What a wonderful day celebrating moms and all the godly women in our church. We are so grateful for their influence and example.  The kids did a wonderful job sharing their poem and skits about mothers. To top it off, it was a joy to see the Brown family dedicate Aurora to the Lord and have Davion follow the Lord in baptism.

There are a lot of views on the Bible. Sam Harris says, “Theology is ignorance with wings.” Richard Dawkins even says, “The resurrection was invented by eager new recruits to Christianity.” I just recently, in our Q and A series at church, did a sermon on the reliability of the Bible. I want to quickly rehash what I talked about there. The goal is to equip believers to know the truth and to expose seekers to that same truth as well. And while I can’t possibly answer every question that may go through someone’s mind, I want to give you some truths, with the hopes of pushing you to study these topics further. 

Dr. Stephen Meyer said, “The heart can’t exalt what the mind can’t believe.” If we’re gonna go by this book, let’s get it down. If we say we follow who this is all about, let’s get equipped and ready. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” People ask if this is true. People are searching and need to have believers ready to give them an answer. Right? People are making a decision about the most important decision they can make: do they have faith in Jesus, who He said He was and whether or not He rose from the grave. Listen, this book is not just like any other book out there. It is not a simple self-help book written by a collection of people who figured out life. It is the God-breathed words of the Creator of everything. Hebrews 4:12 reminds us, “ For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

It’s alive, it’s living and active! This isn’t just poetic nonsense. We’re getting a description of God and His word that He has given to us. We’ll talk about that a little later, but it’s His God-breathed words. This isn’t just another book. Paul tells us that in 1 Thessalonians 2:13. “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.”

So let’s lay out the evidence for what we have. Let’s start with the OT. 

The Old Testament:

Let’s just consider one book. The book of Isaiah. It was written around 700 BC. 700 years before Jesus. So a question that comes up for “always being prepared to give an answer for why we believe” may be “How do you know Isaiah was copied right?” We don’t have the original, but what do we have? Well in 1947 a shepherd boy was out and he threw a rock in a cave and heard something break. Long story short, he found all these jars containing 900 ancient scrolls. This has become known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. In this was a whole copy of Isaiah dating to about 200 BC. Ok, so what they did was compare that with what we have now and it was amazingly accurate. What was written then, we have now. There’s no telephone game whisper in the ear mess ups here. 

And with that being said, let’s think about the implications of us knowing that the book of Isaiah (specifically chapter 53 we’ll look at) was the same then as we have now. So we have the original in 700 BC, the Dead Sea Scroll around 200 BC, copies from about 1000 years ago, and then what we have today. So we put those all together and exactly how accurate is it? Very! Norman Geisler said, “Of the 166 words in Isaiah 53, there are only 17 letters in question. Ten of these letters are simply a matter of spelling, which does not affect the sense. Four more letters are minor stylistic changes, such as conjunctions. The three remaining letters comprise the word LIGHT, which is added in verse 11 and which does not affect the meaning greatly. Furthermore, this word is supported by the Septuagint (LXX). Thus, in one chapter of 166 words, there is only one word (three letters) in question after a thousand years of transmission – and this word does not significantly change the meaning of the passage.”

So back to what this means. Over 2200 years have gone by and it has kept true. It means that we know for sure there was a very detailed, specific prophecy on Jesus. It was fulfilled by Him. Here’s how accurate Isaiah 53 is towards Jesus. It says He, “would not be widely believed, wouldn’t have the look of majesty, would be despised and suffer, would be concerned for others health and would die for our sins, would have pain and punishment for us, wouldn’t respond to charges, would be oppressed and killed, would be with criminals during life and death, buried in a rich man’s tomb, be crushed, suffer and die and yet live, would bear our sins, and would have a portion with the great.” 

And just to add a little more, Daniel, in about 500 something BC prophesied about kingdoms coming and falling. Early on in Daniel he was given a prophecy about 4 global empires: Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman. Then in chapter 8 it specifically mentions Greece as a world power and the great King in there is Alexander the Great who would be cut off at the height of his power (he died unexpectedly in his thirties), be split into four parts (he had no successor so it was split into 4 kingdoms) that wouldn’t be as powerful as him (they weren’t). Eventually after other terrible and powerful leaders (like Antiochus Epiphanes) then Rome came to power and put it all under one again. All of this is prophesied hundreds of years before. And came to be.

What about the New Testament?

William Lane Craig, apologist, theologian rightly says that from the time evidence is found and written to the time you get it is irrelevant. What matters is the distance between the event happening and someone documenting it. Consider the first and second most reliable documents of antiquity.  

Homer’s Iliad- Poem telling about the Trojan War.  Time Gap- 400 yrs   Copies- 643

NT- 25,000 manuscript copies, Time gap- 25-200 years. 

It’s not even close!

What did the NT writers and apostles think of their writings and each other’s writings? Check these two examples out.  

2 Peter 3:15-16 says, “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” What does he do? Peter equates Paul’s writings to scripture. That’s huge. It directly knocks down some of the terrible, misinformed attacks on the Bible that I have seen. Here’s another one for you. 

1 Timothy 5:18 says, “For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” Why do I bring this up? “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain” is from Deuteronomy 25:4. OT scripture. Something they were familiar with. And then “The worker deserves his wages” is from Luke 10:7. That’s NT! I think it is intentional that he puts them both together here and says, “For scripture says…” and he puts them on equal ground. 

But is it true?

Christian author and speaker Dr. Frank Turek says there are 6 lines of evidence that show us that it’s true and not made up. And they all start with E. Here they are very briefly srtated:

Early testimony: Most if not all the NT documents are written prior to 70 AD. Why do I say that? Because the destruction of the temple (a huge, massive thing that would certainly be at least mentioned) is not mentioned in any NT writing. Not to mention that most conservative and libreal scholars hold to an early dating for their writings. 

Eyewitness Testimony: Read Luke’s introduction to his gospel to see that he said he wrote it “as it was handed down to” him, from “eyewitnesses” and that he “carefully investigated everything” to “write an orderly account” so they can “know the certainty of the things you’ve been taught.” 

Embarrassing Details: It seems extremely unlikely that anyone who made this stuff up, or fabricated it in anyway would include many of the details about the disciples that did not make them look good.

Excruciating Evidence: The eyewitnesses and many in the early church could have denied Jesus and said they were making it up, or they got it wrong, or just denied in some way to save their own lives. But they didn’t. They kept the story. The only real, logical explanation for this one alone is that it’s because it was true.

Expected Testimony: There is OT prophecy that leads you to the expected Messiah-Jesus.

Extra Biblical Testimony: I mentioned a little, but there are 10 ancient non-Christian sources within 150 years of Jesus’ life. When you take their brief accounts of Jesus and His life you get a story that is congruent with the NT.

Finally, one last cool thing to see. It was ahead of the time on science and understanding creation. The Bible served as a basis for modern scientific pursuits. When scientists thought the earth was flat (although sadly this seems to be making a comeback), the Bible said otherwise. Isaiah 40:22 says, “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.” The circle of the earth and it also in that verse points out the expansion of the universe which we know is happening. Job 26:7 God tells us that He suspends the Earth on nothing. Before oceans were explored, the Bible spoke of valleys and springs of the sea. It even mentions the hydrologic cycle of the circulation of the water of the earth long before anyone knew about that in Ecclesiastes 1:6-7. This is the kind of things these guys had no business knowing about unless…this book is not a normal book. 

We have good news to share…and its’ true! The Bible is living and active. This is the real, powerful, life-changing, evil-calling-out, moral, eternity-shaking, unchanging, truthful, good news that gives us the knowledge of faith in Jesus alone to save and take us from death to life. That is what this is. But my experience with too many is that it’s nothing more than a coaster on a side table or a decoration. That has to change. You want to hear from God? We all want to know Him more and maybe cry out to Him, “Why don’t you speak to me?!” He has, but are we listening and reading it?

“The Kilgores are planting a new church in Waco, Texas in partnership with the Texas state mission board. Jim and Tracey are no strangers to church planting. After pastoring for some time in California, they planted Heritage FWB, in Greenfield, CA in 2009. Jim has felt a burden for the city of Waco for several years and they are excitedly following God’s calling into the area. The Kilgores moved to Waco in 2021, and they were immediately concerned by the lack of gospel outreach particularly in the North Waco area. They plan to plant a church and live in North Waco, a region with a population of around 30,000 people but only a handful of established churches. Half-way between Dallas and Austin, Waco is a popular stop for visitors from all over the country making it a great region for this new ministry.”

June 16-19, 2021
Fee: $119 per person

Location: CrossLife Church San Antonio, Texas

Registration
online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LK7JG7T

Questions? Contact Heath Ferguson at
281.825.9172
or hferguson@woodforestchurch.com

I grew up on some of the classic 80’s movies. I remember The Great Outdoors with Dan Aykroid and John Candy. One particular scene had Roman (Dan Aykroid) talking to his brother Chet (John Candy). Roman is looking out over the forest. He was a business guy. He said, “I tell you what I see when I look out there. I see the undeveloped resources of Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin, and Michigan. I see a syndicated development consortium exploiting over a billion and a half dollars in forest products. I see a paper mill and if the strategic metals are there, a mining operation. A greenbelt between the condos on the lake and a waste management facility focusing on the newest rage in toxic waste, medical refuse. Infected bandages, body parts, IV tubing, contaminated glassware, entrails, syringes, fluids, blood, low grade radioactive waste all safely contained sunken in the lake and sealed for centuries. Now I ask you what do you see?

Chet said, “I just see trees.”

I want to propose the opportunities to do apologetics and share the gospel are the same way. We’re all looking at the same trees, but some of us can see the potential opportunities and others aren’t quite there yet. So church, let’s help each other see it! If you want to think of scripture, think of what Jesus told His disciples. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” The sort of eye-opening I pray God does for His world-wide church is the type that He did for the servant of Elisha in 2 Kings 6. Elisha prayed for God to open his servants eyes to see God’s protection by way of numerous horses and chariots of fire all around them.

So what kind of opportunities are actually out there? I usually have a routine where I go to different Christian and non-Christian news and topical sites. I just like to know what is happening around the country and world. Lately, as I peruse the articles and sites, there really is no shortage of topics for Christians and churches to engage in. 

Apologetics

This is my sweet spot. This is where God has specifically developed in me a passion and huge sense of urgency to be a part of. The most recent Gallup Poll just came out saying that for the first time in eighty years (as long as they have been observing), church membership is under fifty percent. All right church, Christian, if you need a new reason to light a fire in your evangelistic pants to get up and do something, now is the time! People are turning away from church and God at staggering and consistent rates. One of the relatively new classifications is that of the nones. This is those who hold to no religious affiliation. It’s not necessarily atheist and skeptics, but many do consider themselves to be in this camp. Many are just not affiliating with any religion. They are the nones. It’s not important to them. They see no relevance.

So, with that said, the opportunity for the church is to engage this crowd. Are you talking about “those people” outside our churches, or are you being intentional in reaching out to them by befriending them, creating discussion groups, or just making it known that they are welcome to step in your church to talk or listen?

I’m telling you church, this is an area where we need to step it up and engage. The deconversion stories are growing ever so steadily. We need to know what we believe and why. We need to be teaching our kids and church how to rightly read and interpret their Bible. We need to show them that it is not just a way, but the way. We need to show them that Christianity is not just relevant, but objectively true.

LGBTQ

I’ll bet that just reading those letters shot some people’s blood pressure up. Right? Ha! Let me be clear here: I am not advocating for us to cave on these issues and go against the Bible. The Bible is as clear now as it was in the past. I’m simply pointing out that this is a red hot issue going on right now. And it is not going away anytime soon, or most likely, ever. So are you prepared to engage in this area? We have to be ready. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” I don’t think we’re always ready to talk to everyone about why we believe in Jesus. Maybe certain people and for easy questions. But not always.

I had someone once tell me that this was an untapped market for the church. I know that seems like business lingo, but I really agree. It’s a harvest that is taking off all around us. It’s not going to go away. Are you prepared to step into that arena and talk? Do you know what you would say? Do you know how you would say it? Is your motivation for talking to someone of that persuasion pure and holy? I believe these are things we need to check. But don’t just talk about it forever as if that’s good enough. Put your faith into action. “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. (Jas. 2:18). We know what the next verse is in James scathing critique of a dead faith.

We’re not called to a comfortable, non-confrontational life. We’re called to love God and love others. We’re called to obey God. We’re called to tell the world about Him and how to live for Him by making disciples. That requires us to go to everyone and be willing to have tough conversations and to do so in love.

Just be real, transparent, and honest

I’m convinced that if we just modeled these three things with everyone, it would open up so many more opportunities for us to share our faith. Times may be changing. It may not be our grandparents’ world anymore. But people still respond more readily to someone who seems to genuinely care. People are drawn to others who seem to be real and show them love. 

Church, the mission hasn’t changed. The landscape may look different, but we still have the same job: to live out and preach the gospel. So look back out at the trees in the forest and have a little more of the optimism of Roman.