The Seed Blog: The Train Ride...

If Jesus had lived in our time, He very possibly could have used this parable: Imagine you wake up from a wonderful, deep sleep to find yourself cruising along on the tracks of a railroad in a passenger train. It's full of people laughing, talking, eating in the dining cars—all going about their day without a care—enjoying their trip. You feel bewildered because you just can't seem to remember how you got on the train. You ask someone near you, "Where did this train depart from?" To which they reply, "Well honestly, I'm really not sure,” and they continue in the conversation in which they were engaged. Even more confused now, you go to another person on the train and ask, "Where is this train headed?" To which they reply, "You know, I just don't have a clue." And they again, continue nonchalantly eating their dinner. After what seems like hours of walking through car after car, seeing countless people just going about their business as usual—talking, reading, playing games on their cell phones—and giving you pretty much the same unsure answers to your questions, you finally stand in the middle of one of the crowed, noisy cars and scream at everyone: "Does anybody know how we got on this crazy train? Does anybody have any earthly idea where we are going? Does anybody even know if someone is driving the Train?" A gruff-looking, irritated man comes up to you and snaps at you, "Look, we've all been on this train as long as we can remember. And, no, we don't know how we got on the train, we don't know where it's going, when it will get there or who's driving it. So you yell at him in a panic, "Don't you think we need to find out? Has anyone even tried to talk to the Conductor?" The grumpy man scoffs back, “We have everything we need. We are having a good time. We really don't care. Could you please just shut up and enjoy the ride?" Everyone turns back around from the drama and goes about their business again.

This story sounds bizarre doesn't it? It even sounds a bit scary, like a scary movie. This entire story is a perfect metaphor for how the majority of people see our existence on this earth, with the same, bizarre reaction. This universe is infinitely more complex and amazing than any passenger train—so someone had to design and build it. Science tells us that like this train, the universe had a beginning. It started out somewhere. Science also tells us that like this train, this universe will not go on forever. Yet, like in our story, most people never even attempt to talk with the conductor to see where this train of life is even headed or why we are even on the trip. They are too involved in simply enjoying the ride to question such silly things as that.
The majority of people don't put a lot of their own thought into why we are here at all. They trust the opinions and teachings of others without much study or concern of their own to verify what they embrace. That is a big gamble over something as unimaginably important as the meaning of life.
Many people will quickly get annoyed, aggravated, downright mad—or just ridicule you—if you say the answers are found in "Jesus Christ." I want to turn this around and ask a question in return. A question that can be seen in the Scriptures from 2000 years ago when Jesus had just given a difficult teaching for the people to accept and many people were turning away from him (Capernaum): John 6:66-68. The question is simple—but profound—everyone places their trust in something as the answer. Even by not choosing something, you are placing your trust in the belief that "It really doesn't matter." But like Peter, I want to ask you: "If not Jesus, then what? To what else do you go?"
Do you place your trust in Atheism evolution? It seems to be a popular opinion today that if someone does not embrace evolution means you are ignorant or naïve. This is absurd and evidence shows the very opposite. Some of the greatest scientific minds of the past and present embrace Creation and a Creator. It is simply our political and social culture that stresses evolution—even sometimes against the evidence provided. Does it make sense to embrace evolution as the reason for existence? To make that the answer to where you go instead of Jesus? The very physical makeup of the universe—the complexity and unimaginable precision of every law and feature in the entire universe—is so carefully, perfectly designed and measured to an unthinkably exact degree for life to exist, that even the most staunch Physicists/Mathematicians (Dr. Roger Penrose/ Worked with Stephen Hawkins) must admit that it is a complete mathematical impossibility? At 10, to the 10th Power, to the 123rd Power (Anthropic Principle)—meaning scientifically impossible. Or to trust a theory that breaks many of it's own most foundational, tested, proven, accepted Laws to even attempt to make the theory exist? [Law of Cause and Effect (Most foundational- Everything has cause); Matter is neither created nor destroyed (1st Law Thermodynamics); Everything goes from perfect order to chaos and death (2nd Law); Law of Biogenesis (Life cannot arise from non-life/only pre-existing)] Or the unbelievably complex, coded language written in our own DNA. Each strand containing over 3 billion letters of programming information, encoded, translatable language present in every cell of our bodies (but we look to the stars for possible language). Bill Gates quoted it was "…far, far more complex than any software” created. One square inch chip of DNA could encode 7 billion Bibles, yet an adult has enough DNA to stretch to the sun and back 70 times. Try and fathom what was just said—and all that information alone is still useless without something to understand and use it. Every cell of our body has 1000's of delicate, sophisticated pieces of machinery to transport, read, copy, follow the instructions and literally build life by coded design—all needed together at one time—or it’s all useless. When neither language nor information has any means of just appearing in nature, neither may be produced without preexisting intelligence. The complex machinery using the code to build could only have been created with the code it is using. Not one single new piece of information has ever been created through the millions of mutations witnessed in nature and labs—only losses of information or copies. Human DNA has now been found to be "devolving", decreasing in order and functionality—not increasing. Does it make sense to put your trust in a belief that we came from nothing, caused by nothing—yet with intelligent, coded, complex design, with incredible function and purpose—caused by a random, unguided explosion, which accidentally made an admittedly impossible environment for life, and against multiple known Laws of Science evolved without purpose, intelligence, design, or guide from that exploded matter until we were so complex by accident we could question our own existence and marvel with our intelligence at our own accidental complexity? You can feel free to place your trust in that as the great answer to your journey if you'd like, but I wouldn't call it reasonable or intelligent. And it surely doesn't give you answers to a single question about why you are here, what you should do while you are here, or where you are going—and it obviously doesn’t bring contentment or joy. So, I ask the 2000 year old question again: "To what else should you turn, if not Jesus?" Psalm 139:14.
Others may at least say the answer must involve a Creator, but they would choose any other option but Jesus [Allah (Muslim), Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (Hinduism), Spirit Guides (Wicca)...] If you place your trust in any of the other man-made religions of the world, you must face the facts that none of them have indisputable evidence and truth behind them like this: Scriptures are centered around one Man. A Man absolutely known in history: Jesus—more solidly established than Tiberius Caesar. The writings about Him were created and preserved in unparalleled ways unlike any religious or secular book in all of history. 66 Books, written over a period of 1500 years, by over 40 different people, from 3 continents, in 3 languages, from all walks of life in different times and cultures—not a single man in a single time period—all writing in perfect harmony about hundreds of topics, more trustworthy than any other ancient document in it's integrity as it was passed through the age. Where most other ancient manuscripts have a handful of copies to examine (Plato has 7 copies), over 25,800 ancient copies of the NT have been uncovered, in multiple languages including Greek, Latin, Syriac, Coptic, and others. The date from originals is closer means more trustworthy and accurate. Plato: 7 copies (1250yrs later), NT: 25,800 (60 to 70 yes later, some with 25yrs)—all showing the Words we have today are what was written originally and can be trusted. An entire one third of this Book, including what no other book in history can even hint towards in comparison—has literally thousands of predictions and prophecies which lay the Book at the mercy of the world if even one could be proven false. Over 270 of these prophecies are about Jesus' Life alone: detailing when He would come (500yrs before), where He would be born, who He would be born to, how He would die (method not even invented for 2 cultures), what the world's reaction would be—all occurring just as prophesied hundreds of years before, and confirmed again and again in history and archeology. There are countless other prophecies of specific people, rulers, nations and events proven time and again in history and archeology as well. Many undeniably occurring in our generation before our eyes. Jesus' Life, Death, Miracles and even Resurrection were all witnessed by hundreds and written about. He ate with them, was touched by them for 40 days—some were His family who grew up with Him. And the overwhelming truth is in their reactions—these people who had nothing to gain and everything to lose (family, houses, belongings, freedom, life)—were tortured, mocked, never living in peace or safety again and died mocking, cruel deaths. You may lie in order to protect your life to live, but to lie for nothing, to gain for nothing in order to die horribly? These events in Jesus' life and death were even attested to by their local authorities and legal records, spoken of in detail (miracles, death) by those who hated Him—which is some of the most powerful proof of all. Think on this: one Man, in all of human history—with no education, no army, no position of power, never writing a book or even leaving his region, who was killed as a common criminal in hate—rocked and changed the entire world so irreversibly that the date on your calendar is centered around when He lived: “Anno Domini”= in the year of our Lord! And the Book written about Him has foretold and described every empire of the world since written history, before they came to be. If there is a Creator—and there is—don’t you think He would want to tell us about Himself; wants to tell us why we are here; wants to do so in a way that is so different and unique it proves His writings are like none other? And so He did. Jesus Christ and His scriptures answer all of the questions we have about why we are on the train, what we need to do while we are here, and where it is going. No other theology, no other religion, no twist of real science can stand next to anything you've just heard. So, I ask again: “If not Jesus, to whom else, to what else would you turn?”
The frustrating part of it all is how a wandering, lost soul can hear, understand and accept everything we just studied, and still continue to choose something else—or worse—continue on choosing nothing at all, thinking, "It's not important enough to decide right now," and go on with their train ride in ignorance and denial, not knowing where it's going. It is so important to know right now because this train ride will be coming to an end. Whether it derails (death), or it finally reaches its destination (Jesus Returns), it is important to know now because if it is true that Jesus Christ is the reason we are all here—and it is—that means we do have a purpose in how we live. What we do right now does matter. It means that we are living in a broken, rebellious world which has forgotten and forsaken its Creator who loves them. It means we are missing the greatest love and greatest gift that will ever be offered to us. It means we are missing security, direction, love, purpose that will change how we live right now. That means we will not be able to depart the train when it reaches its final destination and step into the place made just for us—step into an eternity with Him—because we didn't care, we weren't ready, we didn't take the priceless ticket when offered. That means we are spitting at the Creator God of the Universe, who still has such an unfathomable love for you—even in your sins and rejection of Him—that He would abandon everything He has to die in punishment for your failures and selfishness so you would be forgiven, accepted, and safe with Him. No strings attached, no questions asked, no more shame involved if you just love Him back and simply accept His gift. When you choose not to choose, not to trust Him, not to accept His truth and gift—you are choosing to place your trust in these other things. Look around at the world we are in right now. The shape we are all in—the hate, murder, chaos, confusion, depression, suicide, abuse. How have the other answers this world has given about life worked out for us? Horribly, because they are not real answers at all.
Don't you think the God Who made all of this—the God Who has given His life and soul to show you His love and bring you home—deserves your returned love? Now; today? Stop living ignorantly, aimlessly, selfishly like the world around us, and decide right now what you will trust in this world. Get your ticket punched, the train will be stopping soon: John 14:5-6; John 8:31. We all have fallen short, turned from Him. The only unforgivable sin is rejecting His sacrifice, change your life, direction, purpose, destiny: now.