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 10.
Troubleshooting Cults, Atheists, Skeptics
If you know the Lord, nothing will shake
your faith. It is true that the man with an experience
is not at the mercy of a man with an argument. Take for
example a little boy who is looking at a heater. His father
warns him that it's hot. The child says, "O.K. I
believe it's hot." At that point, he has an intellectual
belief that the heater is hot. When his Dad leaves the
room, he says, "I wonder if it really is hot?"
He then reaches out his little hand and grabs the heater
bar with his fingers. The second his flesh burns he stops
believing the heater is hot. He now knows it's hot! He
has moved out of the realm of "faith" into the
realm of "experience." In
comes a heater expert and says, "Son, I have a
B.A. in the study of heat. The heater is definitely
not hot. I can prove it to you." The child would
probably say, "Mr Expert, I don't care how many
B.A.'s you have. I know that heater is hot -- I touched
it! I'm not in the realm of belief, I'm in the realm
of experience. Goodbye."
If you have touched the heater bar of
God's love and forgiveness, if the Holy Spirit has "born
witness" that you are a child of God (Romans 8:16),
if you have received the Gospel with "power, the
Holy Ghost and much assurance" (1 Thessalonians
1:5), you will never be shaken by a skeptic.
When cults tell you that you must acknowledge
God's name to be saved, that you must worship on a certain
day that you must be baptized by an elder of their church,
don't panic. Merely go back to the Instruction Manual.
The Bible has all the answers, and searching them out,
will make you grow.
If you feel intimidated by atheists
-- if you think they are "intellectuals,"
read the book, God
Doesn't Believe in Atheists. It will show you
that they are the opposite. It will also instruct you
on how you can prove God's existence, and also prove
that the "atheist" doesn't exist.
Finally, the way to prevent sporting
injury and pain, is to keep yourself fit. Exercise.
The Apostle Paul kept fit through exercise. He said,
"Herein do I exercise myself, to always have a
conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men"
(Acts 24:16). Do the same. Listen to the voice of conscience.
It's your friend, not your enemy. Remember the words
of Solomon:
"Fear God and keep His commandments:
for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring
every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether
it be good, or whether it be evil" (Ecclesiastes
12:13-14).
Keep the Day of Judgment before your
eyes. On that Day, you will be glad for the cultivations
of a tender conscience.
Thank you for taking the time to read
this. I hope the principles expounded have been helpful,
and that any knowledge you have gained from it, will
some day save you some pain.
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