Christian Standard | July 2019 by Christian Standard Media

Letter from the Publisher When We Go to War in Our Movement

This past April, my wife and I had the opportunity to preach and teach at Hope Christian Church near Augusta, West Virginia. Like most, I am now fully dependent on a GPS to direct my driving in unfamiliar places, so when I heard Siri say we could save 18 minutes by taking an alternative route around an accident, I jumped at the chance. The new path took us through switchback mountain roads—not a pleasurable experience for my wife, who struggles a bit with car sickness. The detour took us right by Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, a

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very important site in American history, especially just prior to and during the Civil War. Stopping the car would help satisfy my love of history—and my wife certainly had no objections—so we turned off the main road and treated ourselves to a few minutes in one of the most interesting and picturesque towns in America. Harpers Ferry holds far too much history to discuss in this column, but the landscape of the town is a story in itself. It lies in the valley at the confluence

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of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers at the border of West Virginia and Maryland. (The Virginia state line is also in the immediate area.) The word valley doesn’t accurately describe the steep slope down to the rivers; cliff is more fitting in many instances. The architecture of the mid-1700s to the late-1800s, mixed with narrow streets, give the town a European feel. Control of Harpers Ferry changed 14 times during the Civil War. It’s location was strategic to the war effort on both sides. The site was easy to capture— in relative terms—but nearly impossible to defend. The side that controlled Harpers Ferry could make use of river transportation for supplies and troops, but the occupier was constantly vulnerable to outside attack. (The phrase “like shooting fish in a barrel” applies.) The army that succeeded in taking Harpers Ferry almost immediately became a target! Harpers Ferry was great in peacetime but the worst in wartime. Learning more about Harpers Ferry made me think about the Restoration Movement and how we conduct ourselves. We have a rich history of debate, and debate is great in a movement that has the freedom of autonomous churches to interpret the Scriptures on their own. We have no creed but Christ, no book but the Bible, and no name but the Divine. We have no denominational hierarchy to push us out of the fold or repossess our church. We look for unity in essentials, liberty in opinions, and love in everything. But we are also a movement that has gone to war over many things, and

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the problem with war is—much the same as with Harpers Ferry—even when you win, you lose. I’m preaching to myself as I write this article. It’s way easier for me to set fire to a bridge than to build one. It’s almost effortless to demean someone (behind their back) to others who agree with me, when, instead, I should look for areas of agreement and unity to stand together with them; that’s a good starting place for debating our differences in love. If we are going to fight, let’s fight for relationship in this movement! I know that if we don’t stand for (and defend) something, we can fall for anything, but defending doesn’t mean warring. We must remember Paul’s words, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12). The only war we needed to fight has already been won by a single individual. The battlefield is marked by one cross— the original cross—and an empty tomb.

Jerry Harris is publisher of Christian Standard Media and senior pastor of The Crossing, a multisite church located in three states across the Midwest. @_jerryharris /jerrydharris

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CHRISTIAN STANDARD —

FOUNDED 1866 BY ISAAC ERRETT Devoted to the restoration of New Testament Christianity, its doctrine, its ordinances, and its fruits.

The Staff Jerry Harris, Publisher Michael C. Mack, Editor Jim Nieman, Managing Editor Shawn McMullen, Contributing Editor Megan Kempf, Designer Abby Wittler, Designer Renee Little, Operations Kim Harris, Marketing and Advertising

Subscription Information To order Christian Standard for yourself, your church, or your group, visit christianstandard.com or contact Customer Service. Bulk pricing is available.

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720.598.7377 info@christianstandardmedia.com

Volume CLIV. Number 7. Christian Standard (ISSN 0009-5656) is published monthly by Christian Standard Media at 16965 Pine Lane, Suite 202, Parker, CO 80134. Periodicals postage paid at Parker, CO, and additional offices. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Christian Standard Media, 16965 Pine Lane, Suite 202, Parker, CO 80134. Phone: 1-800-543-1353. SUBSCRIBERS: Send address changes to Christian Standard, 16965 Pine Lane, Suite 202, Parker, CO 80134. Send old and new addresses, complete with zip codes, at least six weeks before delivery date.

Christian Standard is published by Christian Standard Media, www.christianstandardmedia.com.

vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our leaders vested in our

TABLE OF CONTENTS —

I N E V E RY I S S UE 2-3 | L E TTE R F RO M TH E P UB L ISH E R Jerry Harris

6-7 | L E TTE R F RO M TH E E DITO R Michael C. Mack

8-11 | ME TRIC S

C a n Th ey Hea r Us Now? Kent Fillinger

12-14 | e2 : E F F E C T I V E EL D ER S

24 24 30 36

44 44 48 52 54

56 58 62 66

What Is the Restoration Movement?

Jim Estep

W HAT WE BELI EV E We Believe the Bible Is True by Johnny Pressley We Believe in the Supernatural by David Faust We Believe Jesus Is Lord by John Caldwell

15-17 | IMAG IN E A D es er t O a si s Mel McGowan

18-19 | MIN ISTRY LI F E

The Toilet Paper Ministry Tyler McKenzie and Adrienne Feldmann

B IB LI C AL LITER ACY Taking the First Bite Out of Biblical Illiteracy by Jim Eichenberger An Opportunity to Build Biblical Literacy by Mark E. Moore What Core 52 Is Doing for Us by Dale Reeves More Tools to Improve Biblical Literacy

VES TED I N OUR LEAD ER S The Pastor’s Project by Richard Creek Center for Church Leadership by Alan Ahlgrim Accelerate Group by Don and Sue Wilson

20-21 | HO RIZO N S

Five A rea s to Help You r I ntern Succeed Emily Drayne

24-41 | F E ATURE

W ha t We B eli eve Johnny Pressley David Faust John Caldwell

76-79 | INTE RAC T 80 | B IB L ITIC AL LY COR R ECT

M i s f i tbi t After Class Podcast

Moving Past the Silence: How Can We Actually Restore New Testament Christianity?

Letter from the editor

“Have we to any great extent restored New Testament Christianity?” Christian Standard editor Burris Butler asked that intriguing question 65 years ago . . . and we’re still asking it today. Butler’s assessment of the situation in 1954 may seem harsh. He said,

Restoration movement is about where it was one hundred and fifty years ago. It is a wonderful idea, new and untried. (Read the rest of Butler’s editorial in our “Throwback Thursday” article on our website at www. christianstandard.com/2019/02/have-werestored-new-testament-christianity.)

A big eloquent silence is the kindest answer we can give to this question. Here and there a life thoroughly committed to the Son of God has shone out like a bright light in the darkness. Now and then a local congregation has given a hint of its spiritual potentialities. But on the whole the

I want to move past asking if we’ve restored New Testament Christianity and move the conversation to how we as a movement can and will work to restore it. While we might consider many factors, our focus in this issue is on what we think are three of the most significant and catalytic issues at hand: (1) What we believe, (2) How we get our people into

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God’s Word on a consistent basis, and (3) Who is going to lead us there. Restoring New Testament Christianity is fundamentally an issue of teaching sound doctrine. In this issue, we chose three foundational beliefs on which we absolutely will not give ground: We believe the Bible is true and reliable; we believe in the supernatural, that miraculous biblical events actually happened; and we believe in the primacy of Jesus (he is God in flesh, our Lord, and Savior). We will not compromise on these. We can point to other important doctrinal issues, of course, but, as a starting place, we can all find unity on these three. As a movement we have a very high view of Scripture. We are people of the Word. The question is, are our people consistently reading, studying, meditating on, and living out God’s Word in their lives? Surveys say no, at least not to the extent we would all hope for. We simply cannot restore New Testament Christianity if our people don’t know what the New Testament says! We must improve the biblical literacy of our people, and apparently the methods of the last century have not worked well. Sermons, classes, and groups can help us disciple people—they can be platforms for encouraging our folks to get into God’s Word consistently—but there is no substitute for people taking the Bible into their own hands. When they do, their groups and churches and movement—not to mention families, workplaces, and neighborhoods—will grow stronger because of it.

For any of this to happen, it’s going to take strong, diligent, spiritual leaders. God always utilizes leaders of his choosing to start, sustain, and strengthen his movements, and of course the Restoration Movement is no different. Yet, in many places and in many ways, our leaders are struggling. And we wonder where leaders for the next generation of churches will come from. The future of our movement depends on the identification, mentoring, equipping, strengthening, and retention of leaders who have been called by God. If we can’t find and keep leaders, how can we continue? We asked leaders from three ministries in our movement— The Pastor’s Project, the Center for Church Leadership, and Accelerate Group—to share what they are doing to help solve this leadership dilemma. We hope you will contact them to get the support and assistance you need or to offer your help in strengthening the leadership of our movement. Let’s move beyond the “big eloquent silence” on whether we’ve restored the New Testament church. Every person reading this issue can do something to make a difference. As you read, I ask you to prayerfully consider what you and your ministry will do. Let’s not allow another 65 years go by without moving toward the church Jesus envisioned and commissioned.

On pages 44-55 we’ve provided information about three resources developed by independent Christian church authors and organizations that can help us move toward more widespread biblical literacy. I believe every church needs a plan of some sort, and all three of these are good choices.

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@michaelcmack @michaelcmack @michaelcmack /authormichaelcmack

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metrics

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Can They Hear Us Now?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; BY KENT FILLINGER

I grew up in the 1970s when the average American home had no computer, the Internet was little more than an idea, and smartphones had not been invented. Our black-and-white family TV had four channels: the three major networks and the local PBS station. Kent E. Fillinger serves as president of 3:STRANDS Consulting, Indianapolis, Indiana, and regional vice president (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan) with Christian Financial Resources.

By 2015, the average American home with a TV could access about 200 channels and three-quarters of households subscribed to broadband Internet. By 2018, 77 percent of Americans owned a smartphone, according to Pew Research Center. Since the introduction of Facebook in 2004, the proliferation of social media sites and other apps has resulted in a meteoric rise in usage.

/3strandsconsulting 3strandsconsulting.com

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To say the world of communications has changed in the last couple of decades is a colossal understatement. I spent most of the last decade in the nonprofit fund-raising world where I read tons of articles about the need to create a multichannel brand and communication presence. The point was to communicate on the channels donors were using to ensure they heard your message. To do that, it’s essential to know which channels your donors frequent and prefer. The same principle applies to the church. It’s important to know the “channels” where your congregation and community spend their time and energy. The church has good news to share. But as communication methods expand, it adds complexity and costs for churches. This should force church leaders into creative conversations to determine how to best leverage the available technology to communicate. The chart below shows the percentage of adults in the United States who use the most popular social media sites and the percentage of those users who visit those sites once or more a day. It’s likely adults in your congregation reflect these numbers. TOTAL PERCENTAGE OF U.S. ADULTS WHO USE THIS SOURCE

TOTAL PERCENTAGE OF U.S. ADULT USERS WHO USE IT DAILY

YOUTUBE

73%

45%

FACEBOOK

68%

75%

INSTAGRAM

35%

60%

SNAPCHAT

27%

63%

25%

44% (MONTHLY)

TWITTER

24%

46%

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For example, 81 percent of people ages 18 to 29 use Facebook, which is about twice the share among those 65 and older (41 percent). However, the share of older Americans who use Facebook has doubled since August 2012, when it was just 20 percent, according to Pew. U.S. teens are using certain social media platforms regularly. Therefore, every student and children’s ministry seeking to reach the next generation should have an active presence there. Eighty-five percent of teens use YouTube, 72 percent use Instagram, and 69 percent use Snapchat, according to Pew Research Center. Instagram users age 24 and younger spent an average of 32 minutes a day on the picture and story sharing app in 2018, the Hootsuite blog reported in March. - 9 -

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More People = More Communication Channels Our annual church survey showed that, in general, the larger the church, the more technology channels they were using to communicate their message. The chart below shows the breakdown by each size category and the percentage of churches that were using each social media platform last year. MEGACHURCHES

EMERGING MEGACHURCHES

LARGE CHURCHES

MEDIUM CHURCHES

SMALL CHURCHES

VERY SMALL CHURCHES

FACEBOOK

100%

98%

WEBSITE

100%

99%

72%

INSTAGRAM

87%

82%

69%

57%

39%

21%

YOUTUBE

66%

50%

88%

36%

37%

19%

TWITTER

70%

66%

51%

40%

26%

17%

CHURCHSPECFIC APP

59%

66%

56%

33%

23%

11%

SNAPCHAT

In every comparison of a grouping of churches using a particular social media tool to their peers in the same size category that were not using that resource, the churches that use social media were, on average, consistently larger than the non-users. For example, in churches with less than 250 in average worship attendance, churches that use Instagram averaged 151 in worship attendance while churches that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use Instagram averaged 112. A recent study showed that 71 percent of U.S. businesses use Instagram. By comparison, only 56 percent of the 400-plus Christian churches and C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

churches of Christ from our annual church survey reported using Instagram in 2018. Hootsuite reports 80 percent of Instagram users follow at least one business using the app. Think of the possibilities for a church to connect with new people using vehicles like Instagram. It costs money to hire a web designer to create a quality website, but it costs a church nothing to create a Facebook page, an Instagram profile, or to use any of the other social media platforms. Yes, time, energy, and creativity are needed, but churches should leverage these free resources to expand their communication reach. - 10 -

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How a Church’s Location Impacts Its Communication Plan The churches in our study located in “small towns or rural communities” noticeably lagged behind the churches in other locations by reporting the lowest levels of social media usage for each platform. The Pew Research Center’s findings have demonstrated on a broader scale that location impacts social media coverage. They’ve found that “adults in urban areas are more likely to use Facebook than those in suburban or rural areas.”

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

YOUTUBE

CHURCH APP

Also of note from our survey, churches located in “older residential areas of the city” reported lower usage of available social media resources than churches in the suburbs or downtown areas. My hunch is these churches might have older demographics and therefore aren’t as motivated to use these new communication resources.

OLDER RESIDENTIAL AREA IN CITY

100%

57%

49%

51%

38%

DOWNTOWN / CENTRAL PART OF CITY

100%

67%

44%

62%

60%

NEWER SUBURB

100%

77%

65%

51%

45%

OLDER SUBURB

100%

66%

51%

52%

SMALL TOWN / RURAL AREA

99%

54%

38%

43%

34%

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Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb in 1879. Only four years later, in 1883, the First Presbyterian Church of Roselle, New Jersey, made electrical and ecclesiastical history when it installed a 30-bulb “electrolier” and became the world’s first church to be lighted by electricity. Fact is, churches have been adapting to new technologies for a long time. The rate of change today requires churches and church leaders to run faster, try harder, and not be afraid to make some mistakes along the way. By doing so, they can stay current and relevant in communicating the gospel. Your church should regularly ask itself, “Can they hear us now?” Can the couple with the failing marriage in your community hear your message of reconciliation and hope? Can the single adult hear that your church is a place they can worship and find community? Can the seeker down the street clearly hear your heart for them as they explore your website and social media pages? You can preach your best sermon or deliver your greatest Bible lesson, but if no one hears you, your efforts are in vain. We can’t maintain a “come and get it” mentality in reaching those outside the church. We must adopt a “go and get them” approach, and this includes expanding the number of channels by which we communicate the timeless message of God’s love for the world.  - 11 -

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e 2 : e ffe c t i v e

e ld e r s

What Is the Restoration Movement? BY JIM ESTEP

Jim Estep serves as vice president of academics with Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Missouri, and as resource director with e2: effective elders.

The United States is becoming increasingly divided politically. Conservatives keep moving further to the right, liberals are gravitating toward the left, and those in the center are stretched between the two. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s similar to what has happened to the Restoration Movement.

/ e2elders @e2elders

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A Formula for Effectiveness When I attempt to describe the Restoration Movement to someone, I draw on this formula: Biblical Authority + Church Unity → Global Disciple-Making The Restoration Movement affirms biblical authority and binds it to a strong commitment to church unity (beyond the level of unity by agreement), all for the sake of making disciples around the world. First, our movement affirms the authority of Scripture above all else, including creeds, counsels, or any human authority. Candidly, the people of the Restoration Movement make use of certain credos to guide or aid our understanding of Scripture, but these are not a substitute or rival to the Bible. Here are two of these guiding principles: “No book but the Bible, no creed but Christ” and “Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent.” Scripture admittedly is the common theological denominator for all denominations; the Restoration Movement is unique, however, in its Scripture-based appeal for unity. Second, we were founded as a church unity movement. Our tendency these days is to underestimate this fact. A movement of this sort can be less than ideal; it must go beyond uniting only with other believers who agree with us. When we explore the history of the Restoration Movement, we see that even Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone had sharp disagreements on matters of interpretation, doctrine, and even church governance, C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

but they remained united due to their common commitment to Christ and the Scriptures. These men recognized that unity in Christ should trump many points of division present in the church of their day, as it should for us now. “In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; but in all things, love” became one of our most challenging principles to fully embrace and embody, but it has served us well as we remained focused on disciple-making. Third, our ultimate aim was global disciple-making. The inevitable result of embracing Scripture and seeking unity was our movement’s embrace of Jesus’ final commission to his followers: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20). When the church is divided and its message is skewed, its focus on the prime directive of making disciples is lost. A unified church with a simple, singular message would be far more effective at reaching nonbelievers than the nuanced messages of evangelism and equipping held by various denominations. Hence, another credo, “We are Christians only, not the only Christians,” describes the result of our endeavors. Campbell and Stone both saw this as the ultimate aim of the church, one being hampered by fragmentation within the body of Christ. - 13 -

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- e2: EFFECTIVE ELDERS -

What Happened? Whenever I share this, people typically respond with excitement; it makes sense. But what happened? Around the turn of the 20th century, significant changes in society, culture, and even biblicaltheological studies occurred. Some of our churches began to prioritize biblical authority over the call for church unity; they began gravitating more and more to the right, increasing the number of elements essential to the faith, and with greater specificity. This group, which focused most intently on biblical authority, eventually became the a cappella churches of Christ. Other churches from within our movement adopted the modern shifts and began to value the call to church unity over affirming biblical authority. The number of elements they saw as essential to the faith, and strict adherence to those elements, declined; they began gravitating more and more to the left by allowing more room for the liberty of opinion. This group, which focused most intently on the unity of Christ’s body, eventually became the Disciples of Christ, now headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The churches in the Restoration Movement that neither gravitated toward the right nor shifted to the left formed a set of congregations in the center of the movement. These churches endeavor to balance the tension of biblical authority and church C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

unity. This rather broad spectrum of congregations became the independent Christian churches and churches of Christ. [These are the churches this magazine continues to serve.] As one person observed, our churches are as broad or narrow as you want to make them. Debates and divisions are a sad part of the Restoration Movement’s history, but sometimes lost is that our focus on them distracted us from the true goal. While we debated amongst ourselves, we failed to leverage the principles of biblical authority and church unity to achieve global disciplemaking, which is the very thing Jesus instructed us to do. The Restoration Movement’s message remains relevant after more than 200 years. But as we move further into the 21st century, let’s restore the mission of making disciples by upholding biblical truth as our guide and love for one another as our plea.  - 14 -

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I m ag i n e

a desert oasis BY MEL MCGOWAN

“We did not come to Las Vegas to reshuffle the deck,” says Mike Breaux, the original lead church planter of Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas. The heartbeat of the church remains the same as when it was planted back in 1993. Canyon Ridge doesn’t seek to take from other churches, but instead goes after the unchurched. When major construction was needed on their 40-acre campus, church leaders originally worked with commercial firms rather than hiring an architect. Their intention was to develop a campus devoid of religious symbolism. C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

Mel McGowan is cofounder and chief creative principal of PlainJoe Studios. He is a leading master planner and designer of churches in America. @visioneer /visioneer

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The resulting unadorned concrete block and tilt-concrete structures created a high school campus look that was reflective of the desert environment and welcoming to the local community. PlainJoe kicked off our involvement with Canyon Ridge with an interactive “blue sky” workshop with church and community leaders to align the church’s mission, brand, programming, and master plan around a “path” concept. As attendees walked between the campus buildings, signage reminded them of the church’s discipleship path— attend a service, serve at one, be in a group, invest in and invite others, and spend daily time with God.

- IMAGINE -

An ‘Outdoor-Living-Room’ Campus Canyon Ridge’s inviting “come as you are” style helped the church grow quickly. Soon, the worship center’s seating capacity needed to double; that challenge led the church to add a balcony. Climbers who start a treacherous ascent often begin at base camp. As such, Canyon Ridge’s family ministries complex is known as Base Camp; it’s a preparation station for youth as they start to climb through life. It includes props, scenic murals, and a second-story “escape hatch” leading to a desert grotto playground. Age-appropriate zones facilitate large-group gatherings and breakouts. The design team worked with natural materials inspired by local rock formations and mountains visible in the distance. The desert climate informed many of the design elements. Curved concrete became canyon walls that create a filtered shade canopy for walkways. Adding shaded galleries to all buildings made check-in areas and major entries more convenient and pleasant. Trellises and shade fabric extend ministry space and gathering places into the areas between buildings, offering protection from the harsh desert sun. The construction reoriented the campus as an “outdoor living room.” A water feature doubles as an outdoor baptistery with seating built in among a grove of shade palms. A dry creek bed with pedestrian spines, native trees, and a special focus on color makes the walk to the parking lot an enjoyable experience. A chapel for smaller community and church events—including weddings and funerals—also was built. The concrete sanctuary was designed as a desert landform with a kiva-inspired cross tower and a baptistery at the base. C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

Moving Into the Next Quarter Century Canyon Ridge celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and it plans to continue reaching out to the lost in Las Vegas. God has honored Canyon Ridge’s servant’s heart as it has grown to four campuses. Senior pastor Kevin Odor has been with the church since the beginning; Odor and his family moved from Ohio to Las Vegas in 1993. The first service at the church was attended by 700 people, and Canyon Ridge now reaches more than 7,000 every weekend. Odor is nearing the end of a two-year transition that will see teaching pastor Drew Moore replace him as senior pastor. The renewed mission of Canyon Ridge is to “Join Jesus. Bring life. To everyone, everywhere, every day.” The church serves as a community support system for service families at Nellis Air Force Base, located just down the road from the main campus. The church also has a large Celebrate Recovery program and provides other support ranging from marriage classes to grief counseling to helping students survive today’s challenges. “One thing we’ve learned is that it doesn’t matter how many are in your church service,” Odor said. “The key ingredient is that people want to be known.” One way Canyon Ridge does this is through small groups or serving groups that care for and pray for each other. As the church moves into its second quarter century with a new lead pastor at the helm, Canyon Ridge is excited and ready to keep extending the gospel to the unchurched of Las Vegas.  - 17 -

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ministry l i fe

The Toilet Paper Ministry BY TYLER MCKENZIE AND ADRIENNE FELDMANN

TYLER (11:55 p.m. Saturday): Here I was, a grown man, a pastor nonetheless, about to commit a felony. I coasted quietly down the neighborhood street, lights off, car in neutral, toilet paper in hand. It was essential I not get caught.

Tyler McKenzie serves as lead pastor at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

ADRIENNE: I have always gone through seasons of depression. A few months ago it was especially frightening. I called in all kinds of reinforcements just to survive my day-to-day. I constantly fought off suicidal thoughts. Reaching out was difficult, but it was my last hope. I needed my friends. They were reluctant to help in the past, but medication, counseling, exercise, and prayer werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t helping this time.

Adrienne Feldmann serves as online campus pastor at Northeast.

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TYLER (midnight Saturday): I parked about 100 yards away and slowly creaked open the car door. It was chilly out, no moon. Just clouds and the dim yellow glow of streetlamps. I could smell rain. Goosebumps spiked on my arms, the kind I hadn’t felt since grade-school hide-and-seek. I crept closer. A light turned on behind the front door. I froze. They saw me! How? I whispered, “Help me, Jesus!” Then I waited. I could see shadows. Why are they still awake? Should I turn back? Not now. I’ve come too far! This was God’s will, my newest ministry, “the toilet paper ministry.” ADRIENNE (earlier that night, 10:30 p.m.): My husband, Chris, and I were in a group text with Tyler and his wife, Lindsay, who were walking through this season with us. I felt terrible asking for help from such busy people who had better things to do. I apologized repeatedly. After a few dozen “I’m sorry for being so needy” texts, Tyler got annoyed and responded, “If you don’t stop apologizing, I promise I will roll your house.” I had no idea what that meant, so I apologized some more. TYLER, (12:02 a.m. Sunday): I didn’t have “better things to do.” At least not this time. To be honest, we were “C-” friends to Adrienne and Chris during similar seasons when they needed help. But we resolved to be “A+” friends this time. I smirked when I read her texts. No one tells me, “You won’t!” No one tells me, “You can’t!” And we had tried just about everything else. Maybe a good laugh is what was needed. C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

I stood on Adrienne’s front lawn. There was no turning back. I began to do my worst to her mailbox. I circled the box with round after round of toilet paper and then worked my way down the post for what seemed like 30 minutes. How much toilet paper is in one roll? I wondered. I wasn’t leaving until it was gone. And then I felt it—drip—first on my forehead—drip—and then on my hand. It was starting to rain. ADRIENNE (7:00 a.m. Sunday): I was still in bed when Chris called to me, “There’s some mail for you.” I knew there was no mail on Sundays. I rolled my eyes, groaned, and made my way toward the door. Upon opening it, I immediately noticed the rain . . . and then I saw the mailbox. It was wrapped top to bottom with soggy toilet paper. It was disgusting. But after days of death knocking on my door, I managed a smile. Then I laughed. To be honest, up to that moment, I wasn’t sure I would ever laugh again. Now I knew what “roll your house” meant. TYLER: Toilet paper theology. It should be a class in every seminary! That one roll taught me as much as any lecture I’ve heard or book I’ve read. 

Submit your own 500- to 700-word essay telling of an experience through which you learned a vital ministry principle by emailing it to cs@christianstandardmedia.com with “MinistryLife” in the subject line. See more information at www.christianstandard.com/contact-us/submit-articles.

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ho riz on s

Five Areas to Help Your Intern Succeed BY EMILY DRAYNE

Emily Drayne lives in North Carolina and has served with the International Conference On Missions since 2011. /emilydrayne @edrayne0530

People who serve mission organizations or other ministries that utilize interns should consider five important matters to ensure the experience is enlightening, enriching, and enjoyable.

@edrayne0530 www.theicom.org

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Be a Mentor Come alongside the intern. Work with them. Take time to explain what you do and why you do it a particular way. Encourage workers—whether in an office or in the field—to do the same. During my internship in China, I taught English. Even though I loved my internship, I quickly learned that teaching was not my strong suit—or something I wanted to do my entire life. But it didn’t negate from my experience. Being pushed out of my comfort zone helped me gain experience (and coping abilities). And what helped most was having supportive coworkers.

Give Them the Experience Internships are designed for learning and growth. It’s a time for an inexperienced person to explore an area of ministry. Don’t assign only menial tasks to interns. Ask about the intern’s likes and dislikes and try to line up activities and responsibilities that correspond with their skill set. Ask for their feedback and suggestions about your programs. Give responsibilities to interns as you would anyone else. Even if an intern fails, offer them constructive criticism with some grace.

Provide Intentional Training A person excels when they are given the right tools at the beginning. It’s best to assign an intern to an employee who can provide that training in a helpful and friendly way. (Be sure to clearly indicate who that trainer is.) For any job, training is part of the process. Some interns require more training than others, and some tasks also require more training. Be patient. If you take the time to train an intern, the likelihood of success increases dramatically. C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

Encourage Often It’s important to make interns feel like part of the team. Encouragement goes a long way toward achieving that. There were times in China when I felt so dumb trying to tutor someone in English, but having missionaries and workers there support me and say, “Everyone here has struggled,” set my mind at ease to just keep working at it. If you’re a missionary and you dig wells, work with farmland, teach local women a trade, or perform any specialized skill, think about your first few days on the job and remember that no one is perfect.

Be Honest Be upfront and truthful with your interns. Tell them what to expect, especially those interns who will be traveling overseas to a mission field. Most importantly, tell them what’s expected of them. It can be scary going into an unfamiliar environment without a clear direction! Provide a sample schedule of what they’ll be doing day-to-day. Do an honest self-assessment, as well. Do you have enough work for an intern? Do you have time to talk with, train, and instill a positive experience for him or her? There’s no shame in saying no. Interns are a lot of work for the employer. It’s important to make sure you’re both on the same page. Focusing on these key areas will help you provide a well-rounded experience for your interns. Who knows, you may even think about keeping them on after their internship ends!  - 21 -

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what we believe

W E B E L I E V E T H E B I B L E

By Johnny Pressley

I S

T R U E

The apostle Paul encouraged his associate Timothy with a reminder of the strong faith passed on to him by his grandmother Lois and his mother, Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). â&#x20AC;&#x153;From infancy you have known the Holy Scripturesâ&#x20AC;? (2 Timothy 3:15). Many of us surely appreciate the godly men and women who nurtured us in the faith. They not only taught us Scripture, they inspired us with respect and trust for the Bible as the Word of God, even in the choruses they taught us to sing.

The B-I-B-L-E Yes, tha the book for me I st alone on the Word of The B-I-B-L-E The BL-E Yes, that’s the b for me I stand alone the Word of God The I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Y that’s the book for m stand alone on the W of God The B-I-B-L-E B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s book for me I stand al on the Word of God B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B Yes, that’s the book me I stand alone on Word of God The B-I-BThe B-I-B-L-E Yes, tha the book for me I st alone on the Word of The B-I-B-L-E The BL-E Yes, that’s the b for me I stand alone the Word of God The I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Y that’s the book for m stand alone on the W of God The B-I-B-L-E B-I-B-L-E Yes, tha the book for me I st alone on the Word of The B-I-B-L-E The BL-E Yes, that’s the b for me I stand alone

As adults, we may sometimes wonder if our confidence in the Bible is as well-founded as we imagined. After all, many voices today contend the Bible is much like the sacred writings of other religions, the ideas and aspirations of religious men and women from times past. They say, as with all human productions, the words of Scripture are fallible and have fallen behind our modern perceptions of truth and morality. For many today, revelation occurs when a word is spoken that we acknowledge as truth for us. This thinking is a departure from our historic view of Scripture as divine revelation, infallible and true in all it says, speaking to us with the authority of God. And despite intellectual arguments to the contrary, we have good reasons to continue regarding the Bible as the inspired and trustworthy Word of God.

At t e s t ed by A ncien t M a nu s cr ip t s A practical issue in assessing any piece of ancient literature is knowing whether the words we read are true to the original. Rarely do we possess the autograph (original document) of any ancient writing, including the books of the Bible. We are dependent upon people using the science of textual criticism, investing untold hours comparing old manuscript copies of a writing to reconstruct the original wording as closely as possible. For most ancient writings, experts usually have fewer than 100 manuscript copies with which to work, and oftentimes the earliest manuscript copies were written several centuries after the original composition. And yet, despite these limitations, modern versions considered reasonably faithful to the original are published. By comparison, those who labor at reconstructing the original text of Bible books must imagine they have struck gold, given the wealth of materials at their disposal. More than 24,000 ancient copies of portions of the Bible are said to exist. This exceptionally large number of preserved manuscripts reflects the high regard Jews and Christians felt for their holy Scripture. In an age when copying large documents by hand was

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the veracity of our Scripture because it mentions things historical research has not yet confirmed. That is no cause for alarm, but a reminder to be patient while research continues. Critics formerly declared the Genesis account of Abraham encountering the Hittites as fiction, but then archeologists uncovered remains from the Hittite nation. Historical research has been our friend, not an adversary.

laborious and expensive, the Bible was considered worthy of the effort. The New Testament resources are exceptional; there is nothing comparable in ancient literature. About 5,000 manuscript copies of the full New Testament exist in the original Greek language, plus many more in various translations. Most New Testament manuscripts are dated within 200 to 400 years of the original composition, much earlier than is typical for ancient literature. Quotations within the sermons and epistles of leaders from the first few centuries of the church also help determine and attest to the original wording of the New Testament text. Like modern-day preachers and teachers, they backed up their teaching with frequent quotations from the Bible.

s up p or t ed by f ul f il l ed p rop hecy Moses gave several tests for determining whether or not a revelation claim is genuine. His prophecy test instructed us to disregard any messenger whose attempt to prophesy a future event fails in any way (Deuteronomy 18:21, 22). Fulfillment of prophecy in the Bible instills us with a greater certainty (2 Peter 1:19).

We have good reasons to believe the original texts of the Bible have been preserved throughout the centuries for us today. Our English translations will vary in how they express the Hebrew and Greek wording, but they generally convey the same ideas. The key is to use and compare several good translations recommended by knowledgeable people we trust.

The Old Testament contains hundreds of prophecies validated by known history. For example, the fall of Tyre (Ezekiel 26) was predicted 200 years before it happened. Cyrus was foretold by name (Isaiah 45) 200 years before he rose to power in Persia. Daniel identified four successive empires, several by name, that would rise and fall: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome (Daniel 2:39, 40; 7:5-7; 8:20-25). He also described well in advance key individuals like Alexander the Great (Daniel 8:21, 22) and Antiochus Epiphanes (Daniel 8:9-14, 23-25).

C onf ir med by his t or ic a l r e se a rch Religious writings generally speak of things that cannot be objectively confirmed now, but must be taken on faith. These include such things as a spirit realm, life after death, and prophecies of the future. However, certain things can be verified, such as statements that deal with history, geography, science, and mathematics. Any revelation claim that has verifiable inaccuracies should be rejected.

Messianic prophecies were very popular in the writings of the early church fathers because they confirmed the claims of Jesus and demonstrated the amazing power of God’s Word. The detail and accuracy of these are amazing, including parents from the north country giving birth in the southern town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), the description of his crucifixion (Psalm 22) with the crowd mocking him (vv. 6-8), the soldiers piercing his hands and feet and casting lots for his clothing (vv. 16-18), and the cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (v. 1). Each fulfilled prophecy further confirms our confidence in Scripture.

In this regard, our Bible has stood the test time and time again. As historians reconstruct ancient history piece by piece with the data available to them, the stories in the Bible are consistent and credible. In the exciting field of Bible archeology, every new discovery supports the biblical text. Critics have sometimes challenged

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The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-IB-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-LE Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-IB-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-LE Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-IB-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-LE Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E

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A f f ir med by A p o s t ol ic W i t ne s s

Despite intellectual arguments t o t h e c o n t r a r y, w e h a v e g o o d reasons to continue regarding the Bible as the inspired and trustworthy Word of God.

As historians reconstruct ancient history piece by piece with the data available to them, the stories in the Bible are consistent and credible.

The testimony of firsthand eyewitnesses with access to the intimate activities and teachings of Jesus give their writings g r e a t e r c r e d i b i l i t y.

Peter explained that he and the other apostles did not pass along tales they had heard, but rather, actual events in the life of Jesus they had witnessed (2 Peter 1:16-18). The testimony of firsthand eyewitnesses with access to the intimate activities and teachings of Jesus give their writings greater credibility. Many people wrote about Jesus in the first century (Luke 1:1, 2), but only 27 writings have been universally accepted as sacred and trustworthy because they bear the marks of being apostolic, that is, written by Jesus’ apostles (Matthew, John, Paul, Peter) or their close associates (Mark, Luke, James, Jude). Further enhancing their credulity is the fact that all these people were willing to die for their testimony, refusing to save their own lives by recanting.

s up p or t ed by in t er n a l uni t y This truth is also worth repeating: The Bible was written by 40 authors over a 1,500-year period in 3 different languages. And yet, with all of these differences, the Bible’s doctrinal and moral teaching is uniform and consistent. A variety of styles and themes are found in the various books of the Bible, but there is unity of theological thought that implies the work of a master supervisor, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20, 21).

A f f ir med by t he T e s t imon y of Je s u s Jesus spoke of Scripture as God’s truth (John 17:17), a truth that would not fail (John 10:35). In his preaching and teaching, Jesus referred to the incredible stories of the Old Testament as true events. He spoke of Adam and Eve (Matthew 19:4, 5), Noah and the flood (Luke 17:26, 27), the destruction of Sodom by fire from the sky (Luke 17:28-32), and Jonah in the belly of a great fish (Matthew 12:39, 40). Some modern critics, who consider supernatural stories like these to be religious myths, propose that Jesus was likely unaware of what really happened in his past. They contend Jesus simply repeated the well-known stories of the Bible because he was a product of his times. But if Jesus could be mistaken in matters of historical facts, should we not be con-

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cerned about his statements of spiritual truths? If you trust Jesus in all things, then you should also trust his high view of Scripture.

A f f ir med by t he Bibl e In recounting reasons to trust the Bible, it is fitting to examine the testimony of Scripture about itself. The Bible claims to present God’s truth (John 17:17), words that will stand when tested (Proverbs 30:5, 6). Each book of the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16) and written under the direct supervision of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20, 21). This allowed a variety of writing styles and emphases for the individual authors, while ensuring all of Scripture truthfully and accurately conveyed the message of God. The Holy Spirit’s involvement in the production of the Bible leads us to expect an accurate presentation of God’s Word. Jesus dubbed him “the Spirit of truth,” who would guide the apostles in conveying God’s truth to us (John 14:26; 15:26, 27; 16:13). The apostolic affirmation that all Scripture is inspired encompassed not only the long-established Old Testament canon but also the New Testament writings as they appeared. As Paul quoted “Scripture” (1 Timothy 5:18), he referred to Moses (Deuteronomy 25:4) as well as Luke (Luke 10:7). When Peter spoke of those who distort “Scripture,” he mentioned specifically, and favorably, the Epistles of Paul (2 Peter 3:15, 16). The psalmist proclaims: “All your commands are true. Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever” (Psalm 119:151, 152). We too have been taught to cherish and respect the Bible as the Word of God, and we have good reasons to maintain that trust. 

Johnny Pressley serves as senior minister at First Church of Christ in Washington, North Carolina. He previously served as professor of theology, theology department chair, and seminary dean at Cincinnati Christian University and as professor of theology & New Testament at Mid-Atlantic Christian University.

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what we believe

W E B E L I E V E i n t h e s u p e r n a t u r a l

By David Faust

TV sportscaster Al Michaels uttered one of the most memorable lines in broadcasting history during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. As America’s young hockey team skated toward a 4-3 win over the heavily-favored Soviet squad, Michaels blurted out, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” An underdog victory in a sporting event doesn’t compare to parting the Red Sea, but if someone asks, “Do you believe in the miracles described in the Bible?” my answer is a resounding yes! Churches devoted to Restoration Movement ideals such as “where the Bible speaks, we speak,” give that same answer.

DON’T MAKE A ‘SKEPTACLE’ OF YOURSELF

Have you ever met someone who considers belief in the supernatural naïve and outdated? If you encounter such individuals—let’s nickname them skeptacles (“skeptic” plus “miracles”)— take their questions seriously. Scripture says, “Be merciful to those who doubt” (Jude 22), and “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks” the reason for your hope in Christ (1 Peter 3:15).

The Jewish Sadducees were skeptacles. Jesus told them, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). They didn’t believe in angels, spirYes, we believe God provided manna for the its, or the resurrection (Acts 23:8). Israelites and he made the walls of Jericho collapse. We believe Elijah prayed and fire came Greek philosophers were skeptacles. When the down. We believe Jesus changed water into apostle Paul preached in Athens, some members wine, healed people who suffered from leprosy, of the audience sneered when he got to the part and raised Lazarus back to life. We believe God about Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 17:32). This anticonfirmed the message of salvation “by signs, supernatural worldview infected the church in wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of Corinth, moving Paul to ask in astonishment, the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will” “How can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:12). (Hebrews 2:4).

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America’s third president was a skeptacle. Thomas Jefferson held Jesus’ moral teachings in high regard, but he didn’t accept the miracles recorded in the Gospels. According to a Smithsonian magazine article by Owen Edwards (January 2012), Jefferson took a sharp instrument and literally cut and pasted together his own version of the New Testament. The resulting 84-page document, bound in red leather and titled The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, includes some of Jesus’ life and teachings, but omits supernatural references like the feeding of the 5,000. It includes Jesus’ burial, but not his resurrection. TV personality Bill Maher is a skeptacle. In a 2008 interview with the New York Times, Maher said, “It’s not that there are no miracles. A tree is a miracle. You’re just used to it. . . . All the essentials of religion that are in the Bible or the Koran—we’re used to them. But it doesn’t mean they’re not crazy, doesn’t mean they’re not ridiculous. And so to be religious at all is to be an extremist, is to be irrational.” Liberal biblical scholars tend to be skeptacles. As the Restoration Movement was gaining momentum on the American frontier in the 1800s and early 1900s, a stream of biblical scholarship influenced by theologians like Rudolf Bultmann contended that history is a closed continuum of effects untouched by supernatural powers. They set out to “demythologize” the Gospels, suggesting that the wonders attributed to Jesus in the New Testament probably could be explained by natural laws if all the facts were known. Conservative students of the Bible, though, could not accept this approach. In his book Union in Truth (Standard Publishing, 1994), James B. North tells how Restoration preacher Z. T. Sweeney challenged H. L. Willett to a debate. Willett was a prominent liberal among the Disciples of Christ. The debate never happened, however, because the

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two men couldn’t agree on the definition of a miracle. To Willett, a miracle was merely “the unusual but normal activity of a perfect life in the domain of nature.” Some of today’s religious leaders are skeptacles. When I was a young minister in New York, I got to know a Jewish rabbi from a Reformed synagogue known for its liberal views. When I mentioned my confidence in the Bible, the rabbi asked incredulously, “You actually believe Jacob wrestled with a real angel?” I nodded, and he shook his head in amazement, while a minister from a mainline Protestant church joined in the mockery. MIRACLES REALLY HAPPENED

Can we reasonably believe in the miracles described in the Bible? Here are three key questions to consider: 1. Does God exist? Yes! The creator described in Holy Scripture is the “uncaused cause,” the author of life, the foundation of morality, and the architect of the marvels of DNA. God has revealed himself through nature, through Scripture, and through the Living Word who became flesh and entered human history (John 1:14-18; Hebrews 1:1-3). If you accept Genesis 1:1 as true, it’s reasonable to believe that on rare occasions the God who created the universe can intervene and alter a natural process by the exercise of his divine will. Miracles don’t violate the principle of cause and effect, they simply introduce a supernatural cause into the pattern. If God exists, miracles are at least a possibility. 2. Is the Bible reliable? Yes! Archaeological evidence proves the Bible trustworthy in countless areas where we can test it—for example, in its description of geographical details (cities, mountains, and rivers) and ancient government officials (kings, governors, and emperors).

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B IBLIC AL MIR ACLE S WE RE NOT R ANDOM M AGIC TRICK S ; THE Y OFFE RE D CRE DIBLE E VIDE NCE THAT GOD â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S ME S SAGE WA S TRUS T WORTH Y.

Unless you are biased against the supernatural, why wouldn’t you accept the Bible’s testimony about miraculous events? • Luke didn’t pen random religious ideas; he interviewed eyewitnesses and fearlessly interspersed real-world historical events into his narratives (Luke 1:1-3; Acts 1:1-4). • Miracles are woven inseparably into Israel’s history in the Old Testament and the growth of the church in the New Testament. Apart from God’s supernatural intervention, these historical facts are difficult to explain. • Fulfilled prophecies found in Scripture are themselves a kind of miracle because they demonstrate supernatural foreknowledge of future events. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would guide his apostles “into all the truth” (John 16:13). We believe “prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). 3. Did Jesus rise from the dead? Yes! The entire Christian faith depends on this supernatural event. We declare “Jesus is Lord” because we believe “God raised him from the dead” (Romans 10:9). The resurrection distinguishes Jesus from all other religious leaders. Jesus predicted his own resurrection and considered it the ultimate proof of his identity as the Messiah. If he didn’t rise from the dead, the Master Teacher was mistaken about his main message. “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). But because “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,” our “labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:20, 58). Hundreds of eyewitnesses saw so “many convincing proofs that he was alive” (Acts 1:3) that

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even doubting Thomas and skeptics like Saul of Tarsus and Jesus’ brother James were compelled to believe in Jesus (John 20:24-29; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8). The early church grew rapidly as believers confidently affirmed, “He is alive!” [Read the sidebar, “What Would It Take to Raise Someone from the Dead?” available at christianstandard.com.] MIRACLES MATTER

The New Testament writers describe miracles in vivid terms: • Dunameis (from which we derive our word dynamite) means “mighty works” and emphasizes how God demonstrated his power through supernatural acts. • Terata (“wonders”) emphasizes the effect of the miracles. Typically, those who observed God’s mighty deeds were filled with wonder and awe (Acts 2:43). • Semeia (translated “signs” in the Gospel of John) highlights the meaning and purpose of the miracles. Peter used all three of these words to confirm Jesus’ messianic credentials. He declared, “Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs” (Acts 2:22). Likewise, Paul saw the ability to perform miracles as a distinguishing characteristic of the apostles. He wrote, “I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles” (2 Corinthians 12:12). Biblical miracles were not random magic tricks; they offered credible evidence that God’s message was trustworthy. Nicodemus told Jesus, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him” (John 3:2).

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By contending for biblical miracles, we don’t see the world as a wild place where scientific laws are constantly disrupted. A miracle is a rare exception, not the rule. Jesus multiplied bread and fish, but once eaten, the food was digested in the normal way. After Lazarus was raised from the dead, his body was once again subject to normal processes and pains; in fact, after Lazarus was resurrected, Jesus’ enemies wanted to kill him again (John 12:9-11). [Read the sidebar, “Facts About Biblical Miracles,” available at christianstandard.com.] Skeptics suggest the following alternative views. We can respond to each with rational and biblical conviction. • “Biblical miracles were simply the invention of naive, unscientific minds.” Ancient people weren’t fools. When his virgin fiancé became pregnant, Joseph didn’t need a degree in gynecology to know babies don’t come from the stork. James and John didn’t have to be meteorologists to recognize a miracle when Jesus calmed a storm on the Sea of Galilee. • “Miracles were psychologically induced.” Skeptics postulate that sick bodies weren’t actually healed; people just felt better after encountering Jesus. However, “mindover-matter” doesn’t explain how Jesus gave sight to a man born blind or simultaneously healed 10 men of leprosy. Practical-minded people with common sense could recognize when life had left the body, so they were astonished (just as we would have been) when Jesus raised the dead (Luke 8:52-56; John 11:38-44). • “Miracles were private, unverifiable religious experiences.” Jesus did perform a few miracles in relative privacy, but he did many of his mighty works in public in the presence of large crowds (Mark 1:32-34).

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Even detractors of the faith couldn’t deny the results of Jesus’ supernatural power (Mark 3:1-6; Acts 4:13-22). Beyond these defenses, Jesus considered miracles important. He told those who struggled to accept his claims, “At least believe on the evidence of the works themselves” (John 14:11). Miracles don’t convince everyone. Some observers “still would not believe in him” in spite of all the miracles he performed (John 12:37). But many were convinced. The manner of Jesus’ death, including an earthquake and supernatural darkness, even moved the centurion near the cross to confess his admiration for the crucified Christ (Matthew 27:54). If we read the Bible with an open mind and allow for the possibility of divine intervention, we can recognize God’s purpose and power in the signs and wonders recorded there. The grand Easter miracle validates Jesus’ claims. He was “appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). So yes, we believe in the supernatural. We agree with John’s conclusion, “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30, 31). 

A longtime columnist for The Lookout and the author of 16 books, David Faust is a staff member at East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis and serves as a leadership advisor with Connection Pointe Christian Church in Brownsburg, Indiana. He has planted and led churches in New York and Ohio and served as president of Cincinnati Christian University.

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