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Is God Qualified For the Job?

dreamstime_xs_65772136By Jesse Jost

Imagine that the position of Ruler of the Universe became available. If you got the job what would be your first act? Stamping out ISIS? Eradicating cancer? Ending world hunger? With unlimited power at your disposal, these things should be easy to accomplish before moving on to eliminate hate and bigotry, right?

Even with all the wildly divergent beliefs and religions, if there is one thing we humans can agree on, this world is a messed up place. There is a deep groaning that things are not the way they are supposed to be. It often seems like God, considering the endless resources He must have at His disposal, could be doing a better job of cleaning up the mess and doing more to intervene and stop the bleeding. Is this really the case?

A defining attribute of humanity is our overweening presumption that we could be doing a better job than the person who is actually doing the job. With absolutely no comprehension of the finer details or the options that are really available, we feel full confidence to criticize and complain about how a job is being handled. From the decisions of the church board, to the executive orders of the president, we seem sure that were we in that position, we would have accomplished more, and done it better.

Are you more qualified for the job of God? It seems a foolish question to ask, but I raise it because so many of our attitudes and actions seem to reflect that, deep down, we really believe we know better than God.

Before we look at how qualified you are for the position of Supreme Potentate, let’s look at how well you’ve handled the job of being Human. Ever longed for something that you thought would make you happy, only to find it brought heartbreak instead? Have you ever uttered words that you have regretted? Ever look back and are grateful that you didn’t have the power or opportunity to act on the ill will that violent anger stirred? How often do you stick to your own goals and standards? Ever find yourself doing something you swore you never would? Continue reading…

  • Jesse

    Thank you for taking the time to write this Jesse.

  • Nancy Bowman

    Well said, Jesse! It encourages; it exhorts; and it exposes lies and cherished, vain imaginings about who we think we are. This is useful in the kingdom. May it bear much fruit. ~N.

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New Podcast!

12370863_1120135844672293_7840213459121591541_oWe are pleased to announce the creation of our own podcast channel. You can find our channel here: http://purityandtruth.podbean.com/

Or find our podcast on itunes by searching for “purity and truth” or “Jesse Jost”.

I am currently uploading all 20 sessions of my three part church history series, after that I plan on continuing to upload the audio from many of my past speaking engagements on topics such as apologetics, evangelism, and romantic relationships. Check it out and book mark the page to check back in the future.

I hope my words are an encouragement to you. God bless!

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Free Personal Evangelism Course

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by Jesse Jost
The topic of witnessing can be so guilt inducing for many Christians. We know we have an obligation to the lost, but there is so much confusion surrounding how to go about it without alienating the very people we are trying to grow closer to.

In 2010 I was invited to Ecola Bible School (in Cannon Beach, OR) to teach a week long course on Personal evangelism. In preparing for the course, I read several powerful books by people who had so much more wisdom and life experience in evangelism than I had. I was so encouraged and inspired by the practical tips and strategies they offered. I tried to include their most helpful ideas. The class objectives were as follows:

To have a clearer understanding of what the gospel message really is and how to communicate it effectively to the world around us. To grasp the importance of clear communication and how perception and worldviews will affect how our message is interpreted. To learn how to handle the tough objections people often need to deal with before they are ready to listen. To discover a fun and valuable way to memorize Scripture. And finally to see the lost through God’s eyes, and determine what He requires of us in our interactions with unbelievers.

I am happy to offer free audio downloads of the sessions and the syllabus. I hope you are encouraged by these talks to step out of your comfort zone and share the incredible good news of Jesus Christ in a loving and winsome way!

Download the podcasts of the sessions: purityandtruth.podbean.com

Download the Syllabus: Personal evangelism syllabus

Session 1: The Atonement Topics: Why did Jesus have to die? What did his death accomplish? How could God’s justice be satisfied by the worst crime in human history? Did Jesus save us from our sins, or the penalty of our sins, or both? Will cover different views on the atonement that have been held throughout church history.

Session 2 “What is the Gospel message?” Topics include: What must I do to be saved? Can you lose your Salvation? How can I know for sure I am going to heaven? What is required on our part? Illustrations that will communicate the gospel ideas in fresh ways.

Session 3 “What do they hear?” Topics: The importance of listening in evangelism. Overcoming the language barrier. How worldviews and past experiences affect how our message is perceived. Communication skills that are critical to evangelism.

Session 4 “Worldview Awareness” Topics: What is a worldview? Objective Truth vs. Subjective Truth. Worldview and Evangelism. False Worldviews. Strategies for discerning and exposing a false worldview.

Session 5 “The Ambassadors methods.” Topics: How questions can move people farther along than answers will. Questions that can turn conversations toward spiritual ideas. Conversation starters.

Session 6 “Dealing With Doubters and How to Prevent Backsliding” Topics: My personal journey with doubt and the truths that strengthened my faith.

Session 7 “Dealing with objections” Topics: Strategies for dealing with common objections. Concise apologetics arguments that work in real life conversations. Objections covered, “There is no God.” “How can there be a God when there is so much evil in the world?” “Jesus was just a myth.” “The Bible is a man-made book full of contradictions.” “God won’t send anyone to hell.” “The church is full of hypocrites.”

Session 8 “How to memorize Scripture” Topics: New techniques that are guaranteed to make scripture memory easier, and help with longer retention.

Session 9 “The Plight of the Lost.” Topics: Why evangelize? How does the Bible tell us to witness? The emptiness of those who are outside of Christ. How does God see the non-believer?

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A Message From The Author of Your Faith

dreamstime_xs_23872857Verses compiled, personalized and paraphrased by Jesse Jost

I want you to stop and ponder what amazing love My Father has given you by calling you His children.

Think about it: You were dead in your trespasses and sins, following the course of this world, enslaved to one who hates you, carrying out the evil desires of body and mind. You were foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing your days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. You were by nature children of wrath, enemies of God. But My Father, who is rich in mercy, and because of His great love with which He loves you, even while you were dead in sin, made you alive in Me, and raised you up to be seated in heavenly places, that in you might be displayed His indescribable kindness.

You have been saved by His grace through faith. This is not your doing, but pure gift. You have done nothing to earn this, so don’t boast. You are My workmanship. I created you for good works that were prepared before you were conceived.

You once were nobodies, without mercy and without hope. But now you have been predestined for adoption by the King of Kings. You are in line for an inheritance that you can barely comprehend. This is a sure thing because it’s been promised by My Father who works all things according to the counsel of His will. No purpose of His can be thwarted.

All whom the Father has given Me will come to Me, and I will lose none of you. I am able to save you to the uttermost. I live to make intercession for you.

Don’t think I’m a high Priest who can’t sympathize with your weakness! I was tempted in every respect that you are, I tasted the weakness and the deprivations of life, and through My own death, I destroyed the one who has the power of death: the devil. So come with confidence to My throne and you will receive mercy and grace to help in your time of need.

Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your enemy, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion seeking to devour you. Don’t rely on your strength, and don’t look to your righteousness to be accepted by Me. Don’t boast in your giftings or callings, because they all come from Me. I am the one who is empowering everyone.

Don’t think you can stand on your own. Abide in me. Without Me you can do nothing. I will not let you be tempted beyond what you are able and will always provide a way of escape. Be extra vigilant against pride. Seriously, don’t take pride lightly! My Father opposes the proud person! Reflect on that a minute. You don’t want God against you!

Continue reading…

  • Jackie

    A pastor explaining Eps. 2:1 used the illustration of a body in a graveyard … that that is how “dead” we are, and unable to save ourselves. This article is one of the clearest, most personal and beautiful compilations I’ve ever read. God is certainly using your writing!

  • Jesse

    Thank you so much for writing. It encouraged me today that God is powerful and I want to keep staying close to Him. I found your blog a few years ago and have enjoyed and been blessed by your articles.

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Eschatology: A Fresh Look At Some Old Ideas

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-stack-antique-books-image27917410By Jesse Jost

For over a hundred and thirty years, the Evangelical church has been looking at prophecy through the interpretive lenses of Pre-Trib, Pre-Millennialism. The charts and memorable images of people vanishing, a one world government, rebuilt temple, The Anti-Christ, and the great tribulation are deeply imprinted in the evangelical mind. Many came to Christ because out of fear of being “left behind”. Every year prophecy books that see biblical fulfillment in recent world events top the best seller charts. Seemingly, there is no other way to look at prophecy. To many, the suggestion that some of these events may have been fulfilled in the past is tantamount to denying the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and the inerrancy of Scripture. However, what happens when you remove your preconceptions about the eschatological time table and let Scripture speak for itself?

In this article I will briefly examine some alternate interpretations of what the Bible has to say about the Kingdom, the Last Days, the Great Tribulation, the Beast of Revelation, and the Rapture. Pretend you are looking at the Bible for the first time and you have no ideas about the end times. Take another look.

The Kingdom

Nebuchadnezzar, the great world ruler, had a terrible nightmare. When he awoke, he simply had to know what his dream meant. Only to Daniel did God reveal the great significance of this vision of the future. Nebuchadnezzar had seen a great statue with a head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, a belly and thighs of bronze, legs of bronze, and feet of iron and clay. A stone that was not cut with human hands struck the feet of the statute and destroyed it. The stone became a great mountain that grew until it filled the earth. Daniel explained that each part of the statue represented a world kingdom: Babylon, then Media-Persia, then the Greeks, and finally the feet of iron – the terrible Roman Empire. In the days of this Roman Empire, God would set up a kingdom which would never be destroyed and would eventually break in pieces all other kingdoms. (Dan.2)

Let’s fast forward to the days of the Romans. John the Baptist appears on the scene warning “The time is fulfilled. Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” Jesus taught many parables about this imminent Kingdom. He likened it to leaven which is put in dough and multiplies until the whole loaf is permeated and to a mustard seed which is so tiny yet grows big enough for a bird to rest on it. (Matt. 13) Many Jews were aware of Daniel’s prophecy and knew they were in the days of the “kingdom of the feet.” Mothers wondered if their boys would be the Messiah who would deliver Israel and set up the foretold kingdom. Young zealots, with self induced visions of grandeur, tried to fulfill the prophecy. Jesus, recognized as the Messiah, was expected to set up this Kingdom. But, hopes were dashed with His death. Where was the Kingdom? Continue reading…

  • RJ Dotten

    Thank you for exposing this position to many who haven’t considered this. I was surrounding by dispensationalist thought until I began listening to Hank Hanegraff and Gary Demar teach on the subject. It is very clear and very simple. Your family just played at our Church and I found your website through the Josties site.

  • Tim

    “All Christian language about the future is a set of signposts pointing into a mist.”
    ― N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope

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Judging God: My Personal Struggle with Doubt

http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-images-clouds-thompson-pass-alaska-image26038279By Jesse Jost

He was a man passionate for God. In his late teens, Charles was rescued from a life of rubbish and filled with the Holy Spirit. His conversion dramatically changed the course of his life. Eager to put his new found faith into practice, Charles poured his life into evangelism. In his early twenties, he became close friends with Billy Graham. They hit the spotlight almost simultaneously. Their sincerity and fervent, yet thoughtful invitations to Christ were an effective combination. Charles’ success continued into his thirties. After attending Princeton Seminary, he carried on his evangelistic mission. A sought-after speaker and an able debater with a very compelling personality, he persuaded many to go to the mission field or to attend seminary. He also hosted a weekly show on CBS and was a rising star in the Presbyterian denomination. If you were looking for a hero of the faith, Charles Templeton was your man.

Despite his outward fervor and success, Charles was haunted by intellectual doubts about his faith. He simply could not reconcile what the Bible had to say with his own intuition and the “facts” of history and science. Charles judged the God of the Old Testament as a “petty, jealous, inept, vindictive, unjust, tribal god.” This god repented from making men and then killed them with a flood, hardened the heart of Pharaoh so he could murder all of Egypt’s firstborns, and ruthlessly commanded the slaughter of entire people groups. To Charles, this god simply was not compatible with the God of love he had been told about. Regarding the story of Job, Charles asked “How would you feel if God killed all your children just to make a point in an argument?” He denounced the story and the god as “immoral.” Finally, Charles shocked his congregation by saying he could no longer believe Christianity to be true, and walked away.

I once was blind but now I see?

I read about Charles Templeton’s spiritual derailment in his book, Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith. People like Templeton pique my curiosity. Like a moth drawn to a candle flame, I am attracted to atheist websites. I want to understand how “the other side” thinks so that I know how to reach them. I also want to better equip young people to respond to the objections of agnostics like Templeton. But as I read the writings of former Christians and “ex-apologists,” my faith is shaken and my heart is saddened. The website, www.ex-christians.net, has the testimonials of hundreds who have abandoned the faith.

In my earlier years, I was naïvely optimistic about the facts of Christianity. The evidence was so clear, I reasoned, and the arguments so compelling, that anyone who walked away from the faith must have been simply uninformed. If only these people would read The Case for Christ or, I Don’t have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, then they would be able to see! But I was deeply disturbed to hear about former apologists walking away. “What ominous information have these people discovered that caused them to lose faith?” I feared that I too would discover some dark secret revelation and my own de-conversion process would some day be chronicled online. I had to dig deeper. As I read the arguments and reasons given by those “un-born-again,” I realized I wasn’t as equipped to answer their objections as I had thought. Here I encountered the “bitter root of unbelief that defiles many.” (Heb 12:15 NLT) Continue reading…

  • Claire

    Thank you. Your struggles are the same as the ones I’m having now. This post is so helpful. I have come to the same conclusions as you, but am still struggling to battle with my mind! So relieving to find someone who has been where I am and come out the other side.

  • Andree Verhoog

    Once again very well put Jesse. Don’t ever put your pen down. The Lord has blessed you with a beautiful gift and I thank you for sharing it with us on this blog. Andrée Verhoog

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Highly recommended Apologetics Resources

Recommended Books on Apologetics

Basic

I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Frank Turek and Norm Geisler

Between Heaven and Hell by Peter Kreeft

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Michael Licona and Gary Habermas

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel

The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel

The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel

Intermediate

Jesus Under Fire General Editors J.P. Moreland and Michael Wilkins

Handbook of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Ron Tacelli

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

True for You But Not For Me by Paul Copan

That’s Just Your Interpretation by Paul Copan

The Reason for God by Timothy Keller

Advanced

Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig

Scaling the Secular City by J.P. Moreland

Great Apologetics Websites

www.str.org (Greg Koukl)

www.equip.org (Hank Hanegraaff)

www.apologetics315.blogspot.com (A terrific collection of audio debates and messages)

www.tektonics.org (A good place to resolve bible difficulties)

www.rzim.org  (Ravi Zacharias)

  • Brad

    Good list. I think I own more than half of these titles. John Piper’s God is the Gospel is also a great title to consider.

    Brad

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What is Christian Apologetics?

Apologetics comes from the Greek word, apologia, meaning defense. Apologetics is the spiritual discipline that provides reasons for belief. Apologetics seeks to prove that Christianity is not only rooted in history and evidence, but is also consistent with and corresponds with reality. It also seeks to answer objections such as: “how could a good God send someone to hell? Is Jesus really the only way? Why has the church been so hypocritical and brutal?”

Biblical Support for Apologetics:

1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”

2 Cor 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Phil. 1:17, “But the latter [preach Christ] out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.”

Jude 3,  “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

Titus 1:9, “ holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.”          

2 Timothy 2:24-25, “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth.”

Isaiah 1:18, “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’”

Matt 22:37, “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’”

1 Thess 5: 21, “Test all things; hold fast what is good.”

2 Cor.5:20, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

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Why am I not an atheist

Why I am Not an Atheist

By Jesse Jost

For the most part, atheists are content to keep their views to themselves. Understandably atheism and religious fervor don’t usually go together…Until now. Today there is group of militant, dogmatic, fundamentalist atheists with the evangelistic drive of Billy Graham. If you haven’t heard the names of Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, or Daniel Dennett, you soon will. In fact you just did. These men have the passion of a late 1800’s women’s temperance union. However it is not the evils of alcohol they are trying to ban, it is the evils of religion. Hitchens claims that “religion poisons everything” while Dawkins wants the teaching of religion to minors to be classified as child abuse. These men welcome us “deluded God-believing nut cases” to abandon our bigoted superstitions and join them in their clear thinking oasis. I have read much of the so called “New Atheism’s” evangelistic material. They want to convert the world to join them in the church of the godless. Continue reading…

  • Tim

    A dear friend of mine recently told me he can’t believe in God anymore. I was stunned. I couldn’t respond in the moment because I didn’t know what to say, or what to do. I just mumbled a few words and that was that. I left for home the next day. And unfortunately he lives in another country so I haven’t had a chance to talk with him about it since.

    For months afterword I was in a weird state of grief, not so much at his admission of atheism as at my inability to respond in a crucial moment. So I spent hours thinking and reading and listening, trying to understand the atheist position, why he ‘lost’ his faith, and (I’ll admit) trying to find answers for him so that the next time I see him I’ll have just the right thing to say.

    It turns out I’ve learned more about my attitude toward atheists and atheism during this time than I have about what he might be thinking or feeling or the pain he might be going through. I think my Christian tradition taught me to hold at a distance those whose beliefs are different from mine, especially atheists. I now realize that my initial response was to feel a sense of superiority because I had the Truth and he didn’t (ironically, he studied at a Bible school and knows the Bible really well). I was also skeptical and suspicious of our friendship, his trustworthiness and morality, and a bunch of other things I can’t quite put my finger on yet. I’m still coming to terms with this dark part of myself. The truth is, I can’t relate to where he is right now because I have a prejudice towards atheists. This simply means I can’t love them very well. And that saddens me deeply.

    I’m beginning to heal. And I’m starting to glimpse what it’s often like to lose ones faith. When I see him next, instead of trying to convince him that he’s wrong about God, or that his atheism is misguided, I think I’ll just give him a hug and tell him that he’s loved.

    Mike McHargue says, ‘Atheists are not evil. They just don’t believe in God. It’s time for those of us who believe to stop expressing hostility towards atheists, be it overt or subtle. May we learn to treat atheists with the kindness, compassion, and consideration that Jesus offers to us.’

    Check out Mike’s podcast.
    http://www.theliturgists.com/podcast/2014/10/14/episode-6-lost-and-found-part-1#disqus_thread

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Who is Jesus – God or Fraud?

Who is Jesus? God or Fraud?

Who is Jesus? What happened in the first century? These are the questions we must answer. We must look at the available data and the explanations that are provided to explain the data. What are the facts of history? These are the facts that we must work with these are accepted by most liberal scholars and all conservative ones. The documents recording these facts have proven very reliable. Continue reading…

  • nursing schools

    Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!

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