Angry With The Builder

Do you know someone who gets irritated and angry or totally dismisses you every time you bring up the subject of God? Why is it that some people will talk about such things and others pretend that He doesn't even exist?



I've been thinking quite a bit about my approach to evangelism lately. We are to tell people about Jesus. But tell them what?

Acts 17

22Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

 23For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

 24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

 25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

 26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

 27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

 28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

 29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

 30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

 31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

 32And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

 33So Paul departed from among them.

I will notice that Paul never once said that God loves you, please ask Jesus into your heart. He said the same thing to the Gentiles as Peter said to the Jews:

Act 3:19          Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

The good news is that when the day of judgement comes, those who have taken their refuge in Jesus will be spared from the wrath to come. That is very different from what most people think the gospel is.

I found this link over at the Berean Wife blog and I downloaded the mp3 teaching. Ray Comfort makes some very good points about the gospel, false conversion, and our approach to the entire thing.  If you have a heart to do something to in the area of telling the good news, this is something that is worthwhile to consider.

Suppressing the Knowledge of God

Before being saved, I dabbled in calling myself an atheist. I mean what is cooler than an atheist? I didn't need any God to tell me what to do. After all, religion is so oppressive and such a crutch. Only really weak-minded and clueless people would worship something outside of themselves. I could be a perfectly good human without the menacing tyrannical judgment of an Almighty hanging over my head...

All that changed one day when I was confronted, strongly, mightily and unmistakably with the holiness and fear of the Lord.

A friend of mine and I were discussing this and she said that there really are not atheists, that they are just suppressing the knowledge of God. That is so true. Even the scriptures address this:

Romans 1
18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

2Timothy2

 ²⁴And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, ²⁵In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; ²⁶And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.