October 24: Colorado - A good sized crowd began to develop within minutes of me raising my voice and declaring the truth of God at Colorado State University. My first challenge came from Anna, who claimed that "all truth is relative." Stop and think about that statement for a minute. Does anyone really believe "all truth" is relative? Mathematics and science are "truth." Are these relative? Is 2 + 2 = 4 true for some people, but not for others? Is H2O water for some people, but not for others? Is history "relative" or "true"? Do those who don't believe in the Holocaust have a legitimate claim on "truth" that is equal to those who claim it really occurred? The statement "all truth is relative" is itself a self-contradicting statement unless, of course, all truth is sometimes relative and sometimes not!
Bear (evidently his nickname) is an atheist antagonist that I first met last year, but who has a reputation for hassling campus preachers. He kept bringing up that last year I called him a goat. Actually, the previous year, he had mockingly called Christians "sheep" and emphatically stated that he was not a sheep, himself. This led me share the parable of how, at the final judgment, Jesus would separate the sheep from the goats - His sheep going to heaven and the goats going to hell (Matthew 25). Evidently, this story has stuck with him for a whole year! Bear actually was fairly good-natured and didn't cause too much of a stir. In fact, at one point he became somewhat vulnerable and acknowledged one reason he would not become a Christian is that he knew he could not live up to the moral standards Jesus taught and he didn't want to be a hypocrite. Wow! That's progress for a guy who claims to be an atheist and usually just likes to argue. I explained to him that, when we come to Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and He will both change our desires as well strengthen us to live as Christ commanded. The next day, Bear stood out in very cold weather and asked good questions. He got me to talking about what I thought of our country, its problems, its future and what solutions I saw. I gave a strong message about how we have turned our backs on God and are now reaping the consequences of broken families, incurable diseases, drug addictions, economic debt and the serious threat of foreign adversaries. I've never seen Bear so sober as he listened, absorbed and asked honest questions about what I thought needed to happen for America to have a bright future. (My answer, of course, is repentance and turning back to God.) He smiled and thanked me as he left. I have hope that Bear will one day become a Christian and I hope it is before he graduates so I can rejoice with him in his salvation!
Many of my antagonists grew up in Christian homes and know Scripture. One fellow read verses about how God will answer our prayers and then challenged me to pray right there, on the spot, that God would do away with all cancer in the world. Of course, this is a silly request designed not to see God do a miracle but to mock the idea that there is a God who answers prayer. It's kind of like me as a child when I was told that if I had faith I could do anything. I wanted to jump to the moon and thought that because I couldn't do so, I lacked faith. Really, what I didn't know then and know now is that we must pray according to the will of God. Was it God's will for me to jump to the moon? Obviously not. Is it God's will to cure all disease at this time? I don't believe so. Disease and death are part of the curse brought upon us by the sin of Adam. There is a consequence for sin and that consequence is death. If we never got sick and died, we would live forever in our corrupt state in this corrupt world. This is why God guarded the tree of life, lest Adam eat of it and live forever in his sinful state. But we will live forever when we are transformed into the glorious eternal state that will be ours in heaven (1 Cor 15).
One fellow had stood out and listened all day. At one point, I thought he was a Christian because he stood up for me and what I was saying. However, later in the day, I discovered his hope of eternal life is in his own goodness rather than in the grace and mercy of God shown in Jesus Christ. He asked a question about hell and challenged how a good God could send anyone to hell. I explained the gospel message - how we are all sinners and Christ took our sins upon Himself when He suffered and died on the cross. Salvation is not a matter of being good enough, but by being forgiven and cleansed in the blood of Christ. Expecting him to respond positively, I asked if he would like to be forgiven by God? His answer was a crisp and forceful, "No!" I was shocked and I think many in the crowd were as well. By our words - even our careless words - we will be justified or condemned. This young man stood his ground in rejecting the mercy of God. I hope and pray he reconsiders.
