Finding God by Cheri Henderson - HTML preview

Atheism

Origins:   Greek   philosopher   Diagoras   of   Melos,   who   lived   five centuries  before  Christ,  is  often  considered  the  first  atheist,  having criticized   religion.   Around   the   same   time,   philosophers   such   as Leucippus  and  Democritus  tried  to  explain  the  world  in  terms  of materialism.  Similarly,  Plato’s  uncle  Critas  denounced  religion  as  a human invention created to frighten people into submission.

Beliefs:  Atheists  do  not  believe  in  the  existence  of  a  God  and  are often  hostile  to  the  very  concept.  They  view  religion  as  harmful  and instead  value  science,  reason,  freedom  of  thought,  and  the  human experience.

Their Holy Books: Not applicable

Who Jesus Is to Them: In the minds of atheists, Jesus is a vehicle of conformity and control for the universal Christian church.

Followers: About 136 million and steadily declining

Teachings on Salvation: Because they do not believe in God, they do not believe in eternity. People cease to be upon death.

The Atheist Path to Accept Jesus Christ as Savior

You Believe

Whether  you  want  to  admit  it  or  not,  you  have  a  belief  system. You are a person of faith. And your faith teaches you that the infinite complexity  of  the  universe  is  the  product  of  random  mutations.  The odds   of   evolution   occurring,   according   to   British   mathematician  Richard  Penrose,  is  1010123.  .That  would  make  you  a  freakishly wonderful accident. Believing in those odds takes faith.

Even  secular  scientists  like  renowned  atheist  Richard  Dawkins acknowledge   the   problem   with   that   view.   See,   evolution   and increased complexity are in direct violation of Newton’s Second Law of Thermodynamics. Said Dawkins, “We have seen that living things are too improbable and too beautifully ‘designed’ to have come into existence by chance.”

Are you ready to take your chances?

We Believe

Christ-followers don’t place their faith in numbers; they place their faith  in  a  sovereign,  eternal  God,  and  He  has  made  Himself  known through Jesus Christ.

He  [Jesus]  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  firstborn  over  all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth,  visible  and  invisible,  whether  thrones  or  powers  or  rulers  or authorities;  all  things  were  created  by  Him  and  for  Him.  (Colossians 1:15-16)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things  were  made;  without  Him  nothing  was  made  that  has  been made.  In  Him  was  life,  and  that  life  was  the  light  of  men.  .  .  .  The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory or the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-4;14).

Do we understand how an eternal God could exist? No. But if we served a god whom we could comprehend, he would be a small god indeed. And God, in His infinite grace, knew we were too small, too weak  and  too  imperfect  to  save  ourselves,  so  He  came  to  earth  as  a man who took the punishment for our failings on Himself.

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)

I  am  the  way,  the  truth  and  the  life.  No  one  comes  to  the  Father except through Me. (John 14:6).

What If?

You  probably  believe  that  there’s  nothing  beyond  this  life.  But  if you’re  willing  to  bank  on  the  impossible  odds  of  evolution,  is  it  so far-fetched to consider another long shot – that you could be wrong?

But  let’s  start  by  supposing  you’re  right  and  we’re  wrong.  If  that’s the  case,  we  as  Christians  have  lived  our  lives  with  purpose  and grace, and the planet is a better place for us. In other words, we may all have  the  same  non-destination, but at least we’ve  made  the  most of our journey. We still win.

But let’s suppose that we’re right and you’re wrong. If we are right, all of us will face judgment. (And, in case you’re still into odds, you may be interested in knowing that it would be exponentially easier if we  covered  Texas  with  2  feet  of  quarters  and  asked  a  blindfolded person to pick out a marked one on the first try than it would be for Jesus  to  fulfill  324  Old  Testament  prophecies.  Actually,  the  playing field   would   be   level   if   Jesus   fulfilled   just   eight   prophecies.   Just saying.)

.  .  .  just  as  man  is  destined  to  die  once,  and  after  that  to  face judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)

Some of us – those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord – will be saved. The rest will face eternal condemnation.

For  the  wages  of  sin  is  death,  but  the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life  in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Are you ready to take a chance on eternity? Are you ready to trust

Jesus?

How to Get Saved Now

If  you  believe  Jesus  is  who  he  says  He  is  and  you  are  ready  to  be forgiven  of  your  sins  and  live  a  new  life  in  Christ,  pray  this  simple prayer:

Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, that You died for my sins and the sins of the world, and that You rose again from the dead, defeating death and hell. Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, and I can’t save myself. Please save me from my sins and be my Savior and Lord. Help me to live a new life in You. I pray this in Your mighty and holy name. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer and take God at His word, you are now a child of the living God, and no one can snatch you out of the Father’s hand (John 10:28). You are a new person!

Therefore,  if  anyone  is  in  Christ,  the  new  creation  has  come:  The old has gone, the new is here! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Some Next Steps:

1.  Tell  someone  about  the  decision  you’ve  made.  The  Bible  tells us,  “If  you  declare  with  your  mouth,  ‘Jesus  is  Lord,’  and  believe  in your  heart  that  God  raised  him  from  the  dead,  you  will  be  saved” (Romans 10:9).

2. Find a church. Click here to find a church near you where you can grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ and enjoy fellowship with other Christ-followers.

3. Learn more about what it means to be a Christ-follower. Try this 30-day study that will walk you through your new life in Christ.

4.  Get  baptized  as  a  public  demonstration  of  your  new  faith  in Christ. Baptism  is a symbol of our new  identity in Christ, as Romans 6:4 explains. Acts 8:35-38 provides a beautiful picture of baptism as a sign of obedience.