Why I will be a Christian until the day I die

We live in a society where people think that Christians are gullible and even stupid for what they believe. Such people allege: ‘Miracles don’t happen. Jesus didn’t rise from the dead. The Bible is a fairytale. Christians are either brainwashed into believing since childhood, or they are pathetic people who need a crutch to get them through life.’

I don’t consider myself to be naïve or uneducated. I don’t think I’m that pathetic to need a crutch, and I certainly wasn’t brainwashed into Christianity. I am a man of science- I worked in a former life as a research scientist in the field of protein chemistry. I’ve lectured in human physiology. I don’t mention this to blow my own trumpet- but simply to say that I’m someone who likes to know how things work. I need solid evidence to back up my beliefs. I crave not only to believe, but I crave to know why I should believe.

I know you are the same- you need reasons, evidence and proof. So that’s why I want to offer some reasons that explain why I am a Christian and continue to be one. I hope it will make you seriously consider the evidence for Christianity, and if you are already a believer, I trust this will strengthen your own faith.

1. The Wonder of Us

If you were to be walking down Pitt Town Rd, and noticed the letters of your name scratched into the cement, what would you conclude? You’d think that it was put there by someone. Now consider our human bodies. I find it amazing that our entire genome is made up of only 4 different genetic codes, but that they are amazingly arranged to make up our human bodies. If we conclude that someone had pulled some letters of the alphabet to write our name in the cement, why do you conclude that we are accidents? Someone with a Mind has arranged the genetic code in our bodies. Such wonder points to a God who has wonderfully made us.

2. Making Sense of the world

Another reason I’m a Christian is because Christianity makes sense of the world that I live in. The Bible teaches that God wants to give me joy and satisfaction through knowing Him. But in reality I have a wrecked relationship with God and others. We look for pleasure in the wrong places- in food, alcohol, and sex. The result is anorexia, addiction and adultery. These things never satisfy.

Why can’t I love people the way that I should? Why do I lock my door at night? Why is the newspaper full of bad news? These things tell me that there is something drastically wrong with my world, which the Bible calls sin. This all stems from the tendency I have to find my ultimate happiness outside of God.



3. The Proof of History

The information we have about Jesus comes mainly from ancient documents written by Christians shortly after Christ. Even non Christian scholars speak about Jesus (for example, Josephus and Tacitus). In fact, I have never come across an ancient scholar who has denied the existence of Jesus.

The books of the New Testament are reliable historical documents. Not only do we have over 24,000 early copies of portions of the New Testament today, but many of them are quite close in time to the original.

What they wrote is reliable and trustworthy. You see, the writers of the New Testament considered themselves as ‘eyewitnesses’. They claimed to be able to eyeball, to touch, to hear God in the flesh of a man- a person called Jesus. They recorded these things so that we can know with certainty that they actually happened.

The most unique event these eyewitnesses recorded for us was the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. They were completely convinced that Jesus Christ became a corpse, and literally rose from the dead. They weren’t exaggerating- they saw it! And not just them, but many others as well. The historical proof that comes from these eyewitness accounts must be taken seriously.



4. Christianity says what no other religion does.

You might read this and think ‘OK, so I believe in a God who created, I know there’s something wrong with the world, and I know Jesus existed…but why should I believe in Christianity? Why not any old religion, or just my own personal belief in a Supreme Being?

The answer is that Christianity offers something which is vastly different to all other religions. How do the religions tell us to seek salvation? The major religions have founders who claimed to show the way to salvation. This is usually by some form of moral exertion or religious observance. Major religions teach ‘DO this and you’ll live’.

Not Christianity. Jesus didn’t come to show the way to salvation. He came to BE the salvation. Christianity doesn’t teach that the way to salvation is by being good, or practicing religion. The apostles of Jesus taught that salvation has been DONE for us by Jesus. When he died on the cross, he acted as your substitute. All we need to do is accept this!

This puts Christianity into a league of its own when it comes to religion. I’m not saved by what I DO. I’m saved by what Christ has DONE.


What person could invent a religion that a Jewish man dying on a Roman cross, and coming back to life, could win eternal life? Eternal life, simply by believing! Who would think of such a thing? The answer is simple- no person could! It’s only because God offers something that is so different to everything else that is on offer.

5. The Person of Jesus



The more I get to know Jesus, the more convinced I am that no human could invent him. He is different to any other person that I have met. No one has all the power of the universe at his disposal, and yet uses it to give himself as a sacrifice. He’s magnificent, glorious and confident. Yet he’s meek, humble and lowly. No one else that I’ve met has such a perfect balance of these characteristics. This is a person who claimed to be God, yet condescended himself to be exposed to being spat upon. No one could imagine that these characteristics could be so amazingly combined in one person. This is a God who is also a man, who is worthy of my worship! He is truly unique!

I have given 5 reasons why I am a Christian and continue to be one. I hope you’ll consider them. God didn’t create us as dummies. He made us with brains, and we should use our intelligence and our God given reasoning to examine the evidence for Christian faith. St John summed it up when he said ‘These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name’. (John chapter 20, verse 31 NIV). Are you open minded enough to thoughtfully consider the evidence?

Tired?

Are you tired? You might have had a late night. Perhaps the kids kept you awake and then woke you up early in the morning. Perhaps your tiredness is self-inflicted. Maybe you’ve been working too hard. Perhaps you’re tired of pretending and tired of letting people down. Perhaps you’re tired of crying. Maybe you’re tired of trying, tired of pretending, and tired of failing. Maybe you’re just tired! What we may not realize is that rest is a life and death issue!

Why We Need Rest.
Our problem is we don’t rest. Within us there is a great restlessness. We get worried and anxious and can’t sleep at night because we don’t have a deep, deep calm that we really need.

Jesus recognized the need we have for rest. He said, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ (Matthew chapter 11, verses 28-30)

Our great problem is that we cannot rest. We know we should be more loving and more patient. We realize we should try harder at being a better Dad, or a more understanding spouse. Perhaps we feel we should give more money to sponsor starving children , or put in longer hours in our job. We get tired just thinking about it!

In Jesus’ day, there was a religious sect called the Pharisees who put heavy burdens upon people, telling them that they had to perform. They were expected to do things like forgive, tithe, help the poor, keep the Sabbath, and show compassion. But no one could make the grade!

The real weariness, is the need to impress others so you impress yourself, because you aren’t satisfied with who you are. So we are work to convince ourselves that we are good people. Living up to the expectation of society, family, your boss, and yourself is a heavy burden that we all bear. But most of all, we look for ways to prove ourselves to God. Such under-achievement weighs us down with guilt, so we get weary.

We need rest from our burdens, guilt, and performance. Jesus says he wants to lift that heavy burden from us.

How we get rest
Jesus says ‘Come to me’. We are invited to come to a person. The real rest happens when we stop trying to perform like a trained seal, and come to Jesus. He asks us to lay down our burdens, our actions, our performances at his feet and simply to come to him. There is no need to try and impress him, or prove ourselves to him. All we need to do is come.

He also says ‘take my yoke upon you’. A yoke is a farming instrument that is put over 2 bulls so that they can plough out the field. He’s actually saying ‘you’ve already got a burden. You’re weighed down by your own yoke of guilt and performance. Let me take that one off you and give you mine because it’s light and freeing.’

How can Jesus do this? How does he take away our burdens? The answer is that he became the burden himself. When he went to the cross, a glorious emancipation took place: he shouldered the weight of our burdens. On that cross, he took upon himself all our wrong motives and the things that we live for. He became the under-performer in our place and he offers us his perfect life which perfectly lived up to God's expectation. Because of what he did, the burden of performance and the pressure of guilt and anxiety and the pain of proving yourself can now be lifted!

What he did was so complete that you no longer have to perform! The pressure is off!

What happens when you take Jesus’ rest?
When we believe that Jesus did this for us, what we get is ‘rest for our souls’. Because the job that Jesus did was so good and satisfying, we are now able to say ‘all the work I need to do is finished because my Saviour has completed it for me.’

In life, there are 2 kinds of jobs. Firstly, there are jobs which never seem to end, no matter how hard you work at them. A dishwasher will always have dishes to wash, every day, no matter how hard they work. A nurse will always have sick people to care for. A mother’s job is never done. But there is another type of job where, once it is complete, it is over. The organizers of the Sydney Olympics had to find employment elsewhere once the Olympics were over. There is a sense of finality once the last brick is laid, or the project is complete. I’m sure the actors in Harry Potter are now looking for employment elsewhere now that the last movie has been made. (Although, now that J.K. Rowling has penned the very last chapter of Harry Potter, I don’t think she’ll be in need of work anytime soon! Her job is complete!)

The things we work for are like that first kind of job. We’ll always feel the need to perform, no matter how much we’ve done. There is always someone to impress, and it's never enough. But the work that Jesus did for us on the cross is more like this second type of job. It was complete! Right before he died, Jesus said from the cross ‘It is finished!’ In other words, the work has been done.

This means we can rest from having to carry the weight of all our under-performance. We can rest from the fear of death. We can rest because Jesus brings us into an intimate relationship with God where God is our Father and Jesus is our brother. We can rest in what he has done.

The real reason our souls are restless is because we live for the burdens. We live for the deadline, the pressure, and the expectations of others. We feel the need to prove ourselves. But because Jesus said ‘it is finished’, you too can say ‘it is finished’ and walk away, resting in the knowledge that your sins are paid for. Your life can be complete. There’s no need to feel wearied anymore. Do you know this rest deep within your soul? It's a relief when you do!

The World is going to end… with a Royal Wedding!

Everyone loves a good wedding. The recent marriage of Prince William to Catherine is proof of that. Millions of people tuned into extravagant event and thousands lined the streets in London to witness this elaborate spectacle. Those who couldn’t attend in person celebrated with royal parties. Souvenir newspapers and magazines were sought after.

This event is a wonderful picture of what will happen at the end of time. The Bible describes that the world will one day end. But it won’t be by a deadly virus, a nuclear fallout, or an asteroid plummeting into the earth. The world will end with a wedding!!

Here’s how the Bible describes it in the book of Revelation:
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God." (Revelation 19:7-9 NIV)

At the end of time, there will be a Royal Wedding. The Bridegroom on that Day is none other than Jesus. The Bride will walk down the aisle and take her place beside Jesus. As Jesus lifts the veil, he will be looking at his own people. The Bride is everyone who has ever loved Jesus, gone to him for forgiveness, and worshipped him as King. This will be the wedding of all weddings!

Why a wedding?
Why will the world end with a wedding? Because it perfectly represents the relationship God wants with us. God doesn’t want to relate to us simply as a shepherd would relate to sheep, or as a King would relate to his Subjects, or even as a Father to a child. He wants to relate to you as a Bridegroom relates to a Bride. He wants to know you intimately, love you deeply and know you personally. He wants to have a honeymoon love for you. And he’ll pursue you passionately to get it.

Can you imagine being in a relationship where you are perfectly loved, despite your flaws and mistakes? The more you get to know your lover, the more you love them? And all your lover wants to do for you is all for your joy and benefit. Your lover gives you the kind of joy that makes you want to explode!!! This kind of relationship is unbelievable! But this is exactly the kind of relationship that God offers you when you come to him through Christ.

One of the things about being a Christian is that you enter into a relationship with God. In this relationship, it’s as though you develop a 6th sense- a spiritual sense that no one else has, and you begin to experience the love of God all for yourself. You start to think that it’s a wonder and a marvel that God should love you. The Bible says ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good’ (Psalm 34:8). Why does it say that? It’s an invitation to experience God. It’s one thing to know that he is good, it’s another thing to taste it for yourself. God wants us to know for ourselves just how good he is! This can only happen when we come to God, ready to receive His love.

A Costly Love
But this ‘Honeymoon Love’ that God is offering to each of us does not come cheaply. It comes at great cost to himself. You see, we actually deserve divorce from God rather than marriage. We deserve separation rather than intimacy. The reason is because we find our love in other things- gold, glory, grog, girls… you name it, we substitute it for God. We find love in the arms of ‘other gods’ and chase after them. The result is that we deserve to be cut off from God.

The amazing thing is that despite our rejection of God, he still wants us. This is why he sent Jesus into the world, to die the death we deserve for chasing other lovers. He died in our place and took our ‘divorce’- the result for our rejection of God. Jesus dies in the place of his Bride so that his people can be cleansed from all their guilt and shame that holds God at a distance. With his blood, Jesus has won back his Bride. The fact that he gave his Son for us is proof of his deep love for us.

Saying 'Yes' to the Proposal
Can you imagine God on one knee, holding out his love, saying “will you be mine”? God is offering each of us a marriage proposal. The way to accept this proposal is by:-
1. Admitting you have loved other ‘gods’. You have put other lovers ahead of God. You are far from God and have strayed from him.
2. Giving him the credit for what he’s done. He died to make us his bride.

Remember the minister who did the cartwheels once Kate and William were married? This is how God feels when people accept his wedding proposal. What he promises to do is to fill you with the joy and gladness that comes through having him in your life. Do you know this joy? There is no greater joy than knowing God.

This is why the world will end with a royal wedding. It’s the perfect finish for what God has in mind for us. Are you ready for this wedding?

Which is more important: Christmas or Easter?

Which do you think is more important, Easter or Christmas?

From a purely celebratory point of view, it looks like Christmas is more important than Easter. Christmas is the time of family get-togethers. It’s the day where you have to split your time between your side of the family and the ‘other’ side of the family. At Christmas, we stuff ourselves silly and then recover when the New Year starts. These things aren’t as important at Easter time.

From the way we treat each other, it looks like Christmas is more important than Easter. Christmas is the time for the unavoidable giving of gifts. At Easter time, you just might get away with not presenting Aunty Gertrude with a colourful, foil-wrapped chocolate egg. But woe betide you if at Christmas time, you don’t have your obligatory wrapped contribution ready! Gift giving is compulsory!

Christmas is also the time when people talk of love, joy and peace. We long for the downing of weapons and the halting of artillery fire. For many, Christmas can be a painful time because we remember relationships that have been lost through bereavement or separation. There is something about Christmas that makes us think about the people we have been close to. Easter doesn’t evoke such feelings as strongly as Christmas does.

The shops also reflect the importance of Christmas over Easter. In December, there’s more bling, more kitsch, more lights, more decorations, more music, more tinsel, more shopping hours! But in April, what do you find greeting you at the supermarket door? There’s simply the colourful rows of wrapped eggs and the waft of hot cross buns.

As you can see, when we consider the way we behave at Christmas, it seems as though this is the most significant celebration on the Christian calendar.

However, from a Christian perspective, the reverse is true. The significance of Easter outweighs the importance of Christmas. Easter is by far the more important celebration.

You see, the extravagant gift that God gave on that very first Christmas was unwrapped on the very first Easter. Only at Easter do we realize the significance of the gift God gave.

On Good Friday, the gift was that Jesus died instead of us. When he died, he did so to take the rap for our own offences against God. The innocent Jesus, who was perfectly God-pleasing, died in the place of guilty, God-offensive people. If we have accepted this gift, God is able to look at us and smile, because our offences against him have been dealt with in Jesus. The reason God sent Jesus on that first Christmas was to be a perfect sacrifice for us on that first Good Friday.

But that’s not all. As we continue to unwrap the extravagant gift that God gave, we discover something more. On Easter Day, Jesus burst out of the grave, back from the dead, never to die again. Because he rose, we have proof that dead men do rise. Because of this, those that have aligned themselves with Jesus will also be raised with him. Because he lives forever, the Christian will live forever. Death doesn’t have to be the end! Without a resurrection, there is no Christianity and no fresh start with God.

Indeed, the whole reason we celebrate Christmas is because of Easter. Jesus was born in order to die, and to be raised again. His death and resurrection is what gives us hope, meaning and purpose. Without these things, we would have nothing of the love, joy and peace that we crave for at Christmas time.

Easter is more important than Christmas! So let the shops know. Tell your family and the in-laws you’ll be over. And come and celebrate Easter this year at a local church near you.

We Are Not in Control

Cars swept away by the sheer momentum of racing torrents. Rooftops peering out of towns now swallowed by water. Streets turned into creeks. The sight of tears on the face of Australians. Many people dead. More people missing. The Queensland Flood Crisis has been called the most widespread natural disaster in Australian History.

As I watched the Flood Crisis unfold, I was horrified by the images I witnessed. I watched with disbelief when I saw cars being swept away by the sheer force of water. My heart broke when I witnessed heroic acts of sacrifice. My heart sank when the death toll rose, and people went missing. I felt devastated when I saw the ruin to homes and livelihoods. The emotional, physical and economic scars that this crisis has left on communities will be deep for some time.

But what spiritual impact should these events have upon us? I want to suggest that this crisis should teach us this one ancient truth: We are not in control.

One reason I felt shocked as I watched my television was because this crisis was taking place in my backyard, in my beloved Australia. We, after all, live in The Lucky Country. Our freedom, our natural beauty, our mateship, and our way of life are unparalleled anywhere else in the world. We think of our nation as ‘the world’s best kept secret’. I was shaken that such devastation could take place in the sunburnt land that I love.

In fact, after I wrote that last line, I went back to read that famous poem ‘I Love a Sunburnt Country’, which was penned by Dorothy MacKellar. There was a line that particularly struck me: ‘Her beauty and her terror’. We don’t think of our country as a place of terror. But the events of recent weeks have reminded us of this truth: Whilst Australia is a place of unmatched beauty, it is also a place of untamable terror. And we cannot control it.

One of my friends is a pastor in the Presbyterian Church in Rockhampton. Pastor Mike said about the floods: ‘all we could do is sit and wait for the water to come’. I can only imagine his helplessness, knowing that destruction was looming, but being unable to avert it. For other Queenslanders who experienced flash flooding, there was no waiting or warning. There was only immediate, unstoppable, untamable terror.

The events of the past few weeks have forced us to admit our helplessness. We have experienced the unpredictable and capricious forces of nature and have been powerless to do anything. This challenges our snug human notions of order, control and comfort through science, research and technology. The floods have shown us that whilst we like to think we are in control of our world, we simply are not.

However, there is a radiance of hope which shines through the devastation of the past few weeks. There is God, and His character is compassionate. He wants the very best for us. He is powerful. In our time of need, we must look to Him for help.

This requires an attitude which self-sufficient Australians can find very difficult: humility. It is humbling to admit that you are not in control. But God responds to those who admit that they need Him and are humble, rather than the proud who think they don’t need Him. In the end, humility is not a sign of weakness, but a necessary attitude that we must embrace if we are to have a life-changing relationship with God. Indeed, the very reason that God sent His Son to die in our place is because we were helpless to do anything to save ourselves. We needed help. We needed a Saviour.

The floods have forced us to humbly admit that we are not in control. Having been humbled by the powerful floods, will we see past these events to an even more powerful God? It is time that we allow this crisis to drive us humility before God and to realize that we must depend upon Him for everything.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1-3 NIV)