Life's Challenges - Stories - Answering Skeptics
| Have You Tasted Jesus? | ||||
| Nobody Made It | ||||
| Soap | ||||
Have You Tasted
Jesus?
At the University of Chicago Divinity School each year they have what is called
"Baptist Day". It is a day when all the Baptists in the area are invited to the
school because they want the Baptist dollars to keep coming in.
On this day each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic
area. Every "Baptist Day" the school would invite one of the greatest minds to
lecture in the theological education center. One year they invited Dr. Paul
Tillich.
Dr. Tillich spoke for two and one-half hours proving that the resurrection of
Jesus was false. He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book. He
concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection the
religious tradition of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo, because
it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who, in fact, never rose from
the dead in any literal sense. He then asked if there were any questions.
After about 30 seconds, an old, dark skinned preacher with a head of
short-cropped, woolly white hair stood up in the back of the auditorium.
"Docta Tillich, I got one question," he said as all eyes turned toward him. He
reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began eating it. "Docta
Tillich ..." CRUNCH, MUNCH ... "My question is a simple question," CRUNCH, MUNCH
..."Now I ain't never read them books you read ... " CRUNCH, MUNCH ... "and I
can't recite the Scriptures in the original Greek..." CRUNCH, MUNCH ... "I don't
know nothin' about Niebuhr and Heidegger..." CRUNCH, MUNCH ... He finished the
apple. "All I wanna know is: This apple I just ate -- was it bitter or sweet?"
Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion:
"I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven't tasted your apple."
The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper
bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and said calmly, "Neither have you tasted my
Jesus."
The 1,000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium
erupted with applause and cheers. Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and promptly
left the platform.
Have you tasted Jesus? In Psalms 34:8 we read: Taste and see that the LORD is
good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. If you have, rejoice in the
hope of the resurrection that your faith in Him brings.
Author Unknown
Nobody Made It
Many years ago Sir Isaac Newton had an exact replica of our solar system made in
miniature. At its center was a large golden ball representing the sun, and
revolving around it were small spheres attached at the ends of rods of varying
lengths. They represented Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the other planets.
These were all geared together by cogs and belts to make them move around the
"sun" in perfect harmony.
One day as Newton was studying the model, a friend who did not believe in the
biblical account of creation stopped by for a visit. Marveling at the device and
watching as the scientist made the heavenly bodies move on their orbits, the man
exclaimed, "My, Newton, what an exquisite thing! Who made it for you?" Without
looking up, Sir Isaac replied, "Nobody." "Nobody?" his friend asked. "That's
right! I said nobody! All of these balls and cogs and belts and gears just
happened to come together, and wonder of wonders, by chance they began revolving
in their set orbits and with perfect timing."
The unbeliever got the message! It was foolish to suppose that the model merely
happened. But it was even more senseless to accept the theory that the earth and
the vast universe came into being by chance. How much more logical to believe
what the Bible says, "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth."
The Word also declares, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God". (Ps.
14:1)
Author Unknown
Soap
A minister and a soap maker went for a walk together.
The soap maker said, "What good is religion? Look at all the trouble and misery
of the world! Still there, even after years -- thousands of years -- of teaching
about goodness and truth and peace. Still there, after all the prayers and
sermons and teachings. If religion is good and true, why should this be?"
The minister said nothing.
They continued walking until he noticed a child playing in the gutter.
Then the minister said, "Look at that child. You say that soap makes people
clean, but see the dirt on that youngster. Of what good is soap? With all the
soap in the world, over all these years, the child is still filthy. I wonder how
effective soap is, after all!"
The soap maker protested. "But, soap cannot do any good unless it is applied!"
"Exactly!" replied the minister.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who
looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and
immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the
perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he
has heard, but doing it -- he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25
Author Unknown