I think I know...

How confident are you... Terry Dashner...Faith Fellowship Church PO Box 1586 Broken Arrow, OK 74013 How confident are you with your knowledge of the world beyond? Are you positive and therefore confident that the natural world, the here and now, is all that there is or ever will be? If you have no concern for a Supreme Being are you satisfied with your mortal knowledge that leads you to believe so? Many years ago there lived a French mathematician. He is credited with inventing the first calculator and coming up with the primary calculations for the modern day computer. He did this over 300 years ago. His name is Pascal. Pascal was also a devout Christian. His views and philosophies regarding the supernatural have come down to us as "Pascal's Wager." The wager says this essentially. If I wager that there is nothing beyond this life and make no preparations for the afterlife, I may or may not meet judgment; however if there is a God who will judge all men according to their works and I have not made preparations to appease His demands, I lose everything. On the other hand if I receive God's righteous covering through His Son Jesus and live my life according to His plan then when I die and awake (or remain asleep) to nothing, I've gained and lost nothing. Wouldn't it behoove us because of our limited knowledge of what lies beyond the natural realm to cover ourselves with eternal assurance? I know I sound rather "preachy" by suggesting this proposition but, then again, I'm trying to appeal to the agnostic's sense of reasoning--there might be a Supernatural Being that exists. We just can't know for sure. Christianity has been tested against some of the greatest thinkers of all times for over 2000 years and has passed the "reasonable" tests. It has stood the test not because it was chiefly intellectual, but because it recognizes that man's ultimate knowledge can never be more than what is mortal, thus leaving large gaps in knowing what is beyond this mortal life. If, however, man's knowledge is equal to a Supreme Being's knowledge, he can accurately know with all confidence what lies ahead. I, for one, can not make that assumption. I am content to admit my limitations of knowledge and therefore ask for God's grace to ready me for the world to come. God is all knowing. I am not. Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is coming again. This is know in my heart. Pastor T.