Pre-Evangelism

How much does a person need to know to be saved. Understand that God exists. I have to understand that I am estranged from the God that I'm exposed so that God's judgment. In order for me ever to flee to Christ as a Savior again. Manifestly, I don't reach out for a Savior, unless I first am convinced that I have a need to know if you ever have the privilege of someone who knew what must I do to be saved. What we just heard doctors explosive. There would be a great summary with a great place to begin looking Renewing Your Mind on this Saturday time we web defending her faith involves work doing her homework wrestling with the objections that people might raise in knowing how to respond.

The key is being prepared. In other words, knowing what you believe and what you believe continue now in our study of Christian apologetics and we have been looking at first Peter chapter 3, where Peter gives us the mandate to always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you a reason of course is when somebody says I understand what you believe, but why do you believe that when people asked that question. They want us to substantiate the content of our faith that we have proclaimed so that Christianity involves, as we saw in the early church not only the proclamation of the truth of God, but in that proclamation was included a defense of the claims that were being made by Christianity. For example Peter himself will gives us this mandate elsewhere says when he's writing to his readers in the first century brother we declare to you, not cleverly defined myths or fables, but we declare unto you what we have seen with our eyes, and what we have heard with our ears. Luke when he sets forth his gospel begins that gospel by telling how he has done his research and his canvas. The eye witnesses of those things that took place in the life and ministry of Christ, so that what he's doing is drawing on the original sources of those who had been witnesses to Jesus. And just as in courtrooms today we bring in witnesses to give testimony to the truth or the falsehood of what is being involved so the New Testament does the same sort of thing. Now I mentioned in our last session, the dilemma that those who are in the reformed faith have because as reformed thinkers.

We believe that nobody comes to Christ and is converted until first God the Holy Spirit changes the disposition of their soul and that all of the arguments and all of the reasoning and all of the testimonies that we bring to bear in Christian outreach will be to no avail. Unless or until God the Holy Spirit brings the increase unless he changes the heart of the here so though apologetics is a task that is given to us and we are to be responsible in the handling of the truth claims of Christianity.

If the situation of Paul speaks of where we may plant the seed and somebody else may water it but only God can bring the increase melt some people believe that since it is the Holy Spirit's task to convert and not our task since is beyond the realm of our power. People say well that we don't need to be engaged in the defense of Christianity. In fact, to give arguments for the truth of Christianity to give reasons for our faith would be in fact undermine the spiritual work of God the Holy Spirit. I hear Christians all the time sex.

I don't want to study philosophy because I don't want to get in the way of the Holy Ghost and the Bible says, beware of vain philosophy and I say to those people around the world. Can you beware of something that you're not first aware of and if you're not aware of these pagan philosophies.

Sometimes you can be seduced by them and be sent in the wrong direction.

As Christians, because you haven't paid attention to what's going on. So even though I believe only the Holy Spirit can change a person's heart, and ultimately the person's mind, bring them to repentance. Nevertheless, we see the very important dimension of apologetics in what I call pre-evangelism and also what we call post-evangelism now.

I've already talked about the value of stopping the mouths of the obstreperous as John Calvin said, and as Peter speaks about bringing the opponents of Christ to a position of shame because by defending the truth of Christ were defending him were defending the honor of God. Not as if he needs us to defend his honor.

But nevertheless, this is one way in which we bring honor to Christ by showing that the truth claims of his faith are not rooted and grounded in nonsense or absurdity now in pre-evangelism. Here's the rule of apologetics not to do a little review for those of you who've been through our series on doctrine and where we studied justification because the Reformation doctrine which I believe is the biblical doctrine of justification is that doctrine known as justification by faith alone and when Luther declared in the 16th century that justification is by faith and by faith alone. One of the immediate questions that arose at that time was what kind of faith sinks because James tells us in the second chapter of his epistle. What does it profit a man if he says he has faith but has no works will that faith save him, and he goes on to give a categorical answer that question saying a profession of faith that is absolutely devoid of any response of obedience to God is clear evidence that that faith is a dead faith and no faith at all and so Luther in answering the critics of the 16th century said justification is by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone the only kind of faith that saves is what Luther called a free days Viva a living faith of vital faith and faith that issues forth in the fruit of faith in works now those works.

Of course, don't count toward your justification. Only the merit of Christ counts but without the flowing forth of the fruit of faith there would be no real faith in the first place.

That's the idea. So again in that dispute. In the 16th century. The theologians of the time were saying. What is it that comprises saving faith and so the thinkers of the 16th century distinguished among several actual nuances or levels are elements of faith that together comprise saving faith but three chief levels and those are the level of no tissue or sometimes called the no tie. And then there is the level of assent seduced him again. Those of you who been with us as we study justification. This should be familiar by now and then the third is for the Nokia want to review this so that we can see where apologetics comes into play in pre-evangelism for do kill me.

Work backwards to Paducah is that personal trust and reliance that aspect of faith that involves a genuine affection for Christ that flows out of a new heart and a new mind and it's the foot Duke. He we believe this level of saving faith that can only be engendered by the work of the spirit song in a separate the foot Duke you from the other two, but let's not go back to the beginning the no tissue when we say that you are justified by faith, the faith that justifies has to have a content so the immediate questions by safe you have to be saved by faith.

You say, make faith in what faith in hamburgers faith in Buddha when we have that idea in our culture were people say it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you're sincere. Also, does that mean I can put my trust in Satan and be saved or that the Old Testament people could trust and bail and they can be said no, no, no, there is certain content that is part of Christianity. An essential level of information so that when the apostles went out to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

They gave a summary of key points about the person of Jesus, and about the work of Jesus was born according to the Scriptures how that he suffered on the cross for their sins always raise from the dead, and so on. That's all part of the notes or the data with the no tissue. That's the information that before I can actually call somebody to saving faith. I have to give them the information or the content that they're asked to believe and that involves the mind that involves communication of information that people can understand before I can call upon Christ. For example, as my Savior.

I have to understand that I need a Savior. I have to understand that I'm a sinner so I have to have some understanding of what sin is. I have to understand that God exists. I have to understand that I am estranged from that God that I'm exposed to that God's judgment. In order for me ever to flee to Christ as a Savior again. Manifestly, I don't reach out for a Savior, unless I first am convinced that I have a need of a Savior and so all of that is what I call pre-evangelism. All of that is involved in the data or the information that a person has to process with their mind before they can ever respond to it in faith or rejected in unbelief not the second element of that is the element called assent suits, which is simply the Latin word for intellectual assent.

If I say to you, do you believe that George Washington was the first president of the United States.

Would you say yes, but that doesn't mean that you have put your personal faith and trust in George Washington to be your savior or anything like that.

I just asked you if you believe in George Washington, in the sense of does your mind give assent to the proposition George Washington was the first president of the United States that you have a whole movement in theology today that says faith has nothing to do with propositions that the Bible is simply a book that bears witness to relationships and it's relationships that count not propositions and again these are the people who think that all I need to be a Christian is to have a personal relationship with Jesus and I don't need doctrine. I don't need any theology. I don't need to affirm any creed. No cream but Christ is the call here is that I don't believe in propositions. I believe in Jesus.

He's a person, not a proposition you hear that sort of thing all the time and what those people are communicating that is very important and true is that obviously you can have a knowledge of the proposition and not know Jesus, you can know about Jesus and not have a personal relationship with Jesus and surely the most important thing in the Christian life is the personal relationship that we have with Jesus. However, when I'm talking to people about this, Jesus with whom I have a personal relationship. I'm saying things about him. I'm saying this geniuses is the eternal son of God and say well that's a proposition all care about that can be true or not true.

I say no no no no, the Jesus I want you to have a relationship with really is the eternal son of God, and you can't have a saving relationship personally with this geniuses unless you know who this Jesus is, unless you can affirm the truth of this Jesus that he really did die on the cross and a desk that was in atonement and that it's true that he came out of the tomb, if you say you have a personal relationship with Christ.

But you don't believe in the truth that he was raised from the dead, then you're telling me you have a personal relationship with the corpse.

That's all the difference in the world from saying you have a personal relationship with the resurrected Christ with the risen Lord. So all of those things that we say about Jesus, and we say we believe about Jesus involves the mind saying yes to a proposition, though, as James says again that if you believe in God. He says you do well, even the demons believe, and tremble.

For example, if you have the information about Jesus and you even are persuaded that the information is correct and true and you can affirm it propositional. He is Dr. Kennedy says all that does is qualify you to be a demon because the demons know the truth, it was the demons there were the first ones to recognize the identity of Jesus when he was on this earth. And so they are convinced of the truth of who he is, but they hate that truth and so what Dr. Kennedy was getting out there was that again unless God the Holy Spirit moves you from these two levels to this one. You haven't reached a saving faith so let me repeat having these two.

Without this will save no one but you can't really have this without having the first to.

That's the point I'm trying to get out and that's where apologetics is of vital importance. I said on the first day that in the early church apologetics was closely linked to proclamation in the sense that there were all kinds of misconceptions about what Christianity was about people believing the Christians were cannibals because a remitting in secret, eating somebody's body and drinking somebody's blood and so the theologians had to say no no no no that's wrong information you're responding to a distortion. So let me clarify for you what the New Testament actually says so that you have a correct understanding of the information that again.

I can say this is what were actually say so that you're not rejecting a straw man.

You still may reject, but at least you know what it is you rejecting at the point of rejection.

Now the next step is where you try to prove or give evidence for the truth claims of Christianity. Again we live in a time where we been infected with what's called for deism which says I don't need to have a reason for what I believe.

I just close my eyes like tiny Allison, take a deep breath and scrunch up my nose. And if I try hard enough I can believe, and I'd jump into the arms of Jesus.

I take a blind leap of faith. I hear that expression all the time and every time I hear that expression people say take a leap of faith. I have a pain that starts at the back of my feet in coastal Canarsie. The Bible never tells you to take a leap of faith into the darkness, and hope that there's somebody out there. The Bible calls you to jump out of the darkness and into the light and that is not a blind leap that the faith that the New Testament calls us to is a faith that is rooted and grounded in things that God does that makes it very very clear that this is the truth. For example, when Paul does encounter philosophers of Mars Hill and he says to them.

The former days of ignorance God overlooked but now God commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world by what bind that one whom he has proven to be his son by the resurrection of the debt. It's not like God comes down in the form of Christ. And Jesus goes into a closet, someplace and offer some atonement and effort he offers the atonement. Then God in the closet raises him up from the bed. Nobody sees nobody knows about us like Joseph Smith behind the sheets privately and secretly reading the secret message that he has from the angel Moroni is not about Christianity. When Paul is before Agrippa. He said King Agrippa. These things were not done in a corner. Jesus was crucified openly and it's not like we went to an empty tomb and say we can't figure out what happened here.

Somebody stole the body, but Christ came out of that tomb not in secret but publicly where we have eyewitness after eyewitness over 500 people who saw him at one time and is one born out of due time.

Okay I saw him with my own eyes. Now, ladies and gentlemen, maybe you think that Paul's testimony is that of a lunatic and you don't want to give credibility to, but do you see the difference between making a case for the truth claim or just say, well, you know, nobody saw him die. Nobody saw him rise. God did all that in a corner someplace or in a closet. I'm asking you to believe it closure. I take a deep breath and take it by faith. That's not faith that's credulity that superstition and the task again of apologetics is to show that the evidence that the New Testament calls people to commit their life to is compelling evidence and worthy of your full commitment that involves often a lot of work and sometimes we would rather dock the responsibility of doing our homework of wrestling with the problems in answering the objections and just say people I just have to take it on. That's the ultimate copout that doesn't honor Christ we honor Christ by setting forth four people. The cogency of the truth claims of Scripture, even as God does, even when God sends Moses to Pharaoh's court and says you tell Pharaoh that I said the let my people go, and the bring them out where they can worship me at this mop and Moses says how my going to know how many to get in there one whom I tell Pharaoh that and will the people follow me hard. I get to know God is here, so you know, Moses put your hand in your shirt.

He puts us in his shirt just pull it out, pulled up slippers Moses terrifies the train back your shirt put you back in circles not gone take your staff brought an abrupt Turgeon or snake is that's how you know I'm going to empower you in such a way that even Pharaoh will be able to deny that it's the Lord God who is behind this mandate and that's what we have to take the trouble to do our work before the spirit does his work because the spirit does not ask people to put their trust in their faith and their affection in nonsense were absurd when unsubstantiated proof. That's why we have the testimony of the Scriptures for our consideration is not Jersey scroll into his message today here and Renewing Your Mind is a powerful reminder of why we need to understand our faith more deeply here in the Saturday edition of our program rearing RC series defending your faith throughout the series, he makes the case for the importance of classical apologetics would like to send you the 32 message series on 11 DVDs for your donation of any amount to leader ministries. You can call us to make the requested 800-435-4343 if you prefer to make a request online, you can go to Renewing Your Mind.work were including a 12 bonus disc in this offer.

It contains all the audio files of the series, plus a copy of the study guide is an invaluable resource.

If you plan on teaching the series in a Sunday school class or small group setting it in the title of the series is defending your faith. It's 11 DVDs plus the bonus disc for your gift of getting about our phone number again is 800-435-4343 and her web address is Renewing Your Mind.award thank you for being with us today.

Next week will continue Dr. scroll series on apologetics. It will tackle some critical questions like how we recognize the truth in is it possible to know anything is true questions and will cover the next week here on Renewing Your Mind