God is in your story ... All because someone asked me.

Listen here:  https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/1cdf703f/god-is-in-your...

Because Someone Asked Me.

Several days ago, I was in Oklahoma and had the privilege of addressing a room full of Christians interested in leading others to know God more.  I opened my session with a question:  Why is leadership so challenging?  And I closed my session with another question:  

Why are you a Christian?  

Funny thing, in asking these questions, I have found that folks talk over one another answering the first question, because leadership is great, except for the people(!) but the second one—which should prompt an even greater, more informed, impassioned response--stymies us.  Why?  

Keeping it real, for years when someone asked me why I was a Christian, I commonly replied:  'because I was raised in the church'.  Was that sufficient? No, no, and heck no… because the real question oft was “why Christianity?”   In recent years, I have sometimes said, ‘because it brings such meaning to my life.’  A little closer to being helpful, but also falls woefully short. 

In recent Morning Briefings, I have discussed the relativistic thinking in our culture today, the view that we can subjectively choose what is true without it being even remotely based on the facts, and do not even see the problem with such a conclusion!  [See What is Your Truth? https://conta.cc/46FphGN].  We considered worldview and the importance of having a biblical worldview, Put Your Glasses On: https://conta.cc/4dL56cQ

“Because I was raised to believe,” is not helpful in the least if someone wants to know why we believe what we do.  You and I must do a little thinking, my friend, in order to give a good answer to why we are believers in Jesus Christ, why we believe the Gospel.

Give me another chance.

Ask me again. 

Yeah, okay.

“Why are you a Christian, Christine?”

Because Christianity is true.  Christianity is the best explanation for the way things are – the best explanation of reality.¹ 

I learn so much from the thoughts and writings of C.S. Lewis. His story from atheist academic to sold-out follower of and way-pointer to Christ is riveting and so compelling. Beginning with his Mere Christianity, Lewis equips us to think and communicate well our faith in Christ.  I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.² Christianity indeed makes sense of the world, friends.

A few months back, I was in Greece along with some of the same Oklahomans who were in my Friday night class – I mean, honestly, how cool is that?  Just as the apostle Paul was, so we were in the towns of Thessaloniki, then Berea, and finally, Athens.  In each of these towns Paul reasoned with the Jews and Greeks about the reality of the one true God and the truth of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Messiah, Savior. “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ,” Paul stated3. Read through or listen to Acts 17:  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2017&version=ESV. So good.

Here’s the thing – when I get into an airplane conversation with another young man like Jessie, clearly searching and wanting answers, and this, right before I offer my blanket for him to rest his head on so he can sleep, (yes, true that--pictured), I want to have a ready answer.  Oh, and I wonder if he was he able to go right to sleep because I gave him good answers?  More to come….

Here's the thing, the stakes are even higher than an airplane conversation when your own kid comes home from college and says, ‘So Dad, I don’t really believe that stuff anymore....Mom, Church? Oh no thanks, I'll see you when you get home.'   Because why?  He did not know the reasons why he was a Christian in the first place.  Oh, wait – because you raised him in the church!  Shoot, how did I forget that?  Because that will not hold up; unfortunately he did not know his professor was going to challenge his faith in his very first class and then continue to hammer and chip away at it. Your boy did not know his Christian faith was based on reason with evidence to substantiate its claims of truth. 

This will be our topic until we can answer well:  Hey, why are you a Christian?

Answer 1:  Christianity is the best explanation for reality.  

Check it out: God is in this Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSF5YnvSbtY

Because good answers are imperative,

Christine

PastorWoman.net

1 – The best explanation of reality, Greg Koukl.  https://www.str.org/w/christianity-is-the-best-explanation-for-reality

2 – C.S. Lewis, from a paper given to The Oxford Socratic Club entitled, Is Theology Poetry?  https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/reflections-december-2013/

3 - Acts 17.3