UFC: Believing in God

In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis offers one philosophical explanation for the existence of God:

In the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist—in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless—I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality—namely my idea of justice—was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.

Genesis 1:1 tell us that "God created the heavens and earth." He was in existence before ANYTHING else.

Psalm 19:1 then gives us proof of His existence.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

John 1:1 reminds us that in the beginning was the Word, meaning that the Word (Jesus) existed before time, space or universe began. And the Word was God...Jesus and God are one. John was emphatic. Everything that had been made had been created through the Word. The Bible consistently tied together God’s eternal preexistence and the creation of all things by Him at the beginning of time. There was, is, and will be Someone “out there” who is greater than His creation.

Without God, (the source of good) would we know the difference between right and wrong?

God is Real
In the following categories list how God is real (evident) to you.

Nature/Creation, In Others, In Your Life

Suppose you were talking to a non-believer who questioned the existence of God, write how/what you would share with this person.

UFC: Contending for the Faith

A new series has begun!!

As we began our new series today entitled, "Ultimate Faith Challenge" we discussed Contending for the Faith. We defined the word contend (debate, contest, compete, grapple) and how it relates to our faith. Do you know what and why you believe? Can you hold your own in a debate about your beliefs?

Jude vs. 3-5 informs us that there are "godless men" among us and we must be aware of those who have "secretly slipped in." We live in a world where it is more acceptable to be passive about our beliefs than it is to stand up and represent Christ. We can not allow ourselves to be distracted by our work, family, or friends. We have been called by Christ to "go and make disciples of all nations." To do this we must be prepared...we must hide His word in our hearts and ask Him to go before us in all we say and all we do.

Do not allow yourself to become so comfortable with your Christianity that you live as if God does not exist.

Jesus: Bridegroom

After 11 weeks in our series entitled, "It's In The Name", we concluded with Bridegroom. In Matthew 25 we discussed the parable of the ten virgins and how five of them were wise and brought their lamps and oil to await the bridegroom. The other five were foolish and brought their lamps but did not take oil. When the bridegroom arrived, the wise virgins were able to follow him into the banquet hall, but the foolish virgins, who were not prepared for his arrival, had gone out to purchase more oil and they returned to a shut door. When they requested to enter the banquet hall they were told, "I do not know you." The Bridegroom in this story represents Christ and the 10 virgins represent the church. There are many, many people around us every Sunday (yes, even at Lake Pointe) who are considered the "foolish virgins". They have access to the light...they have the ability and resources to ignite the fire within themselves and become Christ followers, but they choose not to prepare for His coming. It is our responsibility, as His bride, to prepare for Christ's return. Prepare by reading His Word, repenting of your sins, communing with Him through daily prayer, and share your light with others so that they too may anxiously await His arrival.

Revelation 19:7-8 "...For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean was given to her to wear."

Desire to be dressed in pure white...live the way you want Him to find you when He returns.

Jesus: The Door

During our hour together today, we discussed Jesus: The Door. We took a birds-eye view of the Tabernacle's layout and how each instrument within its walls points directly to Christ and was placed specifically by God. Just as the Tabernacle has only one gate, we see that it says in John 10:9, Jesus Christ is the door and "If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved..." Once we pass through this door of salvation, there are pieces of the puzzle that we must find and complete. As the Brazen Altar reminds us that we must be in repentance of our sins, the Laver is there to cleanse us, through the washing by the Word. We are to witness to the lost and are commanded in Matthew 5 to "let your light shine before men..." God desires fellowship with us so much that He was willing to come to earth as our "bread of life". We are to be in daily prayer and remember that as those prayers are "wafting up to heaven" like a sweet perfume (Psalm 141), they smell of a fragrance so pleasing to God, He does not want it shared with the world. What better depiction of God being revealed to us in the Holy of Holies than when the Veil tore from the top down during Christ's crucifixion so that we now have direct access to the Father through His son!

Our Father has painted a beautiful picture for us in His divine design of the Most Holy Place. Our puzzle will not be complete until we are standing before the throne of the Almighty, but it is up to us to create a portrait on Earth that is pleasing to Him.

Take the time this week to review your "Tabernacle" and see if there is a door that you need to walk through to deepen your relationship with Him.

Jesus: Cornerstone

As we cruise into the last few weeks of our series entitled "It's In The Name" we discussed Cornerstone today. One of the interesting things pointed out today was that different versions of the Bible state that Christ is either the cornerstone or capstone. We looked at Matthew 21 and how Christ is seen as an authoritative figure, like a king, how He makes his presence known. He doesn't calmly ask the people making money in the temple to leave...he overturns the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves and states, "My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a 'den of robbers'". Can you imagine the power behind his voice?! Those clowns probably jumped right out of their sandals!

Jesus Christ should be what we use as a basis for every situation in our lives. Defined as the capstone (large stone used to anchor and align the corner of a wall), He is ruler over us. The Hebrew word for "corner" is sometimes used as a metaphor for leader or ruler. Isn't it amazing how there are no coincidences in the Bible!

Because Christ loves us and died for us, we know that His authority and ruling are to protect us from harm, steer us from evil, and will never lead us even into temptation.

This week do a self-evaluation. Make sure He is the Cornerstone you base all of your decisions upon.

Jesus: Good Shepherd

As we continue our study of "It's In the Name" today we discussed Good Shepherd. We talked about the different characteristics of sheep...helpless, followers who are dumb (and fluffy) and why it is necessary for a shepherd to watch the flock. A shepherd has a vested interest in his sheep. He loves them and wants to keep them out of harm's way. He sleeps across the gate at night to keep his sheep from wandering and to guard them from predators. Visualizing Christ as our Shepherd in Psalm 23 is very powerful. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." He provides us nourishment, guidance, comfort and courage - even in death. He is always there to watch over us. In John 10, Jesus states, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep."

We are his little lambs that are led astray by the temptations of this world. Isn't it comforting to know that He loves us and cares for us enough that he will leave the entire herd to round us up and bring us back to His side? Thank you, Good Shepherd.

Jesus: Living Water

Did you know that the human body can go weeks without food, but can only survive days without water?

In ABF this week we discussed how Jesus Christ is our Living Water. The Lord provided life-sustaining water for the Israelites at the beginning and end of their wandering. He showed them that it is He who gives them life and he used Moses' faith to reveal Himself to the people. Jesus offered the Samaritan woman at the well a water that would "become a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The expression welling up is used as a vigorous expression, with a meaning like leaping up. Jesus was speaking of vigorous, abundant life.

Things of earth – money, power, pleasures, government, job, health, family, ministry – cannot refresh you forever. They all dry up eventually. Don’t look in these places for significance, satisfaction, or security. Only through Jesus Christ will our spiritual thirst be quenched once and for all.

Can you think of something in your life that is being temporarily satisfied?