Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Atheism, Eastern mysticism, Occult, then Jesus
testimony of our March 20 sunday evening presenter: Ron was raised in a religious Jewish home in Philadelphia, PA. His family regularly attended Synagogue and maintained Jewish traditions in their home.
While a teenager, Ron began to consider the reality of God. For a short time, he became an atheist and then he was attracted to occult teachings and Eastern mysticism. He traveled to India to study Yoga and Hinduism, became an astrologer, and experimented with drugs and New Age philosophies. He found that none of these spiritual pursuits satisfied his heart's desire to know the meaning of life and to have peace with God.
He moved to northern California to live in an alternative rural community. While there, he became convicted by the Holy Spirit of his sins. Ron began to learn about the Gospel of Jesus through the witness of many individuals. A gospel tract that was left on his car window had a great impact on him. God was faithful to keep bringing Christians across his path.
But, because of his strong Jewish background, he didn't accept the Gospel as a mean to forgiveness, but followed a more traditional Jewish method of atonement...good deeds. He organized a community help organization which became funded through state funds. Later, he coauthor an employment training program for low income people through Sonoma State University (CA). This program was funded by the CA state government.
In spite of developing these successful help programs, Ron did not satisfy his need to know God and to be free of the guilt he felt from his sins.
He read a book called "Autobiography of a Yoga" which taught that Jesus was one of the great masters who had come to earth to instruct us how to return to God. This made him more open to learn about Jesus. He rejected the Christian assertions that Jesus was the only way to God. Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." But, Ron did become attracted to Jesus and his moral teachings. This was the crack in the armor around Ron's heart that God used to penetrate his soul with the saving knowledge of Jesus. Through the witness of many people over many years, God drew Ron to faith in the Jewish Messiah.
However, there were two main obstacles to believing the Good News. The first was his Jewish background.The more his interest in Jesus grew, the more guilt he felt. Because of the persecution that happened over centuries against Jewish people in the name of Jesus, by people who called themselves Christians, the Jewish community considers those who believe in Jesus to be traitors. Click here to understand this issue more fully.
The second obstacle was pridefulness. Ron believed he could win God's acceptance through good deeds. However, after he set up the community organizations which helped thousands of people he was no closer to achieving peace with God. He still felt like he was in a spiritual wasteland.
At the age of 31, convinced of the truthfulness of the Gospel, Ron bowed his knees to the Lord and asked to be saved. Immediately, he experienced the burden of his sins being lifted from his soul and his spirit was brought into the newness of life promised in 2 Corinthians 5:17; Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" A true refreshment that only God can give, brought joy and fulfillment to Ron.
While a teenager, Ron began to consider the reality of God. For a short time, he became an atheist and then he was attracted to occult teachings and Eastern mysticism. He traveled to India to study Yoga and Hinduism, became an astrologer, and experimented with drugs and New Age philosophies. He found that none of these spiritual pursuits satisfied his heart's desire to know the meaning of life and to have peace with God.
He moved to northern California to live in an alternative rural community. While there, he became convicted by the Holy Spirit of his sins. Ron began to learn about the Gospel of Jesus through the witness of many individuals. A gospel tract that was left on his car window had a great impact on him. God was faithful to keep bringing Christians across his path.
But, because of his strong Jewish background, he didn't accept the Gospel as a mean to forgiveness, but followed a more traditional Jewish method of atonement...good deeds. He organized a community help organization which became funded through state funds. Later, he coauthor an employment training program for low income people through Sonoma State University (CA). This program was funded by the CA state government.
In spite of developing these successful help programs, Ron did not satisfy his need to know God and to be free of the guilt he felt from his sins.
He read a book called "Autobiography of a Yoga" which taught that Jesus was one of the great masters who had come to earth to instruct us how to return to God. This made him more open to learn about Jesus. He rejected the Christian assertions that Jesus was the only way to God. Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." But, Ron did become attracted to Jesus and his moral teachings. This was the crack in the armor around Ron's heart that God used to penetrate his soul with the saving knowledge of Jesus. Through the witness of many people over many years, God drew Ron to faith in the Jewish Messiah.
However, there were two main obstacles to believing the Good News. The first was his Jewish background.The more his interest in Jesus grew, the more guilt he felt. Because of the persecution that happened over centuries against Jewish people in the name of Jesus, by people who called themselves Christians, the Jewish community considers those who believe in Jesus to be traitors. Click here to understand this issue more fully.
The second obstacle was pridefulness. Ron believed he could win God's acceptance through good deeds. However, after he set up the community organizations which helped thousands of people he was no closer to achieving peace with God. He still felt like he was in a spiritual wasteland.
At the age of 31, convinced of the truthfulness of the Gospel, Ron bowed his knees to the Lord and asked to be saved. Immediately, he experienced the burden of his sins being lifted from his soul and his spirit was brought into the newness of life promised in 2 Corinthians 5:17; Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" A true refreshment that only God can give, brought joy and fulfillment to Ron.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Bible Discrepancies?
"In Galatians 1 Paul describes in some detail the events which took place immediately after his conversion, and there are at first glance some discrepancies with Luke's account. Again, a number of critics cite Galatians 1 and Acts 9 as containing irresolvable contradictions in the chronology of events, supposedly evidence of errors in Scripture. But, as is the case with most of these supposed contradictions, they are not contradictory at all, but are instead quite easily resolvable and the sequence of events in the two accounts can be very simply reconstructed. When we put the two accounts together, we can conclude that First, according to the first 19 verses of Acts 9, Paul is converted while on his way to Damascus. Second, as Luke recounts in verses 19-22, immediately after regaining his strength, Saul began preaching in the Synagogues of Damascus that Jesus was the Christ. Next, according to Galatians 1:17, Saul went to Arabia for three years and only later returned to Damascus as recounted in Acts 9:23-25. Last, as we will see in Acts 9:26-30, Saul eventually returned to Jerusalem, to introduce himself to the apostles and to further confirm his calling to preach the gospel" ---kim riddlebarger
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