Well, it's been a few weeks since I've posted, and they've been some interesting ones. We've been studying Luke, Acts, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, 1 Timothy 1 Thessalonians and we just started 2 Thessalonians, and God's been smacking me around here and there throughout them, which is always good, but difficult. I was going to only write about the last few weeks all in one post, but while I was writing about what God was speaking to me through Luke I realized that it had to be a post of it's own, so I will write again soon to give the rest of my update.
Throughout Luke, there was a big focus on sharing the gospel and how we all are called to share the gospel, and not only through our actions. This really convicted me and made me realize how I am willing to sell all my possessions, give up my career, leave my entire family and all my friends and move to the other side of the world, but I'm afraid to go next door and tell my neighbour about Jesus. This is a big problem to me. I was amazed to hear that of all the Christians that live in this world, only 5% will lead a person to Christ. That's a shocking statistic, and it helped me realize that I have to be a part of that 5%, and I have to do all that I can to encourage others to change that 5% to 6, 7, 8 or 20%.
It got me thinking about why I and others have a difficult time sharing the gospel. We live in a world where people hate absolutes and your are even looked down upon by some if you do believe in absolutes. We like to believe more in relativism and in finding your own truth and what is right to you is right and nobody should ever tell you otherwise. Unfortunately that in itself is WRONG. Truth is not relative and what is right for you is not right. Those arguments are contradictory and do not hold any water. You want to argue with me whether right and wrong are relative to what you believe? Well how about I punch you in the face because it seemed right to me, do you still believe that?? No way you would. There is definite right and wrong and truth in this world no matter how much people like to think otherwise. It is because of these beliefs that many Christians never share the gospel because they are afraid to tell somebody the truth. To me, it seems ridiculous when I think about it, yet it is still something that prevents me from sharing. We are so afraid of offending someone because we are right and know we are right, but unfortunately because we don't have a scientific or mathematical proof, we are scared to tell people. That's the problem with the age we live in is that we've completely lost faith in everything and always want a complete and undeniable scientific proof, but you won't get that with God because that would make faith absolutely useless. We do however have historical proof.
There are 4 detailed records that Jesus exists, they're call the gospels, the only problem is that people have decided that because they're in a religious book that they're not reliable, when in fact they are the most reliable historical books that we have today from that time period. The gospels were written as a record of the events of Jesus, Luke even states his purpose of writing an orderly account at the beginning of his gospel, and have the most manuscripts of any historical writing available. Not to mention, they were written astronomically closer to the dates of the actual events than any other literature of that time, which means that when they were written there were still eyewitnesses to the events around, yet they were not called inaccurate at that time, but now we decide that they are??? Interesting that we know what is the truth better than people who were actually there at the time. To argue that the gospels aren't reliable is to say that any history we have from that time is unreliable, yet people will agree with the writings of Josephus and other historians even though they were written way after the events took place and have very few complete manuscripts compared to the gospels. Basically to call the gospels inaccurate is absolutely ridiculous, and if you disagree I challenge you to read the book A Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, who is the former legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, who used to be an atheist but became a Christian when he started investigating Christianity because his wife became a Christian. Heck, even if you don't disagree I would still recommend reading that book because it is fascinating, but I also like that kind of stuff.
So if we can prove that Jesus existed, then why do people doubt so much? Some say that sure He lived, but He was just a great teacher and wasn't the Son of God, but if that was the case, then why did all but two (Judas killed himself for betraying Jesus, and John appeared to die of natural causes, but they tried to kill him and weren't able to so they exiled him to Patmos) of His disciples die proclaiming Him to be the Messiah?? If He wasn't really who He said He was, then what would compel them and countless others to proclaim His name until they were eventually killed?? I can tell you, it wasn't for popularity, read how many cities Paul is driven out of in Acts. It couldn't have been for money, the apostles didn't have many possessions and a lot of them sold what they did own and gave the money to those who had need (Acts 3:42-47, 4:32-37). And it obviously wasn't for power because you don't have much power in this world when you're dead. So if it wasn't for any of those things that men strive for, then the only logical reason they would ever do what they did is that Jesus died and rose again and was the Son of God. The greatest example that shows that this must be the truth is the account of Paul, who was formerly a Pharisee who tortured and killed Christians relentlessly and approved of the first Christian martyr's death, Stephen. This man who was out for the blood of all Christians was miraculously converted on the road to Damascus and made a 180 degree turn and went from persecuting the Christians to being the greatest evangelist that ever lived. If that's not proof that Jesus was the Son of God, then I don't know what is. And you have to remember that all these guys either were with Jesus when He was alive or knew the people who were with Him while He was alive, and all of this happened within 40 years of His death.
What I'm getting at, is why are we so scared about offending people by telling them that we know the truth, when we do in fact actually KNOW THE TRUTH?!?!?!?!? Just because they don't want it to be the truth doesn't make it any less of the truth. That's like being scared to tell a sports fan that their team lost the game because they don't want to upset them. Just because it's not what they want to hear doesn't mean it's not the truth. Anybody that goes and looks into Christianity with an open mind and really looks at the information should not in their right and logical mind be able to believe anything other than the fact that it is the truth. I think Lee Strobel (who was a complete atheist remember) said it the best when he said that after he had researched the Christian faith he realized that it would take more faith to not believe than it did to believe. Remember this isn't some guy off of the street, this is a man who has a Masters from Yale Law and won Illinois' top honours for investigative reporting during his 14 years as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers.
I know that some people will disagree with me and some may call me some not nice things because I'm willing to follow God and am willing to tell people that they should follow Him too, but that's not my problem. I know that this is the truth, and now I'm finally learning to not be afraid to say it. If you think I must be off my rocker and that I've been so misled, send me an email and I'll tell you what God's done in my life and how I know from my own experiences in my own life that He is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords and Creator and Ruler of this universe. It probably still won't convince you one bit, but I always enjoy talking about God and I'm not afraid to discuss some hard questions and even admit that I don't know all the answers, and I'm fine with that.
No matter what, I hope you all still enjoy reading my blog, and I promise that my next post will not have such a serious tone, but when God convicts you about something, you gotta listen to Him, even if it may not win you any friends.
Until next time, I love you and miss you all, and I hope that you are all having a fabulous May!
God bless!!
Throughout Luke, there was a big focus on sharing the gospel and how we all are called to share the gospel, and not only through our actions. This really convicted me and made me realize how I am willing to sell all my possessions, give up my career, leave my entire family and all my friends and move to the other side of the world, but I'm afraid to go next door and tell my neighbour about Jesus. This is a big problem to me. I was amazed to hear that of all the Christians that live in this world, only 5% will lead a person to Christ. That's a shocking statistic, and it helped me realize that I have to be a part of that 5%, and I have to do all that I can to encourage others to change that 5% to 6, 7, 8 or 20%.
It got me thinking about why I and others have a difficult time sharing the gospel. We live in a world where people hate absolutes and your are even looked down upon by some if you do believe in absolutes. We like to believe more in relativism and in finding your own truth and what is right to you is right and nobody should ever tell you otherwise. Unfortunately that in itself is WRONG. Truth is not relative and what is right for you is not right. Those arguments are contradictory and do not hold any water. You want to argue with me whether right and wrong are relative to what you believe? Well how about I punch you in the face because it seemed right to me, do you still believe that?? No way you would. There is definite right and wrong and truth in this world no matter how much people like to think otherwise. It is because of these beliefs that many Christians never share the gospel because they are afraid to tell somebody the truth. To me, it seems ridiculous when I think about it, yet it is still something that prevents me from sharing. We are so afraid of offending someone because we are right and know we are right, but unfortunately because we don't have a scientific or mathematical proof, we are scared to tell people. That's the problem with the age we live in is that we've completely lost faith in everything and always want a complete and undeniable scientific proof, but you won't get that with God because that would make faith absolutely useless. We do however have historical proof.
There are 4 detailed records that Jesus exists, they're call the gospels, the only problem is that people have decided that because they're in a religious book that they're not reliable, when in fact they are the most reliable historical books that we have today from that time period. The gospels were written as a record of the events of Jesus, Luke even states his purpose of writing an orderly account at the beginning of his gospel, and have the most manuscripts of any historical writing available. Not to mention, they were written astronomically closer to the dates of the actual events than any other literature of that time, which means that when they were written there were still eyewitnesses to the events around, yet they were not called inaccurate at that time, but now we decide that they are??? Interesting that we know what is the truth better than people who were actually there at the time. To argue that the gospels aren't reliable is to say that any history we have from that time is unreliable, yet people will agree with the writings of Josephus and other historians even though they were written way after the events took place and have very few complete manuscripts compared to the gospels. Basically to call the gospels inaccurate is absolutely ridiculous, and if you disagree I challenge you to read the book A Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, who is the former legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, who used to be an atheist but became a Christian when he started investigating Christianity because his wife became a Christian. Heck, even if you don't disagree I would still recommend reading that book because it is fascinating, but I also like that kind of stuff.
So if we can prove that Jesus existed, then why do people doubt so much? Some say that sure He lived, but He was just a great teacher and wasn't the Son of God, but if that was the case, then why did all but two (Judas killed himself for betraying Jesus, and John appeared to die of natural causes, but they tried to kill him and weren't able to so they exiled him to Patmos) of His disciples die proclaiming Him to be the Messiah?? If He wasn't really who He said He was, then what would compel them and countless others to proclaim His name until they were eventually killed?? I can tell you, it wasn't for popularity, read how many cities Paul is driven out of in Acts. It couldn't have been for money, the apostles didn't have many possessions and a lot of them sold what they did own and gave the money to those who had need (Acts 3:42-47, 4:32-37). And it obviously wasn't for power because you don't have much power in this world when you're dead. So if it wasn't for any of those things that men strive for, then the only logical reason they would ever do what they did is that Jesus died and rose again and was the Son of God. The greatest example that shows that this must be the truth is the account of Paul, who was formerly a Pharisee who tortured and killed Christians relentlessly and approved of the first Christian martyr's death, Stephen. This man who was out for the blood of all Christians was miraculously converted on the road to Damascus and made a 180 degree turn and went from persecuting the Christians to being the greatest evangelist that ever lived. If that's not proof that Jesus was the Son of God, then I don't know what is. And you have to remember that all these guys either were with Jesus when He was alive or knew the people who were with Him while He was alive, and all of this happened within 40 years of His death.
What I'm getting at, is why are we so scared about offending people by telling them that we know the truth, when we do in fact actually KNOW THE TRUTH?!?!?!?!? Just because they don't want it to be the truth doesn't make it any less of the truth. That's like being scared to tell a sports fan that their team lost the game because they don't want to upset them. Just because it's not what they want to hear doesn't mean it's not the truth. Anybody that goes and looks into Christianity with an open mind and really looks at the information should not in their right and logical mind be able to believe anything other than the fact that it is the truth. I think Lee Strobel (who was a complete atheist remember) said it the best when he said that after he had researched the Christian faith he realized that it would take more faith to not believe than it did to believe. Remember this isn't some guy off of the street, this is a man who has a Masters from Yale Law and won Illinois' top honours for investigative reporting during his 14 years as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers.
I know that some people will disagree with me and some may call me some not nice things because I'm willing to follow God and am willing to tell people that they should follow Him too, but that's not my problem. I know that this is the truth, and now I'm finally learning to not be afraid to say it. If you think I must be off my rocker and that I've been so misled, send me an email and I'll tell you what God's done in my life and how I know from my own experiences in my own life that He is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords and Creator and Ruler of this universe. It probably still won't convince you one bit, but I always enjoy talking about God and I'm not afraid to discuss some hard questions and even admit that I don't know all the answers, and I'm fine with that.
No matter what, I hope you all still enjoy reading my blog, and I promise that my next post will not have such a serious tone, but when God convicts you about something, you gotta listen to Him, even if it may not win you any friends.
Until next time, I love you and miss you all, and I hope that you are all having a fabulous May!
God bless!!
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