Listen to Lesson 1 of the Freedom in Christ Discipleship Class
Here is the link to Lesson 1: Why Believe the Bible? :
The following are Bible Verses and the Discussion Questions that are presented as part of our presentation and are here for your review: .
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)
12 For the word of God is
living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the
division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NKJV)
11 For I know the thoughts that I
think toward you, says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray
to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And
you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your
heart.
Psalm 33:4-7 (NKJV) 4 For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. 6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses.
Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)
6 being confident of this very
thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until
the day of Jesus Christ;
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
16 All Scripture is breathed out by
God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training
in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be
complete, equipped for every good work.
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Pause For Thought Session 1:
Questions:
·
When was the first time that you heard about the
Bible, read the Bible, or had it read to you?
·
Is there a Bible passage or verse that is
particularly special to you? If so, read it to the group and explain briefly
why it is so meaningful.
·
Why do you believe – or why do you currently
struggle with the concept – that the Bible is “the inspired word of God.”
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Reasons for Believing the Bible:
1.
History Confirms the Bible
1.
What The Bible Said Would Happen Did
Happen
Ezekiel 26:3-4 (NKJV)
3 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I am against you, O
Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its
waves to come up.
4 And they shall destroy the walls
of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and
make her like the top of a rock.
Ezekiel 26:12 (NKJV)
12 They
will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise; they will break down your
walls and destroy your pleasant houses; they will lay your stones, your timber,
and your soil in the midst of the water.
Jeremiah 25:11 (NKJV)
11 And this whole land shall be a
desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king
of Babylon seventy years.
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Pause For Thought Session 2:
Questions:
Look at the following Old Testament prophesies and ask: From your knowledge of the story of Jesus, how were these prophecies fulfilled?:
Micah 5:2 (NKJV)
2 "But you, Bethlehem
Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet
out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings
forth are from of old, From everlasting."
Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV)
14 Therefore the Lord Himself
will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and
shall call His name Immanuel.
Jeremiah 31:15 (NKJV)
15 Thus says the LORD: "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation
and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be
comforted for her children, Because they are no more."
Zechariah 11:12-13
(NKJV)
12 Then I said to them,
"If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not,
refrain." So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the
potter"--that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces
of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD
for the potter.
Zechariah 12:10
(NKJV)
10 "And I will pour on
the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and
supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn
for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one
grieves for a firstborn.
Psalm 22:16-18 (NKJV)
16 For dogs have surrounded
Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and
My feet;
17 I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
18 They divide My garments
among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.
Exodus 12:46 (NKJV) 46 In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones.
Psalm 41:9 (NKJV) 9 Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.
History confirms the Bible and things predicted in it later happened. How do these two things help you to believe the Bible really is God’s message to us?
What are some of the reasons that people dismiss the
claims of the Bible?
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Reasons for Believing the Bible:
1.
The Bible’s Claim That Jesus Rose from
the Dead is Credible
2 Peter 1:16 (NKJV)
16 For we did not follow cunningly
devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
1. The Church Has Never Stopped Growing
This important research by the Lausanne Statistical
Taskforce is not easy to find. It is quoted in “Be a Hero: The Battle for Mercy
and Social Justice” by W. Campbell and S. Court (Destiny Image 2004, Page 156).
Around the turn of the millennium, a group called the
Lausanne Statistical Taskforce launched a study of the available historical
evidence to estimate how many real Christians there have been in the world
throughout the history of the church. They
weren’t interested in saying, “That’s a Christian country” and counting
everyone in it. Instead they estimated the number of people committed to follow
Jesus.
Their conclusion might surprise you. The worldwide church
took until 1900 to reach 2.5% of the world population. Then, in just 70 years
it doubled to reach 5%, In the next 30 years – between 1970 and 2000- it more
than doubled again to reach 11.2% of the world population. Today a google search shows 31.11% of the
world to be Christians.
Back in the early 1800s, when the world population reached 1
billion, there would have been around 20 million Christians. Right now with the
populations heading rapidly for 8 billion, we get that many in just a few
months. About a million people a week are becoming Christians. In fact, there
are probably more Christians alive right now than have ever lived and died
through the whole of history.
The Church is the
most dynamic organization the world has ever seen. It’s never stopped growing
and is growing faster today than ever before.
Now, if you live in a Western country, you may be shaking
your head because the church has been in decline here in recent decades. But
that’s a historical anomaly which is outweighed by the growth elsewhere. In
just about every developing country, the Church is growing.
Let’s take Communist China, for example, where despite
Government opposition, 28,000 people a day are becoming Christians. There are
80 to 100 million in total there now. There
are more Christians in China than members of the Communist party.
Look at Africa – the number of Christ-followers there has
risen from 3 in a 100 a century ago to 45 in a 100 today.
Over the last few decades, South Koreans have been flocking
to Jesus by the million. The UN has officially reclassified it from a Buddhist
nation to a Christian one.
The Operation World book and resources are good sources of
information on the spread of Christianity in different countries. See
operationworld.org
Jesus predicted all this in the Bible
Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)
18 And I
also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church,
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
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The Truths in the Bible Change Lives Today
M.T. Clark testifies to his life being transformed by his salvation and the wisdom drawn from the Bible and applied to His life.
John 8:32 (NKJV)
32 And you
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
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Reflection:
Spend some time thanking God for the
Bible.
Then ask Him to continue to develop
in you a thirst and longing to read and understand His Word in your day-to-day
life.
Things to consider:
Witness: If someone told you that they thought the Bible was “just a collection of myths and legends” what would you say to them?
In the Coming Week: If you never came to grips with reading the Bible regularly before, why not try reading a little bit each day? You could start with one of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. As you read, remind yourself of the truths we have looked at and that the Creator of the universe wants to speak to you through His Word, the Bible, today. Wow!
Thank You for your interest!
We pray that the Truth of the Bible becomes clearer, more meaningful, and motivates you to make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior of your life!
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