The Day I Came Out (Part 3)

The Battlefront of the Conscience (continued from yesterday)

The atheist can deny all he wants and try to argue against God's existence from an intellectual standpoint. It is both foolish and futile for the Christian to war on this front because knowledge is not the issue and some atheists are a lot smarter than I am. But try as he may, the atheist cannot explain why his conscience opposes his human nature. But we know why because God's Word tells us that God's law is written on everybodies heart and our knowledge of right and wrong testifies both to God's existence, and man's alienation from this God.

Rom 2:14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.
Rom 2:15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.

"The evidence is not the problem Niels, it's because you love your sin too much". Niels, the atheist, stood there staring at me (actually he was sitting). I was at Defcon One preparing myself for a flying fist coming my way at any moment. I could see that my comment had really detonated a bomb somewhere inside of Niels. But then, suddenly he looked down somewhat embarrassed and said "I guess that's true".

From there I pleaded with Niels to look into the mirror of God's moral law and see his sinfulness. I reminded him that he will answer to the Creator one day Who sees everything he has ever done, spoken, and even thought. Niels could see that he had lied, stolen, lusted (which is adultery in God's eyes), and hated (murder in God's eyes), and that if the Bible is true then he deserved Hell. From there I had a reference point to make sense of the Cross and the hope of the resurrected Christ.

It seems ironic that in a world with so many "seeker sensitive" mega churches built on a catch cry of "relevance" that they have neglected to fully explain the universal guilt of mankind. I can't think of anything more relevant than the fact that "all have sinned". Sure it might get mentioned from time to time, but rarely is it explained. Sin by definition is transgression of God's law (I John 3:4) and I fail to see how an individual could fathom their sinfulness without an understanding of God's law.

Niels was shaken but not stirred to repentance, at least for now. But at least he now goes to sleep at night no longer deluded that his unbelief is based on lack of proof but rather his love of sin. I hope he wrestles with this reality and that it will ultimately drive him to his knees crying out for salvation. Pray for Niels, and for boldness in the mission field of atheism, and for wisdom to fight the battles that matter.

Reasoning from sin, righteousness, and judgment is effective with all sinners. Because they all have a common Maker, and what He says about them is always true.

Go Back To Part 2
Go Back To Part 1

The Day I Came Out (Part 2)

In the Trenches with an Atheist

In part 1 I discussed my recent adventure of going outside the four walls of a church building to do some open air preaching at a rock festival in Denmark. But there is another story from that day about a witnessing encounter with an atheist called Niels that I want to recount.

Yesterday this witnessing encounter was quickened to my memory as I helped a friend of mine Jens-Peter with renovating his house. We were making very good time so he stopped to ask me some questions regarding how I witness to people who don't believe in God. His assumption was that reasoning of sin and righteousness and judgment with a complete heathen would be a waste of time because they reject God's existence. Nothing could be further from the truth.

As I was handing out Gospel tracts (at the rock festival) a guy (Niels) spoke to me in an Australian accent. It turned out that he was Danish but had spent a year living down under. We got chatting about Australia and traded stories. He then asked me about the tracts I was handing out and I told him they had the answer to the million dollar question (it was a million dollar bill). He asked me what the million dollar question was and I asked if he knew where he would go when he died. It turned out he was an atheist and I started witnessing by revealing the proof of God's existence through creation.

Always in the back of my mind is the truth that the atheist already has knowledge of God but suppresses it in unrighteousness. This is why I didn't invest time in dazzling Niels with wizz bang apologetics (I'm not smart enough for the wizz bang apologetics anyway) concerning God's existence when the issue was not one of knowledge but of sin.

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For 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:
Rom 1:21 Because 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.

These verses from Romans 1 tell us "that which may be known of God is manifest" in the unbeliever "for God hath shown it unto them". They are holding "the truth in unrighteousness". And what is it that testifies God's existence to sinful men? Verse 20 tells us the answer. The "invisible" things of God are "clearly seen" in God's creation "even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse". Put simply, the creation compellingly testifies to the Creator God Himself. I am not opposed to apologetics but in a situation like this, persuasion is not the problem. The atheist already has knowledge of God's existence and time is better spent trying to awaken this knowledge rather than try and win an argument with him. Because the atheist's problem is not a lack of proof concerning God's existence, but rather one of human pride and a love of sin.

As I spoke with Niels he told me that he didn't believe the witness of creation. Trusting God's word I then stepped out in faith and said something quite provocative to him. I told him "the evidence is not the problem Niels, it's because you love your sin too much". Time stood still for a moment as I beheld the shock on his face, I prepared myself to duck in case his fist came hurtling my way. One thing was for sure - now I had Niels' undivided attention!

To be continued tomorrow - The Battlefront of the Conscience

Go On To Part 3
Go Back To Part 1

The Day I Came Out (Part 1)

The four walls of a church building are a great way to conceal the message God gave His Church to tell a dying world full of hell bound people about their only hope of rescue.

This story is about the day I came out of these four walls and took the message of the glorious Gospel to the public place.

Summertime in Denmark, where the reformers trod 500 years ago, and what can we expect to find outside the four walls of a small (very small) church building. For one - a rock festival. I've always maintained that I love the summers in Denmark - it's just the other 11 months I have a problem with. I decided to head down to a nearby music festival, where thousands of young people were indulging in activities designed to speed up the death process, find a public place, stand on a soap box . . . actually my tool box, and preach the Good News.

I always get very nervous when I do this because it's one thing to make a spectacle of yourself, but the indifference and apathy can be quite suffocating in europe. When I got there I saw hundreds of people lying around drunk, hung over, or trying to drink away their hangover, many of whom were smoking things that didn't look like normal cigarettes. When I saw what was going on around me I burned with extra urgency to tell these people about their Creator, about sin, righteousness, judgment, the Cross, resurrection, repentance, saving faith and eternal life.

We walked past a tent where there was police sitting. I assumed they were there to deal with drug use and drunkenness, or maybe if someone attacked me . . . yeeeaaaah right!!

I found a place outside the venue on a local road where hundreds of people were walking back and forth between the campsite and the concert venue. I stood up and started preaching and managed to draw a crowd of about 25 people or so. Some of the faces seemed to express genuine conviction, but then another face of conviction appeared in the corner of my eye. It was a guy dressed in a police uniform walking my way and it was not the walk of a man responding to an altar call. As he came closer I could see that it was not so much a look of conviction but more of a desire to see me convicted - legally speaking.

The policeman arrived just in time to hear the end of the message. The only similarity between this and a church service was that he wasn't planning on inviting me back. We got tracts out to some of the gathering before the long arm of the law told me I had to stop and leave right now. I told him I thought it was a public place (we were on a pedestrian thoroughfare) and I wasn't impeding traffic flow. He told me that it wasn't public (though he didn't say who owned it) and I was making people embarrassed. Ummm . . . hello, who's the minority group here??? He then told me something that excited me telling me to go and preach in "speakers corner". My eyes lit up as I asked where this speakers corner was - "London" he replied.

Please pray for those of us who preach in this part of the world.



This video captures the reason why we preach an do mission. Ultimately it is to bring glory to a glorious Savior.

To hear the full sermon "Ten Shekels and a Shirt" by Paris Reidhead go here:
http://www.onceuponacross.com/sermonaudio.html

It is one of the most profound sermons I ever heard and what really stirred me to preach for God's glory.

Go On To Part 2