Hello!
I hope you had a super weekend.
My debate against atheist lawyer Eddie Tabash went very well. We filled the 175 seat auditorium at CFI West (the Center for Inquiry West) in Hollywood and about 25 people had to stand. My arguments for God's existence were sound and convincing, even though 98% of the audience were atheists. The video and audio of the debate will be available within a week or two.
After the debate, I was approached by the Co-President of Atheists United and asked if I would like to debate in Lancaster, California. I have some family there and visit Lancaster occasionally, so it may work well. I also discussed a future debate with Eddie over the separation of church and state. This debate will likely take place at either UCLA or UCSD. More details will be forthcoming.
Finally, you can get the Bible and other Christian resources right on your cell phone! King James Mobile, the premier Christian content application offers anytime access to the King James Bible and much more! Subscribers have access to an extensive calendar of Christian events throughout the U.S., inspirational messages from leading pastors (including JCSM's messages!) and a topical review of major Christian themes. Users can search the Bible using keywords, read specific chapters, and save specific passages as their favorites. Only $4.99 per month puts the Word on your mobile phone and you can click here to get started today!
A very special thanks goes to Pastor Howard Everett at Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego. Once again, he donated photocopying for our Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained, Collegiate Workbooks. We pray that him, his family, and his congregation are richly blessed.
On Wednesday, the Mexican National Soccer Team plays against Venezuela in San Diego. My soccer team and I will be going. Let me know if you will be! It should be an exciting game. Also on Wednesday, the Christian comedian called Nazareth performs at Horizon Christian Fellowship and The Kry plays at Maranatha Chapel in San Diego!
My competitive club soccer team begins practices, tomorrow. Please pray that we have a great season. I'll be coaching my first competitive club and they'll begin as a boys Under 17 team and move up to a boys Under 19 team after the State Cup in April.
Welcome to the new readers of this message! Here is your Devotion, A Moment of Introspection, JCSM's Challenge, the Word of the Week, a faith-builder from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained," and the Quotes of the Week. Have a fantastic week and God bless you!
Love in Christ,
Jason Gastrich, Ph.D.
Contact Us: http://jcsm.org/contact.php
JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)
"What the Bible Says About Atheism"
Psalm 14:1-3 "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. The LORD
looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who
understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, They have together
become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one."
Psalm 10:4 "The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek
God;
God is in none of his thoughts."
Romans 1:18-32 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them."
Insight: The Bible tells us that fools deny God's existence. God's Word also tells us that these people have no excuse for their unbelief because God's existence and his invisible attributes are clearly seen through nature. They have exalted the creation and the creature above the Creator.
Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us and make us like You. Help those who do not believe and let them see You clearly. Thank you for loving us so much and giving so much. Remind unbelievers that they can repent and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. Reveal your truth to them. Help them to be honest truth-seekers who really examine the evidence. Bless them and bless Christians as they approach them. Give us the right words to say and help us to say them in a spirit of love. In Jesus' name, Amen."
"God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever." - Query XVII, Notes on the State of Virginia (excerpts of those statements are on the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.)
"No power over the freedom of religion . . . (is) delegated to the United States by the Constitution." - The Kentucky Resolution, 1798
"The Christian religion, when divested of the rags in which they (the clergy) have enveloped it, and brought to the original purity and simplicity of its benevolent institutor, is a religion of all others most friendly to liberty, science, and the freest expansion of the human mind." - A letter to Moses Robinson, March 23, 1801
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation of Church and State." - A letter to the Danbury Baptists, January 1, 1802
If you'd like to have the citations for the footnotes above, please email us. If you'd like to see more quotes from those who framed and founded America, please click here: http://jcsm.org/AmericasFounders/.
Sometimes we miss the most obvious because it's surrounded by the unimportant.
Witness to an atheist, skeptic, agnostic, or unbeliever. First, pray for them. Let God prepare their heart and yours. Find a way to lovingly approach them and ask some questions about their faith (or lack thereof). Make sure you ask them about the person of Jesus Christ because that is what salvation and the Christian faith is all about.
God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!
morahneeo (see Romans 1:22): to become insipid, figuratively to make as a simpleton, become fool, make foolish, lose savour
The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained
"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:
Exodus 20:16 - "Thou shalt not bear false witness." But Paul and others are willing to lie a little to further God's truth (Rom.3:7, 2 Cor.12:16).
"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds:
In Romans 3:7, Paul never lies or encourages lying. Paul offers a rhetorical statement to people who doubted. He says, "For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?" The truth of God couldn't be increased by a lie. This is precisely why this statement is rhetorical.
In 2 Corinthians 12:16, Paul never lies, admits to lying, or promotes lying. In fact, he emphasizes how he was pure and did not sin against the Corinthians.
(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Dr. Jason Gastrich. This book is on CD and gives over 4,000 answers to alleged Bible errors, regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org. There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)
Solomon points out the obvious in the book of Ecclesiastes.
Even when we have God in our life, we can have problems when we try and make him fit into our plan or reality.
In Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon looking at life and analyzing it.
When you see faulty justice, remember that judgment is coming.
Life continues in spite of our inequities and our lack of knowledge, so we should not worry about those things.
If you try and resolve things with your own wisdom, apart from God, you won't resolve them.
Solomon calls for balance in life. You don't have to have it all, but you should work and have something.
Relationships come first and relationships come second.
Don't use your friends to get what you want. Use what you have to encourage your friends.
If you want to be happy, don't make popularity your goal.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon tries to make us come back to the reality of God.
These quotes came from me, the Holy Spirit, and Dr. David Jeremiah. If you'd like to read more quotes, we have thousands in our archive! Visit http://quotes.jcsm.org.
6866 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111
Jason Gastrich, Ph.D.
JCSM's Director
______________________________________________________
JCSM is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization. Copyright © 1997-present.