All those who stand before others and say they believe in me, I will say before my Father in heaven that they belong to me.
Matthew 10:32
This is a true story of something that happened just a few years ago at USC. There was a
professor of philosophy there who was a deeply committed atheist. His primary goal for one
required class was to spend the entire semester attempting to prove that God couldn't exist. His
students were always afraid to argue with him because of his impeccable logic. For twenty years,
he had taught this class and no one had ever had the courage to go against him. Sure, some had
argued in class at times, but no one had ever 'really gone against him' (you'll see what I mean
later).. Nobody would go against him because he had a reputation.
At the end of every semester, on the last day, he would say to his class of 300 students, "If
there anyone here who still believes in Jesus, stand up!" In twenty years, no one had ever stood
up. They knew what he was going to do next. He would say, "because anyone who does believe
in God is a fool. If God existed, he could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and
breaking. Such a simple task to prove that he is God, and yet he can't do it." and every year, he
would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it would shatter into a hundred
pieces. All of the students could do nothing but stop and stare.
Most of the students were convinced that God couldn't exist. Certainly, a number of Christians
had slipped through, but for 20 years, they had been too afraid to stand up. Well, a few years
ago, there was a freshman who happened to get enrolled in the class. He was a Christian, and
had heard the stories about this professor. He had to take the class because it was one of the
required classes for his major. and he was afraid. But for 3 months that semester, he prayed
every morning that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said or
what the class thought. Nothing they said or did could ever shatter his faith, he hoped. Finally the
day came. The professor said, "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!" The
professor and the class of 300 people looked at him, shocked, as he stood up at the back of the
classroom. The professor shouted, "You FOOL!! If God existed, he could keep this piece of
chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!" He proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did, it
slipped out of his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleats of his pants, down his leg, and off his
shoe. As it hit the ground, it simply rolled away, unbroken. The professor's jaw dropped as he
stared at the chalk. He looked up at the young man and then ran out of the lecture hall. The young man who had stood
up proceeded to walk to the front of the room and share his faith in Jesus for the next half hour.
300 students stayed and listened as he told of God's love for them and of his power through
Jesus.
"Yet to all who received HIM, to those who believed in HIS name, HE gave the right to
become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a
husband's will, but born of GOD."
"But HE knows the way that I take. When HE has tested me,
I will come forth as gold."
Job 23:10