Do you know what you believe about God, the Bible,
Jesus? Have you ever been asked by a skeptic a
really tough question about your beliefs you didn’t
feel qualified or equipped to answer? Or maybe there
is a little skepticism in you? Are there good
answers to these hard questions? You bet there are!
You know the old joke: An atheist was spending a
quiet day fishing when suddenly his boat was
attacked by the Loch Ness Monster. The beast tossed
him and his boat high into the air and was about to
swallow both when the man cried out, “Dear God! Save
me!”
At once the ferocious attack scene froze in place,
and as the atheist hung in midair, a deep and
booming voice came down from the heavens saying, “I
thought you didn’t believe in Me!” The atheist
pleaded, “Come on, God, give me a break here! Two
minutes ago I didn’t believe in the Loch Ness
Monster either!”
The atheists of our world are spreading their
material in massive amounts. Young people are
bailing out of church in staggering numbers. They
are all asking big questions:
Does God really exist?
Why does God allow tragedy?
Isn’t the Bible full of myths?
Why is Jesus considered the Son of God?
Here’s something you don’t hear very often; we have
good answers for them. Skeptics want the truth. We
have it! They want eyewitnesses. We have them, too!
They want evidence. No problem!
According to Richard Dawkins, one of our time’s
current leading atheists, “Faith is believing in
something without evidence.” That couldn’t be
further from the truth. The vast majority of
evidence is on our side. We have an embarrassment of
evidences. We have never been in a better time to
provide good answers. In fact, most skeptics are
just two or three answers away from becoming
believers.
The Apostle Peter told us, “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.” (I Peter 3:15). Good
answers are not only our best defense; they are also
our best offense.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “We live in this world, but
we don’t fight our battles in the same way the world
does. The weapons we use are not human ones. Our
weapons have power from God and can destroy the
enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s
arguments, and tear down every proud idea that
raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also
capture every thought and make it give up and obey
Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 ERV).
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We are launching into a new sermon series we titled,
“The Mind of the Skeptic.” This will be a 5-week
study that unpacks some of the biggest questions
people have about the Christian faith, including:
Who is Jesus? Can the Bible be trusted? Why do bad
things happen? Do we really need the church? Is sin
really a big deal? Etc. . .
We will be taking an honest look at the doubts that
might reside in all of us. What kind of faith do we
have if it can’t stand up to the questions life
throws at us? Then, we will also have an open
question and answer time on Wednesday nights with a
panel of experts. Bring your toughest questions.
Bring your most hardened skeptic. Bring your doubts.
We’re about to unpack the mind of the skeptic.
April 12 - Aren’t All Religions an
Equal Path to God?
April 19 - If God Is Good, Why Is There So
Much Evil
in the World?
April 26 - Hasn’t Science Proven the Bible Is
a Myth?
May 3 - Can I Still Be a Christian and Have
Doubts?
[Ron
Otto, Minister, Lincoln Christian Church]
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