Why use the concept of a global classroom? — Insight #8

Classroom teachingThis series gives an inside view on the structure of By This Name and how it breaks through confusion in our diverse society, bringing clarity to the message of the gospel.

One unique theme used to great effect in By This Name is the concept of the “global classroom.” Highlighted in chapter seven (page 145), the global classroom is the idea that all the peoples of the world are students in a class and the teacher, Yahweh, chooses one among the class to help in his presentation. From all the possible nations on earth, Israel was chosen as the “example nation.” By watching how Yahweh interacts with the Israelites, the other peoples of the world can understand who Yahweh is and what he is like.

“Why Israel?” the reader may ask. “What makes that people group so special?”

The Bible provides the answer:

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Why talk about prophecy when sharing the gospel? — Insight #7

This series gives an inside view on the structure of By This Name and how it breaks through confusion in our diverse society, bringing clarity to the message of the gospel.

One of the obstacles in sharing the gospel is getting the reader to trust in the truthfulness and reliability of Scripture. If he or she doesn’t believe in what the Bible is saying, then that person will likely reject the gospel. So how do we enable someone to gain confidence in the Word of God?

God has seen fit to put into his Word a powerful, self-authenticating feature that shows his Word not only to be true, but accurate. It’s what we know as prophecy.

Prophecy is a unique, self-authenticating feature of the Bible
Simply put, prophecy is a prediction about a future event. And the Bible is replete with it—nearly 27% of Scripture is prophetic. No other ancient book provides so many prophecies about future world events. Many of the prophecies in the Bible have been precisely fulfilled hundreds, even thousands, of years after they were initially given. Each fulfilled prophecy adds credence to the fact that the Bible is a reliable text. By This Name highlights a number of fulfilled prophecies to help the reader build trust in Scripture.

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Why deal with syncretism when sharing the gospel? — Insight #6

syncretism-add-mixThis series gives an inside view on the structure of By This Name and how it breaks through confusion in our diverse society, bringing clarity to the message of the gospel.

At the very basic level, syncretism happens when someone simply adds what they think the Bible says to what they already believe. Combining these two very different views leads to them adopting a third belief system.

What does syncretism look like? Take Lynn for example. Lynn believes in the Bible. A college friend explained the gospel to her and Lynn accepted what her friend shared. Every day, she reads a portion of Scripture. Every week, she not only attends the religious services in which she was raised but also a new church with which she has connected. She also tries, at every opportunity, to be good, to do good and to have good thoughts. She believes that God will find her acceptable and she can get to heaven because of these good works. She believes that good will come back to her if she does more good. (After all, will she not reap after death what she has sown in this lifetime?) For now, she also relies on horoscopes to foresee the future and to help guide her decision-making.

This description of Lynn is one of syncretism. She has mixed non-biblical ideas with Scripture, resulting in a completely different belief system. People like Lynn are very common in today’s world. They simply layer on bits of biblical truth onto their underlying belief system. There is no true understanding of the gospel message.

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How to identify the Promised Deliverer — Insight #5

This series gives an inside view on the structure of By This Name and how it breaks through confusion in our diverse society, bringing clarity to the message of the gospel.

As we read the Bible chronologically, we learn more and more about God as he reveals additional details about himself. This is known as progressive revelation. This is also true about the Promised Deliverer—the Saviour—that God said he would send. By This Name follows Scripture’s historical narrative and builds an increasing comprehensive portrait of the Promised Deliverer as the story unfolds.

For example, take the account of Adam and Eve’s fall into sin (Genesis 3). Here, we see God’s promise to provide the One who would rescue mankind from the consequences of sin.

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Why talk about other “gods”? — Insight #4

This series gives an inside view on the structure of By This Name and how it breaks through confusion in our diverse society, bringing clarity to the message of the gospel.

“The God of the Bible is just like any another god. You worship your god as you wish and I’ll worship mine, my way.”

“I like Jesus. I will worship him together with my other gods.”

Many today believe that all gods are essentially the same. No one is better than the other. They are just different. Therefore, it is entirely up to a person’s preference whom they choose to worship. Everyone is free to create and adopt his or her own form of spirituality.

Additionally, others have no problem respecting and revering a number of gods. They find no paradox in worshipping a collection of gods. For some, they are “hedging their bets,” hoping that by venerating many gods, one or more will be of help to them in their lives.

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Using tables to contrast God’s way and man’s way — Insight #3

by this name tableThis series gives an inside view on the structure of By This Name and how it breaks through confusion in our diverse society, bringing clarity to the message of the gospel.

Thumbing through a copy of By This Name, you might notice a number of tables placed throughout the text. While they look very simple in structure, their function is quite valuable when it comes to helping a reader shift their worldview to a biblical one.

In today’s world where truth is relative and the differences between the biblical worldview and other belief systems are very badly blurred, By This Name draws sharp distinctions between what the Bible teaches—and what it does not. While this is done in the text, the comparison tables strengthen what is communicated in the text by acting like quick visual summaries.

Here’s how they work as the reader moves through the book.

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Why focus on Egyptian religion? — Insight #2

book-of-deadThis series gives an inside view on the structure of By This Name and how it breaks through confusion in our diverse society, bringing clarity to the message of the gospel.

One of the distinctive features of By This Name is the repeated reference to unique characteristics of ancient Egyptian culture, circa 1500 BC. In a book that is intended to provide a clear understanding of the gospel, that raises the natural question “Why?” Consider the following rationale.

Our target audience includes many in our current generation who conceive of God as an impersonal, abstract force that permeates all of nature. It includes those who believe in a multiplicity of gods and goddesses and those who hold to the idea that every person possesses a certain “god-ness.” It is common to find people creating a custom-designed spirituality that best suits their own interests and needs. Still others reject the concept of God in its entirety or, at least, believe that it is impossible to know for certain whether God exists or not.

For those who hold to any of the above views, the Bible presents some major obstacles. Beginning with the very first verse in Genesis, “In the beginning God…” the reader is confronted with the assumption that God exists and this God is seen “in action” in the succeeding pages.

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Why use the name YAHWEH? — Insight #1

YHWH

This series gives an inside view on the structure of By This Name and how it breaks through confusion in our diverse society, bringing clarity to the message of the gospel.

One of the major distinctives of By This Name is the use of a unique name—Yahweh—in reference to God. It is the name by which God identified himself to Moses in Exodus 3:1-15. So, why does By This Name give a special emphasis to using this name?

First, a bit of background. It is important to understand that the Hebrew word Elohim—translated “God” in English—is a generic term that encompasses all gods, including such pagan gods as those found in Egypt (Exodus 12:12) and other nations (Psalm 96:5). Even Satan himself is referred to as “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). All of these gods may also be referred to by another generic Hebrew term—Adonai, meaning lord or master.

There are plenty of contemporary illustrations, as well. In India, for example, there are an immense number of gods and goddesses—some say as many as 330 million, though others would say that each is a manifestation of one Ultimate Reality. Some of these gods are also referred to as lords, e.g., Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, etc.

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