What is Truth? Part Three

In this “What is Truth?” series, we have seen how vital it is to know sufficient information about the identity and history of Yahweh in order for a person (or ourselves!) to have confidence in God and his Word.

Many presentations of the gospel focus mainly on Jesus’ work on the cross. But then comes the question, “Who is Jesus?” It is not sufficient to say, “He is God,” because then you must explain what God is like. In this series, we’ve seen that it is vital to explain God’s identity and history if we expect people to trust him.

The same principle extends to trusting Jesus for our personal salvation. We need to know the identity and history of Jesus before we will trust him. We sort of intuitively know this but we often skip to the story of the cross without really nailing down the identity of Jesus. The identity of Jesus is that he is the Creator God. We simply cannot assume a person knows or believes that to be the case.

It is no coincidence that the identity of Jesus is the one area that cults and other religions most commonly assault.

It is no coincidence that the identity of Jesus is the one area that cults and other religions most commonly assault. They make Jesus out to be a lesser god, a prophet or maybe a good man, but not the Creator God of the Bible. It is also no coincidence that the Apostle John began his gospel with the clear statement that Jesus was the Creator God. He then reinforces that identity with eight miracles that confirm his deity. Only once that is nailed down can we really explain the historical reality of Christ.

The history of Jesus Christ centres around the events of the cross and tomb, but here, too, we benefit immensely from having a little background. Many ask, “Why did Jesus need to die on the cross? Why didn’t he just pronounce forgiveness on our sins? Did he have to die the way he did?” Those kinds of questions, gone unanswered, have been often cited as reasons why people leave the faith. They simply didn’t understand the identity and history of Christ and so begin to question their own faith. Clearly it is vital that we have a firm grip on the identity and history of Christ.

Those kinds of questions, gone unanswered, have been often cited as reasons why people have left the faith.

Dr. Andy Woods, author and teacher, says the whole reason for the necessity of the cross and tomb can be found in Genesis 3, where God gives his first promise of a Messiah to the newly fallen Adam and Eve. Dr. Woods quotes W.H. Griffith Thomas when he says, “[Genesis 3] is the pivot on which the whole Bible turns.” (1)

“[Genesis 3] is the pivot on which the whole Bible turns.”

W.H. Griffith Thomas

There in Genesis 3, we read of the sad history of mankind. We learn of the choice to trust Satan instead of God, the first human sin. We also learn about the shared identity of all humanity – our sin nature – and the consequence of that sin – eternal death. In Genesis 3, we also learn the early history of the Promised Messiah when God says to Satan, “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring [the Messiah]. He [the Messiah] will strike your head [a fatal blow], and you will strike his heel [a temporary wound].” (2) This then becomes the first of many prophecies pointing to a coming Saviour.

“If you don’t understand what happened in Genesis 3, you have no idea what the rest of the Bible is really talking about.”

Dr. Andy Woods

Dr. Woods goes on to say, “If you don’t understand what happened in Genesis 3, you have no idea what the rest of the Bible is really talking about. You have no idea why Jesus had to come into this world to die on a cross if you don’t understand Genesis chapter 3.” (1)

Let’s be sure we take sufficient time and care in our gospel presentations to ensure our listeners grasp the identity and history of their Saviour. Doing so can make all the difference in the faith walk of a believer.

  1. “Revelation 072-Identification Through Omission,” last modified February 23, 2020, accessed June 22, 2020, https://slbc.org/sermon/revelation-072-identification-through-absence/#transcriptlink.
  1. Genesis 3:15.

Practical steps to share your faith

In the last week, I have read two articles, one having to do with the dropout rate of young folk from attending church and the other on the fact that most church growth is by transfer rather than by conversion. These are not new trends.

Are we assuming our children will just “somehow” absorb the gospel message? Do we lack the know-how to lead them to Christ and ground them in the gospel? Do we even share the gospel with anyone?

Evangelism doesn’t seem to be a big priority in many churches. If you can find a Christian bookstore (many have closed), check out the evangelism shelf. It is quite small and stocked with material written for audiences 40 years ago. By contrast, check out the self-help section. It shows the priorities we have as a church.

GoodSeed has developed an easy-to-use evangelism curriculum that starts with simple steps and moves progressively to t he more complex. Designed for Sunday Schools or Small Groups, “TERM for small groups” will challenge your spiritual life with proven methodology right from the Word. Consider the first two modules:
Module A: Lord, how can I grow in faith when I am stuck? Seven 50-minute sessions that build confidence in the gospel to change lives, including your own.
Module B: Lord, how do I share my faith when I don’t know where to start? Five 50-minute sessions using a crawl-walk-run approach to sharing your faith.

If you wish to go deeper there are three more modules. Every lesson comes with full instructions: an intro, the video component, a time for discussion, a thing to do and a take-away to remember. Lessons include both a Facilitator’s Guide and Student Worksheets.  Learn more at goodseed.com/term_for_small_groups_bible_study.html

New tool for Sunday School and Small Groups

 Are you looking for an evangelism training resource for your small group or Sunday school class? Do you wish to see your group grow in their passion and confidence in the gospel?

TERM for small groups is an easy-to-use course to equip, excite and establish believers in their approach to outreach.

TERM is an acronym for The Emmaus Road Message which finds its origins in the events recorded in Luke 24:13-49, specifically verse 27: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

Upon completion, believers will be well on their way to being equipped for their role as Christ’s ambassadors.

TERM for small groups has all the components, both written and video, that you need to host a meaningful group study of the Bible as it pertains to personal growth, evangelism and discipleship.

Using an open Bible, video and discussion guide, TERM for small groups:

  1. Strengthens Faith: One catches a fresh glimpse of the depth and breadth of the gospel and is renewed in spirit to the wonders of God’s grace.
  2. Builds Confidence: TERM grows your confidence in scripture to do its job, to change lives by the power of the Holy Spirit.
  3. Boosts Resolve: TERM helps a person gain certainty in sharing the gospel, using a crawl, walk, run approach.
  4. Clarifies Message: TERM breaks the Gospel message down into easy-to-remember components. You come away with a clear sense of knowing what needs to be said when sharing the gospel.
  5. Multiple Options: TERM can be learned on your own at your own speed, in a weekly Sunday School class or during a saturation weekend with a whole crowd of people.
  6. Modular Learning: One can investigate as many TERM modules as you wish, spread over a few days or many months.
  7. Genuinely Practical: TERM for small groups gives a person hands-on experience using heavy doses of scripture, with tools that are dynamic and simple to use.

See samples pages, video and scope and sequence on our website: TERM for Small Groups

 

20th Anniversary of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus

Staff Writer
Latest posts by Staff Writer (see all)

It’s amazing the sort of impact one book can have. 20 years ago, in 1997, the book The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus was published. At the time, author John R. Cross and the men working with him had no idea that it would be the catalyst for a global ministry and how many people would come to faith in Christ through it. It was just one book with a simple message: a straightforward, systematic presentation of the gospel from creation to the cross.

The writing of The Stranger was drawn from decades of missionary experience of those working among tribal people in Papua New Guinea and elsewhere. These tribes, previously unevangelised and ignorant of the Bible’s message, responded well to a chronological presentation of the gospel. So well, in fact, that whole villages were putting their faith in Christ, without the age-old problems of syncretism and “rice Christians.” When the Bible was presented from creation to Christ, it made profound sense. The people would understand and believe. Lives were transformed.

But was it only tribal groups who responded so well to the creation-to-Christ method? What about the Western world? As John and his colleagues interacted with people back home in North America and around the world, they realized that some of these people were just as ignorant of the Bible as the tribal people. They knew nothing about God. They didn’t understand who Jesus was and why he came. We live, for the most part, in a post-Christian culture.

The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus was, in a sense, an experiment. It was a book that used the same method that had proven so effective with tribal groups—a chronological approach to explaining the gospel—except this time for the Western world. It was designed so that it could be given away or used to guide people to a clear understanding of the Bible. But would it be relevant and effective?

Continue reading “20th Anniversary of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus”

By This Name: A perfect beginner’s guide to Christian faith

Staff Writer
Latest posts by Staff Writer (see all)

BTN 3GoodSeed resources tie together familiar accounts from the Old and New Testament in way that makes profound sense and causes the Bible’s message to pop into sharp focus. We have heard from believers about how their faith has grown through a Bible study using our curriculum. At our TERM Seminars, participants are shown how using the historical narrative of the Bible helps provide clarity and understanding. Participants are glad to learn that our tools are not only good for evangelism but beneficial in helping believers grow in their spiritual lives. Here is a recent testimony from a TERM alumnus about this aspect:

By This Name is truly awesome! I have begun a study using your book with my son-in-law and my daughter, neither of whom have a clear understanding of what’s in the Bible. Both are relatively new believers and their six-year-old daughter recently made a decision for Christ! By This Name is so rich in the structure of biblical principles and truths, that it is the perfect beginner’s guide to Christian faith. My adult “kids” are enthusiastic and I am grateful for a study about the Bible [that will] precede studies of specific books of the Bible. I know of no other study of this type in existence and I am grateful to have found it. Thank you.

Learn more about TERM and check out the fall schedule.

TERM USA 2016: More dates on the schedule

Staff Writer
Latest posts by Staff Writer (see all)

TERM USA 2016Our USA TERM Seminar schedule is starting to fill up. We’ve added two more seminars in the mid-West/Great Lakes region.

There are currently four confirmed seminars you can register for:

Organize a team from church and get a group discount.

If your church is interested in hosting a seminar or having one of our TERM lecturers speak at your church, please contact our US office at (208)-665-2333 or email us at [email protected].

Also, don’t forget we have one more upcoming TERM Seminars in Australia:

This can’t wait! There are only hours left

Staff Writer
Latest posts by Staff Writer (see all)

time“Ming Wei, you need to come home urgently. Your grandmother might not last long!”

When he received the phone call from his parents, Ming Wei’s* heart grew heavy. Not only was he concerned about his grandmother’s health, he had a much deeper concern—he was worried about the spiritual state of his grandmother.

As an overseas Chinese student, Ming Wei had the opportunity to learn about Christianity and had become a believer just a couple of years ago. Now as he packed to go home to China, he was anxious about how to broach the subject of the gospel with his ailing grandmother. Since coming to Christ, he hadn’t found himself in this position before and he was at a loss as to how to talk to her about Christ. One thing he did know—time was short and this would be his one and only opportunity to address her eternal destiny.

Continue reading “This can’t wait! There are only hours left”

TERM Seminar: I realized how much the world really has changed

Staff Writer
Latest posts by Staff Writer (see all)

TERM Seminar in Coeur d'Alene, ID

I realized how much the world really has changed… we really can’t just assume people are biblically literate—even those who attend our church every week. I’m going to talk to church leadership about how we can use these tools for outreach… and also with everyone who is already in our church.” – Fletcher, 2015 TERM participant

Fletcher was enthusiastic as he shared with us his evangelism plans. Having finished the one-day TERM Seminar in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, he had caught the vision of how it was possible for an ordinary believer like himself to reach the people in his community with the gospel. He had come to see that in today’s world, believers needed to rethink how to share the unchanging gospel in a way that makes sense to people with little or no knowledge about the Bible.

Fletcher was among 100 attendees who were at the first of our seven seminars being held across the USA this fall. Some of the participants lived right in town. Others came from as far away as Libby, Montana and Seattle, Washington. But the ones who travelled the farthest were those of a church group from British Columbia, Canada!

Continue reading “TERM Seminar: I realized how much the world really has changed”

Sharing the gospel with the seeker, the confused and the hardened

Staff Writer
Latest posts by Staff Writer (see all)

TERM SeminarIn today’s world, many of our friends, neighbours and family are not familiar with the Bible. How do we share the message of the gospel with clarity if they don’t have foundational information like who is the God of the Bible and what is he like?

And in churches, how do pastors and leaders help their congregations be equipped to share the good news to a community that may be indifferent or hardened to yet another gospel presentation?

Continue reading “Sharing the gospel with the seeker, the confused and the hardened”

I would love to use this book to help others understand!

Staff Writer
Latest posts by Staff Writer (see all)

By This Name StudyAt one of our TERM Seminars in Canada last year, Walter* flew up from the States to join in. He’s a missionary working primarily in Western Asia and had been using one of our translations to teach. Now, he was looking to learn how we use the books as curriculum. He joined us as we went through By This Name with the rest of the group. Over the course of the week, Walter listened very attentively and learned how we guide a group through the gospel message. At the end, he wrote us a very encouraging note.

Continue reading “I would love to use this book to help others understand!”