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TeacherAide Case For Freedom SESSION 2
ILLUSTRATING
THE POINT The
Gospel demands a changed life for those that believe in it. It just does not
make any sense to believe the truth of the gospel and never do anything about
it. Here is a great story about change. Picture a scene from the Old West,
sometime in the 1870s. Weary cowboys in dusty Levi's gather around a blazing
campfire after a day on the open range. The lonely howl of a coyote
counterpoints the notes of a guitar as the moon floats serenely overhead.
Suddenly a bellow of pain shatters the night, as a cowpoke leaps away from the
fire, dancing in agony. Hot-Rivet Syndrome has claimed another victim. In those
days, Levi's were made, as they had been from the first days of Levi Strauss,
with copper rivets at stress points to provide extra strength. On these original
Levi's--model 501--the crotch rivet was the critical one: when cowboys crouched
too long beside the campfire, the rivet grew uncomfortably hot. For years the
brave men of the West suffered this curious occupational hazard. Then, in 1933,
Walter Haas, Sr., president of Levi Strauss, went camping in his Levi 501's. He
was crouched by a crackling campfire in the High Sierras, drinking in the pure
mountain air, when he fell prey to Hot-Rivet Syndrome. He consulted with
professional wranglers in his party. Had they suffered the same mishap? An
impassioned YES was the reply. Haas vowed that the offending rivet must go, and
at their next meeting the board of directors voted it into extinction. Now that is change. Ask your students if the gospel has changed their life. What have they given up to follow Christ? What price have they paid? THE
MORE YOU KNOW There have
been many skeptics throughout the ages who have been unable to take comfort in
Christianity’s claim of being the (singular) TRUTH. It could be that perhaps some of these people think that
historic Christianity was a myth, fabricated in the minds of zealous individuals
what wanted change. However,
despite all assumptions they may have, how can a defense be made for the
historic truth of Christianity? First, the
reliability of the New Testament writers is one way verifying the authenticity
of the Gospel. Here we have
faithful men who record what they have seen, heard, and experienced first hand
with no ulterior motives involved. For
instance, all books and articles that have been written about WWII have come
from first hand sources, eyewitness accounts.
It could be said that everyone depends upon some source of authority to
tell them facts about something. Take
the multiplication table for instance. One
has to believe that it is capable and reliable to work out his simple math
equation because it has been proven time and time again. But if a man decides to
not believe in any authority that relates facts then his life will be miserable
because he has no answers to anything. Secondly,
there are extra biblical writings that testify to the authenticity of historic
Christianity. Some of these writers
include first century Roman Emperors. Authors
like Josephus and Pliny the Younger have written many things concerning the
historic Jesus and his disciples. Thirdly, one
can observe the circumstantial evidence that verifies the genuineness of
Christianity. Circumstantial
evidence is used in courtroom settings and applies to the surroundings and
outcome of the particular case itself. For
instance, when Timothy McVay was convicted of the Oklahoma bombing, he was
primarily convicted because of the circumstantial evidence against him.
There were no eyewitness accounts that saw him do it.
However, there was (circumstantial) the truck rental which transported
the equipment, there was the conversation to friend mentioning a terrorist act,
and there was the supplies for the act found in his possession.
Circumstantial evidence is used the same way in history when looking at
the authenticity of it. When this
is applied to Christianity, one will be able to see the tangible results that
came about. A big one would be the
apostles dying for what they believed to be true and saw to be true.
If it was a lie then they were willing to face to most horrid deaths to
live for that lie. All but John were martyred for their faith. Fourthly, and most important would be the claim the word of God has on itself. The Bible has proven to be a book of divine origin by telling future events of prophesies. Therefore, if the book is divinely inspired then we must take heed to its claims of being the TRUTH. Once this happens, we can have a guidebook for our life that is unshakeable and alone comes from God. I THOUGHT I HEARD YOU SAY
“The
greatest homage to truth is to use it. “ “Truth
is more of a stranger than fiction.” “Truth
is always exciting. Speak it, then. Life is boring without it.” “There
is nothing so strong or safe in an emergency of life as the simple truth.“ “Reason
and truth will prevail at last.” “Tell
truth and shame the devil.”
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