http://www.ruinstitute.com Experts in Everything Worldview Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st169-050212.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st169-050212.mp3#comments Tue, 29 May 2012 20:00:00 +0000 Straight Thinking http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st169-050212.mp3 http://www.ruinstitute.com/2012/05/29/a-jewish-christian-muslim/feed/ 0 http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2012/05/may-be-tempted-to-lust.html http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2012/05/may-be-tempted-to-lust.html#comments Tue, 29 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000 Ray Comfort http://www.ruinstitute.com/?guid=8d38193b4bf3cbde54b87ac9f5c1f10e Then Reverend Smalley reminded Jerry of the story of the Prodigal Son, a story that he hadn't heard since his Sunday‑school days when he spent most of the time counting the patterns on the wallpaper. He refreshed his memory by telling him it was the story Jesus told about a wayward son who left his father and ended up in a pigsty.

The young man then returned penniless and asked for his father's forgiveness. As Edwin spoke of the rebellious son, Jerry quietly thought about Johnny's experience. Then, as he was beginning to walk away, he turned around and with a troubled expression asked,

"What should I say to God?"

"Just pour out your heart to him. It's like a man who has betrayed his wife's trust, and committed adultery. His loving and faithful wife is more than willing to take him back, so, in what attitude should he approach her, and what should he say to her?"

Jerry knew that there was no way Edwin could have known about his experiences. He wrote off the first two stories, about the man who had all his debt paid and the son coming home destitute, as mere coincidence. But with the third "illustration" about a husband who committed adultery made him shudder. He had been unfaithful to his wife, but only he and the guilty woman knew that. Jerry said,

"His attitude should be one of genuine humility; humbled that his wife would take him back. He should simply say that he has violated her trust, that he has no words of justification for what he has done . . . and that he will never even think of committing adultery again."

Edwin answered. "Go and do likewise. God isn't interested in your words, but in your heart. Repentance is telling God you are sorry for sinning against Him and saying that you will never even think of doing it again. That husband may be tempted to lust after other women, but if he does, in the light of the grace his wife showed him, he will immediately pull his thoughts back into line with his new resolve to do only that which pleases her."

With that, he put one hand on Jerry's shoulder and prayed that God would continue to speak to him, and bring him to a point of genuine repentance. Then he said,

"If I were you, I would go home, get on my knees and read Psalm 51."

To be continued...

For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

]]> http://www.ruinstitute.com/2012/05/29/may-be-tempted-to-lust/feed/ 0 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st168-042512.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st168-042512.mp3#comments Mon, 28 May 2012 20:00:00 +0000 Straight Thinking http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st168-042512.mp3 http://www.ruinstitute.com/2012/05/28/objection-to-christs-atonement/feed/ 0 http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2012/05/amazing-grace.html http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2012/05/amazing-grace.html#comments Mon, 28 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000 Ray Comfort http://www.ruinstitute.com/?guid=4823ce6bfd479b4096d5ce60a68e4336 He looked directly at Jerry with the same piercing look that Mr. von Ludendorff gave him in his nightmares, and asked,

"Have you ever done that?" Jerry tried to hide the fact that his mouth was dry and his heart was pounding in his chest. He rubbed his chin self‑consciously and said,

"Yes . . . once or twice." The minister then looked even more intently at him and said,

"Jerry, by your own admission, you are a lying, thieving, adulterer at heart, and you have to face God on Judgment Day . . . and we have only looked at three of the Ten Commandments. There are another seven you have to answer to, about blasphemy, greed, hatred, murder, honoring your parents and giving to God what is rightly His in the area of worship, etc. On Judgment Day, if God was to judge you by the standard of His Law, do you think you would be innocent or guilty?"

He didn't hesitate to answer,

"Guilty."

"Well, do you think you will go to Heaven or Hell?" The answer was quick and positive:

"Heaven!"

"Why? Is it because you think God is 'good' and therefore will overlook your sins?"

Jerry nodded in agreement with such a thought. He was pleased that Edwin had been able to articulate as to why he thought that he should go to Heaven. His only hope was that God would understand his mistakes, but it seemed that the Reverend didn’t want to leave the conversation there.

"If a rapist and murderer expects a judge to overlook his crimes because he thinks that the judge is a 'good' man, he will probably hear him answer such a presumption with, 'You are right about one thing. I am a good man, and it is because of my goodness that I am going to see that you are punished, and brought to justice.'

"Those who are hoping that God's goodness will overlook their sins, will find that the very thing they are trusting in to save them will be the thing that will condemn them and send them to Hell."

Edwin then closed his Bible as if to say, I rest my case. He stood to his feet and walked around his desk as if to close the conversation. Jerry felt like saying, "Don't leave me like this," but instead, he too rose to his feet and as they walked toward the door he asked the minister,

"What do you think I should do?" As they stood at the doorway he said,

"Jerry, you know the Gospel; that Christ died to save us. You know that He took the punishment for our sins. We broke the Law; He paid the fine. That means that God can now legally dismiss our case. He can commute our death sentence and let us live. You also know that He rose from the dead. But you need to ask God to give you understanding as to what that means, and you need to repent and put your faith in the Savior."

Then he stopped speaking as though he had thought of some better way to illustrate what he had just said.

"Jerry . . . it's like a man who found himself deeply in debt. He was utterly without hope. There was no way that he could pay his creditors. The law was about to take its fearful course, when a rich friend extended grace toward him and paid his debt in full. It was actually the law that drove him to grace. If the law hadn't pressured him, he wouldn't have sought help from his friend. Can you understand that?" The old minister smiled gently, then quoted a hymn that he loved to sing,

"‘It was grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.’ Those are the words of a hymn the world sings—Amazing Grace, but it seems they have no depth of understanding as to what the words actually mean.

"When the Christian looks at the terrible price that the Law demanded--the suffering death of the Messiah, it horrifies him. Grace provided the payment, and it was at terrible cost. The Bible puts it this way: ‘Pass the sojourning here in fear; forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of Christ."

Jerry thought about the day the officers of the law drove him to Theodore’s house and how Grace welcomed him, and took him to Theodore who paid his debt in full. He could understand what the Bible was saying, more than the minister knew.

"Jeremiah, God's wrath abides upon every person who has transgressed His Commandments. If the Law is allowed to take its fearful course on the Day of Judgment, its sentence will be eternal Hell. It's the knowledge of our true state--that we are in big trouble, that drives us to the Gospel of grace.

"Our salvation was no small thing. When Jesus suffered on the Cross, He paid the fine with His own life's blood. Just as the friend showed that his love was more than mere lip service by paying the debt, so the Cross is an evident expression of God's love and grace toward you and me. But these are just empty words until God reveals the truth of them to you."

To be continued...

For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

]]> http://www.ruinstitute.com/2012/05/28/amazing-grace/feed/ 0 http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2012/05/im-really-not-bad-person.html http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2012/05/im-really-not-bad-person.html#comments Fri, 25 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000 Ray Comfort http://www.ruinstitute.com/?guid=9c8c8c8fff7d3bff78a1054e27dd9770 It was three months since his beloved wife's passing. Once again Jerry sat in Edwin's home, but this time it was in the minister's study. The walls of the small room were covered with books; hundreds of books about God and the Bible. After a little small talk about such an impressive collection, Jerry said,

"Edwin, I know I can be open with you. Since Connie died . . . well, even though I made a 'decision' some time ago, I seem to have lost faith in God. In fact, I haven't prayed in weeks. I feel bitter that He let her die. I wouldn't have bothered to come back and see you except for the fact that last night I had a dream that I have had a number of times since the war. In it, a minister keeps pointing to me, out of all the people in the room, and accusing me of different things. I'm confused as to what I'm supposed to do. One thing I do know, I can't go on as before; living in blind faith as though everything was all right. Not only that, I'm not sure of the Bible. Connie would read it all the time but I had no desire to . . . "

Edwin had a gentle firmness in his voice as he said,

"Oh, being a Christian isn’t a matter of 'blind faith.' The world thinks that that is what is required, but it is not true.

"Seeing as you mentioned it, let's look at the Bible for a moment and see if you can be 'sure' of its authenticity. It was written over a period of 3,000 years by as many as fifty different authors; from kings to fishermen, and yet there is incredible consistency throughout the whole of Scripture. Take for instance how God said of the Jews in Deuteronomy, that if they obeyed Him and kept His Law they would have His blessings of long life, health and prosperity. However, if they disobeyed Him and became godless, giving themselves to idolatry which would lead to all types of sexual sin, greed, corruption, etc., He would allow them to be delivered into the hands of their enemies, so that, as a nation, they would be humbled and seek Him once again. This happened time and time again throughout the Old Testament, and has continued to happen right up until this present day.

"One interesting consistency is that the number forty is God's number of deliverance. The Old Testament and the New Testament harmonize in this. In fact, in Chapter Seven of the Book of Acts, Stephen mentions that God delivered Moses from Egypt when he was 40 years old. Then He waited 40 years before He used Him to deliver Israel from Egypt. He also says that the Jews were in the wilderness for 40 years before God delivered them into the land of Canaan. This is unwavering--right throughout scripture, attesting to the fact that only God could have inspired such unerring consistency, and it's only one example of literally hundreds of perfect harmonies of numerical symmetry. That alone should convince an honest skeptic to at least set aside his doubts for a moment."

He stopped his mini-sermon for a moment and smiled at the thought of an "honest skeptic" because they were so few and far between, then said,

"But there are also many infallible prophecies which have been perfectly fulfilled such as the Jews getting Jerusalem back in 1967, something God had promised thousands of years previous. But there is something else you need to hear."

Jerry sat up in his seat and said,

"I don't doubt God's existence. What bothers me is the fact that I keep having this dream telling me I need to repent! I don't get it; I’m really not a bad person?"

The old minister leaned forward in his chair a little and said,

"Jerry, you've been candid with me so I trust you will let me be direct with you. Let me ask you a question. Have you obeyed the Ten Commandments?" Jerry smiled and said,

"No, I have broken one or two . . . but who hasn't? What I am more concerned with is the fact that God allowed my wife to get cancer, then He let her die . . . where’s the justice in that?" Edwin seemed to ignore that remark. He said,

"Well, let's look at God's Law for a moment and see how you do. How many lies do you think you have told in your whole life?"

In a flash Jerry thought of his childhood in Texas, his years in German, then the lies he told in England and those he told to Connie, when he was committing adultery. "Quite a few. But who hasn't lied. I think we are all guilty?"

"What does that make you?" asked the good minister.

"A sinner, I guess." The next statement made him shuffle in his seat­,

"Yes, but more specifically . . . a liar. Have you ever stolen something, even if it's small?" Jerry said he had.

"What does that make you?" "A thief, " came the answer.

The Reverend’s eyes twinkled as he said, “No. It makes you a lying thief.” He then looked at the Bible he had opened on his lap and read:

"You have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery in his heart."

To be continued...

For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

]]> http://www.ruinstitute.com/2012/05/25/im-really-not-a-bad-person/feed/ 0 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st163-032112.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st163-032112.mp3#comments Thu, 24 May 2012 20:00:00 +0000 Straight Thinking http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st163-032112.mp3 http://www.ruinstitute.com/2012/05/24/biblical-anthropology-dichotomy-or-trichotomy-part-2/feed/ 0 http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2012/05/chapter-nineteen-number-forty.html http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2012/05/chapter-nineteen-number-forty.html#comments Thu, 24 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000 Ray Comfort http://www.ruinstitute.com/?guid=470069e6e44c58194e6f5f72f201ef74 The conversation with Edwin shattered a lifetime of Jerry's philosophy. He couldn't argue with the simple fact that everything made had a maker. There wasn't a thing on the face of the earth that he could say didn't have some sort of maker; whether it was his car, his TV, his shoes, his belt, his telephone, his couch or his house. All around him were flowers, birds, trees, and thousands of different animals; things infinitely more complex than anything man had made. He felt stupid that he had thought himself to be "intellectual" in his atheistic beliefs. He had also found an adequate answer as to the next obvious question—Who made God? That one was reasonably simple. God is eternal. He dwells outside of the dimension of “time” that He created.

A few days after this, at the insistence of his dying wife, Jeremiah asked Jesus Christ to be his Lord and Savior and began to attend church each Sunday until the time of Connie's death.

To be continued...

For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

]]> http://www.ruinstitute.com/2012/05/24/chapter-nineteen-the-number-forty/feed/ 0 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st162-031412.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st162-031412.mp3#comments Wed, 23 May 2012 20:00:00 +0000 Straight Thinking http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st162-031412.mp3 http://www.ruinstitute.com/2012/05/23/biblical-anthropology-dichotomy-or-trichotomy-part-1/feed/ 0 http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2012/05/youre-not-atheist.html http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2012/05/youre-not-atheist.html#comments Wed, 23 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000 Ray Comfort http://www.ruinstitute.com/?guid=65655ef86e7b543a7ed2794d69f3c402 After the meeting, the venerable minister invited the couple home for lunch. After the meal, the women washed the dishes and Jerry and the Reverend retired into the living room, something Jerry had hoped would happen. He wanted to test the man's faith, without hurting Connie's feelings or seeming rude.

As they sat on the soft lounge chairs, he picked up a cup of coffee, stirred it slowly and said,

"Reverend, would you mind if I ask you a few questions about …about 'God,' and His existence? I'm an educated man and I tend to lean toward atheism, so I would like you to tell me why you have a belief in a Creator when there is so much evidence in the other direction." Reverend Smalley smiled and said "I would be happy to try and answer any questions, if will you stop calling me Reverend. I’m Edwin."

Jerry continued,

"Sure. Here’s my question. I can understand why Connie suddenly wanted to come to church. Death is a very scary thing and that's when 'faith' comes in handy. My own father prayed when the Nazis were heading for Poland. I spent four years fighting with the French resistance, and I would be a liar if I said that I never prayed when things were tough. But that's my point, when things get difficult, we all need to look to 'God' or the bottle--something to pull us through.

“I remember praying once and even being convinced that God answered my prayer, but I was backed into a corner and couldn't do anything but pray. I’m sure what I then thought was an answer to prayer, was nothing but a coincidence.

"Then there is actual evidence against the existence of God. First, there is the ever-present issue of suffering. If a God of love existed, He wouldn't allow it. What father would let his children starve to death, as we have seen happen in China in years past? Or what father would let his child suffer with cancer when he could easily cure him, as in the case of Connie?

"Second, what proof is there for His existence anyway? You can't hear Him, see Him, touch Him, taste Him or smell Him. All I ever hear when it comes to God is, 'You've got to have faith.' Well, I'm sorry Reverend . . . uh Edwin . . . I don't want 'faith,' I want good hard concrete evidence."

Jerry sipped his coffee, then put his cup to one side, shuffled a little in his seat and said,

"I must say I feel a little uncomfortable. Here I am a guest in your house, and I guess I have shaken your faith a little."

To his surprise, Edwin didn't look one bit shaken. He smiled politely and said,

"I had exactly the same sentiments for years. If I gave you a book, would you take the time to read it and get back to me with your thoughts? It's about atheists. It's called, God Doesn't Believe in Atheists. If you take the ti . . . "

Jerry lifted up his hand before he could finish his sentence and said,

"I really don't think it will help." The minister smiled in that he had uncovered the fact that Jerry wasn't asking questions at all, but merely airing his beliefs. He said,

"So, you are pretty sure of your facts?" Jerry was quick to respond,

"Sure? To be quite honest, I haven't begun to bring out all the other evidence to support atheism--the fact of evolution—you can’t argue with science, the hypocrisy in the Church, the hateful doctrine of Hell, and the fact that Hitler was a Christian. " Reverend Smalley leaned forward a little and said,

"May I ask you a couple of questions?"

"Why not? Go ahead" Jerry retorted confident that he could handle anything the minister had.

"Look at my house. See the windows, the door frames, the interior paneling, the wallpaper, the electrical wiring, the tiles on the roof, etc. If I asked you if there was a builder, what would you say to me?"

Jerry's face revealed that he thought the question to be absurd and his tone carried a slight impatience as he said,

"The building exists; therefore there must be a builder. Buildings don’t make themselves. I don’t see your point."

Edwin said,

"But I can't see him, hear him, touch, taste or smell him. What actual proof is there that he exists?"

Jerry shuffled in his seat and quietly said,

"The building."

"What then would you think of my mental capacity if I told you that there was no evidence that there was a builder? What would you think of my intellect, if I said to you that I really believed that this house; with all the concrete, nails, glass, door frames, paneling, etc., happened by pure chance, by accident?"

Suddenly, it seemed like a light switched on in Jerry's head. He thought for a moment and said, "I would think that you were a fool."

“Here’s the second question. As an atheist, you believe that nothing created everything . . . a scientific impossibility?” Jerry didn’t answer. “You can’t truly believe that creation, or as a professing atheist you may call it “Nature,” made itself. This is because if it made itself, it had to pre-exist befor it made itself to be able to have the ability to make itself. So, you are stuck with the scientific impossibility of believing that nothing created everything.”

Jeremiah rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and said, “No, I don’t believe that. Obviously something created everything, I just be;lieve that it was God, and particularly not the ‘Christian’ God.”

“So Jeremiah, you’re not an atheist. You are what’s called an ‘agnostic.’ You believe that there was or is some sort of creative force. “

To be continued...

For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

]]> http://www.ruinstitute.com/2012/05/23/youre-not-an-atheist/feed/ 0 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st164-032812.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st164-032812.mp3#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 20:00:00 +0000 Straight Thinking http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/c450915.r15.cf2.rackcdn.com/st164-032812.mp3 http://www.ruinstitute.com/2012/05/22/best-explanation-apologetics-abductive-reasoning-part-1/feed/ 0