Rice Broocks

ISBN 978-0-8499-4856-5

xv – “It seems you are expected to be respectful in what you say about any other . . . religious figure – except Jesus Christ. Somehow, people feel free to malign, disfigure, or re-imagine Him as they choose.”

xvii – “One question that must be answered clearly in order to stop this downward spiral: Is the Christian story true? . . . [in other words,] Does the Jesus of history = the Christ of faith?”

“Christianity is the only religion that places the entire weight of its credibility on a singular event – the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.” [on women’s testimony, at that!]

xviii – “Conviction about the reality of the resurrection is the only foundation that can withstand the onslaught of skepticism and unbelief.”

xix – “Regardless of who you are, eventually you must make a decision about what you believe about this Man and the claim that He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world.”

“History’s greatest question, the answer to which affects everything, is: ‘Who do you say that I am?’ {Mt 16:15}”

xxi – “No other name evokes such debate or emotion – the most popular as well as the most polarizing name in history. At the same time, no other name has inspired such beauty, courage, and sacrifice.”

xxii – “Without question, the voice you choose to listen to will be the most important decision you will ever make.”

xxiii – “Preparing believers to give reasons for their faith should be the highest priority of all the efforts of those engaged in Christian ministry. . . . preparing people to have a faith that thrives in this media-saturated, anti-faith 21st century.”

“Of all the human rights we should be fighting for, leading the way should be the right of every living person to hear the Gospel and have an opportunity to know Jesus.”

xxiv – “To me, the bottom line is this simple: if you believe that the Jesus events are true, you will share the faith with others. If you don’t, you won’t.”

“Christians must be taught and trained, not just comforted and entertained.”

“There is no neutral ground in this debate. The claims about Jesus that are recorded in Scripture make it impossible to dismiss Him as just a mere man.”

xxv – “‘and the truth will set you free’” – Jesus {Jn 8:32}

xxvi – “It’s an answer worth pursuing with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.”

1 – “It’s one of the strange quirks of human nature that we tend to believe wild and absurd things, while doubting and dismissing the credible and important.”

2 – “Be willing to follow the evidence wherever it leads.”

3 – “Jesus Christ lived . . . the most unique and important life in history – one we cannot dismiss nor ignore.”

4 – “Scripture warns, ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge’. {Hosea 4:6}”

5 – “two opposing views of the world: materialism (atheism) and theism”

“The non-material nature of information”

6 – “Acts of inexplicable altruism”

7 – “with all the religions in the world, which one is right?”

“Truth is truth, regardless of culture or context”

“Overwhelming evidence”

“Clear distinctions among competing claims for truth”

10 – “make no mistake – atheism is a religion (a set of beliefs)”

“C. S. Lewis posed his famous trilemma. He said based on the claims of Jesus in the Gospels about being the Son of God, that He was either a lunatic (because He thought He was God), a liar (because He knew this wasn’t true), or He [is] indeed the Lord (the Son of God). This challenge by Lewis was to help people not get stuck with the position that Jesus was merely a good man”

12 – “the root cause of this culture of skepticism can be traced back to the Enlightenment”

15 – “the claim that Jesus was resurrected three days after His death is not just an article of faith, but it is also a statement that can be examined historically.”

“Inference to the best explanation” [Ockham’s razor]

“It was this conviction that compelled a small group of Christ-followers out of the shadows of fear and unbelief onto the center stage of history. It became the source of a

supernatural power and wisdom that would confound their opponents. Ultimately, it would overwhelm an empire, not by military prowess but by heart-piercing truth and relentless love. The world had never witnessed anything like it before or since.”

16 – “Historian Will Durant concludes: ‘There is no greater drama in human record than the sight of a few Christians, scorned or opposed by a succession of emperors, bearing all trials with a fiery tenacity, multiplying quietly, building order while their enemies generated chaos, fighting the sword with the Word, brutality with hope, and at last defeating the strongest state that history has ever known. Caesar and Christ . . . met in the arena, and Christ . . . won.’”

“It is highly unlikely that His followers would have been faithful to those words had Jesus's life ended permanently at the cross.”

“In fact, New Testament scholar N. T. Wright points out that none of the many self-proclaimed ‘messiahs’ of the ancient world continued to have a following or influence once they died.” [cf Acts 5:34]

17 – “For us today, the desperate need is to recover the same conviction of the truth of the resurrection that the early disciples possessed.”

“In spite of having a front-row seat to observe the greatest three years in human history, Jesus’s disciples still struggled with doubt.”

“There is more to faith than just believing a correct version of history. While the death and resurrection of Jesus are events that can be judged historically, what still remains is an invitation into a relationship that requires a step of faith.”

18 – “If we believe His words, we will accept His invitation.”

19 – “‘Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.’ – St. Augustine”

20 – “The evidence for the resurrection is so compelling that denying the event is unjustifiable, if one truly approaches the evidence objectively and openly. And there lies the challenge.”

“Biases can result from people living in rebellion against the one true God and giving their hearts to such idols as money, power, pleasure. – with blinded minds.”

21 – “Faith and reason are not only compatible but inseparably linked.”

“God gives us enough evidence in the things we can know, to trust Him in the things we cannot know.”

22 – “When it comes to the central issues of the Chrsitian faith, the biggest dispute is usually not with the facts of history but with the presuppositions and worldviews of those who interpret them.”

24 – “the Minimal Facts:”

“So strongly evidenced”

“A majority of contemporary scholars”

“Made by multiple, independent sources”

“Originate shortly after the actual events”

“Details that are actually embarrassing to the authors”

“The scientific method applied to history”

27 – “This fact of history is settled in the minds of serious historians, regardless of their religious beliefs.”

“Jesus’s life is still the most important one in all of human history” .

“His teachings are the bedrock of civilization 2,000 years later”

“This is the most important question we can answer for young people struggling to find faith: Did Jesus Christ, the Son of God, really live, die, and rise?”

28 – “His words changed the world and gave us an ethical standard unmatched in all of history.”

29 – “Many of Jesus’s followers would eventually be put to death themselves rather than deny that He lived, died, and rose again. What could they possibly have gained from fabricating all this?”

“Te evidence is abundantly clear in the Minimal Facts:”

“He was crucified”

“His tomb was found empty” (by women!)”

“This fact is significant because female testimony was dismissed in ancient trials. So no 1st-century author would have ever made

that up”

“His disciples believed that He appeared to them, transforming them”

Including Saul (a persecutor) who became Paul (a missionary)

Including James (a skeptical relative of Jesus) → a Church leader

“‘Including 500 at once, most of whom are still alive’ – Paul”

“The Apostles all turned from disillusioned doubters to bold proclaimers of the resurrection – so much so that they were willing to suffer and die for their convictions”

“The movement grew suddenly, by the thousands”

“The resurrection was proclaimed very early – just days after the actual event”

“Christinaity started in the very place where it was least likely to survive, where it would have been easiest to disprove” – Roman-occupied Jerusalem three days after His Death

“The preaching of the resurrection turned the world upside-down, from the very beginning”

“And only this true message could have produced, in so short a time, congregations of faithful believers all around the Mediterranean world”

“Not a myth developed long after the event”

“Not a group hallucination” [impossible by definition]

Saul of Tarsus → Paul

“Historians are virtually unanimous that Saul of Tarsus was a harsh opponent of Chrisitnaity, but that he was transformed into a defender of the faith after encountering the risen Christ”

“Eyewitnesses”

“Early, multiple, first-hand testimony”

“Was an opponent”

“Embarrassing”

“Highly educated”

“Martyred (by Emperor Nero in Rome in 64 AD)”

“Was privileged and became a hunted outcast”

Imagine Saul willingly forgoing an advantaged status for suffering and death, “all because he refused to deny that Jesus indeed rose from the dead and is therefore the promised Messiah.”

“John the Baptist baptizing Jesus”

“John was baptizing people for the forgiveness of their sins”

“So his baptizing Jesus could imply that Jesus was inferior to John, which would have been embarrassing for the Early Church”

“As such, the story would not likely have been made up”

43 – “Luke’s record entitles him to be regarded a writer of habitual accuracy”

45 – “The 4 Gospels are arguably the most read, studied, scrutinized, and yet beloved literature in history”

And not a single archaeological find has ever refuted a Bible reference – in fact, the opposite has occurred numerous times

47 – “Skeptics desperately want to deny [that] the Gospels are giving historical data. Why? Because what’s at stake is the very authority of Jesus in our lives and culture.”

“Scholars who honestly compare the Gospels to the literature of the day recognize that these writings represent biographies based on eyewitness testimony, which faithfully document Jesus’s life, ministry, and His resurrection”

53 – “By the 2nd century, the Gospels were recognized throughout the early church as uniquely authoritative”

55 – “The Gospels are actually some of the highest quality historical records from the ancient world”

“We have more and better [historical] sources for Jesus than for most other famous ancient figures”

56 – “The New Testament has been handed down to us with an accuracy of 99%.”

“Moreover, most of the remaining 1% represents spelling or other insignificant differences.”

“The differences that affect the actual meaning of messages amount to around 0.1%.”

“And none of these call into question any major Christian doctrine or practice.”

“The Gospel was proclaimed early – mere days after the tomb was found empty.”

“The earliest New Testament books were written 19 years after the resurrection.”

58 – “The Gospels clearly tell of the same events.”

“from eyewitness perspectives”

“including passages embarrassing to the writers”

Deny

Doubt

Abandon

Self-centered

Slow-on-the-uptake

Archaeological references

Matching Gospel descriptions in place and people

62 – “there’s a difference between a radical contradiction and a variant account”

“Actually, the small differences in the Gospels’ account serve to support their historical reliability.”

Shows no collusion

Shows different eyewitnesses’ perspectives

“A detective named J. Warner Wallace carefully examined the Gospel accounts as if he were examining the testimonies of witnesses in an investigation of a crime that had taken place decades in the past. He determined that the number of similarities and differences perfectly matched what would be expected if the basic story were true. In addition, the facts made no sense if the stories were fabricated. (He started his investigation as an agnostic, but the evidence convinced him to become a Christian).”

68 – “The God of love is also the God of judgment. Why? Because if He does not judge sin, He could not ultimately be loving.”

69 – “People indeed want God to stop evil, but the way He does so is through judgment.”

“How can God be both loving and just at the same time, without compromising either?”

“The answer: Jesus died on the cross to suffer the consequences for the sins of humankind (fulfilling the demands of justice) while extending mercy to us, who deserved the punishment . . . so we would be free from the power of judgment of sin.”

“God isn’t just interested in the evil that happens to you ; He wants to stop it coming through you.”

70 – “details . . . mentioned in the Gospels . . . precisely match the specifics of Roman crucifixion”

73 – “the resurrection of Jesus validates His identity and gives credibility to His words above all others”

“The physical and emotional trauma of what Christ suffered . . . is difficult to comprehend”

“Usually, the response is that this torture and pain was for the purpose of Jesus showing us how much He loves us. This claim is true for a different reason than most assume. Yes, it was done out of incomprehensible love. But just as important, He took our punishment. It was the penalty for the sins of the world. Whether we realize it or not, this punishment was ours to bear. It is astounding that someone would bear these [kinds of] consequences on our behalf” [and while we were still sinning! {cf Rom 5:8}].

80 – “The incredible gift to us isn’t just forgiveness, but the power to overcome our . . . proclivity toward evil”

82 – “The only appropriate sacrifice to cover the sins of the entire world was a perfect one. Only Jesus [, divine and human ; sinless,] could fulfill this requirement.”

84 – “Would not the consequences of sins against an eternal God also continue into eternity? The sobering truth is that all of us deserve the judgment of eternal death, since no one is worthy to stand in God’s presence. Only in this light can the sacrifice of Jesus be properly understood. All of us deserve punishment, but Jesus’s perfect life paid the unimaginable debt we owe[d] God”

“It indeed was a divine rescue mission . . . [and] there was no other way to help us except through His substitutionary death on our behalf.”

86 – “As a result, we now have authority [through Jesus] over the evil spiritual powers of this world. As such, we can break spiritual strongholds oppressing our lives and those of other believers. We can also pray for God’s authority and power to break through the oppression covering local communities, cities, and nations. This dramatic change made possible by His death cannot be overstated.”

91 – “‘The evidence for the resurrection is better than for claimed miracles in any other religion. It’s outstandingly different in quality and quantity.’” – Anthony Flew, famed atheist turned believer

“Christianity stands of falls on a singular event: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

“Other religions, such as Islam, offer subjective tests to validate their claims. . . . [And Hinduism makes no attempt to verify itself. . . . [And Buddhism . . . [is] not on a claim.”

95 – “The only possible reason why early Christianity began and took the shape it did is that the tomb really was empty and that people really did meet Jesus, alive . . .”

97 – [the legend] “theory requires virtually all of the key historical evidence to be completely ignored.”

“Almost no one ever survived Roman crucifixion. If the commissioned soldiers failed to kill the condemned, they would be executed in the prisoner’s place.”

102 – “Christianity grew because the Apostles preached . . . the reality of the resurrection . . . [on the] solid footing . . . [of] the historicity of the resurrection [as its] unshakable foundation . . .”

103 – “One could hardly imagine God passively watching in heaven as Jesus's message was progressively corrupted – particularly when Jesus Himself promised the Apostles that the Holy Spirit would remind them of all He taught.”

“Therefore, we can confidently know that they faithfully taught His message and recounted His ministry continuously for decades.”

105 – “His resurrection is the best explanation for the historical facts that even skeptics recognize as true.”

107 – “. . . we can have confidence in placing our trust in Jesus Christ. Because Jesus has been raised from the dead, we can trust that His words are true and trustworthy – the very Word of God.”

109–113 – “The resurrection was the core message that birthed the church in the midst of a hostile culture. There are at least 10 significant incidents that [inspired] speeches centering on the resurrection in the Book of Acts:”

“At the day of Pentecost, 50 days after Christ’s resurrection”

“To the crowds of people astonished at the healing of the lame man”

“When speaking to the authorities after the same healing”

“After they were threatened by religious leaders for continuing to speak about Jesus”

“When the Gospel came to the Gentiles”

“In a Jewish synagogue”

“Introducing the Gospel in the city of Thessalonica”

“In Athens among the intellectual elite”

“Before a governor”

“Before a king”

114 – “The resurrection was the overwhelming theme in the preaching of the Apostles [, and it] . . . caused the church to emerge against all odds in the midst of a hostile Roman empire and a resistant religious system. If we want the results the early church had, we must preach the message they preached.”

“Christ’s resurrection sets Him apart from all other religious leaders, and sets Christianity apart from all other religions.”

115 – “The best explanation of the facts of Jesus’s crucifixion, empty tomb, appearances to His disciples after His death, and the sudden emergence of the Christian faith is that Jesus was raised bodily from the dead. This event was at the core of the message that the early disciples preached and spread to the nations of the world. Its truth and power compelled them out into a hostile Roman empire to declare that Jesus is Lord. It was a message that they [were] willing to give their lives for and one that [gave] life to those who heard and believed.”

133 – “And the timeframe between the events and the writing of the Gospels and epistles was far too short for myths to have developed, since eyewitnesses were still alive.”

142 - “The greatest need for change is in the human soul.”

143 – “The real story of humanity is that, left to ourselves, we [fail] . . . at the salvation business.”

“. . . the root problem is ultimately spiritual”

144 – “. . . at key moments in history, when all seemed lost, God provided a way of escape for those who trusted in Him.”

146 – “The Hebrews expected a human leader who would deliver them from their human oppressors and usher in the kingdom of God on earth politically. They had little idea that the Messiah would be the incarnate presence of God on earth, and they especially did not expect Him to be executed by the very enemies they believed He would vanquish. However, Jesus came to deliver us from our real enemies, the spiritual forces that have kept the human race in bondage. External liberty is worthless without inner freedom.” [emphasis added]

147 – “The Gospel, or good news, is so powerful that it caused the world to be turned upside- down 2000 years ago – [and] it can do the same today”.

. . . “unquestionably the most significant event in human history” . . .

149 – “The critical point to grasp is that recognizing the Messiah requires the right spiritual condition, as well as acknowledging the facts surrounding His identity. Just because you know Jesus is the Christ doesn’t mean you believe in Him to the point of submitting your life and destiny to His leadership and authority. [St.] John [the Baptist] called people to humble themselves and recognize their need for a Savior. Then, and only then, would they stop trusting in themselves and their idols and remedies of the age and look to God's promise of deliverance on His terms, not their own.” [emphasis added]

151 – “ . . . blessing comes to us when we grasp this seminal truth about Jesus.”

“It is impossible to read the Gospels or Paul and come away with the impression that Jesus of Nazareth thought of Himself as a mere man. Jesus said much about Himself that would have been outlandish if He were just a man. . . . He spoke in such terms because the Lord was speaking,”

152 – “The miracles He performed . . . pointed to His identity as the Christ. In all of human history there has been no one who has come close to the unbelievable works of Jesus.”.

“Skeptics who don’t accept the possibility of supernatural phenomena try to eliminate the miracles of Jesus and focus on His ethics and teaching. But the following He gathered didn’t result from a teaching seminar on the Galilean hillside but from the news of His mighty works . . . they pointed to His being the Messiah.”.

“When He did teach, He taught with authority.”

154–162 – “Jesus’s . . . fulfillment of [all Old Testament] prophecies”

“God gave a great number of prophecies about the Messiah for at least two reasons:

First, it would make identifying the Messiah obvious ; and

Second, it would make an imposter’s task impossible”

“The Suffering Servant”

“The Messiah’s birthplace”

“The One they pierced” [well before crucifixion known in that area]

“The government will be on His shoulders”

“The Messiah’s timetable”

“The Son of Man”

“The Son of God”

165 – “Jesus is indeed God in the flesh”

“. . . the words and the works of Jesus are beyond that of simply an exalted prophet or teacher. He made statements beyond just speaking for God, and spoke of God Himself . . . direct statements made by Jesus that reveal His identity as God.”

167 – “When dealing with an uncreated, all-knowing God, we should accept from the start that God is not like us (although we bear His likeness in various ways). The fact that the evidence points to an uncreated being should humble us from the outset to accept what God says as true, even if we do not fully understand it.”

168 – “. . . to be saved, we must believe that Jesus is Lord.”

171 – “The reality that Jesus is Lord, the promised Messiah, had a powerful and practical effect on the world. From the beginning the Apostles preached the Gospel and demonstrated God’s stamp of approval by showing the authority of the Name of Jesus. They explained that the hearings and miracles that followed their preaching were not because of any special power of their own, but through faith in Jesus’s Name.”

174 – “The evidence for miracles is too overwhelming to dismiss as coincidence.”

175–176 – “First of all, if God exists, then the supernatural dimension is real.”

“. . . the argument for the possibility of miracles is logically plausible and could be stated in this way:”

1) “There is evidence that an uncaused, nonmaterial Creator exists, Who is responsible for bringing nature into existence”

2) “This Creator (God) would be supernatural in nature and essence”

3) “This supernatural Creator could interact with our world and cause certain events to happen beyond what solely natural laws could produce”

“From science, physicists have recognized for decades that the universe appear[s] to have [had] a beginning. And the laws of physics seem to have been designed with [intelligent] life in mind.”

“If gravity were ever so slightly larger of smaller, planets would not exist, which would make life impossible,”

“Similarly, for life to exist on earth, countless details had to be set perfectly for our planet, sun, moon, and solar system.”

“For instance, the earth needs to be the right distance from the sun, have the right rotation rate, and the proper atmosphere.”

“From biology, the first cell on earth required DNA, which contains the instructions for its operations and reproduction.”

“These instructions contain significant amounts of information, and information is only the product of an intelligent designer.”

“All of these facts point to a Creator outside of time and space.”

“One of the most common confusions about miracles is that believing in them means no one has to dismiss science.”

177 – “. . . the weight of evidence in the past few decades has forced even some of the most skeptical to acknowledge that the Gospels are accurate in their portrayal of Jesus as both a miracle worker and an exorcist”

. . . “the miracle stories meet numerous minimal-fact criteria . . . [and] they permeate every layer of the Gospels and the Book of Acts . . . [with] embarrassment [and] dissimilarity [events] . . . [and showing] magnitude and frequency . . .”

“. . . even the historian Josephus, who was not a Christian, described Jesus as a ‘doer of amazing deeds.’”

“. . . if the resurrection took place, then the miraculous does not only become possible but probable.”

179 – “. . . ancient writings described miracles as a primary motivation in the conversions of Jews and pagans. Even enemies of the Christians Acknowledge the miraculous power they demonstrated. The commonality of miraces vried thoroughoutchuerch hisotry, but the consistent and authoritative testimony to their existence is undeniable.”

180 – “A 2006 Pew Forum survey . . . indicated that the number of Christins who experienced a miracle was roughly 200,000,000.”

181 – “William Lane Craig . . . summarizes philosopher Gottfried Less:”

“Because nature is the freely willed order of God, a miracle is just as possible as any event. Therefore it is just as believable as any event.”

“Testimony to an event cannot be refuted by experiences and observations. Otherwise we would never be justified in believing anything outside our present experience ; no new discoveries would be possible.”

“‘There is no contradiction between experience and Christian miracles. Miracles are different events (contraria) from experience in general, but not contradictory events (contradictoria) to experience in general.’”

185 – “Why is there pain and suffering at all?”

“God will eventually make all things right.”

“For now, He presents enough signs to convince people who truly desire to know the truth, yet not so many signs as to force people into believing if they have no desire to do so.”

189 – “. . . it is never too late [this side of death] to come to know Christ as Healer and Deliverer. All it takes is a little faith, the size of a small seed, and mountains will move. Each person has been given that measure of faith. The more we step out in faith, the more we will see it grow.”

193 – “If you are a follower of Christ, you are often one of the most likely to be [a] target.”

198 – “For us to regain the kind of impact we read about that Christianity had on culture at its inception, we must recover the message and challenge that they preached. Jesus told us we must count the cost of being His disciple. Counting the cost means that we consider the claims of Christ and yield our lives to Him in full obedience. This is the very opposite of the common presentation that calls us to pray a quick prayer or walk down an aisle and make a public confession of our belief in Christ.”

“Counting the cost means seriously and thoughtfully understanding the full implications of our commitment. It means we give up not only our wrongs but also our rights. Everyone today seems quite concerned about their societal rights ; however, we are called to yield to God's way. We are now following Him ; He is not following us.”

199 – “Usually people hear messages about all the blessings of being a Christian, and, assuredly, there are many.”

“Yet when you read the accounts of people coming to a place of faith in Christianity in the New Testament, the message they heard was . . . [t]hey were told of hardship and suffering that would accompany their decision.”

“Here are a few critical dimensions of this response that might seem odd to most ears but will produce the kind of life you’re really looking for:”

“Deny yourself”

“It seems counterintuitive, but if we want to find true life we must yield our lives first. We must first lose in order to win. This message is so absent from the vocabulary of the modern Christian presentation that it might sound harsh and unrealistic to some. However, it is the message Jesus gave out clearly and without apology. It presupposes that you know Jesus is Lord and that He died and rose again. Because this is true, obeying Him fully is the only response.” [emphasis added]

“PIck up your cross”

“At the cross of Christ, our sins were paid in full. Our response is to live our lives in the [light] of that example of surrender and submission to Christ modeled.”

“Follow Him”

“. . . the call of Christ demands that we surrender all to obtain the life of Christ”

“‘Costly grade’ from Dietrich Bonhoefer’s book, The Cost of Discipleship”

“Greatest adventure”

“There is not only a cost of following Christ but also a conflict into which we are called. There is a spiritual battle raging over the hearts and minds of nations.”

“Here are 4 of the most obvious reasons:”

“Darkness hates the light”

“Christ is the light, [and] the darkness must leave”.

“The exclusive claims of Christ”

“Christ is the exclusive representative of God. His resurrection from the dead separates Him from all others that would claim to be God’s mouthpiece. This seems narrow-minded and intolerant to many. There is ultimately no blending of all religions into one giant soup of spirituality.”

“The struggle is against immorality, not just unbelief”

“Many skeptics try and hide behind the facade that their objections are purely intellectual when, in actuality, it is a deeper moral struggle that's at work. The bottom line is that they refuse to recognize any authority above their own.”

“. . . this battle is between the sinful human nature (our fleshly desires) and the Spirit and His desires. But we are destined to win this battle because of the power of the Spirit within us as believers.”.

“The existence of a spiritual enemy of God and God’s purposes”

“Ancient foe”

“Far from the cartoon character”

“Know that Satan [, though powerful,] is not omni-anything”

“He is likewise a finite created being”

“Jesus has given us authority over Satan’s works,and has triumphed over him in life and in His [Jesus’s] death on the cross”

[The 4 E’s as a way forward:]

“Engage unbelievers”.

“The most important work we can be involved in is the labor of serving others and helping to bring them the truth of the knowledge of God, Christ, and salvation”

“There is spiritual poverty blanketing billions in the world”

“The church experienced dynamic growth in the first 300 years.”

“The clear, simple message of the good news that Jesus is the Messiah and had been raised from the dead to verify that identity compelled believers to tell others, regardless of the persecution resistance they would encounter”

“The call to preach the Gospel . . . was given by Jesus”

“Studies have shown that the majority of people who become Christians do so because of the influence of a relative or a friend. Ultimately, they were able to help others because they had been helped themselves by their connection to a local church”

“Jesus promised to build His church and [that] the gates of Hell would not prevail”

“The centerpiece of the original mission and charge of Jesus to make disciples of all nations”

“Establish foundations”

“Equip believers”

“The primary purpose of those who are full-time or professional ministers is to equip people for the work of ministry, not to do all the ministry themselves. This is why making disciples involves training and equipping people to minister”

“Skilled at using the Scripture like a sharp sword”

“Much of the time, it’s simply our friendship and willingness to listen that can make a huge difference” [emphasis added]

“Empower disciples”

“Now imagine this: The Creator of the universe, the all-wise and all-knowing God, wants to develop a relationship with you. He obviously has the greatest insight into your strengths and weaknesses, and offers to help you maximize your gifts and talents to help change the world. Would you see this as oppressive and controlling, or as something far more incredible . . . ?”

“This is the mind-set we need to instill in others”

218 – “this struggle is no fairy tale”

219 – “evangelism and apologetics are connected”

220 – “do not wage war as the world does”

221 – “because it only takes one erroneous thought to take you captive”

“Ignorance of God’s truth results in your being susceptible to almost any and every kind of deception”

“The tragic lack of truth”

“‘Put on the full armor of God’” {Eph 6:10-11}

222-226 – “wearing the armor of God is not just a nice Sunday school lesson”

“. . . spiritual conflict. It takes preparation to be able to withstand the onslaught that has caused others to defect and leave the faith. It’s like going into an area contaminated by a deadly virus”

“. . . we must be solid followers of Christ to be His best witnesses to others”

“In addition, congregations must learn to be places where evangelism and apologetics are part of their very fabric. It is impossible to grow spiritually without learning to help others come to a place of faith.”

[and in God’s economy,] “the more you help others, the stronger your faith becomes”

“There is a notable difference when the evangelists are recognized and released to become a part of the ministry team”

226 – “the process of engagement”

“The majority of Christians are virtually clueless when it comes to explaining why the Christian faith is true.” [emphasis added]

“Most default to the position of defending their “right to believe”, rather than being able to show that what they believe is right”

“Intentional evangelism”

229-230 – “everything starts with a clear grasp of the Gospel”

“. . . in the Gospel is the power to keep you safe regardless of the spiritual opposition, as well as to sustain you through the intellectual arguments against the Christian faith”

“The Gospel is the good news that God became man in Jesus Christ” He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died–in our place. Three days later He rose from the dead, proving that He is the Son of God, and offering the gift of salvation to those who repent [of their sins] and believe in Him.”

“God became man in Jesus Christ. The religions of the world call [on] men to ascend and work their way to God. Christianity explains that God came down to us.”

“He lived the life we should have lived. This is the life God intended all men and women to live.”

“He died the death we should have died–in our place. This is a difficult truth for skeptics to embrace, that evil must be punished. If there is no consequence for breaking a law, then the law ceases to be a law.”

“Three days later, He rose from the dead. Christ’s resurrection from the dead verified His identity and proved that His authority [is] real. It also gives us hope that there is life after death. This further demonstrates His exclusive claim to be the true path to God.”

“He offers salvation and forgiveness of sins to those who repent and believe in Him. The promise is straightforward: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life {Jn 3:16}.”

231 – “Reasons . . . to believe . . . is what apologetics is all about.”

“We don’t come to God against reason, but through it. [emphasis added]

“. . . evidence . . . leaves us without excuse.” [{Rom 1:20}]

233 – “Empathy”

“If you have the truth, then there is no need for anger or impatience with others [-- show] kindness and respect” – Dr. Sean McDowell of Biola University”

[“Stand in the truth with love.” – Pope St. John Paul II]

234 – “The more I read the Scripture, the more I see Jesus Himself reaching out with compassion to the unlikeliest of characters.”

236 – “Approach . . . [with] gentleness and respect”

“. . . s.a.l.t. . . . stands for start a conversation ; ask questions ; listen ; tell the story.”

“The most unique command of Christ is to love our enemies”

243 – “Because Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and Savior of the world, then His [truth] message should be the preeminent focus of our lives. Regardless of your calling or occupation, the Gospel should be your priority.”

“The obstacles that stand in the way must be identified and removed”

“The fact that we face such resistance to make His focus our focus shows that there is an opposing adversarial influence in the universe. To be committed to Christ means to have a mortal [i.e., a deadly] enemy that is dedicated to the task of stopping and discrediting your efforts.”

248 – “you see, there is always the opportunity to doubt . . . [for] Christianity is true beyond a reasonable doubt, not a possible doubt.” [emphasis added]

“What I needed was not to dwell on the possible reasons that my fears and doubts might be true, but focus instead on the reasonableness of the Christian story, and then act on the promises God [is] offering me.”

249 – . . . faith comes by hearing the word of Christ . . . repeatedly [emphasis added]

“There comes a time when you have pretty much heard the criticisms and you have to make a decision about to whom you are going to listen” [the most important decision]

“ . . . evangelism, or sharing the Gospel with others, will do as much for you as it does for those who hear it.” [emphasis added]

250 – “‘Preach the faith ‘til you have it ; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith’ – Peter Bohler.”

“If faith can come to others because they hear your words, why can't you encourage yourself as you speak these life-giving words?” [emphasis added]

“May God grant us a multitude of men and women who will go beyond the academic study of Jesus Christ and give themselves totally to communicating His Word to a desperate and needy world.”

“There is no greater cause [than this], and there is no better time than now.”

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