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My Father's Life Was Changed Right Before My Eyes [when He Trusted Christ]. It Was Like Someone Reached Down And Switched On A Light Inside Him. He Touched Alcohol Only Once After That. He Got The Drink Only As Far As His Lips And That Was It-after Forty Years Of Drinking! He Didn't Need It Any More. Fourteen Months Later, He Died Form Complications Of His Alcoholism. But In That Fourteen-month Period Over A Hundred People In The Area Around My Tiny Hometown Committed Their Lives To Jesus Christ Because Of The Change They Saw In The Town Drunk, My Dad.

-Josh McDowell

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My Father's Life Was

Josh McDowell

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My Father's Life Was Changed Right Before My Eyes [when He Trusted Christ]. It Was Like Someone Reached Down And Switched On A Light Inside Him. He Touched Alcohol Only Once After That. He Got The Drink Only As Far As His Lips And That Was It-after Forty Years Of Drinking! He Didn't Need It Any More. Fourteen Months Later, He Died Form Complications Of His Alcoholism. But In That Fourteen-month Period Over A Hundred People In The Area Around My Tiny Hometown Committed Their Lives To Jesus Christ Because Of The Change They Saw In The Town Drunk, My Dad.

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I Thought Christians Were Walking Idiots.

As A Reward For Their Efforts, However, Those Early Christians Were Beaten, Stoned To Death, Thrown To The Lions, Tortured And Crucified. Every Conceivable Method Was Used To Stop Them From Talking.

We No Longer Live In A Post-christian Society, We Live In An Anti-christian Society, One In Which The Christian Faith Is Dismissed Or Ridiculed And Christians Are Considered Suspect And Their Motives And Behavior Berated.

My Heart And Mind Were Created To Work In Harmony Together. Never Has An Individual Been Called Upon To Commit Intellectual Suicide In Trusting Christ As Savior And Lord.

My Greatest Asset Now Is My Focus.

Both Jewish And Roman Sources And Traditions Admit An Empty Tomb.

The Fact That God Accepts Us Should Be Our Motivation For Accepting Ourselves. If We Cannot Accept Ourselves The Way We Are, With Our Limitations And Assets, Weaknesses As Well As Strengths, Shortcomings As Well As Abilities; Then We Cannot Trust Anyone Else To Accept Us The Way We Are. We Will Always Be Putting On A Front, Building A Facade Around Ourselves, Never Letting People Know What We Are Really Like Deep Down Inside.

You Can Laugh At Christianity; You Can Mock And Ridicule It. But It Works. It Changes Lives. If You Trust Christ, Start Watching Your Attitudes And Actions, Because Jesus Christ Is In The Business Of Changing Lives.

This Is An Important Distinction, Because Most Of The Modern Philosophies That Deny That We Can Know Reality, And Ultimately Truth, Make The Mistake Of Constructing Epistemological Systems To Explain How We Know Reality Without First Acknowledging The Fact That We Do Know Reality. After They Begin Within The Mind And Find They Can't Construct A Bridge To Reality, They Then Declare That We Can't Know Reality. It Is Like Drawing A Faulty Road Map Before Looking At The Roads, Then Declaring That We Can't Know How To Get From Chicago To New York!

After I Set Out To Refute Christianity Intellectually And Couldn't, I Came To The Conclusion The Bible Was True And Jesus Christ Was God's Son.

No Matter How Devastating Our Struggles, Disappointments, And Troubles Are, They Are Only Temporary. No Matter What Happens To You, No Matter The Depth Of Tragedy Or Pain You Face, No Matter How Death Stalks You And Your Loved Ones, The Resurrection Promises You A Future Of Immeasurable Good.

God Created Us, He Created Us For His Glory, And He Created Us To Have A Relationship With Him, And He Created Us To Be All That He Desires Us To Be And He's Jealous Of That Because He Does Not Want To Share That With Others.

Where I Once Believed People Were There To Be Used, I Started Thinking Of Other People First.

When I Was A Crusade Director In British Columbia, All Of Our Meetings Were At 9:03. Somebody Said 'that's Ridiculous. Why Did You Do That?' It's Because You Remember It. You've Never Been To Another 9:03 Meeting.

Many People Entertain The Idea That Christianity,like Almost Any Other Religion,is Basically A System Of Beliefs-you Know, A Set Of Doctrines Or A Code Of Behavior, A Philosophy, An Ideology. But That's A Myth. Christianity Is Not At All Like Buddhism Or Islam Or Confucianism. The Founders Of Those Religions Said (in Effect), 'here Is What I Teach. Believe My Teachings. Follow My Philosophy.' Jesus Said, 'follow Me'(matthew 9:9). Leaders Of The World's Religions Said, 'what Do You Think About What I Teach?' Jesus Said, 'who Do You Say I Am?'(luke 9:20)

While The Resurrection Promises Us A New And Perfect Life In The Future, God Loves Us Too Much To Leave Us Alone To Contend With The Pain, Guilt And Loneliness Of Our Present Life.

Why Don't The Names Of Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius Offend People? The Reason Is That These Others Didn't Claim To Be God, But Jesus Did.

Tolerance Is The Worst Roar Of All, Including Tolerance For Homosexuals, Feminists, And Religions That Don't Follow Christ.

The Downfall Of The Church Will Not Come From A Lack Of Apologetic Teaching; It Will Come From Disintegration Of The Families In The Church.

The Internet Has Given Atheists, Agnostics, Skeptics, The People Who Like To Destroy Everything That You And I Believe, The Almost Equal Access To Your Kids As Your Youth Pastor And You Have... Whether You Like It Or Not.

Love Can Wait To Give; It Is Lust That Can't Wait To Get.

True Love Is Spelled G-i-v-e. It Is Not Based On What You Can Get, But Rooted In What You Can Give To The Other Person.

For Centuries Many Of The World's Distinguished Philosophers Have Assaulted Christianity As Being Irrational, Superstitious And Absurd.

Parents Are Heroes Already - All They Have To Do Is Start Acting Like It.

I Am Not A Christian Because God Changed My Life; I Am A Christian Because Of My Convictions About Who Jesus Christ Is.

I Always Tried To Be Open-minded, But Not So Open-minded That My Brains Would Fall Out. As G. K. Chesterton Says, "the Purpose Of Opening The Mind, As Of Opening The Mouth, Is To Close It Again On Something Solid." I Opened My Mind, And I Finally Closed It On The Most Solid Reality I Had Ever Experienced. On December 19, 1959, At 8:30pm, During My Second Year At The University, I Became A Christian.

Stephen L. Carter Coined The Phrase 'the Culture Of Disbelief' To Describe The Prevailing Hostility In Western Culture Toward Public Expressions Of Faith.

The New Testament Witnesses Were Fully Aware Of The Background Against Which The Resurrection Took Place.

The First Thing That Stuck In The Minds Of The Disciples Was Not The Empty Tomb, But Rather The Empty Grave Clothes - Undisturbed In Form And Position.

Christ Can Be Trusted To Keep His Word That He Will Exchange Our Drab Existence For Joyous Living, Abundant Life! And While True Love, Total Acceptance, And Complete Security Are Rare In Our Frantic World, The Biblical Evidence That Our Desires In These Areas Will Be Fulfilled In Christ Is Abundant.

Jesus Claimed He Had The Power To Raise Himself From The Dead And His Followers Would Be Raised From The Dead. That's A Unique Claim In The Literature Of Religion.

Knowing That God Is Faithful, It Really Helps Me To Not Be Captivated By Worry. But Knowing That He Will Do What He Has Said, He Will Cause It To Happen, Whatever He Has Promised, And Then It Causes Me To Be Less Involved In Worrying About A Situation.

The Old Testament Records The Preparation For The Coming Of The Messiah. The Gospels Record The Coming Of The Messiah, Jesus Christ Our Lord. The Book Of Acts Records The Propagation Of The Gospel (the Good News) Concerning Jesus Christ. The Epistles (letters) Explain The Gospel And Its Implications For Our Lives. The Book Of Revelation Anticipates And Describes The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ And The Establishment Of His Eternal Kingdom. From Beginning To End, The Bible Glorifies Jesus Christ And Centers On Him. Its Christ-centeredness Is One Of Its Wonderful Features.

Christ Appeared Alive On Several Occasions After The Cataclysmic Events Of That First Easter.

Always Be Prepared To Give An Answer To Everyone Who Asks You To Give The Reason For The Hope That You Have.

Now, Whenever You Read Any Historical Document, You Always Evaluate It In Light Of The Historical Context.

Few People Seem To Realize That The Resurrection Of Jesus Is The Cornerstone To A Worldview That Provides The Perspective To All Of Life.

Yet Each Of Us Also Carries Another Portrait With Us, A Picture Far More Important Than Any In Our Wallet. Psychologists Have A Name For It. They Call That Mental Picture Of Ourselves, Our Self-image. ... There's Always The Person Whose Self-image Is Bent All Out Of Shape, Like A Photo Carried Too Long In A Wallet.the Good News Of The Tremendous Worth We Have In God's Eyes Can Light Up Our Inner Self-portrait.

My Father's Life Was Changed Right Before My Eyes [when He Trusted Christ]. It Was Like Someone Reached Down And Switched On A Light Inside Him. He Touched Alcohol Only Once After That. He Got The Drink Only As Far As His Lips And That Was It-after Forty Years Of Drinking! He Didn't Need It Any More. Fourteen Months Later, He Died Form Complications Of His Alcoholism. But In That Fourteen-month Period Over A Hundred People In The Area Around My Tiny Hometown Committed Their Lives To Jesus Christ Because Of The Change They Saw In The Town Drunk, My Dad.

Rules Without Relationship Leads To Rebellion.

I Would Say 90 Percent Of Christians Do Not Have A Worldview, In Other Words A View Of The World, Based On The Scripture And A Relationship With God.

Leaders Of The World's Religions Said, 'what Do You Think About What I Teach?' Jesus Said, 'who Do You Say I Am?'(luke 9:20)

Most Christians When Asked What Is The Essence Of The Christian Faith Will Say It Is All In The Rules To Be Acceptable By God. That Is Anti-christian, But They Don't Know That.

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This Is The Age Of The New Tolerance And It Is Producing A Bumper Crop Of Anti-christian And Anti-american Sentiment.

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The Christian Faith Is Faith In Christ. Its Value Or Worth Is Not In The One Believing But In The One Believed - Not In The One Trusting, But In The One Trusted.

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A Lot Of People Say, Well How Can A Loving God Send Anyone To Hell? First Of All God Doesn't Send Anyone To Hell. If We Go To Hell, It's By Our Own Choice. But When Somebody Says To Me, How Can A Loving God Allow Anyone To Go To Hell, I'll Turn Around And Say, "well How Can A Holy, Just, Righteous God Allow Sin Into His Presence?"

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If Jesus Christ Was Who He Claimed To Be, And He Did Die On A Cross At A Point Of Time In History, Then, For All History Past And All History Future It Is Relevant Because That Is The Very Focal Point For Forgiveness And Redemption.

I Once Had A Lot Of Hatred, Mainly Toward My Father, An Alcoholic.

Truth Is Objective Because God Exists Outside Ourselves; It Is Universal Because God Is Above All; It Is Constant Because God Is Eternal. Absolute Truth Is Absolute Because It Originates From The Original.

Prayer Is Talking With God. God Knows Your Heart And Is Not So Concerned With Your Words As He Is With The Attitude Of Your Heart.

If One Discards The Bible As Being Unreliable, Then He Must Discard Almost All Literature Of Antiquity.

Where I Once Constantly Lost My Temper, I Found Myself Arriving At A Crisis And Experiencing Peace.

Having Convictions Can Be Defined As Being So Thoroughly Convinced That Christ And His Word Are Both Objectively True And Relationally Meaningful That You Act On Your Beliefs Regardless Of The Consequences.

How Do You Spell Love?... When You Reach The Point Where The Happiness, Security And Development Of Another Person Is As Much Of A Driving Force To You As Your Own Happiness, Security, And Development, Then You Have A Mature Love. True Love Is Spelled G-i-v-e. It Is Not Based On What You Can Get, But Rooted In What You Can Give To The Other Person.

Well How Can A Holy, Just, Righteous God Allow Sin Into His Presence?

We Do Not Develop Habits Of Genuine Love Automatically. We Learn By Watching Effective Role Models - Most Specifically By Observing How Our Parents Express Love For Each Other Day In And Day Out.

Paul The Apostle Recounted That Jesus Appeared To More Than 500 Of His Followers At One Time, The Majority Of Whom Were Still Alive And Who Could Confirm What Paul Wrote.

Jesus Said That I Am The Only Way. So It Is Illogical To Say All Religions Are True, But It Is Not Illogical To Say All Religions Are False. All Religion Could Be False But They Can't All Be True Because There Are Direct Logical Contradictions.

There Was A Time When Only Specialized Christian Missionaries Needed To Be Able To Defend The Gospel Of Jesus Christ Against The Attacks Of Islam. Today Every Christian Has An Opportunity And Obligation To Present The Gospel Effectively And In Christian Love To The Muslims Who Have Permeated Our Western Society. When Your Neighbor, Your Mechanic, Your Favorite Basketball Player, Your Employer Or Employee, Or Even Your Children's Friends Could Very Well Be Muslims, The Need For Proper Understanding And An Effective Christian Witness Is Abundantly Clear.

Anyone With Sincere Religious Beliefs Cannot Say That All Religions Are True. That Is So Illogical It Is Pathetic. All Religion Cannot Be True Because Some Of Them Are So Diametrically Opposed To Each Other.

My Joy In Life Is Not Because I Have Not Had Any Problems. I Have Joy Because I Have Learned There Is Nothing Too Great For Gods Power To Deal With, Nor Anything Too Small Or Insignificant For His Love To Be Concerned About.

If They Had Connived A Scheme, And Christ Had Not Been Raised From The Dead, Where Would Have Been The Hardest Place On The Face Of The Earth To Convince Anyone? In Jerusalem.

On That Sunday Morning The First Thing That Impressed The People Who Approached The Tomb Was The Unusual Position Of The One And A Half To Two Ton Stone That Had Been Lodged In Front Of The Doorway.

We May Very Well Wake Up In The Not-too-distant Future In A Culture That Is Not Only Unreceptive But Openly Hostile To The Church And The Gospel Of Jesus Christ, A Culture In Which Those Who Proclaim The Gospel Will Be Labeled As Bigots And Fanatics, A Culture In Which Persecution Of Christians Will Be Not Only Allowed But Applauded.

Whenever You Do Judge, The Only Basis Of Judgment Is Not Your Own Perspective Or Anything Else, It's The Very Character And Nature Of God And That's Why We Are To Allow Him To Exercise His Justice, Where I Personally Want To Take It Upon Myself.

What You Are As A Single Person, You Will Be As A Married Person, Only To A Greater Degree. Any Negative Character Trait Will Be Intensified In A Marriage Relationship, Because You Will Feel Free To Let Your Guard Down -- That Person Has Committed Himself To You And You No Longer Have To Worry About Scaring Him Off.

If Someone Tries To Tell You You Are The Greatest Generation In The History Of America, Don't Believe Them. You Aren't. You Have The Capability To Be, But You Aren't.

After More Than 700 Hours Of Studying This Subject, And Thoroughly Investigating Its Foundation, I Have Come To The Conclusion That The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ Is One Of The Most Wicked, Vicious, Heartless Hoaxes Ever Foisted Upon The Minds Of Men, Or It Is The Most Fantastic Fact Of History

We've Had A Major Shift In What Truth Is And Where It Comes From. We've Gone From Being God-centered To Self-centered, From Being Objective To Being Subjective And From Being Internal To External.

Belief Is Knowing What You Believe. Conviction Is Knowing Why You Believe It.

Forgiveness Is The Oil Of Relationships.

Because The New Testament Provides The Primary Historical Source For Information On The Resurrection, Many Critics During The 19th Century Attacked The Reliability Of These Biblical Documents.

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