Ray Comfort's Blog, page 42

A Special Note

A Special Note: Nothing consumes me like the subject of evangelism, and it's my passion to see the Church of the 21st Century looking and acting like the Church of the 1st Century.  Every corner they turned, they preached the message of everlasting life. They cared for nothing but the salvation of the lost. The contemporary Church is concerned more with itself than with the lost.  So from now on this blog will be an on-going attempt to equip Christians to effectively share their faith. I hope you find it helpful.
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Evangelism: As Exciting as a Root CanalIt was Charles Spurgeon who said that evangelism was an "irksome task." If something is irksome it's"annoying; irritating; tiresome."  The evangelistic burden is a stone in the shoe that won't let us relax and enjoy our Christian walk.  It means embracing a lifestyle that demands the awkwardness of having to talk to people about a subject that makes both parties feel uncomfortable.  The message of the Bible is a big heavy and wet blanket on the world's sinful pleasures.  It therefore elicits rejection, mockery, can destroy lifelong friendships, and make your own family turn on you. Jesus warned that you could even be killed by people who think that they are doing God a favor, when they kill you. 
So who in his right mind should have anything to do with this irksome task? To answer that important question, let's look at Charles Spurgeon's full quote:
"We must school and train ourselves to deal personally with the unconverted. We must not excuse ourselves, but force ourselves to the irksome task until it becomes easy." 
Is he kidding--"Until it becomes easy"? If I may be so bold as to change the Prince of Preacher's words slightly, it may be helpful.  I know that there are certain things I can do to make the task easier, but it never becomes easy for most of us.  Spurgeon had a way with words that few of us have, but that's not an excuse to excuse ourselves from the task.


To be continued.
For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

Life of Joseph

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 38, Psalm 41-43, Matthew 25

The life of Joseph is amazing. While it's important to see that the story is a "type" of the life of the Savior, it has many practical lessons for us--from Jacob favoring one son above his others, to the power of jealousy and its predictable progression to murder. But what is thrilling about Joseph was his ability to patiently suffer while innocent, and then to forgive. Potiphar's lusty wife destroyed his reputation and had Joseph thrown into prison, but there is no word of him angrily getting back to her after he was exalted politically. Perhaps he never had to, because she destroyed her marriage by running off with another slave. God knows. Then there's the butler and baker episode, where Joseph was left to rot in prison, and the wonderfully forgiving attitude he had towards his nasty brothers, after he revealed himself to them. So take the time to study the life of Joseph, and watch not only for the parallels to our redemption in Christ, but for all the life's lessons we can learn--and in doing so, save ourselves some pain.

Dessert
Copying the Healing Power of the Body
The body's capacity of healing itself of scrapes and cuts can be invaluable if applied to polymers composites used to build aircraft fuselage. "Self-healing plastics" is the name of a composite material in development by scientists. These plastics are made from hollow fibers and filled with epoxy resin that is released when the fibers are damaged with cracks or stresses.

"Care more for a grain of faith than a ton of excitement." ― Charles H. Spurgeon


For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

A Can of Paint

Comfort Food 
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 37, Psalm 39-40, Matthew 24
A family recently made the mistake of putting a large bucket of paint on the back seat of their car, instead of putting it in the trunk. They were then involved in an accident, spraying the inside of the vehicle and its passengers with paint. It was reported that the ambulance driver wouldn't let the female paramedic out of the ambulance because she couldn't stop laughing -- he said it wasn't professional.
Most people think that sin only affects themselves, but it often affects a whole family. When a man is caught in adultery, he not only destroys the trust of his wife, but he betrays his children, and he dishonors his name.  Such was the way with King David when he lusted after his neighbor's wife, took her to himself, and then committed adultery. The two secretly tangoed, and then the sin was swept under the carpet. But the woman became pregnant and his adultery exploded like a can of paint in a car accident.  He ending up taking the husband's life, taking his wife, destroying their marriage, resulting in the death of the baby, the dishonor of his name, and the downfall of his kingdom.  Such is the eventual destructive nature of sin. If it doesn't get you in this life, it will get you in the next. Turn from sin (trust in the Savior), and then stay away from it.

Dessert
Copying the Hummingbird
"A technical milestone never before achieved: controlled precision hovering and fast-forward flight of a two wing, flapping wing aircraft that carries its own energy source, and uses only the flapping wings for propulsion and control has been achieved by AeroVironment. The milestone was part of the Phase II contract awarded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to AV to design and build a flying prototype 'hummingbird-like' aircraft for the Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) program. The final concept demonstrator is called the 'Nano Hummingbird' and is capable of climbing and descending vertically, flying sideways left and right, flying forward and backward, as well as rotating clockwise and counter-clockwise, under remote control and carrying a video camera payload. During the demonstration the Nano Hummingbird flew in and out of a building through a normal-size doorway." 

Source: McFarland, M. W. (ed.), The Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright, Vol. 1: 1899-1905, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1953.

"When you see a man with a great deal of religion displayed in his shop window, you may depend upon it he keeps a very small stock of it within." ― Charles H. Spurgeon

For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

Tossed in the Trash

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 36, Psalm 38, Matthew 23

The Associate Press today reported that in Los Angeles "One of the world's smallest surviving babies was discharged Friday from the hospital where she spent nearly five months in an incubator — but not before getting the Hollywood treatment." This tiny person was born at 9 1/2 ounces, less than a can of soda. "Wearing a pink knit hat and wrapped in a pink princess blanket, Melinda Star Guido was greeted by a mob of television cameras and news photographers outside the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center." The world is celebrating the survival of the second smallest baby ever born in the U.S. But not too many are asking, "What's wrong with this picture?" This is the age at which babies are legally killed through abortion, and yet there's festivity and wonder that this child survived. That's like the Nazi's celebrating because a Jew survived the horror of their concentration camp. The only reason this baby wasn't torn limb from limb while in the womb, was because her mother wanted her to live. Had she seen her as an inconvenience, a mere signing of a form, and Melinda would have been tossed in the trash, and not cradled in an incubator. Please, help us to change hearts and minds about the horror of legalized abortion. See 180movie.com then pass it on.

Dessert
Copying the Night Vision of Bees and Beetles
"The nocturnal vision of insects has led biology professor Eric Warrant at Lund University in Sweden to an exciting collaboration with the automaker Toyota. The collaborative project aims to develop a new type of color camera that, in the future, will help people drive cars more safely when it's dark outside."
Warrant said, "For instance, there's a lot to be learned from nocturnally active dung beetles that live in cow dung." The professor and his team at the department of biology, Lund University, are interested in the function of eyes of various animal, especially in terms of their ability to see in the dark. Beetles, bees and moths have compound eyes with multiple lenses that work and these work together to make a single image in the animal's eye..." [Source]

"That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors." ― Charles H. Spurgeon

For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

The Dew of Heaven

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 34-35, Psalm 37, Matthew 22

One of the greatest falsehoods perpetuated from modern pulpits has that sin isn't pleasurable, or that you can't find happiness without Jesus. Those who preach such things either don't know their Bibles or they are living in a cave; a very dark cave. The Scriptures tell us that in these days, people will be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God (see 2 Timothy 3:4). Moses chose to suffer with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season (see Hebrews 11:25). Sin can make you happy; very happy. Jeremiah lamented, "Why are they all so happy who deal treacherously" (Jeremiah 12:1). Lying can make people happy. So can theft. Adultery has made many people very happy. They had their cake and ate it. Pornography makes millions happy every day. If it doesn't, why is the industry deliriously successful? They belt out movies as if there is no eternity. Even in a bad economy they make big money, and their customers are so pleased with what they see, like a drunken alcoholic, they come back for more. But those who love God deny themselves sinful pleasures, not to gain merit-points but because they are forgiven by the grace of God. The dew of Heaven has revealed the spider-web of sin, and they know better than to become entangled in that which promises death and certain damnation.

Dessert
Copying the Moth's Eye
"Anti-reflective surfaces of fly and moth eyes are formed from directional ridges which maximize the absorption of light. Moth eye structures have already been harnessed for large-scale commercialization, using lithographic techniques to print the surface pattern onto windows. The surface structures can be reproduced much more accurately using electron beam etching and have been used more recently in smaller, solid plastics and lenses…. This is able to capture light arriving at the surface from different angles. Consequently it has been used on the surfaces of solar panels, providing a 10 per cent increase in energy capture by reducing the reflected portion of sunlight." [Source]

"Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend." ― Charles H. Spurgeon


For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

Square One

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 32—33, Psalm 36, Matthew 21

The Bible tells us that we can find comfort through the Scriptures, and those who love the Word of God sure do. Psalms especially not only address our problems, but they give us insight into the hearts and actions of the ungodly, of the fate of those who remain in sin, and the future of those who love God. Psalm 36 is one such consoling Psalm. It immediately puts its finger on why the world is in such a terrible mess: "There is no fear of God before their eyes" (verse 1). The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the world hasn't even got to Square One. And so the ungodly man "flatters himself in his own eyes" (verse 2). But God is merciful and holds back His anger, because He's not willing that sinners perish. He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. In the meanwhile we trust under the shadow of His wings, and look forward to the day in which we will drink of the river of His pleasures, forevermore. For with Him is the fountain of life, and in His light we shall see light (verses 8-9).

Dessert
Architecture Copies Nature
"What Cities Look Like When Architecture Imitates Nature: The world may finally be ready for Zaha Hadid. An Iraq-born deconstructivist architect based in London, Hadid has been making waves with controversial and futuristic architectural concepts for over 20 years. Many of her ideas never made it past the drawing board, because the designs were just too…well, different. Now, she's gaining steam, and has projects going all over the world. She was recently commissioned to design an Aquatics Centre in London for the 2012 Summer Olympics, a Performing Arts Center in Abu Dhabi, and the spaceship-like Innovation Tower for the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her buildings are oddly shaped (compared to traditional architecture), but definitely have a very organic feel…" [Source]

"Men will allow God to be everywhere but on his throne." Charles H. Spurgeon

For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

Instant Life's Lesson

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 31, Psalm 35, Matthew 20

In Genesis 31:32, Jacob made a rash vow. He said that whoever it was that had his father-in-law's idols would die. Little did he know that his own beloved wife had hidden them in the "furniture" of her camel. Fortunately for Jacob, his father-in-law didn't find his idols and nothing came of the vow. Japheth was another man who made a crazy vow. He said that he would sacrifice whatever came out of his house to meet him when he got home that day. His beloved daughter came out to meet him.
The Bible tells us that Scripture was written for our learning, and we can learn a great deal about what not to do from those who made tragic mistakes in life. We can learn from Adam to Noah, from Esau to Judas, to Solomon to Peter. For those who know their Bibles, each name can be matched up to an instructional word or phrase. What name comes to mind when you ask yourself, Who was it that despised his birthright? Who was disobedient? Who gave himself to foreign women? Who was impetuous? Who loved money more than God? Who was deceived by alcohol?
May we know the Scriptures like the back of our hand, so that with the mere mention of a biblical name we have an instant life's lesson, and avoid the pitfalls of daily living.

Dessert
Copying Algae
"But in the nano-sized realm, copying sometimes isn't good enough. Lithography can't always accurately mimic Nature's elaborate architecture, or if it can, commercial scale manufacture is too expensive. Scientists are now realizing that Nature needn't just inspire new designs: cells can actually be hijacked to grow natural structures for us. To begin with, we have borrowed Nature's ready-made templates. Viruses have been harvested as building blocks to create iridescent films, while diatoms – single-celled algae – have been chemically converted into lace-like structures of nanocomposite materials." [Source]

"The Lord's mercy often rides to the door of our heart upon the black horse of affliction." ― Charles H. Spurgeon

For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

Sound-man

Comfort Food
It's been rightly said that no one is listening to you, until you make a mistake. Try it. You will become the centre of attention. This is never more evident than with the sound-man at a church service. As far as the congregation is concerned, he doesn't exist until something goes wrong. A dead microphone or high-pitch squeal from an amplifier, and suddenly everyone's head turns to the cause of the problem—the incompetent sound-man. Few take into account that a thousand church services ran without a hitch or high-pitch. All that matters is that moment of annoyance and someone on whom the blame can be pinned. Such is the contempt produced by familiarity.
As far as the world is concerned, God doesn't is totally irrelevant (or doesn't exist) until something goes wrong. Accidents, earthquakes, famines, draughts, hurricanes, and 101 other disasters that hit humanity tend to make many look to the heavens and question God's competence. It's a wonder more sound-men don't throw up their hands and quit. Does God ever do that? I think there may be biblical precedent—from Noah's flood, to Israel in the wilderness, to Ananias and Sapphira.

Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 30, Psalm 34, Matthew 19

Dessert
Copying the Elephant's Trunk to make an Arm
"Though it looks more like Dr. Octopus' mechanical tentacles from 'Spiderman, a flexible, robotic arm recently developed by German automation company Festo was actually fashioned after an elephant's trunk…In designing the Bionic Handling Assistant, Festo took a page from nature's playbook rather than go with the metal skeletal bars and tubes that comprise conventional robotic arms. 'Biomimicry, as this design and engineering aesthetic is called, draws inspiration from the biomechanical systems that the process of evolution has honed for millions of years, often resulting in startling insights over manmade artificial solutions."
[Source]

"Have your heart right with Christ, and he will visit you often, and so turn weekdays into Sundays, meals into sacraments, homes into temples, and earth into heaven." ― Charles H. Spurgeon

For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

Miracles

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 28-29, Psalm 33, Matthew 18

According to the secular media miracles happen regularly. An ocean-liner sinks, and days later someone is pulled to safety. This is hailed as a "miracle." While the media usually keeps the mentioning of God to the minimum, they do know that miracle stories lift ratings. They are heart-warming to viewers. But the truth is, we don't know when God intervenes in the lives of human beings. He does the miraculous, but He's not always in the miracle-mode. The first eleven disciples were murdered for their faith. They no doubt prayed for miraculous deliverance, but it didn't happen. So why would anyone want to be a Christian--if God lets His own be killed? Here's a good reason--all who repent and trust in Jesus have His immutable promise of immortality. On top of that, He transforms sin-loving sinners so that they love what is right and hate what is wrong. So, if you are looking for a miracle, there's the big one. Death is overcome through the new birth, and the door of everlasting life is thrust open by the grace of Almighty God. Christianity begins and ends with a miracle. C. S. Lewis said, "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

Dessert
Copying Lotus Leaves
The surface of lotus leaves have
bumps that make the water to bead and pick up contaminates. Scientists have developed chemicals to treat the surface of plastic and metals to cause the same effect, in which water rolls off and takes the contaminates with it. This effect has many applications that have made windshield wipers and car wax obsolete. Companies as General Electric are developing coatings for commercial products as well.

"The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted." Charles H. Spurgeon

For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

Who You Know

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 27, Psalm 32, Matthew 17

I regularly preach open air each Saturday at Huntington Beach, in Southern California, and crossed swords with a Jehovah's Witness recently. This man was tall, eloquent, and certain that he was right and that the entire Christian Church was wrong about the way of salvation. Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe in the eternality of Hell, the existence of Heaven as the place of departed believers, and the deity of Jesus Christ (among other things). For a J.W. salvation isn't a free gift, and yet that is the clear teaching of the Bible (see Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9). All who repent and trust alone in Jesus pass from death to life, something about which my contentious heckler disagreed. Even their twisted New World Translation is clear that eternal life isn't what you know, but Who you know. It's so simple a child can understand it: "And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God" (1 John 5:11-13). Jesus Christ is the source of life, and if you know Him, you are saved. [Fortunately, we caught the hot discourse on camera and hope to have it for you in the near future].


Dessert
Copying Grass
"During the 50s and 60s, the Ford
Foundation was studying ways to improve the physical fitness of young people. At the same time, the Chemstrand Company, a subsidiary of Monsanto Industries, were developing new synthetic fibers for use as tough carpeting. Chemstrand was encouraged to try to make the perfect urban sports surface for schools by the Ford Foundation. From 1962 to 1966, Chemstrand worked on creating new sports surfaces. The surfaces were tested for foot traction and cushioning, weather drainage, flammability and wear resistance. In 1964, the Creative Products Group installed a synthetic turf called Chemgrass at the Moses Brown School in Providence Rhode Island. This was the first large-scale installation of a synthetic turf."
Source: http://inventors.about.com/od/astarti...

"You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled." ― Charles H. Spurgeon


For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.
For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.