Ferdi told us that we have to grow spiritually - it is not optional. There is also a link between repentance and faith that is often missed by Christians. The second video had no words, but you can read it below or watch it on youtube.
After the service we had good fellowship around a spaghetti lunch that the men have arranged on short notice.
Video 2 story complete: A well-respected scholar and avowed atheist was speaking at a large outdoor picnic. He spoke for two and a half hours attempting to prove that the resurrection of Jesus was false. He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection, the religious tradition of the church was groundless emotional nonsense because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who never rose from the dead in any literal sense. He then asked if there were any questions.After about 30 seconds, an old preacher stood up. "Sir, I have one question," he said as all eyes turned toward him. He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple he had been eating. "My question is a simple question," he said before taking another bite of the apple. He continued, "I haven't read all the books you have, and I can't recite the Scriptures in the original Greek." He took a couple more bites of the apple and said, "I don't know a thing about Niebuhr and Heidegger." He finished the apple and said, "All I wanna know is: this apple I just finished, was it tart or sweet?" The speaker paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion, "I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven't tasted your apple." The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag and said calmly, "Neither have you tasted my Jesus." Have you tasted Jesus? "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. If you have, rejoice in the hope of the resurrection that your faith in Him brings." - Psalm 34:8 Video 1 conclusion: The Bible answers that in 10 words:
Time is past, present, future. Space has length, width, height. Matter has solid, liquid, gas. You have a trinity of trinities created instantaneously and the God who created them has to be outside of them. If He's limited by time He's not God. The guy who created this computer is not in the computer. He's not running around in there changing the numbers on the screen. The God who created this universe is outside of the universe. He's above it, beyond it, in it, through it. He's unaffected by it. So the concept that of "a spiritual force cannot have any effect on a material body": Well then I guess you'd have to explain to me things like emotions and love and hatred and envy and jealousy and rationality. I mean if your brain is just a random collection of chemicals that formed by chance over billions of years, how on earth can you trust your own reasoning processes!?! And the thoughts that you think? So I your your question: "Where did God come from?" is assuming a limited god and that's your problem. The God that I worship is not limited by time, space or matter. If I could fit the infinite God in my three-pound brain, then He would not be worth worshiping! That's for certain. So that's the God that I worship! | 1 Corinthians 13:9-13 NLT 9 Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! 10 But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear. 11 It's like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now. 13 There are three things that will endure -- faith, hope, and love -- and the greatest of these is love. Galatians 5:22-23 NIV 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Mark 11:12-14 12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it. NIV Hebrews 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars -- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." Romans 5:3-5 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. NIV 2 Peter 1:5-7 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. NIV James 1:2-5 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. NIV James 1:13-15 13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. NIV John 6:66-69 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." Mark 1:14-15 NIV 14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. NIV |