BELIEVING IS SEEING

Phyllida at the Dead Sea

Time with Jesus - Wednesday, 13 March 2013

Jim &Phyllida in Paris

Hi all,

The scientific comment about religion in general and Christianity in particular is; “if you can demonstrate it in the laboratory, we will believe it”. In other words, “seeing is believing”. They tell us that religion is all the result of uneducated men seeking control over their followers by superstition. They will only believe it when they see it. As Christians, we trust that believing is seeing. In other words, believe in God and the evidence is all around.

For a change, I wish to challenge science to demonstrate in the laboratory the “proof” of Darwinian evolution. Please show me scientifically, evidence of Darwin’s theory. Science has spent the past 150 years seeking irrefutable evidence to support the evolution hypothesis. It still has not been demonstrated scientifically. They have found this problem difficult to prove. Furthermore, in their quest to discard God, they have convinced the world in general that their hypothesis has been proved. It has not! In fact, after 150 years, the world should be entitled to dismiss the hypothesis. It should be “thrown out”, much as the belief the world was flat, was “thrown out”. Science will not do so. The reason is simple. If evolution is “thrown out”, the only alternative is intelligent design. But for science to acknowledge the reality of intelligent design, would be to acknowledge the existence of God! Most scientists would rather die than admit to this. They prefer to believe fairy stories. They like mythology. One of them has gone so far as to publish a book called, “The God Myth”. The man is highly intelligent and well educated. He would rather write his own “fairy story”, than admit to the reality of God. What a shame. What a “mythtake”.

Today we meditate on “Believing is seeing”.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland 

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Wednesday, 13 March 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	Believing is Seeing
The “Theory of evolution” is so entrenched, that to disagree with it is one step short of treason against science. Highly qualified and well educated men are convinced that it is true. Our schools and tertiary educational establishments teach it and state that those who think otherwise, are religious fanatics, or idiots, or both. I’m willing to admit that in the days in which this hypothesis was presented to the public, it sounded both logical and plausible. Initially it was not well received for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most likely one was that it was at variance with the Biblical account. Over a period of time, the hypothesis grew in popularity and general acceptance. Science was “flexing its muscles”. Rationalism had begun to be popular. If you couldn’t see it, it was unproven. Faith in God was taking a pounding. After all, God is invisible and is therefore, beyond proving. This being the case, much of the scientific community, reduced the creation account to the level of mythology. There was another factor which made Darwinian evolution popular. People didn’t want to believe in God. He was an embarrassment. In particular, if you believed in God, it meant that you were accountable to Him. But if you rejected the concept that God was real, an alternative to the creation account was essential. Put simply, if evolution was true, the existence of God could be denied. Generally speaking, this is true today. People do not want to believe in God. The evolution hypothesis has become convenient. Its veracity cannot be doubted, because science has “proved” it to be true! God is no longer “necessary”. So why bother believing in Him? Scientific opinion in the 21st century has not changed. As a result, evolution has been universally accepted as truth. Public opinion and international education opinion slobbers over this hypothesis and accepts it as universal truth. But it is still only a hypothesis. It remains unproven, except to those minds who cannot tolerate the possibility that they may be wrong! To randomly go from nothing to the incredible complexity of human or other advanced forms of life on this planet, is mathematically impossible. It demands intelligent design. The theory is a forgery and a hoax. Scientifically it remains unproven – popular, universally accepted, but still unproven. One day the people of this planet, will wake up and find they have been conned. Satan will have achieved a major victory. Tragically, many of those who have been “conned” will share his fate. What about you? I’ve ditched evolution as an unproven scientific hypothesis. I’m sticking with Intelligent design. Jesus is the designer! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			6 My God. My spirit is very sad deep down inside me. So I will remember you here where the Jordan River begins. I will remember you here on the Hermon mountains and on Mount Mizar. Psalm 42:6 NIrV 3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. Isaiah 26:3-4 ESV 22 Pile your troubles on GOD's shoulders-- he'll carry your load, he'll help you out. He'll never let good people topple into ruin. Psalm 55:22 MSG 24 The LORD has not despised or been disgusted with the plight of the oppressed one. He has not hidden his face from that person. The LORD heard when that oppressed person cried out to him for help. Psalm 22:24 GW 13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. James 5:13 TNIV 27 I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left--feeling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset. Don't be distraught. John 14:27 MSG 25 "If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. 26 Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. Matthew 6:25-26 MSG 27 Then he focused his attention on Thomas. "Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don't be unbelieving. Believe." 28 Thomas said, "My Master! My God!" John 20:27-28 MSG 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20 NLT	“Seeing is believing”, is the way most of us work. We shouldn’t be surprised at this. Not even in the Kirk. This is the way we operate, in every part of life. You cannot ever marry an imaginary wife! You cannot ever swim by an imaginary beach. If nobody is listening, it’s difficult to preach. So how can people worship a God they cannot see? When I am a-praying, who’s listening to me? There really is no answer. Not where God’s people live. We cannot be repentant without someone who’ll forgive! We cannot say we’re sorry, for the things which we have done. If nobody is listening, we needn’t have begun! But there are certain factors in which we have to trust. If we believe in nobody our life has really bust! There’s evidence around us. We see Him in the stars. He’s evident in nature and bits of ancient jars. This world is far to complex too have happened randomly. The proof of a designer is everywhere to see. There’s many who will doubt it. “God is a myth!” they say. But if you don’t believe in Him! That won’t drive Him away. Your doubts can never change Him. God’s never been impressed. By rows of Man’s conclusions pinned like medals on the chest. Perhaps you’re a philosopher and have a PhD? Perhaps you’re a professor and teach Divinity? If you believe there is no God, the Word says you’re a fool. Intellectual giants: go back to Sunday School. Take a tip from children. They know how to believe. They’ll give you each the lessons you’re needing to receive. Classify Charles Darwin, the same as brothers Grimm. Things sound very logical and yet the truth is slim. Keep your fairy stories for babies in the crib. Look at all the beauty that came from Adam’s rib! So if you think I’m raving and mentally deranged? Note, I’m very normal and Jesus hasn’t changed. He’ll welcome you this morning or any other day. Darwin’s dumb hypothesis has led men far astray. Science has deceived you and you have swallowed whole, The biggest load of rubbish that destroys the human soul. Jim Strickland Written 13th March 2012