1 / 9

The Case for Christ

The Case for Christ. Introduction. My personal journey. I was baptized as an infant in the Methodist Church with water from the Jordan River My mother told me about God at age 5 My father always attended church and read his Bible My first prayer was for a baby sister and I got one

ivana
Download Presentation

The Case for Christ

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Case for Christ Introduction

  2. My personal journey • I was baptized as an infant in the Methodist Church with water from the Jordan River • My mother told me about God at age 5 • My father always attended church and read his Bible • My first prayer was for a baby sister and I got one • My altar call was at age 15 when I attended a Ford Philpott revival • My college education was at Wheaton where I met Clay • After 9 years of marriage, he asked me if I was truly born again

  3. My personal journey • At age 30 I asked my pastor, Reed Heckathorne, to baptize me as an adult • Pastor Heckathorne asked me if I had anything to say • I heard the sinner’s prayer come out of my mouth • The baptismal water was unheated February tap water but to me it was the warmest water I had ever felt • I had hands laid on me at church to receive the Holy Spirit • In a room at home with only Clay as witness, I experienced a vision of the Revelation Christ and the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues

  4. My personal journey • 2 Corinthians 5:17 King James Version (KJV) 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. • Psalm 138:8 New King James Version (NKJV) 8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

  5. The Case for Christ • Who is Lee Strobel? He has a Master of Studies in Law from Yale Law School, and was an award-winning journalist at the Chicago Tribune. Today he is a teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago. • Why did he write this book? Strobel was an atheist when his wife, Leslie, became a Christian in 1979. Prompted by the changes he saw in his wife, changes that were unexpectedly pleasant, Strobel applied his training in law and journalism to examine the evidence that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God.

  6. The Case for Christ • What was his methodology? Strobel cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates who are recognized authorities in their own fields. He looked for evidence from history, science, philosophy and psychology. He looked at numerous categories of proof—eyewitness evidence, documentary evidence, corroborating evidence, rebuttal evidence, scientific evidence, psychological evidence, circumstantial evidence, and even fingerprint evidence.

  7. The Case for Christ • What is his message to the reader? While he takes a legal perspective on the investigation, the reader is invited to take on the role of a juror. The reader is to approach the subject as a prospective juror would—setting aside preconceived ideas while examining and weighing the evidence in order to come to the best possible conclusion. There is no absolute proof about anything in life, but a careful and thoughtful examination of the facts will lead to a verdict. That process, followed by Strobel himself, converted him from an atheist to a believer. But rather than preach to his audience, Strobel invites his readers to take the same journey, remain open-minded and fair, and draw their own conclusions based on the weight of the facts and not on whims or prejudices.

  8. What about you? • You are on a personal journey • Consider writing and/or telling your story • What evidence convinces you that Christ is the Messiah? • If you would like to know more, consider reading The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

  9. In the weeks to come • Part 1—Examining the Record • Part 2—Analyzing Jesus • Part 3—Researching the Resurrection • Next week—Chapter 1 The Eyewitness Evidence

More Related