Question 5 - Whats One or More Primary Sources for Christianity (outside of the Bible)

#5 What’s One or More Primary Sources to Prove Christianity?
This is a really good question and I am glad someone asked it. And obviously I can’t just spend 5 minutes on this to answer this question. Like I have told you it took me 2 years of studying and reading until I came to the conclusion that the best explanation for all the evidence is Christianity. But let me give you some examples..
The Bible is a unique book because it deals with Upper Story and Lower Story events. Upper story is the ethereal, supernatural aspects of the book that you can study but you cannot prove. For example the existence of Angels, God Creating the world, Jesus Christ Sacrificial atonement, etc. Lower Story are things you can study and prove to be true or false. Things like kings in power during a certain era, cities that have existed, geography, etc. Things you can study through Science and Archeology. And let me just give you a few examples of how this has been used.
I talked about a month ago how we can come to the conclusion that God created the universe through scientific study, but let me give you another study that I didn’t talk about. Now I think this is really cool but it might be over some heads so let me explain this. Astrology is an interesting science because it is the only science that actually lets you observe back in time. Astrology of course is the science of studying and looking at stars. And the distance a star is from the earth is measured in a light year. Meaning, traveling at the speed of light, that is how long it takes for that to be visible from our planet. Take the Big Dipper for example. The Big Dipper is a constellation with the closes star to us is 86 light years and the farthest is 360 light years. So when you look at the big dipper you are looking at stars the way they were 86 years ago.. You are actually looking back in time.. Your mind is blown isn’t it. In all actuality when you look at the stars in the sky there are several of those stars that have already supernova and no longer exist. So you are looking at a light that is actually not there. So the theory is. The farther the star you see the farther back in time you look. What scientists have found when they look farther back through the stars is the existence of not 4 but 11 dimensions... This is what I mean. We operate in 4 dimensions... Height, Length, Width and Time. Those are the 4 dimensions that we operate in... Scientist have discovered 11 dimensions with no explanation of them. Now think of this of the existence of God... This is cool. If God does exist that means that he can operate in not just 4 dimensions but in at least 11…. See there is so much that people say are impossible, like How can God be both 1 yet three at the same time? How can go be sovereign yet give man a choice? There are all of these “mysteries” out there that we cannot understand because we view them in 4 dimensions but God, based on science, has the ability to operate in at least 11… That’s pretty cool!
Alright any of you confused? Good deal! But let me say it like this…. Neither Science nor Archeology has disproven the Bible… Let me explain that again, neither Science nor Archeology has disproven the Bible in fact and that includes Evolution. Listen I do not believe in Evolution, but that’s not because I am Christian and I have to, I believe the Theory itself is fundamentally flawed, but even if it were true. Even if evolution was true, it doesn’t disprove the Bible. It is possible to be a Christian and believe in Evolution. But that is a different story for a different day….
Let me give you an example from Archeology... It was long believed that the Bible contained an error in Daniel 5. Daniel 5 talks about the invasion of the Medo-Persian Empire of Babylon and the Bible says that the King of Babylon at the time was Beltshazzer. However, all historic texts tell us that the King at the time of the fall of Babylon was King Nabonidus... So atheist and agnostics would use this and say, look your Bible is Wrong... Your precious inerrant Bible is wrong… That is until 30 years, when an archeological dig made a discovery and they found writings that said, 10 years before the fall of Babylon King Nabonidus got tired of being King so he gave the empire over to his son…. Beltshazzer…. So Nabonidus was still in power but Beltshazzer was the one ruling.. And you want to know something cool…. Because the Bible has proven to be so reliable.. Archeologist now uses the Bible and studies it and they know, where the Bible says something is… Start digging…

Question 4 - Should the Church Be More Focused on Outreach or Personal Growth?

#4 Should the Church Be More Focused On Outreach and Serving OR Christian Fellowship and Personal Growth?
Simple answer, the Church Universal and the Church Local should be about all of these. The Church should be about outreach (the Great Commission) Serving the less fortunate as well as enjoying one another in fellowship and sharpening one another so we grow in our faith. You have to find that balance. And the hard thing is finding that balance.. You find churches that are really good at the fellowship and focus on inner doings of the church. The problem with that is that church becomes no more than a social club and has no impact on the outside world. Then you have a problem the other way, where you get people who focus so much on Serving God that it replaces sitting still and Knowing God. It is that balance that all churches should be a part of. That is why, Ephesians tells us, that God has giving people spiritual gifts. Gifts that they can give to the church. There are those who are gifted with service they should serve, those gifted in evangelism, they should be about outreach. There are those gifted in Teaching, they should feed the flock. There are Encouragers who should build up others and Pastors who oversee these ministries. This is why Paul gives the analogy that just has a body has many parts that do different functions but they all serve the body the church has many different parts and functions but it’s all for the purpose of building of the Church. That is why God has give you each a gift, for the purpose of not building you up, but the church so when you do not exercise your gift it is not you who suffer it is the body of Christ.

Question 3 - Is it Against the Bible to be Wealthy

#3 Is it Against the Bible to be Really Wealthy
To answer your question simply, no it is not against the Bible to be really wealthy. There are many characters in the Bible that God has blessed with wealth that is folks like Abraham, Job, King David etc. So no it is not against the Bible to be wealthy, but I would say the Bible definitely warns us about becoming wealthy. The Story that comes to mind is a parable that Jesus told in Luke 16 about the Rich Man and Lazarus. So there was the belief then, and believe it or not it’s still around, that God blesses obedience with wealth. That the more spiritual you are then the more wealthy you will become. That was the belief during Jesus time as well. So to counter that Jesus tells the story about a Wealthy Man who died and a man named Lazarus who was covered with sores who had no money and the best he could do was eat what feel from tables. It has this image of a dog eating the scraps.
Now if Jesus asked his listeners who would make it to the kingdom they would say, “Obviously the Rich man, because God has blessed him with possessions and prosperity and has cursed Lazarus with sickness and poverty because of his disobedience.” However as Jesus tells the story it is revealed that the Rich man went to Hades and Lazarus went to Paradise. Jesus is quick to say, it’s not rather you are rich or poor, it’s your heart that I care about… And the problem that usually that is associated with wealth is that the wealthy usually forget where they get their blessings. It’s easy to say, I am wealthy because I worked hard and I earned it and I got to where I am because of my own boot straps. It’s hard to say, I am wealthy because God has given me gifts and he has given me this wealth to do good. Do you see the difference? I will say this, if God has blessed you with wealth he has done it for a reason, and that primary reason should be to give back. Because missions cost money, and ministries cost money. If there were not the “wealthy” to support these ministries then these ministries would not happen. Here at K-Life, we totally rely on donations. We need support to run. And if we don’t get financial support then we have to close our doors and there will be no Tulsa K-Life. That is just a reality.
So in recap, no it’s not wrong or against the Bible to be wealthy. However when your love for your wealth replaces your love for the Lord and for his business then you are in trouble. Will you be able to say as Job did, when his wealth and his family was stripped away from him, “The Lord Gives and he takes away.”

Question 2 - What does the Bible say about Relationships before Marriage?

Question #2 – What does the Bible say about Relationships before Marriage?
Now I am assuming the person who asked this question is talking about dating relationships. That is at least how I am going to answer it. Now I am going to be honest and say that the Bible is relatively silent on the issue of dating and the reason why that is because dating did not really occur at this period of time. The marriage custom at the time was that when a child got to the age of puberty, commonly 13 for boys and 12 for girls, the Father would find a bride for his sons. So this meant that if I had a son once he reached 13 I would begin looking to find a girl of 12 or older and would ask her father to arrange a marriage. Most didn’t get married until they were 16-18.
So then what does this mean for Christian dating? There are a ton of great Books out there that take principles found in the Bible and apply them to our 21st century custom of dating. What is my stance? Now this is just my opinion, but I didn’t date in High School. Why didn’t I date? I will just be honest with you, I didn’t date because I have these things called hormones and during your High School years they seem to be firing at an exponential rate. So to put it bluntly, I didn’t date because all I wanted to do with a girl in high school was to make out them. I am just being honest! Since my only motivation to dating was to gratify a physical desire, that is called lust. 1 Timothy 5:2 says “Treat older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” And until I was ready to see that girl I took out as a sister of Christ and it was my responsibility to treat her with absolute purity. So no, I didn’t start dating until I was at a point where I could date someone with the intent of it going to marriage.
Well then how do you get to a point where you learn to get along with girls? Although I did not have a girl-friend, I had many friends who were girls. I learned to interact with girls, how to talk to girls, and learned quickly that girls solve problems and think differently than us guys do. I think everybody should have friendships with the opposite sex. Now that is just my opinion. But that is what I believe.
And just a little side note, let me just vent for a second. Let’s talk about this word Love for a moment. Meredith and I were talking today about friends we have known who have just rushed into marriage under the impression that they were “in love” and got engaged after only 4 or 5 months of dating married just 4 months later and divorced 1 or 2 later…. When I was your age I bought into the fact that love was a feeling.. I am here to tell you that love is not a feeling.. Love is a commitment. When you tell somebody you love them, what you should be telling them is no matter what the circumstances are, no matter what changes, I will always be here. I will always be at your side. And I certainly believe that. Don’t go dropping that L-Bomb because you feel a connection with somebody.. Only drop it if you are willing to make that commitment. Alright I feel better.

Question #1 - How Can We Tell the Difference Between God's Desire and Our Own Desire?

A few weeks ago at K-Life we took the time to answer some of the questions that you are asking. Here are the answers to those questions that you asked on Q and A night as well as some answers to questions that we did not have enough time to address.

Question 1: How can We Tell the Difference Between God’s Desire and Our Own Selfish Desire?
That’s a great question. You know there is a popular Christian cliché out there that when someone asks you “Hey can you take on this role at church or can you do this job” that a good Christian has to answer with, “Yea Let me Pray about that and I will get back to you.” You know you hear that all the time and essentially what they are saying is, “Let me see if it’s God’s will or not.” Now praying during for a big decision is a good thing and I am not down playing that, but seriously how do you know if God is leading you in a direction or not?
Another way that people ask this question is “What is God’s will for my life?” Does God want me to be a doctor, a pastor, which college does he want me to go to, does he want me to date or marry this girl or guy? And I hear that all the time but I am here to tell you that question is the wrong question to ask because God is not going to tell you… God is going to lead you on a journey but he is not going to tell you where to step. So the question that you should be asking is not “What is Gods will for my life” but the question is “What is God’s Will?” And that question is much easier to answer because God’s will is clearly stated in his word. This may seem like a dumb example, but to ask a question, is it’s God’s will for me to go out and drunk tonight you know from the Scriptures it is not and therefore if you go out and drink you are then acting outside of God’s desire for your life. Does God want me to date this non-Christian boy? Easy No he does not want you to be yoked with a non believer because he will more like bring you down then you bring him up.
But what about big decisions? Colleges, professions, marriages? How do I know God’s Will for my life then? Now this is my opinion, but I don’t think it matters to God what University you go to and what job you do, as long as you continue to do his will and that is live a life of holiness and be about the expansion of the kingdom of God. And whatever direction you Go that is God’s will for you. If he did not want you to go there then he would of shut the doors and had you go a different route. I see too many Christians on the sidelines because they are trying to figure out “God’s perfect plan” instead of going out there and getting in the game. God will honor that more than anything. So to answer your question, how do we know God’s desire from our own selfish desire? If it goes against the word of God and you still want to engage in it then that is your sinful nature and your selfish desire. However if it goes according to his word then God has give you gifts and a passion and your desire then lines up with God’s desire.

Yo Gabba K-Life

Why are you a Christian?

I am not a Christian because I grew up in a Christian home located in white suburbia in the belt buckle of the Bible belt. Although that is certainly true. No, I am a Christian because I believe the evidence supports it, and unless I am convinced by overwhelming evidence to counter my belief I cannot change. However, I have not always stood on such assurance. In fact my Christian journey has been a progression of spiritual ignorance to intellectual agnosticism to resting on theistic certainty.

“Why am I a Christian” is a question that everybody should ask themselves. Now, I am not suggesting a “question everything” or “the only thing you need to know is that you know nothing” mentality. However, I am suggesting that if we make some audacious claims like there is a God who created all things and that only through the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ can you be saved; we better have reasonable evidence to support those claims rather than the traditional “the Bible says, I believe it, and that settles it” creed. And you know what, this kind of thought has invaded the church today. We have forgotten Romans 12:2 that says, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Instead we are being transformed by the renewing of our emotions. That spiritual transformation for us is experience and if I can just get my emotional fix then I can be a better Christian.

We share the gospel now by appealing to the senses, that if we can guilt somebody of their actions, or if we play the right music and use the right voice fluxation, then we can move somebody into this ethereal state and then they will believe. In other words if we can create some sort of burning in their bosom then they will receive the Gospel. And if we look how the gospel was spread, particularly how Paul preached, Paul did not once resort to emotion for belief in Jesus Christ. No you see as in Acts 17:2 tells us, “As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he REASONED with them from the Scriptures, explaining and PROVING, that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”

Some Reason, we live in a day where the blinder the faith that a person has the more spiritual that they are. The phrase that fills our congregations is “Ask me how I know he lives he lives in me.”

I spend my summers working with teenagers at a Christian summer camp called Kanakuk out in Shell Knob, Missouri (Yes it does exist, Google map it if you don’t believe me). I was talking to some of our oldest guy campers about the importance of developing the Christian mind and I asked them a simple question. “How many of you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ?” Of course, as good Christian boys, they answered that they did. We then discussed why the resurrection was so essential in Christian theology and without the assurance of it we have no hope in what Christ said was true, that our sins truly are forgiven, and we have no hope for our very own resurrection. After developing the case for the doctrinal necessity of the resurrection I asked them a question I don’t think they ever heard before. “Why do you believe the Resurrection is a true historical event?” You ever seen 50 teenage boys silent? Me either up to that point.

The truth is they never asked themselves that question. They have been spoon fed their Christian beliefs their entire life by their parents and their churches and they haven’t learn to think for themselves. These were the answers that some of them gave me.
“I know he leaves because I have experienced him.”
“It’s a matter of blind faith. God cares about faith more than evidence.”
“I just have a gut feeling in my heart that it’s true.”
“It’s essential for salvation so it has to be true.”
You can see from these answers that their foundation for the reality of the resurrection rests on feelings, emotions, and hypothesis. This is crazy to me, because if the corner stone of Christianity is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the most popular apologetic is, “Ask me how I know he lives he lives in me.” The truth is that they might believe that in their heart for a season but the heart cannot truly accept what the mind rejects. It’s time that we fix this dichotomy that we have created between the heart and the mind.

What happens to these kids when they go to college and they walk into a philosophy, biology, or an ethics class and they are confronted with a professor whose ideology believes that if we get rid of religion then we get rid of all the world’s problems and he attacks them on their beliefs? I tell you what would happen, you would have kids who have never thought critically about their faith begin to question everything they have ever been taught about their faith and you would have 80% (stat varies from 70% to 90%) of incoming freshman leave the Christian faith by the end of their freshman year, just like we do now.

That good news is that as Christians we have answers. I love this quote by J.P. Moreland that says, “faith is not belief against the evidence but according to the evidence.” We need to learn to reclaim the mind for Christ in our youth. We need to teach them to love their Lord the God the way Jesus commanded us too and that is with our “heart, soul and mind” (Mathew 22:37). That is the purpose of Tulsa K-Life and the Tulsa K-Life blog. To be an online community that is dedicated in the developing of the Christian mind in our youth so that when they are asked the tough questions that they can stand firm on the evidence.

Welcome to the Tulsa K-Life Blog Page

Welcome bloggers! This is the new Tulsa K-Life blog site! The official blog of Andrew Munneke and Tulsa K-Life. The goal of this blogsite is to be an extension of Tulsa K-Life. It will be a candid look at life, faith and our Christian journey as go along for the ride! Thanks for visiting this site!