Touching Base! Part 36

The Need To Know

We all have experienced various levels of difficulty in accomplishing a task. For example, there are days when getting out of bed is a breeze - it’s bright, warm, and the feel and sense of spring leading to summer is in the air. However, getting up at the same time in the winter month of January - when it is dark and cold - is a completely different story. Those mornings require a little more discipline and octane in the tank. Cold mornings may mean we hit the snooze button a few more times.

Based on my observations and interactions with people at Bethel, the “level of difficulty” when it comes to following Christ is becoming more and more challenging. With the plethora of books, websites, and other forms of media that attack the validity of the Christian faith, there is a tremendous need to know what one truly believes. We are living in a day and age where everything is coming into question. It is an understatement to say that the truth claims of Scripture are under attack. Followers of Christ are being accused of being somewhat naïve, shallow, vulnerable and simple. There is a tremendous need for followers of Christ to dig deep and truly understand what they believe and why they believe it. If a follower of Christ does not make this commitment, then many will be blown away by the torrid gusts of opposition that are becoming increasingly frequent.

In USA Today, a person being interviewed said, "None of my friends believe in God. When the subject of religion comes up around the table, we all just mock it. It's a source of ridicule." 27 percent of Americans do not even expect a religious funeral at their death. The survey doesn't indicate how many are hoping to skip death altogether.

What are some of those issues that we need to understand about our faith?
• Biblical Origins - How did we get the Bible? Does it stand the test of academia?
• What do we mean by “inspired” and “inerrant”?
• Intelligent Design versus Evolution - is it reasonable to believe in a God who created the heavens and the earth?
• What about hell in this age when everyone can believe what they want and be right?
• How do we explain some of the horrific texts of the Old Testament?
• Is Jesus the only way or might there be others? To say there is only one way seems rather arrogant of Christians.
• What about all those “contradictions” in the Bible?


Pray this week for Bethel and the many that attend the various ministries of this church. Pray that followers of Christ would dig deep, study hard, and be able to articulate their faith in a world that questions almost everything. Pray that we might be able to graciously, lovingly and intelligently engage with people who are seeking truth. The need to know is now, the need to go and reach a lost world hasn’t changed since Jesus said the fields were white unto harvest!

Mark