Rob Hart's testimony
3/89
I was never the religious type. In fact, I had a real party hardy attitude most of my life. I went to church with my parents - but I never heard anything about living the true Christian life. In high school I did what most students do: I got drunk on weekends and hung out with my friends. I went to church only because my parents forced me and because cute girls were there. During most of my high school days I wasn't too bad because I wanted to get into a good college - which would help me in my overall goal of becoming a millionaire. However, by the time I was a senior I started experimenting with marijuana.
I started college in August of 1985 with the attitude that these were the years of experimentation. I immediately became involved in the drug culture at the University of Florida. I usually tried any drug that came my way. I would smoke pot when I awoke in the morning, and I stayed stoned all day. Needless to say, I missed about 50 percent of my classes. This lifestyle went on for about two years when I finally realized that my grades were not conducive to my lifelong goal. I still smoked pot everyday, but in "moderation" while studying and going to most of my classes.
I began to read self-help books the summer after my sophomore year, in accordance with my goal of becoming a millionaire. Meanwhile, an old roommate, Eric, moved back in with me. Eric had become a born-again Christian, which meant "a nut for Jesus" to me. I was very skeptical about this conversion, but intrigued by the fact that he had quit partying. He had such a peace and joy all the time and it made me curious.
I began to put Eric to the test. I questioned him on the relevancy of the Bible, Jesus Christ, and his relationship with God, as well as stupid questions like, "Did Adam have a navel?" What I found was that my friend was sincere and caring, always using the Bible to back up his statements, and never pretending to know something he didn't.
Now to me the Bible was an old historical document of the Jews and early Christians. What I didn't understand was why Eric was living as if it was relevant. As I continually questioned him, he would give me passages of scripture to read and always tell me, "Rob, all you have to do is invite Jesus into your heart and you will understand." At this point in my life I was an agnostic, I wasn't denying that there was a God, but I wanted proof. On May 20, 1987, I actually did invite Jesus Christ into my heart. However, I based my commitment on the need for proof.
The proof wasn't too far in coming. I had said this prayer at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, 1987. At 2 p.m. I started my new job as a solicitor for an environmental group. They picked out a neighborhood for me to solicit memberships, and around 4 p.m. that day I came across a woman who was standing in her yard watching her daughter play. As I questioned her about buying a membership, she told me to come back when her husband returned.
After finishing my rounds through the neighborhood, I came back to their home. She invited me into the living room where her husband sat playing a guitar. They asked me to give a sales presentation, and then offered to make a deal with me. He said he would buy a membership if I would come to his church. I said, "Sure, what church is it?" He replied, "Maranatha Christian Church." I freaked out because Eric was a member of the same church!
Then it hit me. Jesus Christ was God and He cared enough to show me that He was real. What else could I do when the Creator of the Universe showed me His reality? I had to fulfill my promise to follow Him the rest of my life. However, I've also realized that God doesn't and didn't have to follow through with my request. It was by grace that He drew me to Himself.
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The Real Jesus: Who is the Real Jesus? Ever since the dawn of modern rationalism, skeptics have sought to use textual criticism, archaeology and historical reconstructions to uncover the "historical Jesus" -- a wise teacher who said many wonderful things, but fulfilled no prophecies, performed no miracles and certainly did not rise from the dead in triumph over sin. Over the past 100 years, however, startling discoveries in biblical archaeology and scholarship have all but vanquished the faulty assumptions of these doubting modernists. Regretably, these discoveries have often been ignored by the skeptics as well as by the popular media. As a result, the liberal view still holds sway in universities and impacts the culture and even much of the church.
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This presentation explodes the myths of these critics and the movies, books and television programs that have popularized their views.
Presented in ten parts -- perfect for individual, family and classroom study -- viewers will be challenged to go deeper in their knowledge of Christ in order to be able to defend their faith and present the truth to a skeptical modern world – that the Jesus of the Gospels is the Jesus of history -- "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). He is the real Jesus. Speakers include: George Grant, Ted Baehr, Stephen Mansfield, Raymond Ortlund, Phil Kayser, David Lutzweiler, Jay Grimstead, J.P. Holding, and Eric Holmberg. Ten parts, over two hours of instruction! Running Time: 130 minutes
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| The Beast of Revelation: IDENTIFIED
Who is the dreaded beast of Revelation? Now at last, a plausible candidate for this personification of evil incarnate has been identified (or re-identified). Ken Gentry's insightful analysis of scripture and history is likely to revolutionize your understanding of the book of Revelation -- and even more importantly -- amplify and energize your entire Christian worldview! Historical footage and other graphics are used to illustrate the lecture Dr. Gentry presented at the 1999 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is followed by a one-hour question and answer session addressing the key concerns and objections typically raised in response to his position. This presentation also features an introduction that touches on not only the confusion and controversy surrounding this issue -- but just why it may well be one of the most significant issues facing the Church today. Ideal for group meetings, personal Bible study -- for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of John's famous letter "... to the seven churches which are in Asia." (Revelation 1:4) |
(Available in DVD only) $17.95 ORDER NOW!
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INCLUDES A FREE Sixteen Christian leaders and scholars answer some of the most common questions and misperceptions related to this volatile issue: Download the free |
Perfect for group instruction as well as personal
Bible study. Speakers include: George Grant, Howard Phillips,
R.C. Sproul Jr., Ken Gentry, Gary DeMar, Jay Grimstead, R.J. Rushdoony,
Steven Schlissel, Andrew Sandlin, Eric Holmberg, and more!
Ten parts, over four hours of instruction! Watch over 60 streaming videos from God's Law and Society at:
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| Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism
Over four hours of instruction! Just what is “Calvinism?” Does this teaching make man a deterministic robot and God the author of sin? What about free will? If the church accepts Calvinism, won’t evangelism be stifled, perhaps even extinguished? How can we balance God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? What are the differences between historic Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism? Why did men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Edwards and a host of renowned Protestant evangelists embrace the teaching of predestination and election and deny free will theology? This is the first video documentary that answers these and other related questions. Hosted by Eric Holmberg, this fascinating three-part, four-hour presentation is detailed enough so as to not gloss over the controversy. At the same time, it is broken up into ten “Sunday-school-sized” sections to make the rich content manageable and accessible for the average viewer. |
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