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View Full Version : For Thought and Meditation - Thursday, August 05



Pine Baron
08-05-2021, 06:27 AM
Good morning all. Today's message is an interesting one. I believe God reveals Himself to all. Yet only true seekers have the ability to see Him and recognize Him. Have a safe and blessed day.

Thursday, August 5, 2021 - Pastor Greg Laurie
In Search of the Truth

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
—Jeremiah 29:13

Some people claim they’re seeking truth. They say they want to know the truth.

But if you were to say, “That’s amazing! I’d like to share some truth with you from the Bible,” they don’t want to hear it.

So you say, “Have you ever read it?”

“No.”

“Well, can I quote to you from it? Because Jesus said—”

“I don’t what to hear about what Jesus said. Put that away.” And suddenly they’re irritated and angry with you.

I suggest that such a person doesn’t want to know the truth. Because if they don’t believe the Bible is the Word of God, if they think it’s simply a bunch of made-up stories, then why would they care if you believe it? And why would they care if you quote from it?

When nonbelievers take offense to the Bible, it says to me they know there’s power in the message of the Bible.

It’s the same reason people take the Lord’s name in vain and why they punctuate a sentence with the holy name of Jesus Christ. They don’t invoke the name of anyone else. So in their own way, they’re acknowledging the power that’s in the name of Jesus Christ.

I think some people go to church because they like something peripheral about it, but they’re not really into a relationship with Christ himself. On the other hand, if a person really wants to know God, they will listen to the message of the gospel.

If you really want to know the truth, God will make Himself known to you. In Jeremiah 29:12–13 God said, “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (NKJV).

God will reveal Himself to true seekers.

USMC87
08-05-2021, 09:28 AM
Amen!

dverna
08-05-2021, 09:35 AM
As an ex-unbeliever I will share my perspective.

Most people read the Bible starting with Genesis. It is not a good starting point as it is filled with "stuff" that does not make sense to everyone. For example, many Christians believe in the New Earth and some do not. Creating the Universe in 6 days is a heck of hurdle to overcome and there is disagreement about what a "day" is.

In addition, God is not a very nice entity in most of the OT.

In short, it is a turn off.

My good friend advised me to start my journey by reading Mark. And I spent much of my time in the NT at the beginning.

I disagree with the conclusions of the original post. Unbelievers do not fear the power of Jesus Christ at all or hold any awe in the power of the Bible. If a preacher believes that, they are ignorant about unbelievers. The argument is ridiculous...if unbelievers had respect for the power of the Bible they would not dismiss it as a fairy tale of made up stories.

Mr. Laurie is deluding himself. He would be more effective dealing with unbelievers if he understood them. Like many Christians I have met, they cannot understand why anyone would not be a believer. Most have been so thoroughly "brain washed" they do not or cannot question anything. They are not equipped to deal with the tough questions from unbelievers.