Explaining Our Hope

God has spoken, and His speech is the foundation for our persuasion. Through special and natural revelation God reveals Himself. Through language and nature we learn there must be an engineer--a creator. Language, reason, and human experience also show us God speaking. Our language has a purpose--it gives understanding and connects us to others through interpersonal relating. The mind is formatted to understand and relate through language. God created language to connect us to each other and to Him. God speaks and has left a trail of evidence that calls all seekers to Himself.\r\n

Craig argues that God is the best explanation for eight realities in our world, therefore God exists. The eight realties are: 1) Why anything at all exists; 2) The origin of the universe; 3) The applicability of mathematics to the physical world; 4) The fine-tuning of the universe for intelligent life; 5) Intentional states of consciousness in the world; 6) Objective moral values and duties in the world; 7) The very possibility of God's existence implies that God exists; 8) God can be personally known and experienced. These are good reasons to believe God does exist.\r\n

Dr. William Lane Craig answers an important question that shows that theology is foundational for morality. Different world views derive morality from different sources, but the Christian faith puts forth that moral values are grounded in God. Craig expounds upon two claims: If God exists, then there is a sound foundation for morality, and if he does not, morality is just a mere human invention. In addition to this, there are several moral reasons to believe in a God.

Mark Mittelberg outlines six different faith paths, or approaches, that people use to decide what to put their faith in. The first is the relativistic path, that truth is what you make it and it is personal. The second is the traditional path, that truth is what you've always been taught. Others follow the authoritarian path, that truth is what you've been told to believe. The intuitive path is rooted in truth being what your feel in your heart, similar to the mystical path where truth is what you think God has told you. Finally, there is the evidential path, that truth is what logic and evidence point to. Mittelberg presents a brief list of several examples of the evidence pointing to Christianity.

Not all believers are engaged in regular debates with highly educated scholars and experts. But what is the role of apologetics for those other "regular" people? Apologetics serve to strengthen Christians' faith and help us in our evangelism. Not only verbal but also lifestyle apologetics aid our evangelism, as we live in such a way that helps others see something different and attractive in us and our community. Therefore, we should make an effort to become equipped with and utilize apologetics in our Christian faith.

Despite common thoughts that the God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New Testament, both God's grace and His priorities are clear throughout the book of Deuteronomy. Looking at the structure and considering the historical context of this book, it is clear it is organized in such a way that God intended it to be remembered. By looking at the organization of the book as a whole, we can also see that God's grace is highlighted as the basis for the requirement of Israel's obedience to Him. His law also reflects His priorities for morality: property, then people, and God above all. Although we are under a new covenant, this Old Testament book dispels common beliefs that God was different under the old covenant, and the old covenant should, therefore, be ignored by us today.

The Western Church has been seeing an alarming decline in involvement for the last couple of decades. In order to turn this around, we must be aware of the reasons people are leaving and be willing to address them. Society today often sees churches as being outdated, impersonal, selfish, and hypocritical. It's imperative that we be willing to evaluate the wineskins we use and find more effective ways to reach the lost when old wineskins are no longer working.

When we study the evidence, it is clear that the human mind is unmatched in its ability to think rationally. In order to argue that trusting reason necessitates the existence of God, we must take an in-depth look at the argument from reason. In doing so, we see that rational analysis of our world only makes sense if we assume the world itself makes rational sense to begin with. We also find that popular attacks against this argument do not actually hold.

God created us to be emotional beings, but our emotions are constantly being fed by the things around us. It is important to reflect on what we are being drawn to and how these things impact our hearts. Are we aware of the unhealthy emotional pull different types of media have on us? Do we discuss these with other people? If our emotions are God-given, it is imperative that we feed them Godly nutrition in order to use them for His glory.

In our culture today, we get tested on things all the time. But there also exists the "Jesus" test, a test in which not even all who are outspoken Christians pass. Many people think they are passing the Jesus test by obeying religious rituals and withdrawing from sinful people who may rub off on them. These people could not be more mistaken, as it is Jesus who calls us to love the sinners as he did himself. We must recognize that we are all sinners that needed saving, and embrace befriending the "sinners" of our society.

After showing a video clip of an atheist questioning a Christian, Christian speaker Doug Pollock invites members of the audience to provide their own feedback of the discussion. Following this, several proclaimed atheist guests take the stage to act as a panel. Pollock invites them to explain some of their backgrounds, issues with faith, and insights into their world views. After the panel presentation, members of the audience are invited to ask questions of them as well.

Christian author, Doug Pollock, illustrates helpful evangelism strategies and goals through a conversation he once had with a woman while on a flight. As he describes the story, he highlights listening to the Spirit's prompting, asking questions to show interest in a person's life, and finding common ground. As he bridges the conversation into a spiritual topic, he remains a curious listener but also speaks up to help point out to the woman what she has really revealed that she believes. Through this example, we can gain numerous helpful tools for our own evangelism.

To truly unpack the messages of the Bible and grow in our understanding of and intimacy with God, we must yield certain tools as we approach the Word. First, we must understand the context of what we are reading. We must then consider what is the unique importance of the book before us. Furthermore, coming to God's Word with questions in our mind allows us to discover specific truths that we may otherwise glaze over. As we use these tools and others, we gain deeper understanding of God's truths, which allows us to begin discovering more about 1 Peter.

In order to truly unpack the messages in Scripture, we must fight to go deeper into the text. If we want to truly gain answers and understanding, we should approach the Bible with questions to guide our search. As we do this, we can more effectively train others in the Word as well. Lennox explains what it looks like to approach our reading with five broad questions: Does the author say why he's writing? What is the diagnosis, or in other words, what is going on with the audience? What is said about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? How is salvation discussed? Finally, is there a phrase or concept introduced in the beginning of the letter that may unlock truths woven throughout the rest of the writing?

The doctrine of Hell is widely disputed amid Christian and Non-Christian circles alike, but it is important to take a closer look at what the Bible does and does not say on the subject. James Rochford, apologist, author, and Bible teacher, walks through a series of objections and their answers and ultimately offers a compelling explanation that lines up with the rest of biblical teaching.

The problem of evil is not just a problem that Christians must answer but that everyone must. Who or what will take responsibility for the undeniable fact that suffering is present in the world? God, through the Bible, offers not only reasonable answers but true peace amidst a broken world.

When we attempt to do work for God, we are often confronted with our imperfect motives and sinful hearts. We need to grow roots deep into Christ by abiding, in order to have the power to really love people.

Physician and teaching pastor Jeff Gordon delivers a talk titled from his book of the same name, discussing the healthcare situation with prolonging the lives of dying patients, and the implications and effects on society.

Jesus Christ is arguably the most influential person to ever live, despite the fact that his public ministry only lasted several years, and he never traveled extraordinarily far. So who really was Jesus? Extrapolated from a class on this subject, this first workshop explores historical evidence for Jesus' existence through a plethora of extra-biblical sources. This workshop also provides evidence for the reliability of the gospel writers and the canonicity of the New Testament.

As a continuation of a previous workshop discussing who the historical person of Jesus was, this second discussion explores whether Jesus really did perform miracles. First, we must determine whether what we read about Jesus and his miracles in the Bible are truly what the original authors wrote. Second, we must ask if Jesus really did perform miracles, and if so, why. Finally, the discussion expands outward to reflect on the supernatural universe that God has created and the possibility of divine intervention into our physical world.

Balancing family and community is challenging but possible. The Bible instructs God's followers to be givers and receivers of love. There are so many benefits to our children when we commit to living in community. Looking at schedules and carefully considering what is most important to prioritize will help us succeed. Being creative and allowing for interruptions is also important. Including kids and others to help get odds and ends done incorporates ministry and family life in one. This way of living requires faith in God and an awareness of Satan who wants to sabotage this way of living.\r\n

The Xenos home group model involves many components. Xenos' model isn't the only model of the best model, but is one that follows the New Testament. Like Jesus' ministry, Xenos started small and grew one small group at a time. Four main areas of focus for home group leaders are: 1) personal growth with God; 2) evangelism; 3) biblical community; 4) discipleship. The way home groups multiply is through developing leaders. Each home group functions independently and also dependently; part of a bigger whole. Overall each home group disciples, teaches, disciplines, and evangelizes independently. They are however under the elders' authority and dependent on their leadership training. With all parts playing their role God grows His Church.\r\n

As Christians, we are called to go into all the world and share the Gospel with the people of every nation. Right now, people from all over the world are coming here, and we have a great opportunity to fulfill this command in our own city. We are called to show hospitality to strangers, welcoming foreigners, and sharing our lives with them without grumbling. By learning how other cultures do things, we can love and serve people who come from different backgrounds, opening the door to share the good news of Jesus with them.

Biblical hospitality is sharing who we are and what we have for the benefit and inclusion of strangers. When we show hospitality to strangers, we open the door for divine encounters to take place. God works through our willingness to welcome people into our homes and lives.

Doubt is a universal experience, but contrary to popular belief, so is faith. Many people segregate the term "faith" to only the religious sect, but the truth is that all humans exercise faith on a daily basis. We do this because there are exceptionally few things in this world (outside the realm of mathematics) where we can have one hundred percent proof. Not even physical science can have this. Instead, we regularly place our faith into things that have reasonable or overwhelming evidence that they are true. Christianity is no different. We grow in our trust of God as we continue to know Him more. Our doubt of God shrinks as we build a relationship with Him and as our faith continues to build upon increasing evidence.

We all want to have joy, and as believers in Christ, we are commanded to be joyful. However, we also all experience some level of confusion about what joy is and how to get and/or keep it. We are deceived into thinking we know what will bring us joy, but those things often produce perpetual discontentment and anxiety instead. True joy actually comes as we intentionally lose our lives in Christ and give our lives away together for Christ.\r\n

There are many difficult topics and questions that people have about God and Christianity. As Christians, we are called to be able to discuss these things and refute arguments that are raised up against God. So often, when we are able to minimize intellectual roadblocks that people have, it opens the door for them to be able to seriously consider the Gospel.

The way we understand people impacts our mission. God's role is to open doors and soften hearts while our role is to proclaim and persuade. In order to fulfill our role we need to understand the answer to three questions about people: 1) What are humans?; 2) Who are humans?; 3) How do we speak to humans? There are many perspectives regarding these questions but it is essential to understand the answers from a Biblical perspective. Humans are made in God's image and are separated from Him because of sin. Understanding who they are requires understanding their worldview; the assumptions they have about the world and how it works. Speaking to humans includes drawing them out to better understand them and to know how to best communicate with them. The results are up to God and ultimately people's personal choice but we can have an impact on God's mission to reveal Himself to humanity.\r\n

To be a persuasive preacher requires developing a burden for both the people in the audience and the passage itself. The goal is to evoke not just emotions in people but a desire to act on the truth they hear. This can be done in many ways, but it is essential to engage the minds of those in the audience as well as their hearts. It is equally as important to establish credibility with the audience and show that you are worth listening to in the first place.

World views, or the belief systems people hold about the world and humanity, can be vastly diverse. As believers in Christ and seekers of truth, we are called to test world views and help walk others through this process to determine views that may be illogical. The belief system should be coherent, consistent, adequate, and fruitful or "livable." As we look at some of the main belief systems of our world today, we can analyze their truth statements through this lens and assess if they make rational sense.

As believers in Christ, we are called to stand out as lights and help bring the Gospel to others in our community in part because of God's own pursuit of His people and in response to Jesus' example. We can begin moving toward this call through prayers for our own heart change and for the lost around us. We can also start where we are today, beginning to adorn the gospel in the very neighborhoods, workplaces, and organizations in which we are already immersed.

Many Christians today forget about an imperative spiritual truth littered across the pages of Scripture, that we are in a spiritual battle! In order to stay alert, effective, and engaged in this battle we must first recognize the reality of its existence and our call to fight. Because of this, we should not be surprised when we experience suffering, but rather, should prepare proactively. One way to do this is to develop a "combat field manual," a journal in which we record key verses and truths to keep ourselves on track in this mission.

Our culture has become immersed in and obsessed with information technology. As Christians, however, we need to take a stand against the grain of our culture in this area because I.T. over-use inhibits and erodes key elements of both our humanity and spirituality. I.T degrades both our ability to follow sophisticated thought and our value of solitude for biblical meditation. Furthermore, it decreases our ability to appreciate and learn from nature. In contrast to the tide of our culture, we should prioritize face-to-face relating and memorizing scripture. Finally, this workshop provides a constructive response to I.T. over-use.

Leading home group evangelism can be challenging to say the least, but it can first be helped by avoiding some common errors. Several general principles that help promote this include having leaders agree on the need for change and beginning change with themselves. There is no rigid formula, but there are steps we can take to approach the group in an effective way to motivate believers. This workshop presents five key steps to summarize an effective approach.

John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University explains several important points in the great debate against science and God. One essential reality is that there is no divide between science and God. One can reasonably believe in both, as science in fact points toward God. Science, based in logic and reasoning and the belief that it can be understood in a rational way, actually is born from a belief in a God who has created the world and its laws of nature. As we become confident in this reality, we can sharpen our minds to critique some of these misconceptions so prevalent in our culture.

Christians should always be ready to give a defense for their faith. This defense is a personal, two-way conversation where the apologist needs to be engaging and asking questions. Some helpful practices are to try dropping God into the conversation; don't act like you know more than you do; be sensitive; and be willing to learn, be challenged, and challenge yourself as you go.

Predictive prophecy is an effective apologetic from and for the Bible. There are several key areas of prophecy to highlight: Old Testament typology, the lineage and chronology of the Messiah, historical events, and current fulfillment. Knowing prophecy is constructive to a Christian's faith and ability to defend the Bible.

Sex is God's design for a relational act of bonding and becoming one flesh within marriage. God meets the Christian's need for union first by uniting them with Himself, and then with other believers. This is where they learn to successfully love on an intimate level.

Pornography permeates the internet, whether one is looking for it or not. It's important to know how to have a balanced reaction if one finds their children are engaging in porn, making sure that they feel safe talking to their parents. Learn about how to prepare for, demonstrate against, and prevent pornography in the family life.

A false belief around sexual sin is that behavior modification or restrictions have the power to change people. They do not. There are four key dynamics that result in lasting heart change: knowing sin, hating sin, knowing the total forgiveness and grace of God, and being astounded at the love of God.