Introduction. In His infinite wisdom and foreknowledge, God knew the world could become as it is today. Only during the days of Adam & Eve and their children, and during the days of Noah and His children was there a universal knowledge of His existence. Those who are selfish and want a corrupt mind do not want God. When Cain “went out of the presence of the Lord,” the freedom to live as he pleased came at the cost of removing all knowledge of God from his mind (Gen.4:16). He was the first of those who “did not like to retain God in their knowledge.” (Rom. 1:28). Those who choose to live in darkness, where the knowledge of God is suppressed, always have an ulterior motive. Those who want to make the creation their own and live their lives as they see fit must “forget” God is their Creator. For those who choose a different life than the one God created them to live, putting God out of their minds is the only way they can be free from guilt, fear, and remorse.
This has always led men to create substitutions. Regardless of how foolish and removed from reality these myths are, each culture seeks willful ignorance over the truth of God’s existence. Even Israel, each time they turned from God, served idols they knew were empty myths. Since idols are myths created to give freedom from restraint, every culture creates gods based on their own needs and desires. If they are evil and domineering, they create gods of war, conquest, violence and death. If they crave sexual satisfaction outside of marriage without guilt, remorse, or consequences, they devise gods who want to be worshiped with sexual acts. If the children they produce under such circumstance are unwanted, their gods are worshiped with the sacrifice of these children. Our own culture has used science to create theories of the big bang and evolution to soothe the consciences of those who have turned from God’s laws. For multitudes today, man is the highest form of intelligence and it is up to each individual to choose what is important and what is not.
This has always led men to create substitutions. Regardless of how foolish and removed from reality these myths are, each culture seeks willful ignorance over the truth of God’s existence. Even Israel, each time they turned from God, served idols they knew were empty myths. Since idols are myths created to give freedom from restraint, every culture creates gods based on their own needs and desires. If they are evil and domineering, they create gods of war, conquest, violence and death. If they crave sexual satisfaction outside of marriage without guilt, remorse, or consequences, they devise gods who want to be worshiped with sexual acts. If the children they produce under such circumstance are unwanted, their gods are worshiped with the sacrifice of these children. Our own culture has used science to create theories of the big bang and evolution to soothe the consciences of those who have turned from God’s laws. For multitudes today, man is the highest form of intelligence and it is up to each individual to choose what is important and what is not.
Yet in God’s wisdom and foresight, He also knew that in the midst of these people, there would always be those who were different; those who retained the divine nature of unselfish care and concern for the needs of others. These people see sin as selfish abuse that takes what belongs to others and exploits them. Such people recognize the limitations of their gods and begin their search. God prepared everything necessary to bring them back. Many of these things were not based on human effort or will. Even if they never meet a like-minded person who already knew God, God left marks and signs for them to grope and struggle toward. He wanted to give ready access to the roadmap that would lead them back to Him. Since He “wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth,” feeling the same emotions as the father of the prodigal son and longing for their return, “He did not leave Himself without witness.” (1Tim. 2:4; Acts 14:17).
The evidence of God’s existence has been placed where it can never be overlooked or fully hidden. All who begin looking for Him are guaranteed to find Him. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and divine nature, so they are without excuse,” (Rom. 1:18-21). It is not that God wanted all to stand before Him to have no excuse for their lack of faith. It is just the opposite! God left so much evidence of His existence so no one would need to make any excuse. All who so desired could come to Him, know Him and serve Him.
The creation is so complex and magnificent that an explosion (big bang) and the passing of time (evolution) fall far short of being a valid explanation. So too are the limitations of Buddhism and Confucianism along with the folly and superstition of all forms of idolatry. None of them can adequately explain our existence. Yet man’s genius for substitutes proves the magnitude of the need. Mankind wants to forget God and live as they please. Any tool that will accomplish this is acceptable. Such people walk willfully ignorant with their eyes closed and ears plugged. Still those with natural affection, who are humble, and understand the need to show gratitude, have an entirely different mindset. Their love of the truth makes it impossible for them to settle for explanations that truly bring freedom to live as they please, but at the cost of what is true, right, and just.
It was God’s intent from the beginning until the end, that anyone with a good and honest heart “might grope for Him and find Him.” (Acts 17:27). This was done on multiple levels. The first is the heavens: “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. (Ps. 19:1-4).
While many ignore and pretend God doesn’t exist, the beauty of the sun’s rising and falling, the amazing spectacle of the stars, and the waxing and waning of the moon, are proclaiming the wondrous story, day by day and night after night. It is too complicated, too big and too amazing to have been made by any idol or any other figment of man’s imagination. This proclamation has gone out to the end of the world, starting from the very beginning and continuing to the very last day. “Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.” Cain and his offspring ignored it, leading to the destruction of the world through the flood. Yet always and forever, it is still there and those among men and women who seek Him are very important to God.
As we sift through the Scriptures we learn a lot about God’s thoughts on this matter. First, it was by God’s will that man could have these choices. He allowed man, nations and cultures to leave or return as they wished. But never did He let things go so far that no one could find their way back. So although God, “in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways,” there was always a path back. God has worked with all nations to bring this about. From Adam (and Noah), “He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him.” (Acts 17:26-27).
This is a critical foundation truth upon which to build our understanding of the infancy of evangelism in the heart. Each nation was prepared and envisioned by God to bring about the salvation of as many as possible. Both their preappointed times (time to begin and end) and the boundaries wherein they would live were all chosen by God with one intent. God wanted those who sought Him to be able to grope for Him and find Him. Thus God will always “pluck up, pull down, and destroy,” or “build and plant” each nation based on the ease or difficulty the offer to those who seek Him. When a nation creates so many obstacles and hindrances that this goal can no longer be reached, it becomes time for that nation to cease to exist (Jer. 18:1-10). This is one of the most fundamental reasons for the rise and fall of nations.
While the power and complexity of the creation is working on their hearts, God also used the natural ebb and flow of the great blessings He can give or withhold to testify to those whose hearts are tender enough to hear it. “He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” (Acts 14:16-17). The fruitful harvests and the joyful moments of life testify of the need of gratitude and service to the one responsible.
God is always watching for these things. He is assessing hearts and responding with the best possible combination to bring them to Him. Although time and chance works in many areas of man’s activities, when it comes to the salvation of men’s souls, God is looking, searching and acting: “The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord's throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.” (Ps 11:4-5). God never tires of searching for them: “The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.” (Ps. 14:2).
Conclusion. The salvation of each soul is far too important to God to be left to time and chance. It is too vast and complex even for human intervention to accomplish. Countless billions have lived and died since the beginning. The vast majority of them lived without anyone close enough to guide them. But as a shepherd, God is always seeking for His sheep. While Jeremiah spoke of the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Jesus made clear that there were other sheep not of that fold (the Gentiles - Jn 10:16). Hence throughout the history of the world, God has left signs of His existence. When anyone shows an interest in them, God is ready through providence to seek them, find them and allow them to return to Him.
The evidence of God’s existence has been placed where it can never be overlooked or fully hidden. All who begin looking for Him are guaranteed to find Him. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and divine nature, so they are without excuse,” (Rom. 1:18-21). It is not that God wanted all to stand before Him to have no excuse for their lack of faith. It is just the opposite! God left so much evidence of His existence so no one would need to make any excuse. All who so desired could come to Him, know Him and serve Him.
The creation is so complex and magnificent that an explosion (big bang) and the passing of time (evolution) fall far short of being a valid explanation. So too are the limitations of Buddhism and Confucianism along with the folly and superstition of all forms of idolatry. None of them can adequately explain our existence. Yet man’s genius for substitutes proves the magnitude of the need. Mankind wants to forget God and live as they please. Any tool that will accomplish this is acceptable. Such people walk willfully ignorant with their eyes closed and ears plugged. Still those with natural affection, who are humble, and understand the need to show gratitude, have an entirely different mindset. Their love of the truth makes it impossible for them to settle for explanations that truly bring freedom to live as they please, but at the cost of what is true, right, and just.
It was God’s intent from the beginning until the end, that anyone with a good and honest heart “might grope for Him and find Him.” (Acts 17:27). This was done on multiple levels. The first is the heavens: “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. (Ps. 19:1-4).
While many ignore and pretend God doesn’t exist, the beauty of the sun’s rising and falling, the amazing spectacle of the stars, and the waxing and waning of the moon, are proclaiming the wondrous story, day by day and night after night. It is too complicated, too big and too amazing to have been made by any idol or any other figment of man’s imagination. This proclamation has gone out to the end of the world, starting from the very beginning and continuing to the very last day. “Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.” Cain and his offspring ignored it, leading to the destruction of the world through the flood. Yet always and forever, it is still there and those among men and women who seek Him are very important to God.
As we sift through the Scriptures we learn a lot about God’s thoughts on this matter. First, it was by God’s will that man could have these choices. He allowed man, nations and cultures to leave or return as they wished. But never did He let things go so far that no one could find their way back. So although God, “in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways,” there was always a path back. God has worked with all nations to bring this about. From Adam (and Noah), “He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him.” (Acts 17:26-27).
This is a critical foundation truth upon which to build our understanding of the infancy of evangelism in the heart. Each nation was prepared and envisioned by God to bring about the salvation of as many as possible. Both their preappointed times (time to begin and end) and the boundaries wherein they would live were all chosen by God with one intent. God wanted those who sought Him to be able to grope for Him and find Him. Thus God will always “pluck up, pull down, and destroy,” or “build and plant” each nation based on the ease or difficulty the offer to those who seek Him. When a nation creates so many obstacles and hindrances that this goal can no longer be reached, it becomes time for that nation to cease to exist (Jer. 18:1-10). This is one of the most fundamental reasons for the rise and fall of nations.
While the power and complexity of the creation is working on their hearts, God also used the natural ebb and flow of the great blessings He can give or withhold to testify to those whose hearts are tender enough to hear it. “He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” (Acts 14:16-17). The fruitful harvests and the joyful moments of life testify of the need of gratitude and service to the one responsible.
God is always watching for these things. He is assessing hearts and responding with the best possible combination to bring them to Him. Although time and chance works in many areas of man’s activities, when it comes to the salvation of men’s souls, God is looking, searching and acting: “The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord's throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.” (Ps 11:4-5). God never tires of searching for them: “The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.” (Ps. 14:2).
Conclusion. The salvation of each soul is far too important to God to be left to time and chance. It is too vast and complex even for human intervention to accomplish. Countless billions have lived and died since the beginning. The vast majority of them lived without anyone close enough to guide them. But as a shepherd, God is always seeking for His sheep. While Jeremiah spoke of the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Jesus made clear that there were other sheep not of that fold (the Gentiles - Jn 10:16). Hence throughout the history of the world, God has left signs of His existence. When anyone shows an interest in them, God is ready through providence to seek them, find them and allow them to return to Him.
- “For thus says the Lord God: ‘Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land;’ 16 ‘I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick;’” (Ez. 34:11-13, 16).