Apologetics

This morning my devotion comes from Colossians 2. Immediately I think of apologetics. Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of information. Early Christian writers (c. 120-220) who defended their faith against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called apologists. Colossians 2:4 I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments.NLT Colossians 2:8 Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.NLT You have to pay attention to what you are listening to. You have to quit listening to what the world says. Be transformed by the daily renewal of your mind. Romans 12.2

Lee Strobel's wrote a book called The Case for Christ. Lee was an atheist who set out to prove the Jesus and the bible was just a book of stories and Jesus was not real. What he found out was Holy Spirit is very real and Jesus is real and he could not prove the bible was false. He came to know the Lord through his research. Here are some examples:

The bible has parables, prophecy, song, romance, biography, law, etc. And, depending on the translation, there are some 785,000 words comprised in 31,101 verses, which hold 8,000 predictions, 6,468 commands, 3,294 questions, and 1,260 promises. You can't prove the bible wrong! No matter how hard you try. Archeologists have found over 25000 sites that prove and validate the Old Testament.

From Bible Believers.org For example, what's the likelihood of a person predicting today the exact city in which the birth of a future leader would take place, well into the 21st century? This is indeed what the prophet Micah did 700 years before the Messiah. Further, what is the likelihood of predicting the precise manner of death that a new, unknown religious leader would experience, a thousand years from now - a manner of death presently unknown, and to remain unknown for hundreds of years? Yet, this is what David did in 1000 B.C. Again, what is the likelihood of predicting the specific date of the appearance of some great future leader, hundreds of years in advance? This is what Daniel did, 530 years before Christ. If one were to conceive 50 specific prophecies about a person in the future, whom one would never meet, just what's the likelihood that this person will fulfill all 50 of the predictions? How much less would this likelihood be if 25 of these predictions were about what other people would do to him, and were completely beyond his control? For example, how does someone "arrange" to be born in a specific family? How does one "arrange" to be born in a specified city, in which their parents don't actually live? How does one "arrange" their own death - and specifically by crucifixion, with two others, and then "arrange" to have their executioners gamble for His clothing (John 16:19; Psalms 22:18)? How does one "arrange" to be betrayed in advance? How does one "arrange" to have the executioners carry out the regular practice of breaking the legs of the two victims on either side, but not their own? Finally, how does one "arrange" to be God? How does one escape from a grave and appear to people after having been killed? http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/radio034.htm

There is so much more than just this. The point is this. You need to know apologetics so when you come up against the person who says. The bible is just a book ….. just a bunch of made up stories, you need to know this information it will help you. The flip side is if you come against someone who just doesn't want to believe, it will not matter what you say. Then you just have to shut up and let Holy Spirit do his job.

You couldn't make me believe when I wasn't ready.