Articles

How... why... when... worship?

by: Ed Ender

Picture the scene. You're in an arena that holds up to three thousand people. The house lights are down, but the spotlight is on. Up on stage, a guy is hunched over his electric guitar... and he's making it wail! As the lasers start to flick around, other figures can be seen on stage. And suddenly the music surges. It seems to go right through you. Your heart lifts. Your hands do too. You're having an experience of God.

Or are you?

Can I trust the New Testament?

Facts to ponder

The New Testament that we have, is what was written 2000 years ago. Over 24,000 ancient manuscripts (in a variety of languages) exist, these point to the Bible being the most reliable document of antiquity.
Many of the manuscripts are very ancient and date from as early as the 2^nd century. Many are on public display in museums and libraries around the world. The oldest is the John Rylands manuscript kept in the John Rylands library in Manchester which dates from 130AD. The Bodmer Papyrus (also 2^nd century) contains most of John's book and is kept in the Bodmer library of World Literature. Codex Sinaiticus is kept in the British Museum in London. Codex Vaticanus is in the Vatican Museum in Rome. These are just a small selection of the ancient manuscripts that exist.
Even if no manuscripts existed, scholars could construct large portions of the New Testament from the quotations of early Christians, from their writings to each other.
Historical evidence in the New Testament is confirmed at a number of points by secular writers Tacitus and Josephus. A vast number of archaeological discoveries point to the historical reliability of the New Testament accounts.
The New Testament was written very close to the events it describes. Most of it was completed by AD70.
Multiple eye witness records attest to the same events. There are differences in their versions which testify to their independence from each other. Most seeming contradictions can easily be explained by proper research.

Extracted from 'Discovering Jesus' by Geoff Gertzen: June 2010

Common Questions People Ask

How do you know that God exists?

The Bible gives two answers to this question

1. We know God exists by looking around us. We look up at the stars, the heavens and the intricacies of our universe (Psalm 8). We also look down into the complicated and complex nature of ourselves (Psalm 139). These point us to the existence of God.

But the Bible also realises that this first reason may be inadequate so it gives a more conclusive reason...

2. We know God exists because he came to earth in the man Jesus. Jesus claimed to be God. Jesus acted as if he was God. His followers recognised him as God and taught that he was God to their followers. If we had lived at the right time we could have seen Jesus/God with our own eyes, we could have touched him and personally listened to him.

Extracted from 'Discovering Jesus' by Geoff Gertzen: June 2010

Common Questions People Ask

Do all religions lead to God?

1. Sincerity does not equal truth. People can be sincere and wrong (eg believing in a flat earth)

2. The different religions contradict each other. Some examples are

a. Hindus believe there are many gods, Islam believes there is one God.
b. Hindus believe in reincarnation and that time is circular. Jews believe that time is linear - it has a beginning and an end.
c. Christians believe Jesus is the son of God, Muslims believe he is a prophet.

3. Because the major world religions contradict each other, they can't all be right. They could all be wrong but they can't all be right.

4. Jesus says that he is the only way to God because he is the son of God. He says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live..." In another place he says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Extracted from 'Discovering Jesus' by Geoff Gertzen: June 2010

Growing Christians look like...

A discussion document for Bible Study Groups
by Geoff Gertzen
April 2010

Mark Dever in his book, 'What is a healthy church?' says,"When you peer into the life of a church, the growth of its members can show up in all sorts of ways."

Here are a few possibilities:

Growing numbers being called to mission -"I've enjoyed sharing the gospel with, my neighbours from South America. I wonder if God is calling me to..."
Older members getting a fresh sense of their responsibility in evangelism and discipling younger members -"Why don't you come over for dinner?"
Younger members attending the funerals of older members out of love -"As a single man in my twenties, it was so good to be taken in by Mr and Mrs..."