On the Chris Salcedo Show one morning, we heard about the agenda of the atheistic left in our public schools to cause our children to doubt the existence of God. The children were given a questionnaire. Scattered among the questions was:
- Do you believe in the existence of an Almighty God?
- If God exists, why does He allow natural catastrophes around the world causing so much suffering and death?
The purpose behind such questions posed to young children is quite obvious.
The left takes advantage of for the most part the lack of tangible evidence for the existence of God. Typically, evangelicals have little answer to this—aside from the argument of the existence of the universe itself which the left of course does not buy. Evangelicals will say in so many words that we “live by faith and not by sight.” Even if I see no evidence at all that God exists—for example, none of my prayers is answered—I will continue to believe in Him until I die. That kind of faith of course is commendable in the sight of God.
But does Scripture provide any clues as to providing convincing evidence to atheists and to the lost that God actually exists? The answer is yes. God knows that many need to witness or experience miraculous signs before they can believe that He exists and that they should follow Him. For that reason the Lord Jesus gave divine power and authority to His disciples over diseases and demons.
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. (Luke 9:1-2)
The early disciples continued to use this power and authority in Acts when they were sent into all the world to preach the gospel to those who never heard. Acts records multitudes of Jews and Gentiles turning to the One True God through Jesus Christ after witnessing miraculous healings as confirmation of the gospel.
This power and authority are still available to the Church today for protecting our children from the agenda of the progressive left and for demonstrating to unbelievers that God exists. Supernatural miracles are one type of convincing evidence that God in fact exists and that Jesus Christ is the only way to Him.
At Mt. Carmel the Old Testament prophet Elijah used the supernaturally awesome power of God to demonstrate most convincingly to the backsliding Israelites that the LORD is God.
At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD–he is God! The LORD–he is God!” (1 Kings 18:36-39)
In the same way, the spirit of boldness and power that God gave to Elijah is being restored to the Church during these last days to prepare God’s people for the great and dreadful day of the Lord
“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. (Malachi 4:5)
And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous–to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17)