Handling cults, atheists and skeptics!
- By The Christian Messenger
- Published 08/10/2009
The Christian Messenger
The Christian Messenger - Evangelism Through Journalism. The Christian Messenger is an evangelical monthly newspaper published from Chennai, India. Started in 2002 as a privately circulated periodical, its initial print run was 2,500 copies. A year later, it became a registered newspaper. Currently, the print order is 15,000 copies. It is perhaps the only Christian newspaper that spans the length and breadth of the country. The founders of the newspaper have a vision to make it India’s leading Christian daily.What we do: Good news, first! That's our burden. Good news is not just the Gospel but also the positive side of Christian living. But that doesn't mean we don't report bad news. Persecution, end-times watch, falling idols and Biblical prophecies that come true are part of our reportage. We are dependent on God and independent of any denomination, groups or organizations. Neither do we let advertisers influence news coverage nor do we print puffed up handouts. We are fair, neutral and non-judgmental. Because we believe in a God who tells the truth and expects us to be like Him. Why a Christian newspaper? At the heart of our media mission is this motto: Evangelism through journalism. The purpose of this newspaper is to report newsworthy religious events and activities within the local community, nationwide and around the world, to increase the awareness and activism of believers regarding the moral issues of today, to provide thought-provoking commentary, and to provide an effective advertising vehicle for Christian ministries and organizations, events and businesses that want to reach the Christian community in India and abroad. If you think you can support us or partner with us in this mission, do send us a mail today: editor@christianmessenger.in
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, “OK. 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 BAs 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 and 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.
The Christian Messenger
