Eight Reasons Why I Believe That Jesus Rose from the Dead ~ John Piper

1. Jesus himself testified to his coming resurrection from the dead.

Jesus spoke openly about what would happen to him: crucifixion and then resurrection from the dead. “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31; see also Matthew 17:22; Luke 9:22). Those who consider the resurrection of Christ unbelievable will probably say that Jesus was deluded or (more likely) that the early church put these statements in his mouth to make him teach the falsehood that they themselves conceived. But those who read the Gospels and come to the considered conviction that the one who speaks so compellingly through these witnesses is not the figment of foolish imagination will be unsatisfied with this effort to explain away Jesus’ own testimony to his resurrection from the dead.

This is especially true in view of the fact that the words which predict the resurrection are not only the simple straightforward words quoted above, but also the very oblique and indirect words which are far less likely to be the simple invention of deluded disciples. For example, two separate witnesses testify in two very different ways to Jesus’ statement during his lifetime that if his enemies destroyed the temple (of his body), he would build it again in three days (John 2:19; Mark 14:58; cf. Matthew 26:61). He also spoke illusively of the “sign of Jonah”—three days in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:39; 16:4). And he hinted at it again in Matthew 21:42—“The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.” On top of his own witness to the coming resurrection, his accusers said that this was part of Jesus’ claim: “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise’” (Matthew 27:63).

Our first evidence of the resurrection, therefore, is that Jesus himself spoke of it. The breadth and nature of the sayings make it unlikely that a deluded church made these up. And the character of Jesus himself, revealed in these witnesses, has not been judged by most people to be a lunatic or a deceiver.

2. The tomb was empty on Easter.

The earliest documents claim this: “When they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus” (Luke 24:3). And the enemies of Jesus confirmed it by claiming that the disciples had stolen the body (Matthew 28:13). The dead body of Jesus could not be found. There are four possible ways to account for this.

2.1 His foes stole the body. If they did (and they never claimed to have done so), they surely would have produced the body to stop the successful spread of the Christian faith in the very city where the crucifixion occurred. But they could not produce it.

2.2 His friends stole the body. This was an early rumor (Matthew 28:11-15). Is it probable? Could they have overcome the guards at the tomb? More important, would they have begun to preach with such authority that Jesus was raised, knowing that he was not? Would they have risked their lives and accepted beatings for something they knew was a fraud?

2.3 Jesus was not dead, but only unconscious when they laid him in the tomb. He awoke, removed the stone, overcame the soldiers, and vanished from history after a few meetings with his disciples in which he convinced them he was risen from the dead. Even the foes of Jesus did not try this line. He was obviously dead. The Romans saw to that. The stone could not be moved by one man from within who had just been stabbed in the side by a spear and spent six hours nailed to a cross.

2.4 God raised Jesus from the dead. This is what he said would happen. It is what the disciples said did happen. But as long as there is a remote possibility of explaining the resurrection naturalistically, modern people say we should not jump to a supernatural explanation. Is this reasonable? I don’t think so. Of course, we don’t want to be gullible. But neither do we want to reject the truth just because it’s strange. We need to be aware that our commitments at this point are much affected by our preferences—either for the state of affairs that would arise from the truth of the resurrection, or for the state of affairs that would arise from the falsehood of the resurrection. If the message of Jesus has opened you to the reality of God and the need of forgiveness, for example, then anti-supernatural dogma might lose its power over your mind. Could it be that this openness is not prejudice for the resurrection, but freedom from prejudice against it?

3. The disciples were almost immediately transformed from men who were hopeless and fearful after the crucifixion (Luke 24:21, John 20:19) into men who were confident and bold witnesses of the resurrection (Acts 2:24, 3:15, 4:2).

Their explanation of this change was that they had seen the risen Christ and had been authorized to be his witnesses (Acts 2:32). The most popular competing explanation is that their confidence was owing to hallucinations. There are numerous problems with such a notion. The disciples were not gullible, but level-headed skeptics both before and after the resurrection. (Mark 9:32, Luke 24:11, John 20:8-9, 25). Moreover, is the deep and noble teaching of those who witnessed the risen Christ the stuff of which hallucinations are made? What about Paul’s great letter to the Romans? I personally find it hard to think of this giant intellect and deeply transparent soul as deluded or deceptive, and he claimed to have seen the risen Christ.

4. Paul claimed that, not only had he seen the risen Christ, but that 500 others had seen him also, and many were still alive when he made this public claim.

“Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:6). What makes this so relevant is that this was written to Greeks who were skeptical of such claims when many of these witnesses were still alive. So it was a risky claim if it could be disproved by a little firsthand research.

5. The sheer existence of a thriving, empire-conquering early Christian church supports the truth of the resurrection claim.

The church spread on the power of the testimony that Jesus was raised from the dead and that God had thus made him both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). The Lordship of Christ over all nations is based on his victory over death. This is the message that spread all over the world. Its power to cross cultures and create one new people of God was a strong testimony of its truth.

6. The Apostle Paul’s conversion supports the truth of the resurrection.

He argues to a partially unsympathetic audience in Galatians 1:11-17 that his gospel comes from the risen Jesus Christ, not from men. His argument is that before his Damascus Road experience when he saw the risen Jesus, he was violently opposed to the Christian faith (Acts 9:1). But now, to everyone’s astonishment, he is risking his life for the gospel (Acts 9:24-25). His explanation: The risen Jesus appeared to him and authorized him to spearhead the Gentile mission (Acts 26:15-18). Can we credit such a testimony? This leads to the next argument.

7. The New Testament witnesses do not bear the stamp of dupes or deceivers.

How do you credit a witness? How do you decide whether to believe a person’s testimony? The decision to give credence to a person’s testimony is not the same as completing a mathematical equation. The certainty is of a different kind, yet can be just as firm (I trust my wife’s testimony that she is faithful). When a witness is dead, we can base our judgment of him only on the content of his writings and the testimonies of others about him. How do Peter and John and Matthew and Paul stack up?

In my judgment (and at this point we can live authentically only by our own judgment—Luke 12:57), these men’s writings do not read like the works of gullible, easily deceived or deceiving men. Their insights into human nature are profound. Their personal commitment is sober and carefully stated. Their teachings are coherent and do not look like the invention of unstable men. The moral and spiritual standard is high. And the lives of these men are totally devoted to the truth and to the honor of God.

8. There is a self-authenticating glory in the gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection as narrated by the biblical witnesses.

The New Testament teaches that God sent the Holy Spirit to glorify Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.... He will glorify me” (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit does not do this by telling us that Jesus rose from the dead. He does it by opening our eyes to see the self-authenticating glory of Christ in the narrative of his life and death and resurrection. He enables us to see Jesus as he really was, so that he is irresistibly true and beautiful. The apostle stated the problem of our blindness and the solution like this: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.... For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4, 6).

A saving knowledge of Christ crucified and risen is not the mere result of right reasoning about historical facts. It is the result of spiritual illumination to see those facts for what they really are: a revelation of the truth and glory of God in the face of Christ—who is the same yesterday today and forever.

Pastor John

© Desiring God

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Book Review: Augustine as Mentor by Dr. Edward Smither

Augustine as Mentor: A Model for Preparing Spiritual Leaders By Edward L. Smither's Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2008, 264 pp, $ 17.99

softcover.

Dr. Edward L. Smither is an assistant professor of Church History and Intercultural Studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Virginia.  He has written a helpful book for those in Christian leadership today on mentoring focusing mainly on the early church bishop Augustine of Hippo (354 -430) entitled Augustine as Mentor:Model for Preparing Spiritual Leaders.

Today, people are often in such a hurry to get from one appointment to another, shopping, work, children, church and more.  The busyness of life leaves people with little time to focus on learning from others and teaching others themselves.  This is especially true in many churches today.  Smither points out through many early church fathers that this, historically speaking, has not always been the case in the Christian Church and does not have to be the status quo for today.  The main thesis in Smither’s book is, “That Augustine effectively mentored spiritual leaders and set them apart for needed ministries in the church and that many aspects of his mentoring will serve as instructive for the modern mentor.”[1]

Smither starts by describing discipleship and mentorship as not something that was exclusive to Jesus and the disciples but was common before Christ in the sect called the Pharisees.[2]  The main practice of Jesus was to disciple through a group.  He had twelve men whom he discipled.  These men shared in the tasks of eating, visiting, traveling, and living with Jesus.  These disciples also were committed to the teaching of Jesus.  They learned from his life.  Smith says that “The apostles and evangelists who came after Jesus also seemed to follow this pattern of teaching.”[3]  Mentoring and discipleship were continued on after Christ by such men as Barnabus who mentoring Paul and Paul mentoring Timothy.

The main themes that run throughout the book seem to answer the question of the “How” of mentoring.  What was passed on?  How was it accomplished?  Smither points out that the pattern of mentoring from Christ to Cyprian, Basil, Ambrose, and finally climaxing with Augustine was found in these five general areas.

First, mentoring was accomplished through groups.  The groups functioned for mutual prayer, encouragement, study, and support.  As Christianity continued to spread and develop monasteries were developed to focus on this idea of group and peer mentoring.  The groups and monasteries were overseen by a theologian, teacher, or bishop.  Also, an outworking of group mentoring came the idea and focus on church councils which started with Cyprian.  He organized the councils to “deal with church matters.”[4]  These councils were a way to teach other bishops and also to defend against increasing heresy in the church.  After Cyprian, Pachomius developed houses or monasteries to train, mentor, and grow monks and clergy.  These were further developed as full-fledge training institutions by Augustine in the spiritual disciplines and clerical life. 

Second, was the mentor as disciple initiative.  Among all the main church leaders Smither writes about, they all were mentored and some mentoring for many years into their ministry.   Cyprian was mentored by Caecilian.  Augustine was mainly mentored by Monica his mother, Simplicianus and Valerius.  Mentoring is not just a giving process but also learning from others. 

Third, was the use of dialogue.  Augustine used this greatly and was also enhanced by the monastic community and was even encouraged among the many councils also.  Dialoguing over spiritual issues, prayer, theological and Scriptural issues was very important in these times. 

Fourth, was the issue of writing letters and books.  Smither points out that from Apostle Paul to Augustine, that communicating through writing for the purposes of mentoring and teaching was very popular.  These gave the writers the opportunity to deal with false teaching, encouragement, theological issues, doctrinal issues, and proper interpretation of Scripture as was seen in the continued dialogue of letters between Jerome and Augustine.  Smither’s also stated that “Ambrose believed that letters to fellow clergy were a means of making his presence know though he was personally distant.”[5]  This would have been a very important way to communicate in those times as they would not have had internet and phone systems along with the fact that travel would have taken a great amount of time and effort.  Writing was one of the best forms of communication with such distances. 

Lastly, Smither points out that there is a heritage from Jesus to Augustine of the commitment to the importance of Scriptures and sound teaching.  An example from Augustine’s life is pointed out by Smith, “He believed that as soon as he learned something in the Scriptures, he should quickly pass it on for the edification of the church.”[6]  The Scripture was real and was meant to teach the mentor and the mentored.  Within the context of the monasteries, Scripture reading, teaching and memorization were a foundation to the education of all who attended.  The monasteries ended up producing many clergy over time because of the quality of education.  Smither also mentions that they, “spent time each day reading the Scriptures and other spiritually oriented books from their library.[7] 

The life of Augustine is truly an amazing study.  His passion for mentoring is seen in all that he accomplished.  Smither’s says, “His most significant legacy was ‘numerous clergy.’”[8]  Because of the numerous monasteries that Augustine organized this helped the church and there were many people ordained to the ministry for years to come.  This proves Smither’s thesis that Augustine was an effective mentor.

Overall, this book is a very informative book on mentorship.  Many of the disciplines that helped the church grow and continue even up until this century have been based on these principles.  Discipleship and mentorship are just as important today as they were in Augustine’s time.  Unfortunately, mentorship is becoming a lost art in Western Church culture today because of the hectic and busy lives people lead.  The church must recapture the importance of mentorship today.  Church today has many books and writings today, some having no value, others more.  However, this book helps the Christian to look into Church history and see what worked before and causes rethinking approaches to mentoring.  Such as the mentor, being mentored.  Group discipleship and encouragement.  Real, honest dialogue in the Christian community.  The great importance of the Christian community.  Finally, the awesome responsibility of Christians is to live and breathe the word of God. 

Finally, though the preceding chapters leading up to Augustine’s life were helpful, it can be somewhat disappointing to the reader who is expecting to learn from Augustine to have to wait till halfway through the book to start to learn from his life.  However, the material about mentoring from such men as Cyprian, Basil, and Ambrose is valuable for the reader and leader today.  This will require taking some time out of a busy schedule.

---

[1] Edward L. Smither, Augustine as Mentor (Nashville Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2008),  2.

[2] Ibid, 5.

[3] Ibid, 9.

[4] Ibid, 28.

[5] Ibid, 77.

[6] Ibid, 128.

[7] Ibid, 149.

[8] Ibid, 156.

How to Lose your Faith

If you consider yourself a Christian, this is a MUST watch video message by Pastor Craig Groeschel of Lifechurch.tv

Warning: Be prepared to be challanged!

10 Commandments of a Lazy Christian by Rich Murphy

10 COMMANDMENTS OF A LAZY CHRISTIAN 

by Rich Murphy

Knowing how many Christians have trouble keeping track of what God has commanded them to do. We have sought to simplify the Christian life by providing these commandments for those who really can't manage God's will. 

1. Thou shall not permit your commitment to God to get in the way of your friends, hobbies, favorite sports team, or TV show. Only fanatics allow their Christianity to take control of their lives.
2. Thou shall remember the Sabbath day and keep it full of activities with family and friends, for the pastor will understand if you can't make it to church.
3. Thou shall not testify to the lost about Christ for you wouldn't want to upset an unbeliever with their sin.
4. Thou shall not read and study your Bible, but instead expect the pastor to feed you. In addition, thou shall complain at every feeding, insisting that the pastor doesn't know how to preach, and isn't meeting your needs, your children's needs, or for that matter, anyone's needs.
5. Thou shall not give the tithe, but only a pittance, for God understands that you are poor, and can't do any more.
6. Thou shall not spend much time in prayer, for if you do, you might wear holes in the knees of your pants.
7. Thou shall not help in any capacity in the church, for everyone knows that the pastor is supposed to do everything. If thou were to help, it would prevent the pastor from feeling needed, since he doesn't have anything to do anyway.
8. Thou shall not reach out thy hand to the poor, the needy, the widow, or the orphan, for that is the work of the welfare program.
9. Thou shall not permit any gossip to pass you bye, but capture each and every morsel so that you may share it with others. Thou shall not worry about the unbeliever, the drug addict, the alcoholic, or the prostitute, for everyone knows that to touch them is worse than leprosy. Thou shall also ignore the needs of those on the mission fields, for thank God you aren't called to do anything for them. Thou shall expect recognition at every opportunity, whether it be from the pulpit, in the bulletin, or in personal conversation. This should include a reserved parking space and a special title. If thou does not receive this recognition, thou shall throw a temper tantrum before the pastor, and threaten to stop giving your pittance to the church. Thou shall blame the devil for everything you do wrong, and everything that goes wrong in your life, for you know that it can't be your fault.

If thou shall seek to fulfill all these commandments and do all that is contained within them, then you shall be blessed with self-righteousness, pride and foolhardiness. There shall be laid up for you a crown of fire in the everlasting flames of hell.

Copyright © 2003 by Richard A. Murphy, Maranatha Life. All rights reserved.

taken from http://www.maranathalife.com/teaching/lazy10.htm

Speaking a different language...

This morning I was asking the children what they would like for breakfast which I do every morning. My youngest son says he wants "adorabul" is what it sounds like but I could not understand what he wanted. Did not sound like Cheerios or Toast or Oatmeal so what was he saying? So I asked my daughter who has this amazing gift of understanding 2 year old language (which most parents of a 2 year old would understand). She asked him what he wanted, he said "adorabul" again and she says "Daddy he wants his breakfast in a Dora Bowl," which we have! Our oldest son says that his little brother takes after his sister :) Hope you get a laugh from this as I did! Have a good day!