Belief     ----> ?   Result   ----> When you Believe in the things that you Don't Understand . . .You Suffer

"When you believe in the things that you don't understand, you suffer . . . Superstition is the way" Stevie Wonder's song, Superstition WHEN YOU HEAR the word         "superstition," what comes to mind?         Perhaps you picture the superstitious person living in constant fear of doing something that would result in bad luck. Superstitious beliefs are generally con- sidered unfounded and irrational.   The typical superstitious person has no idea why or how a given action, such as spilling salt, results in bad luck.   Superstition is a perfect example of "believing in the things that you don't understand."   One could even represent superstition as a "black box." The "black box" concept . . . When describing an electronic system, the term "black box" is sometimes used.   A "black box" is a simplified representation of a complex sys- tem, wherein the system is conceptualized as a "box" with an input and an output. Visualizing a complex system as a "black box" allows a person to describe the system's overall operation without having to describe the exact "inner" details.   "How" the system accomplishes its task is conveniently "hidden" within the box. For example, whether you realize it or not, you would probably describe a T.V. sent as a "black box" to someone who had never heard of television.   You would likely describe the T.V. set as a device that receives a signal (the input) and

puts out an image (the resulting output).   Since you may not understand actually what takes place electronically within the T.V., the exact explanation of how the input is turned into the output is avoided by conceptualizing the T.V. as a "black box." Action     ----> ? Superstition: a "Black Box"   Bad Luck   ----> Superstition: a "black box" . . . The "black box" concept can also be applied to anything involving a cause and effect.   Thus, it can be said that superstitious people are dealing with a "black box." For instance, superstitious people typically assume that a broken mirror results in seven years of bad luck, without knowing how or why; the broken mirror is somehow transformed into bad luck by the "black box" known as superstition.    Now, you may be thinking that living a life influenced by a "black box" is a foolish thing to do.   You might even be saying to yourself, "Thank God I'm not foolish enough to believe in something I don't understand." However, there is one common practice billions of people throughout the world treat as a "black box."   You may be practicing it without realizing it.   The Bible even refers to this common practice, equating it with being superstitious. This practice is called religion . . .

IN ACTS CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, we find the   Apostle Paul doing what God had called him   to do: preach the gospel.   On this particular occasion Paul was in Athens, Greece, which at the time was an intellectual hot spot.   Among those present at Athens, the Bible mentions the "Philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks..." Acts 17:18 Many, if not most, of the Athenians viewed themselves as amateur philosophers, at worst. They were highly opinionated: "For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either TO TELL, OR TO HEAR SOME NEW THING."   Acts 17:21 Being "superstitious" is not commonly associated with intellectualism.   And yet, when Paul stood up to preach that day, he used that very word to describe them: "Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things YE ARE TOO SUPERSTITIOUS..." Acts 17:22 What did Paul mean by that? The very next verse provides the answer: ".. .For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.   Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you."   Acts 17:23 Paul was equating being religious with being superstitious.   Perhaps you, being somewhat of a religious person yourself, find Paul's assertion strange.   However, applying the "black box" concept to the religious person reveals a similar mindset as that of the superstitious. Both the religious and the superstitious tend to believe in the things that they don't understand. And as you will learn, both tend to suffer. Worship without understanding . . . It is a fact that most, if not all, religious people don't fully understand most of the rituals associated with their particular religion.   Take baptism, for instance.   Most denominations falling under the heading of "Christianity"

baptize infants.   They erroneously assume infant baptism makes one a child of God.   But does the average person participating in infant baptism know HOW and WHY the sprinkling of water over a baby's forehead results in being a member of God's family? To the average church goer, infant baptism is a "black box."   The input is water sprinkled on a forehead, while the resulting outcome is supposedly a child of God.   But HOW the supposed transformation takes place is as unknown as the inner workings of a T.V. set. And yet, in spite of this mystery, millions will dare not take their babies in for baptism, for fear that something tragic may occur.   Is it any better than being superstitious?   Is it any better than anyone else who believes in the things that they don't understand?    (The fact is, infant baptism DOES NOT make someone a child of God any more than spilled salt results in bad luck.) The Athenians of Paul's day were believing in the things they did not understand.   Paul brought to their attention, "THE UNKNOWN GOD.   Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship[.]" The Athenians were worshipping in ignorance. Their rituals were based on tradition and/or religious assumptions they had made.   Many today are guilty of the same thing. Is God, Himself, a "Black box"? Many are trying to worship a God they don't truly know or understand.   They are basing their religious lives on erroneous assumptions; they simply don't know what God truly requires of them.   Their religion and God are "black boxes." Paul introduced the "UNKNOWN GOD" that the Athenians were trying to worship.   Paul told them about the "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he

"Let him that
glorieth glory in
this, that he
understandeth and
knoweth me...
saith the Lord."
Jeremiah 9:24

giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, IF HAPLY THEY MIGHT FEEL AFTER HIM, AND FIND HIM, though he be not far from every one of us."   Acts 17:24-27 My friend, the end statement you just read is perhaps the most profound truth you'll ever hear. God wants to be found and understood.   He doesn't want us to believe in some "black box" when it comes to spiritual matters. The Bible says: "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, AND TO COME UNTO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH."   1 Tim. 2:3-4 It begins with salvation . . . Of all the "black boxes" known to man, the one that results in the most suffering is the one pertaining to salvation. More erroneous assumptions are made concerning how a person get to Heaven than with any other subject.   One has only to look at all the different religions to realize that the way to Heaven winds through many "black boxes."    But when people believe in the things that they don't understand, they are likely to suffer an eternity in a devil's Hell.    Thank God that "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were WRITTEN FOR OUR LEARNING..." Rom. 15:4 My friend, did you know that the Bible gives us a clear explanation of how a person is saved, TRULY becomes a child of God, and goes to Heaven when they die?    Did you know that salvation has everything to do with Jesus Christ dying on the cross to pay for your sins?   Note the key words in this

next passage: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, CHRIST DIED FOR US.   Much more then, being now JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, we shall be SAVED FROM WRATH THROUGH HIM.   For if, when we were enemies, we were RECONCILED TO GOD BY THE DEATH OF HIS SON, much more, being reconciled, we shall be SAVED BY HIS LIFE."   Rom. 5:8-10    The fact that Jesus Christ had to    die in order to save you and I,    proves that our good works--those    "righteous acts" we are trusting    in--can't save us.    The Bible clearly teaches: "For by    grace are ye saved THROUGH    FAITH; and that NOT OF    YOURSELVES: it is THE GIFT OF    GOD: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast."   (Eph. 2:8-9).   This gift is available, for the asking. But you must ask through "REPENTANCE toward God, AND FAITH toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21).   You must REPENT, change your mind about your sinful acts and acknowledge that those acts are the result of you being a sinner--a lost, Hell deserving sinner, in desperate need of a Saviour.   That Saviour can only be Jesus Christ, because ONLY HE paid the accepted price for your sin. You must put ALL your faith in what Christ has sacrificially done for you on the cross.   Your faith--YOUR BELIEF--must be based on understanding that Christ died in order to save you.   When it comes to true salvation, God does not deal in "black boxes."    He wants you to clearly understand how and why you get to Heaven. Please read the back [below] of this pamphlet for a better understanding.   And if you want to understand more of what the Bible says, write us for a free, seven-part correspondence course that you can take in the privacy of your home.

IF you were to die today, are you 100% SURE you would go to Heaven?   The Bible says YOU CAN BE SURE (1 John 5:13). BUT FIRST, you must realize that what keeps you from going to Heaven are your sins, because: "...your iniquities [sins] have separated between you and your God," Isaiah 59:2. In fact, in God's eyes YOU ARE A SINNER: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23. SECONDLY, you must realize that there is NOTHING you can do to save yourself and earn Heaven: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."   (Eph. 2:8-9)   Baptism, good deeds, church membership, self-righteousness are all examples of good works that cannot save you, because, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he [Christ] saved us," Titus 3:5. THE ONLY WAY you can get saved is through Jesus Christ.   He said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."   (John 14:6)   THAT'S WHY: "...while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."   Romans 5:8-9 THEREFORE: You must REPENT (change your mind); admit that you are a Hell deserving sinner and can't save yourself.   And call upon Christ, and Him alone, to save you.   "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus [REPENT], and shalt believe in thine heart [TRUST] that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."   Romans 10:9 SEND THE LIGHT P.O. Box 815   Fargo, ND 58107

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