Broad meadows

As I’ve pointed out in previous writings, no worldview has what can truly be called evidence in the manner that the Christian worldview can boast. You may hear some say that Christianity needs to prove the Bible is true. The Bible itself is evidence of its own truth, written by people who were there or near a situation where things could be easily corroborated. Any doubts about what is written there are based on assertions only and not based on comparable evidence.

In 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 you have what I would call witnesses list of people where at one point 500 people witness the resurrected Christ. The man relating this list , the Apostle Paul, sought to destroy the early church and admits to voting to having Christians put to death for their faith. What would it take to change such a man so thoroughly that he sacrifices his entire life to then promote the faith he once tried to destroy, becoming it’s leading apologist.

Others might need to see something for themselves before they believe and in the Apostle Thomas, the Lord grants that request. It’s clear that we can’t all have the same experience Thomas had, but in him we can gain that same acknowledgment. In John 20:24-25 the Apostle writes, “Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” In so doing, he makes the skeptics argument for them. But shortly thereafter in verses 26 and 27, this happens: “A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas’ response, “My Lord and my God.”

I’ve pointed out the fatal flaws of the other worldviews in earlier writings so I won’t do that in this writing. While it may seem that I’m a critic at times of the church, know that I love and respect much of what it has accomplished and in this world there has been no greater force for good than the church of Jesus Christ. But make no mistake, the prophetic voice of the Lord regarding his church in Revelation 2 and 3 have certainly come true. The church needs to renounce the voices inside that are accepting things like same sex relationships, transgenderism and abortion. Nothing in scripture allows us to look the other way or accept these practices. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you.

The gospel is beautiful in its simplicity: “”If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10. To this I add my own voice, Jesus Christ is Lord and truly I believe that he rose from the dead to prove he was the Son of God with power. This is what makes me a Christian, but the church I most recently attended says I’m not. So where do we disagree?