What Do You Long For?

What Do You Long For?
Notes from a talk presented by Jonathan Singh

(Activity: List out 5 things that you most long for in your life)

James & John

Reference: Mark 10:35-45

What did James and John long for?

They longed to sit at the right and left of Jesus in his Kingdom.

What do you think they meant?

Jews hold the view that the Messiah will be a King from David’s line associated with a specific series of events that have not yet occurred, including the return of Jews to their homeland and the rebuilding of The Temple; an era of peace and understanding during which the knowledge of God fills the earth.

James and John, I presume, were expecting the same and wanted to be neIxt to him. They thought that God’s kingdom would begin on earth immediately. It was like a request for an important job in government.

But Jesus replies saying: “You do not know what you are asking for.” Jesus says: “Can you drink?”, and they replied: “We can.” They asked this with all there heart even though they didn’t understand the true meaning of what Jesus said until after Jesus' resurrection. But they just wanted to be with Jesus after hearing from Him and seeing all that he had done. They didn’t even ask what he meant.

Then Jesus said to them: “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit on my right and left is not for me to grant.”

The image of the cup is important.

• Psalm 23 – Cup of Joy and Favor
• Jeremiah 25 and Matthew 26 – In the Garden of Gethsemane and in Jeremiah – Cup of Wrath and Death.

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Christ is going on with his undertaking for the salvation of mankind. He was, is, and will be the wonder of all his disciples. Worldly honor is a glittering thing, with which the eyes of Christ’s own disciples have many times been dazzled. Our care must be that we may have wisdom and grace to know how to suffer with him; and we may trust him to provide what the degrees of our glory shall be. Christ shows them that dominion was generally abused in the world.

If Jesus gratifies all our desires, it would soon appear that we desire fame or authority, and are unwilling to taste of his cup, or to have his baptism. But he loves us, and will only give his people what is good for them and much more than they expect. The image of the cup here is life and suffering and death. James and John both did suffer ultimately. James dies a Martyr (Acts 12:2). John was forced to live in exile.

They both suffered and were heavily persecuted but at the same time they had the favor of God.

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Next you see the disciples angry with James and John. They get into a squabble. But Jesus tells all of them that they are missing the point. If they want to follow Him, they cannot lord over others, dominate over others, or try to make their authority felt.

“If you want to share my life”, Jesus says, “you have to become a servant, and serve people.”

Jesus asks us to long to serve people, to give our lives in proclaiming the Gospel.

Bartimaeus

Reference: Mark 10:46-52

What did Bartimaeus long for?

Bartimaeus longed to see.

(There’s irony here. He could see even though he was physically blind.)

Do you think Jesus didn’t know that?

Look at Bartimaeus' perseverance in verse 48:

“Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!”

• Bartimaeus knew Jesus was the messiah. He believed and he had faith, which comes from – hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)

• We are justified by faith. (Romans 5, Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8-9)

• Faith comes through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17) Bartimaeus had faith because he longed to hear the Word of God.

We must long to hear the Word of God; to see, no matter how much people put us down.

Don’t Be Conformed to This World

Reference: Romans 12:2

Paul focuses on one essential means of transformation — the renewal of the mind.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

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Paul says: “Do not be conformed to this world”. But at the same time Paul says: “I try to please everybody in every way.”

1 Corinthians 9:22

To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

1 Corinthians 10:32-33

Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God ,even as I try to please everybody in every way.

Is this possible?

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Andrew Walls, in his book, The Missionary Movement In Christian History says: We areindigenous (native – in the world), yet we are pilgrims (strangers – not of the world). (John 17:14-16)

We can even look at it this way: we accept the Gospel no matter what our culture is. The Gospel is accepted all over the world in different places, different cultures; but once we accept it and begin to understand it, we realize that it corrects us and shows us the various aspects that are not right with not just our culture but also ourselves. We soon begin to feel like we are strangers in this world. We’re made for another Kingdom.

We Adapt

“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.”

(1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)

Yet we Confront

Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

(Ephesians 5:6-7)

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• Do you long to break loose from conformity to the world?
• Do you long to be transformed and new from the inside out?
• Do you long to be free from mere duty-driven Christianity and do what you love to do because that’s what you ought to do?
• Do you long to offer up your body as a living sacrifice so that your whole life becomes a spiritual act of worship, and displays the worth of Christ above the worth of the world? • Do you long to be with Christ.?

Then give yourself with all your might to pursuing the renewal of your mind. Because the Bible says, this is the key to transformation.

The Holy Spirit renews the mind. It is first and decisively his work. We are radically dependent on him.

Conclusion

Go back to your list and check again; do you really long for the things you listed out?

Do you long to become a leader? To outdo your friends in college? To outperform your colleagues at work?
Do you long to be cool? Hang out with friends who are cool in the eyes of the world?

Or do you long to serve God; hear from His word and just be with Him?

(Photo by Ferran)

God must be Crazy

INDESCRIBABLE presents " JACK 'N' JILL"

Creationism explains human diversity

by David Skjaerlund

America has been dubbed "the melting pot" because so many international visitors have come to live in our nation. During a stroll down the streets of New York City or San Francisco one can meet individuals from almost every nation in the world - from Africa, Asia, South America, Australia, and Europe. Whenever we see all the distinctly unique races and nationalities represented in the world, we are reminded that the nations are a testimony of a creative God who desired individual diversity when He created man.

Some modern scientists and anthropologists believe that the diversity among the races resulted from a process of evolution rather than creative design. Evolutionists suggest that certain races gained characteristics which allowed them to develop into a "superior" race over other "inferior" people. Early 19th century evolutionists were convinced of "the evolutionary superiority of the white race and the inferiority of others, especially the Negro."1

Charles Darwin, the father of modern evolutionary theory, was opposed to slavery on moral grounds, but he also adhered to the idea of white supremacy. He wrote, "I could show fight on natural selection having done more for the progress of civilization than you seem inclined to admit ... The more civilized, so-called Caucasian races have beaten the Turkish hollow in the struggle for existence. Looking to the world at no very distant date, what an endless number of the lower races throughout the world."2

Another leading evolutionist in the 19th century, Thomas Huxley, who was responsible for the widespread acceptance of Darwin's evolutionary ideas, wrote this shortly after the American Civil War: "No rational man, cognizant of the facts, believes that the average Negro is equal, still less the superior, of the white man."3

This problem of racism was further fueled by other scientists who based their views on evolution: "After 1859, the evolutionary schema raised additional questions, particularly whether or not the Afro-American could survive competition with their near-white relations." We are horrified to hear their answer: "no ... The African was inferior. He represented the missing link between ape and Teuton."4

Adolf Hitler's "social engineering" policy, which resulted in the deaths of millions, was an example of the evolutionary view of races. "Hitler believed in struggle as the Darwinian principle of human life that forced every people to try to dominate all others; without struggle they would rot and perish. Even in his own defeat in April 1945, Hitler expressed his faith in the survival of the stronger and declared the Slavic peoples to have proven themselves the stronger."5

Today, almost 130 years after Darwin's claim, we do not find one superior race, nor do we find particular ethnic groups becoming extinct. Instead, we find different nationalities gaining respect for their individuality and the diversity of their cultures. As we learn more about the development and diversification of man's culture, we realize that society has not evolved into its present state, but that man has used unique gifts and knowledge from God to improve living conditions.

Common Ancestors

All of us, as members of the human race, are descended from the first original family presented in the biblical narrative of Genesis - Adam and Eve. Every race and nationality is traced to this common source. This line of ancestry passed through Noah when God saved his family from the flood. Discoveries in science are providing support for this as well. Scientists recently analyzed and compared a small fragment of DNA isolated from various human placentas. According to reports in Newsweek and Discover, the genetic differences were very small and few distinctions between races were found.

One of the researchers, Berkeley biologist Mark Stonkeking, said, "We're a young species, and there are really few genetic differences among cultures. In terms of our mitochondrial DNA, we're much closely related than almost any other vertebrate or mammalian species."1

Stephen Jay Gould, the Harvard paleontologist and a leading evolutionist, remarked on the significance of this discovery: "It makes us realize that all human beings, despite differences in external appearance, are really members of a single entity that's had a very recent origin in one place. There is a kind of biological brotherhood that's much more profound than we ever realized."2

But Where Did Races Come From?

If Adam and Eve were the parents of the human race, then how did the diversity in humans come about? The answer is really quite simple: it is the result of genetic variation that existed in Adam and Eve. It is not, as some scientists propose, the result of mutation and evolution over thousands of years.

Evolutionist Francisco Ayala has estimated that humans are heterozygous for 6.7 percent of their genes on the average. This 6.7 percent variety would enable Adam and Eve to produce 10 2017 before they would reproduce a twin identical to another born previously. Since the estimated number of particles in the universe is10 80, nothing can compare to the potential variety within two people.

An example of this variation is skin color. We all have the same skin coloring agent, melanin, but in differing amounts. Skin color depends on two genes; let's name them genes A and B. Dark skinned people would have genes AABB as their genotype, while light skinned people would have aabb. If we started with two medium colored people (AaBb), we can theoretically produce all the variation in skin color within one generation. There have been reports of the birth of twins, one of which was light skinned and the other dark skinned. Adam and Eve, created in the perfect image of God, would have had the right genotypes to allow all the skin tone variations that we see today.

The Key Is Language

If human diversity can be explained by very small genetic distinctions between races, then the real fundamental difference between people groups is language. The basic cause of racial or tribal differences must be language, and it usually enforces segregation. However, the origin of languages is still unknown.

Evolutionists, in particular, have no explanation for the origin of languages. They've tried to explain it on the basis of gradual development of communication forms, starting with the early grunts of cavemen and, over time, resulting in our complex form of communication. However, man's unique ability for communication has always posed a problem.

Anthropologist Ralph Linton has stated: "The use of language is very closely associated with the superior thinking ability of humans. In his ability to communicate, man differs even more from other animals than he does in his learning or thinking ... However, man is the only species which has developed communication to the point where he can transmit abstract ideas. ... It is a curious fact that there is not a mammalian species other than man which imitates sounds ... In this respect, humans are truly unique. We know absolutely nothing about the early states of development of language."3

Vastly different and highly complex languages have been in existence as far back as historical evidence goes. As Linton explains, "The so-called primitive languages can throw no light on language origins since most of them are actually more complicated in grammar than the tongues spoken by civilized people."

As far as ancient languages are concerned, evolutionist George Simpson admits, "The oldest language that can reasonably be reconstructed is already modern, sophisticated, and complete from an evolutionary point of view."4

There is no explanation for the origins of different languages except in terms of the special purpose of the Creator. God desired that man should be fruitful and multiply in order to inhabit the entire earth, proclaiming His glory over the entire globe. However, we are told in the biblical record that, shortly after the flood of Noah, men tried to unite themselves into a very centrally located political system around the Tower of Babel (see Genesis 11). We are told that God confused their language, and that mankind was then scattered over the face of the earth.

The earliest record of the Chinese language is thought to have been around 2500 BC, the approximate time that God confused and multiplied the languages at the Tower of Babel. The Chinese people at this time were God-fearing and worshipped Shang Ti, or "the heavenly emperor." China remained a monotheistic culture until the introduction of Confucianism around 500 BC. As a result of having an accurate knowledge of early events, the written Chinese language is composed of characters uniquely adapted and containing the stories found in Genesis.

The Chinese word for tower seems to be a shorthand record of the story of the Tower of Babel. The first root is "dirt or clay," of which the bricks were made to build the tower. The people were all of one speech and united in their rebellion against God, as is seen in Figure 1. The Chinese character for tower most certainly refers to the Tower of Babel, since the Chinese built no towers or pagodas until the Buddhist era.5

The Chinese word for rebellion also means confusion. As seen in figure 2, the story is told in just two root words, tongue and man (right leg).6 When God changed the language of the rebels, the tongue was confused. The right hand part of the character portrays the right leg extended for walking. Since their tongues were speaking new languages, there was nothing left to do but to walk to a new place of their own. Once again, in the very roots of the Chinese language we see an accurate reflection of the Genesis account of the origin of languages.

The Tower of Babel demonstrates God's sovereignty over the nations. Each nation represents a unique characteristic and personality of God. In His eyes, all men are equal in stature, though perhaps different in appearance. One group of people is not superior to another as the evolutionists would try to depict on the basis of natural selection.

Even as scientists today are realizing, all nations have their origin in one family. God considers all men as from one blood: "He made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might seek Him and find Him" (Acts 17:26-27). God established the nations so that each one would fulfill His purposes.

Even as God has a unique destiny for each nation, so God has a purpose for each individual. We must simply seek after Him to discover that purpose for which He created us.

1 John S. Haller, Jr. Outcasts from Evolution: Scientific Attitudes of Racial Inferiority 1859-1900. (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1971).
2 "Charles Darwin: Life and Letters. Letter to W. Graham, July 3, 1881," p. 316: cited in Darwin and the Darwinian Revolution, by Gertrude Himmelfarb, (London: Chatto and Windus, 1959), p. 343.
3 Thomas Huxley, "Lay Sermons," Addresses and Reviews. (New York: Appleton, 1871), p. 20.
4 John C. Burnham, Science, 1972, 175:506.
5 P. Hoffman, Hitler's Personal Security, (Pergamon Press, 1979), p. 264.

1 "The Search for Adam and Eve," NewsWeek, 1/11/88.
2 Ibid.
3 Ralph Linton, The Tree of Culture, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1955), p. 8 and 9.
4 George Gaylord Simpson, "The Biological Nature of Man," Science, 152:477.
5 C.H. Kang and Eythel R. Nelson, The Discovery of Genesis, (St. Louis, Concordia Publishing House, 1979), p. 106.
6 Ibid.

Irrational Love

Ever wondered what Love is all about ? Check out this video !!


Its about LOVE !!!

Does God exist? Is there proof of God? The following offers candid, straight-forward reasons to believe in the existence of God...

By Marilyn Adamson

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Just once wouldn't you love for someone to simply show you the evidence for God's existence? No arm-twisting. No statements of, "You just have to believe." Well, here is an attempt to candidly offer some of the reasons which suggest that God exists.

But first consider this. If a person opposes even the possibility of there being a God, then any evidence can be rationalized or explained away. It is like if someone refuses to believe that people have walked on the moon, then no amount of information is going to change their thinking. Photographs of astronauts walking on the moon, interviews with the astronauts, moon rocks...all the evidence would be worthless, because the person has already concluded that people cannot go to the moon.

When it comes to the possibility of God's existence, the Bible says that there are people who have seen sufficient evidence, but they have suppressed the truth about God.¹ On the other hand, for those who want to know God if He is there, He says, "You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you."² Before you look at the facts surrounding God's existence, ask yourself, If God does exist, would I want to know Him?

Here then, are some reasons to consider...

1. Does God exist? Throughout history, in all cultures of the world, people have been convinced there is a God.

Billions of people, who represent diverse sociological, intellectual, emotional, educational makeups...believe that there is a Creator, a God to be worshipped. Now, the fact that so many people believe something certainly doesn't make it true. But when so many people through the ages are so personally convinced that God exists, can one say with absolute confidence that they are all mistaken?

"Anthropological research has indicated that among the farthest and most remote primitive people today, there is a universal belief in God. And in the earliest histories and legends of people all around the world, the original concept was of one God, who was the Creator. An original high God seems once to have been in their consciousness even in those societies which are today polytheistic."³

2. Does God exist? The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.

Many examples showing God's design could be given, possibly with no end. But here are a few:

The Earth...its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter.⁴ Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life.

The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.

And our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet it restrains our massive oceans from spilling over across the continents.⁵

Water...colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:

It has an unusually high boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating temperature changes, while keeping our bodies a steady 98.6 degrees.

Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that thousands of chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest blood vessels.⁶

Water is also chemically inert. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.

Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees.

Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter.

Ninety-seven percent of the Earth's water is in the oceans. But on our Earth, there is a system designed which removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporation takes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds which are easily moved by the wind to disperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals and people. It is a system of purification and supply that sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water.⁷

The human brain...simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of this article in your hand. Your brain registers emotional responses, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands.

The human brain processes more than a million messages a second.⁸ Your brain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the relatively unimportant. This screening function is what allows you to focus and operate effectively in your world. A brain that deals with more than a million pieces of information every second, while evaluating its importance and allowing you to act on the most pertinent information...can we say mere chance brought about such an astounding organ?

When NASA launches a shuttle mission, it is assumed a monkey didn't write the plan, but intelligent and knowledgeable minds. How does one explain the existence of the human brain? Only a mind more intelligent and knowledgeable than humanity could have created the human brain.

3. Does God exist? Mere "chance" is not an adequate explanation of creation.

Imagine looking at Mount Rushmore, in which the likenesses of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt are carved. Could you ever believe that it came about by chance? Given infinite time, wind, rain and chance, it is still hard to believe something like that, tied to history, was randomly formed in the side of a mountain. Common sense tells us that people planned and skillfully carved those figures.

This article only touches on a few amazing aspects of our world: the Earth's position to the sun, some properties of water, one organ in the human body. Could any of these have come about by chance?

The distinguished astronomer Sir Frederick Hoyle showed how amino acids randomly coming together in a human cell is mathematically absurd. Sir Hoyle illustrated the weakness of "chance" with the following analogy. "What are the chances that a tornado might blow through a junkyard containing all the parts of a 747, accidentally assemble them into a plane, and leave it ready for take-off? The possibilities are so small as to be negligible even if a tornado were to blow through enough junkyards to fill the whole universe!"⁹

When one considers the intricacies of our life and universe, it is reasonable to think that an intelligent, loving Creator provided for everything we need for life. The Bible describes God as the author and sustainer of life.

4. Does God exist? Humankind's inherent sense of right and wrong cannot be biologically explained.

There arises in all of us, of any culture, universal feelings of right and wrong. Even a thief gets upset and feels wronged when someone steals from him. If someone violently grabs a child from a family and rapes that child, there is an anger and revulsion and a rage to confront that act as evil, regardless of the culture. Where did we get this sense of wrongness? How do we explain a universal law in the conscience of all people that says murder for fun is wrong?

And in areas like courage, dying for a cause, love, dignity, duty and compassion, where did these come from? If people are merely products of physical evolution, "survival of the fittest," why do we sacrifice for each other? Where did we get this inner sense of right and wrong? Our conscience can best be explained by a loving Creator who cares about the decisions and harmony of humanity.

5. Does God exist? God not only has revealed Himself in what can be observed in nature, and in human life, but He has even more specifically shown Himself in the Bible.

God's thoughts, personality, and attitudes can only be known if God chooses to reveal them. All else would be human speculation. We are at a loss if God does not wish to be known. But God wants us to know Him and has told us in the Bible all we need to know about His character and how to relate to Him. This makes the reliability of the Bible an important consideration.

Archaeological findings continue to confirm rather than refute the accuracy of the Bible. For example, an archeological find in northern Israel in August 1993 confirmed the existence of King David, author of many of the Psalms in the Bible.¹⁰ The Dead Sea Scrolls and other archaeological discoveries continue to substantiate the historical accuracy of the Bible.

The Bible was written over a 1500-year span, by 40 different authors, in different locations and on separate continents, written in three different languages, covering diverse subject matters at different points in history.¹¹ Yet there is an astounding consistency in its message. Throughout the entire Bible the same message appears:

1. God created the world we live in, and created us specifically to have a relationship with Him.
2. He deeply loves us.
3. We have sinned and are under God's judgment, in need of His forgiveness.
4. God provided a way for our sins to be forgiven.
5. He asks us to receive His forgiveness and have a relationship with Him that will last eternally.

Along with this central script, the Bible specifically reveals God's character. Psalm 145 is a typical summary of God's personality, thoughts and feelings toward us. If you want to know God, here He is.

6. Does God exist? Unlike any other revelation of God, Jesus Christ is the clearest, most specific picture of God.

Why Jesus? Look throughout the major world religions and you'll find that Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius and Moses all identified themselves as teachers or prophets. None of them ever claimed to be equal to God. Surprisingly, Jesus did. That is what sets Jesus apart from all the others. He said God exists and you're looking at Him. Though He talked about His Father in heaven, it was not from the position of separation, but of very close union, unique to all humankind. Jesus said that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father, anyone who believed in Him, believed in the Father.

He said, "I am the light of the world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."¹² He claimed attributes belonging only to God: to be able to forgive people of their sin, free them from habits of sin, give people a more abundant life and give them eternal life in heaven. Unlike other teachers who focused people on their words, Jesus pointed people to himself. He did not say, "follow my words and you will find truth." He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me."¹³

What proof did Jesus give for claiming to be divine? He did what people can't do. Jesus performed miracles. He healed people...blind, crippled, deaf, even raised a couple of people from the dead. He had power over objects...created food out of thin air, enough to feed crowds of several thousand people. He performed miracles over nature...walked on top of a lake, commanding a raging storm to stop for some friends. People everywhere followed Jesus, because He constantly met their needs, doing the miraculous.

What did Jesus reveal about God's personality? What about God's thoughts, expectations and His feelings toward humankind? Jesus Christ showed God to be gentle, loving, aware of our self-centeredness and shortcomings, yet deeply wanting a relationship with us. Jesus revealed that although God views us as sinners, worthy of His punishment, His love for us ruled and God came up with a different plan. God would have His Son receive the punishment for our sin. And Jesus willingly accepted this plan.

Jesus was tortured with a whip of nine sharp-tipped ends. A "crown" of two-inch thorns was pressed into his head. Then they secured Him to a cross by pounding nails through His hands and feet into the wood. Given His other miracles, those nails didn't keep Him on the cross; His love for us did. Jesus died in our place so we could be forgiven. Of all the religions known to humanity, only through Jesus will you see God reaching toward humanity, providing a way for us to have a relationship with Him. Jesus proves a divine heart of love, meeting our needs, drawing us to Himself. Because of Jesus' death we can be forgiven, fully accepted by God and genuinely loved by God. God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."¹⁵ This is God, in action.

The most conclusive proof that Jesus is equal to God was Jesus' most closely scrutinized miracle - His own resurrection from the dead. Jesus said that three days after His burial He would come back to life. On the third day after His crucifixion, the almost two-ton boulder in front of His tomb was catapulted up a slope.¹⁶ The guard of well-trained Roman soldiers saw a blinding light and an angel. The tomb was empty, except for the burial clothes that had been wrapped around Jesus' body. Over the years, legal, historical and logical analysis has been applied to Jesus' resurrection and the most feasible conclusion still is that Jesus rose from the dead.

Does God exist? If you want to know, investigate Jesus Christ. We're told that "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."¹⁷

Do you want to begin a relationship with God and actually know you are accepted by Him?

This is your decision, no coercion here. But if you want to be forgiven by God and come into a relationship with Him, you can do so right now by asking Him to forgive you and come into your life. Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door [of your heart] and knock. He who hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him [or her]."¹⁸ If you want to do this, but aren't sure how to put it into words, this may help: "Jesus, thank you for dying for my sins. You know my life and that I need to be forgiven. I ask you to forgive me right now and come into my life. Thank you that you want a relationship with me. Amen."

God views your relationship with Him as permanent. Referring to all those who believe in Him, Jesus Christ said of us, "I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand."¹⁹

So, does God exist? Looking at all these facts, one can conclude that a loving God does exist and can be known in an intimate, personal way.