Gospel, and then they reject it. I know they are rejecting God, and not necessarily me! I will pray for them.
   So, how can this mindset be changed on the part of the person who is on the receiving end of hearing the Gospel? I need to be patient with them. I need to realize that they understand life that way because no one has ever taught them the truth. They make false assumptions based on a faulty worldview and ignorance. I have to have compassion on them.
   I was thinking of something that happened to a friend many years ago. One time he was with a person that didn't know the Lord. The other person thought that my friend was holy and didn't want to use bad language around him. I find that interesting. On the one hand, yes, because of the blood of Christ, my friend was holy, but he was also a sinner just like the other guy. It is good when people see the holiness of God in us. But it is not good if people think that that holiness comes from within ourselves. So it is important for people that do not know the Lord yet to hear the Gospel, and it is of utmost importance that they understand the doctrine of man. Man is sinful from birth. Committing acts of sin is not caused by a bad environment or being in the wrong crowd. It is part of our fiber. We are just beggars telling other beggars where to find bread. But we also have to communicate the Grace of God. The grace of God is amazing because our sin is great. Salvation is greater than our sin, but if our sin isn't big in our eyes, salvation won't be big either.
  Here are the words to a song called 'Evil Grows'. I think it is applicable in different ways to our relationship as human beings to sin. I don't think the Poppy Family intended any spiritual meaning when they sang this song, but look at some of the words to this song:


Chorus:
Evil grows in the dark
Where the sun, it never shines.
Evil grows in cracks and holes
And lives in people's minds.
Evil grew, it's part of you.
And now it seems to be, 
That everytime I look at you
Evil grows in me.

If I could build a wall around you
I could control the thing that you do.
But I couldn't kill the will within you
And it never shows
The place where evil grows.