All My Lessons
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- Shortadoofus
- Simon Says
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- Six Impossible Things
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- Slow Ball
- So What Color Was the Donkey
- Soap Opera
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- Spiritual Salad
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- Super Christian Beachwear
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T
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Other Things
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Old Lessons and Miscellaneous Stuff
- Home
-
Lessons-Alphabetical
- Numeric
- A
-
B
- B.O.O.K.
- Backwards Dude
- Bad News/Good News
- Bag-O-Christmas
- Balloon Brothers
- Beach-in-a-Bottle
- Bears
- Bible Baseball Game
- Bible News Network
- Bible World Records
- Bleach and Iodine
- Bob and Darla's Wedding
- Bob-in-a-Box
- Books of the Bible Puzzle
- Bottle Hoop and Pen
- Box of Chocolates
- Brain Washing
- Brick Balance
- Brown Envelopes
- Bubbles
- Bug-Eyed Bob
-
C
- D
- E
-
F
-
G
-
H
- I-J
- K
- L
-
M
- N-O
-
P
- Q-R
-
S
- Sandcastle
- Satan's Packaging
- Scaffold and Bicycle
- Scale Model of the Universe
- Scavenger Hunt
- Seven Laws of Mr. Lyle Land
- Shell Game
- Shortadoofus
- Simon Says
- Singing Rod
- Six Impossible Things
- Skil Saws
- Slow Ball
- So What Color Was the Donkey
- Soap Opera
- Spaghetti Structures
- Spiritual Salad
- Stress-o-Meter
- S.T.U.P.I.D. Machine
- Super Christian Beachwear
- Survival Kit
-
T
- U-Z
- Topical Indexes
-
Other Things
- Contact
-
Old Lessons and Miscellaneous Stuff
Coke Bottle
(Live By Faith)
(Is God Real)
We live by faith and not by sight. II Corinthians 5:7
The Basic Bible Truth
To describe God completely is an impossible challenge for us on this side of Heaven. We see only dim shadows of the realm that God inhabits. Our culture says to us that if we see something, we can believe in it. God describes a better way. That we trust Him and believe Him blindly. To prove God’s existence to this world is a difficult task. Much like a jury trial, we can present evidence to those around us. We can point them toward creation and the majesty seen in the enormity of this universe. Or we can show them the complexity of the human genome and how it works in its smallest detail. The sheer number of copies of the earliest manuscripts of Scripture overwhelm the handfuls that represent any other ancient text. No one piece of evidence, taken by itself, can adequately prove God’s existence. But when taken as a cumulative accounting and considered with a genuinely unbiased study, a verdict can be reached. Unbelievers often are looking for that one, individual bit of evidence that they can point to as proof. But as many juries have found, truth is often found in considering all of the materials and testimony offered for consideration. God has provided ample proof. We must reach a verdict.
The Object
Disappearing Coke Bottle
(Live By Faith)
(Is God Real)
We live by faith and not by sight. II Corinthians 5:7
The Basic Bible Truth
To describe God completely is an impossible challenge for us on this side of Heaven. We see only dim shadows of the realm that God inhabits. Our culture says to us that if we see something, we can believe in it. God describes a better way. That we trust Him and believe Him blindly. To prove God’s existence to this world is a difficult task. Much like a jury trial, we can present evidence to those around us. We can point them toward creation and the majesty seen in the enormity of this universe. Or we can show them the complexity of the human genome and how it works in its smallest detail. The sheer number of copies of the earliest manuscripts of Scripture overwhelm the handfuls that represent any other ancient text. No one piece of evidence, taken by itself, can adequately prove God’s existence. But when taken as a cumulative accounting and considered with a genuinely unbiased study, a verdict can be reached. Unbelievers often are looking for that one, individual bit of evidence that they can point to as proof. But as many juries have found, truth is often found in considering all of the materials and testimony offered for consideration. God has provided ample proof. We must reach a verdict.
The Object
Disappearing Coke Bottle
This is a simple illusion that can be purchased online from most magic shops for less than $20. It is easy to do and has a short learning curve to master it. I have found it an effective tool to use. At some point in the lesson, I point to the coke bottle and ask if it is real. Yes. I then place the cardboard tube over the base and ask if it is still real. Yes. I then cover it with a cloth and ask if it is still real. Yes. I then pick up the cloth covered coke bottle by its top, discard the cardboard, and ask if it is still real. Yes. Then very quickly I wad the cloth up and put it away into my shirt pocket, and ask if it was real. Now no one is sure about anything.
The Lesson
Is God real? There are times when we may doubt. Even John the Baptist, one of the greatest men who ever lived, doubted as he sat alone in Herod’s dungeon. He had been appointed by God to announce the Savior and preach against sin. And he did those things faithfully. But when he confronted Herod about his illicit relationship with he brother’s wife, Herod reacted unmercifully and had him thrown into a Roman dungeon to rot. In that dungeon of despair, John began to question whether or not Jesus was indeed who He said He was. He gathered his friends around and asked them to go and ask Jesus a specific question regarding His authenticity. Jesus’ response was dramatic. In a moment of time, everyone with in a radius of Jesus was instantly and completely healed of all of their physical problems. Jesus turned to those friends of John and simply said, “Go and tell John what you just saw.”
We live by faith and not by sight. Taken in context, this verse refers to Heaven. Paul is talking to the Corinthian church about their ultimate future—where all Christians will spend eternity. The truth of this verse, though, extends into all areas of the Christian walk.
So much of our Christianity is “un-provable” by the standards of the world. The culture we live in demands a reality check based upon the five physical senses: taste, touch, hearing, sight, and smell. The spiritual world, which is very real indeed, is not accessed by any of these senses. So the unsaved look at our belief system as foolishness. Many illusionists throughout history have made a reasonable living proving incredible things with their sleight of hand methods. Our senses are so easily fooled.
For the Christian, the Bible must be seen as absolutely dependable. It does not just contain the Words of God—it is the Word of God! And if God is perfect, (He is, by the way), then His Word is also perfect. It must become the basis for all that we deem to be true. If the Bible says it, it is so, regardless of what science or society may be proclaiming at the time. We cannot believe just a part of it. Nothing can be discarded as mythology. If we set anything to the side as questionable, how are we to trust any part of the Bible?
I stumbled upon an interesting activity to show how easily our senses can be fooled. Obtain three identical boxes of playing cards. Remove the contents from two of the boxes and lay the empty boxes down on a table stacked directly on top of one another. Now place the full box of cards on top of the pile. Using one hand, pick up all three boxes about 6 inches high or so. Remember how heavy they feel. Put them down neatly and pick up only the top box again. No matter how much you may try to convince yourself otherwise, the single box feels like it weighs more that the three boxes together! What can we really trust?
Mankind, since the fall, has been separated from God by sin. I believe that Adam understood firsthand how incredibly awesome God actually is. The Bible says that Adam walked with God in the garden in the cool of the day. Have you ever wondered what God looks like—or sounds like—or feels like—or smells like? Adam knew.
Everything that we need to know about God is described in the Bible. We trust and we have faith that what God has said in His Word is true and unchanging. And what is even more amazing, He gives us the faith that we need to believe!
Will there at times be days of doubt? Yes, even some of the heroes of the Bible exhibited skepticism at times. Usually that uncertainty was a result of their physical senses. What they saw, and felt, and heard, and smelled overwhelmed the truth that they knew, deep down, was unchanging.
Learn to trust God implicitly. Don’t waste your life in pursuit of some physical evidence of God. Your five senses are not infallible. They are, in reality, quite easily deceived. Trust the Bible to be true, no matter what!
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Lesson
Is God real? There are times when we may doubt. Even John the Baptist, one of the greatest men who ever lived, doubted as he sat alone in Herod’s dungeon. He had been appointed by God to announce the Savior and preach against sin. And he did those things faithfully. But when he confronted Herod about his illicit relationship with he brother’s wife, Herod reacted unmercifully and had him thrown into a Roman dungeon to rot. In that dungeon of despair, John began to question whether or not Jesus was indeed who He said He was. He gathered his friends around and asked them to go and ask Jesus a specific question regarding His authenticity. Jesus’ response was dramatic. In a moment of time, everyone with in a radius of Jesus was instantly and completely healed of all of their physical problems. Jesus turned to those friends of John and simply said, “Go and tell John what you just saw.”
We live by faith and not by sight. Taken in context, this verse refers to Heaven. Paul is talking to the Corinthian church about their ultimate future—where all Christians will spend eternity. The truth of this verse, though, extends into all areas of the Christian walk.
So much of our Christianity is “un-provable” by the standards of the world. The culture we live in demands a reality check based upon the five physical senses: taste, touch, hearing, sight, and smell. The spiritual world, which is very real indeed, is not accessed by any of these senses. So the unsaved look at our belief system as foolishness. Many illusionists throughout history have made a reasonable living proving incredible things with their sleight of hand methods. Our senses are so easily fooled.
For the Christian, the Bible must be seen as absolutely dependable. It does not just contain the Words of God—it is the Word of God! And if God is perfect, (He is, by the way), then His Word is also perfect. It must become the basis for all that we deem to be true. If the Bible says it, it is so, regardless of what science or society may be proclaiming at the time. We cannot believe just a part of it. Nothing can be discarded as mythology. If we set anything to the side as questionable, how are we to trust any part of the Bible?
I stumbled upon an interesting activity to show how easily our senses can be fooled. Obtain three identical boxes of playing cards. Remove the contents from two of the boxes and lay the empty boxes down on a table stacked directly on top of one another. Now place the full box of cards on top of the pile. Using one hand, pick up all three boxes about 6 inches high or so. Remember how heavy they feel. Put them down neatly and pick up only the top box again. No matter how much you may try to convince yourself otherwise, the single box feels like it weighs more that the three boxes together! What can we really trust?
Mankind, since the fall, has been separated from God by sin. I believe that Adam understood firsthand how incredibly awesome God actually is. The Bible says that Adam walked with God in the garden in the cool of the day. Have you ever wondered what God looks like—or sounds like—or feels like—or smells like? Adam knew.
Everything that we need to know about God is described in the Bible. We trust and we have faith that what God has said in His Word is true and unchanging. And what is even more amazing, He gives us the faith that we need to believe!
Will there at times be days of doubt? Yes, even some of the heroes of the Bible exhibited skepticism at times. Usually that uncertainty was a result of their physical senses. What they saw, and felt, and heard, and smelled overwhelmed the truth that they knew, deep down, was unchanging.
Learn to trust God implicitly. Don’t waste your life in pursuit of some physical evidence of God. Your five senses are not infallible. They are, in reality, quite easily deceived. Trust the Bible to be true, no matter what!
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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