Proven Facts

Tim White asks: Why do you guys push for evidence so hard? Aren't our personal experiences more than enough to push the Gospel? I'm not a big reader, but that doesn't hinder me from sharing the Gospel. I don't think we need to know the entire Bible to know God. Which is more useful for witnessing? Experiences or evidence?

Hey Tim,

The first thing we would like to point out is that every single religion, except for Christianity, must rely heavily on personal experiences and feelings. That is, because none of them carry the large amounts of archeological and scientific evidence that validate the Bible as authentic.

Therefore, it is important to understand that facts and evidence, will always point someone in the right direction. Feelings and experiences on the other hand, can be faulty (Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 28:26, 1 John 3:20).

Case in point, many people have become Mormon because of a "burning in the bosom". Others have accepted Hinduism after experiencing "Shiva". Still, others have committed suicide on the account of a message their leader experienced (Jim Jones).

This is why many Christians sometimes fail in sharing the Gospel with people of other religions. They both share their personal experiences; a Christian shares about how the Holy Spirit made them speak in tongues, while the Yoga practitioner shares how Shiva made them speak in utterances while meditating. At the end of the day, neither are convinced (since they both would need to "hope" that what the other person is saying is true).

Thus, providing the evidence that holds Christianity as the only religion that is backed by archeology and science, typically serves as the eye opener. We are not saying people shouldn't speak of their experiences. Experiences can be helpful, but those experiences should be tested by the Bible, rather than the Bible tested through those experiences. That is why the Bereans were considered more noble than those in Thessalonica. (Acts17:11).

In conclusion, while many well-meaning Christians claim that they know God, but not the Bible, and others claim that experiences are more important than knowledge in the word, we kindly disagree in accordance with the Bible: Psalms 33:4, James 1:22, Matthew 7:24, Matthew 4:4, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Psalms 119:105, Psalms 119:9 Proverbs 2:6. Instead, we hold that knowing the word, is to know God personally (the Bible contains his full word) and the evidence behind the word allows for more effective witnessing.

Last but not least, while in our day and age, evidence is demanded by most, at the time of the the disciples, they witnessed first hand, the miracles of Jesus; along with the resurrection, which was all the evidence needed in their time. This can be seen in Paul's conversation with Festus in Acts 26:24-26 "At this point Festus interrupted Paul's defense. "You are out of your mind, Paul!" he shouted. "Your great learning is driving you insane. I am not insane, most excellent Festus," Paul replied. "What I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner".

"Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind." -Colossians 2:18-

Comments:

Jose Vasquez: God bless. So do you guys believe that the Holy Spirit experiences hold the same weight as the experiences of Shiva?

BRC Hosts Joey and Chris: Absolutely not! The Holy Spirit is real. Shiva is not. What we are pointing out, is that if you have an experience, and someone else claims to have an experience as well, then it's what you experienced vs what they experienced. However, when it comes to religion, evidence is one sided, with Christianity having the winning point. Therefore, having evidence for what you believe, makes you a better witness.

Jose Vasquez: Oh ok. Makes sense. Thanks and God bless brothers.

BRC Hosts Joey and Chris: God bless you as well.

Michael Chadwick: I was going to ask you guys this very question. Thanks for the answer. I think you guys are correct. I didn't see it that way, but I agree. God bless.

BRC Hosts Joey and Chris: God bless Michael. Thanks for reading.

Colossians 2:18

"Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind".