Answering Skeptics Part 1- Jesus' Life Impacted Human History and Our Present

Answering Skeptics Part 1- Jesus' Life Impacted Human History and Our Present Pastor Lila Clay & Pastor Noelle Huether Who is this Jesus? Who is this man? What impact has he had on history? Jesus fulfilled all prophesies of the Messisah as recorded from the beginning in Genesis (Gen. 3) through the minor prophets in the Bible. A result of His fulfilling all the prophecies: Many people have devoted their lives to destroy, while others have devoted their lives to proclaim. Many are filled with hate, while others are filled with love. Many curse His Name upon their lips, while others keep His Name sacred upon their lips. Many kill His People, while others die for Him. Many museums hide every evidence, artifact and document proving His existence and accuracy of the Bible, while other museums' sole existence is to display all facts verifying God's truths. Many colleges and professors focus on destroying the faith of students, while other schools and scholars  focus on developing students' faith. Many wars have been, and are still being, fought because of Jesus. The Bible is claimed to be the all-time best selling book, with over 5 billion copies translated in over 550 languages. Upon the Bible hangs the great debates in science, theology, psychology, sociology and every other -ology out there. Jesus existence made the Jews change their calendar to prove He was not the Messiah. Have you thought of the impact Jesus has on individual lives? He can change a heart of pure evil into a heart of love - murderers' lives are changed as they proclaim peace, hope and love, even surrendering their lives for God and others. No drug, therapy or counseling can compare to the effect Jesus can have in the lives of those who believe. Miracles are still happening today - testimonies are here in this church and around the world. Short Answers for Skeptics' Questions: Q  Isn't the Bible just a book of stories that was written by a bunch of men who wanted to make up their own god and religion? A  That is a good question. The Bible records history from the creation to the time right after Jesus. Let's look at some facts together. The Bible contains 66 books, written by over 40 authors, with God's help of course. Can you imagine 40 people writing in complete harmony over 1500 years? I tell you the truth, you'd have a hard time getting 40 people to be that consistent writing on only one subject in just a 10 year period! Q How do we know the Bible you are reading today is reliable? A Experts know that the more copies there is of a document as well as the shorter span of time between the copies and the original, confirm authenticity of the original writing. No other document has as many copies with as few discrepancies or even written so close in time to the originals as the Bible. Just think, we have more than 5000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament versus 643 total copies the book, the Iliad, by Homer.  Of these Greek copies from the Bible, some are within around 150 years of the originals versus 500 years of the Iliad. Even so, the Bible's Greek documents have a more than 99% consistency rate with each other. Not only are the New Testament writers witness accounts, but also accurate and reliable documents just like the Iliad and other early texts. All of it is in perfect harmony telling of the great love God has for us. This document is unique. Q What love? What about all the horrible things done by Christians in the name of their God and their Book? What about the Crusades or slavery? Those things are not love! Not as I understand love anyway. A You are right. Those events are not according to  Jesus' teachings or the way a Christian should act. People can do terrible things in the name of whatever reason they want. But, I challenge you to test the teachings of Jesus by His actions and His words. Read the Bible yourself, don't base your belief about Christianity on what people say or do. Base it on what God, Jesus, and the Bible says is truth. Q Did Jesus ever say He was the Son of God? A Actually, no other person has ever been recorded doing healings as Jesus did: He healed the lame, the blind, the demon possessed, the bleeding, even raised the dead to life! We know from firsthand accounts that he brought a young girl back to life and even a man who was dead in the tomb for 3 days. Jesus did proclaim several times in the Gospel accounts that He was the Messiah, the Christ. Also, a crowd witnessed God the Father proclaim Jesus was His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased. Q All of this is just too weird and chaotic to make any sense. It has to be all made up. A It may seem a jumbled and confusing for you at this point. The more you read and study the clearer it all becomes. When you read the more than 300 prophecies about the Messiah written over 400 years before He was even born, it really makes you start to wonder. Q I bet they were easy for Jesus to just fulfill on his own. A Well, maybe a handful of them. But not that he would be born in Bethlehem, born of a virgin, of the tribe of Judah, a descendant of King David, that his brothers would reject him, that he was sold for 30 pieces of silver which would be used to buy a potter's field, he would be beaten, spit upon, crucified on a cross next to criminals, his garments being gambled for and he would be buried in a rich man's tomb. The list goes on and on... Q So that Bible you hold is actually logical? A Yes, check it out yourself with a desire to find the truth, and you will.