WEBVTT 00:00:00.180 --> 00:00:10.400 Well, hello Brunsfield Evangelical Church. It is a delight to be able to do this for you. I was going to say with you, but sadly, of course, we can't do that quite yet. 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:20.000 I'm all the way down in England, in Cheltenham, where I live with my wife Susie and our son Shasta. I know that we'll have friends amongst you. 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:28.859 For those who don't know me, I have been in Scotland for the past 10 years and have just recently moved south. 00:00:29.660 --> 00:00:40.100 And it is a delight to be able to serve you in this way as we look at how to engage our atheist friends with the gospel. 00:00:40.100 --> 00:00:55.340 And I'm aware that I'm coming in in the middle of a series that you're doing on how to speak to people from different worldviews in a way that invites them into the wonderful life of following Jesus. 00:00:56.480 --> 00:01:08.420 It is possible that you're attending this particular one in the expectation and perhaps hope that it will largely consist of me putting up ridiculous quotes from Richard Dawkins and deconstructing and mocking them. 00:01:08.420 --> 00:01:12.780 Now, I'm not necessarily knocking that. There's a place for it. 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:20.460 But it has been done 100 times by men and women who are far better placed to do so than I am. 00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:29.599 So I won't be doing that. I'm not actually convinced that the materialistic, evangelistic atheism of Dawkins and co. 00:01:29.659 --> 00:01:34.659 is what the majority of our atheist friends hold, though no doubt some of them do. 00:01:34.659 --> 00:01:37.879 So you can just follow him on Twitter and read the comments. 00:01:38.359 --> 00:01:40.959 But this evening, we're going to do a little bit of hard work. 00:01:41.979 --> 00:01:51.699 What I want to do before we get started is to stress that the trick, as it were, to all evangelism is quite simply to know the gospel. 00:01:52.420 --> 00:01:57.579 The gospel isn't going to change. Christ came, died, rose and will come again. 00:01:57.579 --> 00:02:10.520 He did all of that because we're under right judgment for our sin and need to be rescued both from our enslavement to our sin and from the judgment that is coming our way. 00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:12.400 The gospel doesn't change. 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:19.159 But how we say it changes depending on who we're speaking to. 00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:23.699 I'm going to pause and let you react to that however you see fit. 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:34.280 I'm not talking about apologizing for the gospel or about hiding parts of it, about exaggerating the nice bits and fluffing up the hard bits. 00:02:34.359 --> 00:02:34.840 None of that. 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:41.120 But when we say the same thing to different people, well, here's an example. 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:43.400 I'm going to see if I can share my screen here. 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:50.520 If I wrote these words to different people. 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:53.620 There we go. Is that working? Wonderful. 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:58.080 Looks like writing a happy birthday sign. Have I left enough space? 00:02:58.939 --> 00:02:59.800 Just about. 00:03:01.259 --> 00:03:08.939 Now, if I said that to or showed that to an English student, they might think I'm quoting Milton's Paradise Lost. 00:03:09.319 --> 00:03:11.000 Talking about the pain formidable. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:21.780 If I showed it to a Frenchman, he might think that I discovered a wonderful new bakery and had just had some pain formidable, some wonderful bread. 00:03:22.439 --> 00:03:28.400 If I showed it to Archie Winnington at Ingram, he would think that I was describing my latest wait session. 00:03:29.180 --> 00:03:33.840 Different people will react differently to exactly the same words. 00:03:33.900 --> 00:03:34.840 It's a very silly analogy. 00:03:36.020 --> 00:03:38.979 Probably wasn't worth it for the split screen. 00:03:38.979 --> 00:03:45.179 But there we go. Different people will hear different things from the same words. 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:52.280 Once a week, I have a Zoom call with a friend who lives in Nigeria, translating the Bible into local languages. 00:03:52.899 --> 00:03:57.039 And he told me of a disastrous translation story. 00:03:57.560 --> 00:03:59.219 And he sent me the result. 00:03:59.819 --> 00:04:03.939 The following had been translated from the King James Version of Psalm 23 00:04:03.939 --> 00:04:08.639 into the Tlingit language of Alaska natives back in the 60s. 00:04:09.819 --> 00:04:11.719 Originally, in the King James, it had read, 00:04:12.500 --> 00:04:13.479 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:04:13.699 --> 00:04:14.759 I shall not want. 00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:17.720 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. 00:04:17.819 --> 00:04:20.319 He leadeth me besides quiet waters. 00:04:21.420 --> 00:04:22.620 That turned into, 00:04:22.620 --> 00:04:25.360 The Lord is my goat hunter. 00:04:25.699 --> 00:04:27.000 I don't want him. 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:29.360 He knocks me down the mountain. 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:32.560 He drags me down to the beach. 00:04:35.280 --> 00:04:42.600 Now, what happened was that the local whom they'd hired to translate appeared to understand something quite different from that phrase, 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:43.980 I shall not want. 00:04:43.980 --> 00:04:48.759 And because he'd heard that wrong and understood that to mean I don't want him, 00:04:49.220 --> 00:04:52.220 that affected his understanding of the whole of the rest of it. 00:04:53.000 --> 00:05:00.120 He then saw the idea of being made to lie down, not as being rested, 00:05:00.960 --> 00:05:05.520 but as being pushed down by a bully and then dragged to the beach. 00:05:06.220 --> 00:05:12.240 You'll be relieved to know that the translation was rescued and properly done. 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:15.600 But do you see what's happening there? 00:05:15.720 --> 00:05:19.120 Same words can mean something completely different. 00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:24.000 That's what the translator understood that psalm to mean when he read it. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:28.600 Okay, so we understand different people hear different things when same things are said, 00:05:28.740 --> 00:05:32.560 which means that if we're going to keep the meaning of the gospel steady, 00:05:32.960 --> 00:05:37.879 we'll have to communicate it differently depending on our audience. 00:05:38.660 --> 00:05:40.720 So let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 00:05:40.720 --> 00:05:42.700 Do get it open if you can. 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:46.220 I'll read from verse 18 of chapter 1. 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:47.380 Just give you a second. 00:05:50.280 --> 00:05:52.780 From verse 18, Paul writes, 00:05:52.779 --> 00:05:56.579 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, 00:05:57.259 --> 00:06:00.119 but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 00:06:01.139 --> 00:06:02.039 For it is written, 00:06:02.419 --> 00:06:04.299 I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, 00:06:04.439 --> 00:06:07.159 and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart. 00:06:07.839 --> 00:06:09.219 Where is the one who's wise? 00:06:09.359 --> 00:06:10.339 Where is the scribe? 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:12.239 Where is the debater of this age? 00:06:12.919 --> 00:06:16.599 Has God not made foolish the wisdom of the world? 00:06:16.600 --> 00:06:19.200 For since in the wisdom of God, 00:06:19.200 --> 00:06:21.280 the world did not know God through wisdom, 00:06:22.020 --> 00:06:26.960 it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:30.620 And this is the bit that's particularly crucial to what we're talking about. 00:06:31.120 --> 00:06:32.939 For Jews demand signs, 00:06:33.420 --> 00:06:35.020 and Greeks seek wisdom. 00:06:35.019 --> 00:06:37.799 But we preach Christ crucified, 00:06:38.139 --> 00:06:39.339 a stumbling block to Jews, 00:06:39.459 --> 00:06:41.079 and folly to Gentiles. 00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:43.639 But to those who are called, 00:06:43.740 --> 00:06:45.159 both Jews and Greeks, 00:06:45.819 --> 00:06:47.159 Christ the power of God, 00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:48.539 and the wisdom of God. 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:51.680 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, 00:06:51.859 --> 00:06:54.879 and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 00:06:56.159 --> 00:06:59.279 So this is Paul saying something quite similar to what we've already said. 00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:00.240 The gospel, 00:07:00.579 --> 00:07:01.979 and especially the cross, 00:07:02.539 --> 00:07:04.779 will get different reactions from different people. 00:07:04.779 --> 00:07:09.419 The Greeks say how foolish it is to believe that God could become a human and die. 00:07:09.879 --> 00:07:14.159 The Jews say how weak Jesus must be to allow that to happen. 00:07:14.299 --> 00:07:15.559 They're objecting to the same thing, 00:07:15.599 --> 00:07:16.679 but in different ways. 00:07:17.679 --> 00:07:18.439 The gospel, 00:07:18.619 --> 00:07:18.879 you see, 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:22.739 confronts every single worldview at different points. 00:07:23.739 --> 00:07:26.139 And it does combat with it. 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:29.519 But what we also see in 1 Corinthians, 00:07:30.159 --> 00:07:31.459 in verse 24, 00:07:32.459 --> 00:07:34.500 is that it also connects. 00:07:34.779 --> 00:07:38.500 To those who are called both Greeks and Jews, 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:41.239 they can see that there is indeed power in Christ. 00:07:41.379 --> 00:07:43.119 There is indeed wisdom in Christ, 00:07:43.159 --> 00:07:46.079 and far more than can be found on earth. 00:07:46.479 --> 00:07:49.479 I'm nabbing that phrase, 00:07:49.779 --> 00:07:50.759 connect and confront, 00:07:50.879 --> 00:07:52.239 from a chap called Dan Strange, 00:07:52.339 --> 00:07:52.639 by the way, 00:07:52.679 --> 00:07:55.899 if you want to look him up and do some more thinking on it. 00:07:55.899 --> 00:07:59.439 So the gospel connects and confronts, 00:07:59.620 --> 00:08:01.659 and that shapes how the message is heard, 00:08:01.859 --> 00:08:04.239 and how the message is spoken. 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:10.179 And that's why Paul's sermons to the Gentiles can be distinguished from his sermons to Jews. 00:08:10.180 --> 00:08:13.639 But he's faithful to the gospel throughout. 00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:14.639 Now, 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:17.019 all of that preamble is there, 00:08:17.019 --> 00:08:17.860 because atheism, 00:08:17.860 --> 00:08:18.800 what we're talking about today, 00:08:18.899 --> 00:08:20.180 isn't a belief structure. 00:08:21.599 --> 00:08:22.639 It's a belief, 00:08:22.759 --> 00:08:23.199 for sure, 00:08:23.300 --> 00:08:24.519 but not a structured one. 00:08:24.599 --> 00:08:25.519 There isn't a formula, 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:26.000 per se, 00:08:26.039 --> 00:08:27.879 on how to evangelize to atheists. 00:08:28.659 --> 00:08:31.420 The last time I led an atheist to Christ was, 00:08:31.699 --> 00:08:32.460 as it happens, 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:33.080 it was in Edinburgh, 00:08:34.139 --> 00:08:35.519 at a university mission week. 00:08:36.059 --> 00:08:37.120 I met the guy on a Monday, 00:08:38.019 --> 00:08:40.000 and he wasted no time in telling me, 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:42.059 that he thought there was no God, 00:08:42.139 --> 00:08:43.960 that the Bible was completely false, 00:08:44.059 --> 00:08:46.059 and the God within it was evil. 00:08:47.679 --> 00:08:48.620 On the Tuesday, 00:08:48.740 --> 00:08:49.879 he believed God was real, 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:51.419 and that the gospels were true. 00:08:52.840 --> 00:08:55.179 But he didn't become a Christian till the Friday, 00:08:55.179 --> 00:08:59.039 because his atheism wasn't primarily built upon the idea, 00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:00.239 that God couldn't exist. 00:09:00.239 --> 00:09:01.579 It was built on the supposition, 00:09:02.239 --> 00:09:03.679 that God was not worth following, 00:09:04.199 --> 00:09:05.239 that he was a homophobic, 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:07.319 transphobic tyrant, 00:09:07.439 --> 00:09:09.439 who wanted to control women's bodies, 00:09:09.559 --> 00:09:11.659 and release men to do evil in the world. 00:09:12.919 --> 00:09:15.759 So my carefully cultivated material, 00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:18.679 about the reliability of the dating of the gospel of Mark, 00:09:19.019 --> 00:09:20.679 wasn't quite hitting the bullseye, 00:09:20.740 --> 00:09:21.159 was it? 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:23.279 When I was at school, 00:09:23.279 --> 00:09:25.980 atheism tended to be Dawkins atheism. 00:09:26.079 --> 00:09:27.299 Christians are dumb and wicked. 00:09:27.659 --> 00:09:29.079 God is as likely to exist, 00:09:29.699 --> 00:09:31.259 as a flying spaghetti monster, 00:09:31.419 --> 00:09:32.159 et cetera, et cetera. 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:33.659 And many people still find, 00:09:33.819 --> 00:09:36.699 his and his less shrill companions, 00:09:37.079 --> 00:09:38.419 arguments to be persuasive. 00:09:38.779 --> 00:09:40.139 We tend to call them antithest, 00:09:40.259 --> 00:09:41.379 or new atheists. 00:09:42.959 --> 00:09:44.839 But from my experience, 00:09:44.919 --> 00:09:46.360 from doing missions, 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:48.019 I mean all around the UK, 00:09:49.339 --> 00:09:50.139 admittedly, 00:09:50.600 --> 00:09:52.500 normally with students, 00:09:52.500 --> 00:09:57.100 most atheists are functional atheists. 00:09:57.460 --> 00:09:59.519 The most convenient worldview, 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:01.539 is for there to be no God, 00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:03.899 especially considering that the God of the Bible, 00:10:03.899 --> 00:10:05.879 is at odds with their moral code. 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:08.259 And actually here, 00:10:08.340 --> 00:10:09.840 I want to just take a step back, 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:10.600 and explore, 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:13.139 kind of what I mean by worldviews. 00:10:13.139 --> 00:10:16.439 I'm going to go back to my iPad, 00:10:16.439 --> 00:10:17.939 and share this screen. 00:10:20.819 --> 00:10:21.899 And I want to draw, 00:10:22.100 --> 00:10:24.080 I'm afraid I'm terrible at drawing. 00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:28.519 But what I want to do here, 00:10:29.100 --> 00:10:31.779 is examine what it means, 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:33.960 or what I mean rather, 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:35.220 when we say worldviews. 00:10:35.220 --> 00:10:36.240 And I mean, 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:36.980 unsurprisingly, 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:39.100 it's what we view, 00:10:39.220 --> 00:10:39.580 the world, 00:10:39.680 --> 00:10:40.779 that's what that circle is, 00:10:41.300 --> 00:10:42.899 what we view it to be, 00:10:42.899 --> 00:10:45.899 at its most basic system. 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:47.379 So we believe that, 00:10:47.540 --> 00:10:49.019 there are humans on Earth, 00:10:49.820 --> 00:10:50.500 that's us. 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:52.720 Animals, 00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:54.120 birds are easiest to draw, 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:54.940 and fur trees, 00:10:55.160 --> 00:10:56.860 they're easiest to draw about nature. 00:10:57.419 --> 00:10:58.680 So we'll put all of that there. 00:10:59.100 --> 00:10:59.419 And so, 00:10:59.560 --> 00:11:00.800 the question then becomes, 00:11:00.980 --> 00:11:01.120 well, 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:02.180 where do we put God? 00:11:02.300 --> 00:11:02.759 And so, 00:11:03.580 --> 00:11:04.980 many Eastern religions, 00:11:04.980 --> 00:11:07.360 would put God there. 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:10.519 Deists, 00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:12.300 might put God there, 00:11:12.460 --> 00:11:12.779 and say, 00:11:12.899 --> 00:11:13.019 well, 00:11:13.100 --> 00:11:13.779 God made the world, 00:11:13.820 --> 00:11:14.100 and he said, 00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:14.519 go, 00:11:14.700 --> 00:11:15.360 or bang. 00:11:16.120 --> 00:11:16.940 But then, 00:11:17.379 --> 00:11:18.680 had nothing more, 00:11:18.940 --> 00:11:19.460 to do with it, 00:11:19.500 --> 00:11:20.720 or could have nothing more, 00:11:20.779 --> 00:11:21.220 to do with it, 00:11:21.259 --> 00:11:21.840 depending on, 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:23.220 the belief structure. 00:11:23.420 --> 00:11:23.860 Christians, 00:11:23.980 --> 00:11:25.420 obviously want to extend that arrow, 00:11:26.340 --> 00:11:26.800 and say, 00:11:26.860 --> 00:11:26.960 well, 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:27.879 God actually came, 00:11:28.019 --> 00:11:29.019 into this world. 00:11:30.340 --> 00:11:31.820 But what we're talking about today, 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:32.919 is this one. 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:34.800 Atheism. 00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:36.700 Where the world is here, 00:11:36.779 --> 00:11:37.480 it exists, 00:11:38.220 --> 00:11:39.379 and there is no God. 00:11:40.060 --> 00:11:41.480 But what I want to do, 00:11:41.560 --> 00:11:42.440 is add something, 00:11:42.539 --> 00:11:43.100 to this diagram, 00:11:43.240 --> 00:11:44.240 and put just the word, 00:11:44.800 --> 00:11:45.440 morality, 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:47.240 in here, 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:48.879 into the structure, 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:50.899 of the world. 00:11:52.680 --> 00:11:53.440 I think, 00:11:53.659 --> 00:11:54.279 that diagram, 00:11:54.460 --> 00:11:55.420 might have been more useful, 00:11:55.420 --> 00:11:55.940 in my head, 00:11:55.940 --> 00:11:56.960 but hopefully, 00:11:57.280 --> 00:11:58.360 that's been of some use, 00:11:58.440 --> 00:11:58.780 to you. 00:12:01.100 --> 00:12:02.060 But I really wanted, 00:12:02.060 --> 00:12:02.780 to make sure, 00:12:03.060 --> 00:12:04.020 that we understand, 00:12:04.300 --> 00:12:04.980 that for many, 00:12:05.060 --> 00:12:06.080 many atheists, 00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:07.560 human rights, 00:12:07.760 --> 00:12:08.720 and other facets, 00:12:08.860 --> 00:12:09.320 of morality, 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:10.140 are not something, 00:12:10.140 --> 00:12:11.640 that humans have come up with, 00:12:11.720 --> 00:12:12.160 but something, 00:12:12.280 --> 00:12:13.940 that humans have discovered, 00:12:14.480 --> 00:12:16.000 scientifically, 00:12:16.880 --> 00:12:17.680 many might say, 00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:18.320 it's part of the, 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:19.000 unavoidable, 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:20.380 makeup of the world. 00:12:20.379 --> 00:12:21.120 So, 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:22.100 if that's part of their, 00:12:22.100 --> 00:12:23.320 fundamental view of the world, 00:12:23.419 --> 00:12:24.899 then any new thought, 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:26.299 that they're assessing, 00:12:27.139 --> 00:12:27.600 they're saying, 00:12:27.679 --> 00:12:28.580 how well it fits, 00:12:28.580 --> 00:12:29.379 into that framework. 00:12:30.059 --> 00:12:30.939 I think we need, 00:12:30.939 --> 00:12:32.019 to be ready for that. 00:12:32.700 --> 00:12:33.419 Many atheists, 00:12:33.419 --> 00:12:34.279 will hold to their, 00:12:34.279 --> 00:12:34.639 morality, 00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:35.659 with absolute steadiness, 00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:36.460 possibly, 00:12:36.659 --> 00:12:37.539 with more steadiness, 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:38.580 than your average, 00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:39.059 Christian, 00:12:39.220 --> 00:12:39.519 simply, 00:12:39.620 --> 00:12:40.840 because it's at the heart, 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:41.639 of their worldview. 00:12:41.639 --> 00:12:42.960 So, 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:44.360 scientism, 00:12:44.679 --> 00:12:46.159 or materialism, 00:12:46.319 --> 00:12:47.899 is much more rarely, 00:12:47.899 --> 00:12:49.699 at the very centre, 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:51.480 of atheist belief anymore, 00:12:51.559 --> 00:12:53.279 but it is still out there. 00:12:54.439 --> 00:12:54.919 So, 00:12:55.000 --> 00:12:55.519 the questions, 00:12:55.659 --> 00:12:56.360 we have to ask, 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:57.759 when we're faced with atheists, 00:12:57.919 --> 00:12:59.199 to whom we want to tell the gospel, 00:12:59.419 --> 00:12:59.740 which, 00:13:00.340 --> 00:13:00.759 by the way, 00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:01.759 is all of them, 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:03.620 are, 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:04.939 where does the gospel, 00:13:05.100 --> 00:13:06.179 confront this person? 00:13:06.919 --> 00:13:08.179 And where does the gospel, 00:13:08.340 --> 00:13:09.539 connect with this person? 00:13:09.539 --> 00:13:12.179 And I think we're used to thinking, 00:13:12.319 --> 00:13:13.299 this is probably the same, 00:13:13.419 --> 00:13:13.819 for everyone. 00:13:14.319 --> 00:13:14.699 In fact, 00:13:14.740 --> 00:13:15.719 I think we tend to assume, 00:13:15.819 --> 00:13:16.740 that people have the exact, 00:13:16.860 --> 00:13:18.000 same hang-ups as we do, 00:13:18.319 --> 00:13:19.199 or as we did, 00:13:19.299 --> 00:13:20.459 when we were first looking, 00:13:20.500 --> 00:13:21.339 at Christianity. 00:13:23.699 --> 00:13:24.519 For me, 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:25.579 and for my friends, 00:13:25.879 --> 00:13:27.059 the doctrine of hell, 00:13:27.059 --> 00:13:28.699 was one of the biggest pills, 00:13:28.699 --> 00:13:29.399 to swallow, 00:13:29.699 --> 00:13:31.259 when looking at Christianity. 00:13:31.500 --> 00:13:32.839 But what do you think, 00:13:33.459 --> 00:13:34.519 is harder for a victim, 00:13:34.679 --> 00:13:36.199 of serious assault, 00:13:36.319 --> 00:13:37.000 to understand? 00:13:37.719 --> 00:13:39.399 That there's eternal punishment, 00:13:39.539 --> 00:13:40.419 for those who do evil? 00:13:41.480 --> 00:13:41.639 Well, 00:13:41.659 --> 00:13:42.319 they've seen, 00:13:42.419 --> 00:13:43.740 and experienced that evil, 00:13:43.740 --> 00:13:44.919 in the worst way. 00:13:46.179 --> 00:13:46.719 And actually, 00:13:46.779 --> 00:13:47.939 that's quite easy, 00:13:47.939 --> 00:13:48.819 for them to understand, 00:13:49.019 --> 00:13:49.299 that, 00:13:49.379 --> 00:13:51.919 some things require, 00:13:52.779 --> 00:13:53.459 just, 00:13:54.219 --> 00:13:55.379 total punishment. 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:57.639 Or do you think, 00:13:57.699 --> 00:13:58.339 they find it, 00:13:58.459 --> 00:13:59.279 perhaps harder, 00:13:59.480 --> 00:13:59.959 to understand, 00:14:00.079 --> 00:14:00.579 there's a way, 00:14:00.639 --> 00:14:01.879 for wicked people, 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:02.779 to be forgiven, 00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:04.439 and to spend, 00:14:04.439 --> 00:14:05.559 eternity in glory. 00:14:07.199 --> 00:14:08.059 We need to, 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:08.719 make sure, 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:09.480 that we're getting right, 00:14:09.580 --> 00:14:10.180 what we think, 00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:11.160 is connecting with them, 00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:12.259 and what confronts them, 00:14:12.300 --> 00:14:13.340 because how we then, 00:14:13.340 --> 00:14:14.820 speak into those things, 00:14:14.820 --> 00:14:16.180 will affect how they, 00:14:16.180 --> 00:14:17.060 see the gospel. 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:18.899 And when you think of it, 00:14:18.899 --> 00:14:19.220 like that, 00:14:19.259 --> 00:14:20.600 it's no surprise, 00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:21.639 to realize, 00:14:21.879 --> 00:14:22.759 that for many people, 00:14:22.800 --> 00:14:23.460 affected by the, 00:14:23.460 --> 00:14:24.379 Me Too movement, 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:26.379 which statistically, 00:14:26.540 --> 00:14:28.120 is a vast number of people, 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:30.840 the idea of God's judgment, 00:14:31.160 --> 00:14:32.639 is a point of connection, 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:33.639 not confrontation. 00:14:34.500 --> 00:14:35.240 So if you go, 00:14:35.240 --> 00:14:35.980 into a conversation, 00:14:35.980 --> 00:14:36.980 about God's judgment, 00:14:37.139 --> 00:14:37.940 by umming, 00:14:38.019 --> 00:14:38.399 and ahhing, 00:14:38.460 --> 00:14:38.720 and say, 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:39.139 oh no, 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:40.240 God's nice early judgment, 00:14:40.379 --> 00:14:41.100 is more something, 00:14:41.220 --> 00:14:42.100 we do to ourselves, 00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:42.720 et cetera, 00:14:42.800 --> 00:14:43.139 et cetera. 00:14:43.899 --> 00:14:44.200 Well then, 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:45.639 we're holding a flush, 00:14:46.139 --> 00:14:46.800 but just playing, 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:47.879 a single high card. 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:49.940 This is a chance, 00:14:49.940 --> 00:14:50.340 to say, 00:14:50.440 --> 00:14:51.320 how much, 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:52.960 God despises wickedness, 00:14:53.100 --> 00:14:54.420 how other false gods, 00:14:54.500 --> 00:14:55.860 shirk their responsibility, 00:14:55.860 --> 00:14:57.120 to enact justice. 00:14:57.960 --> 00:14:58.560 And then, 00:14:58.639 --> 00:14:59.720 we bring that connection, 00:14:59.720 --> 00:15:01.000 to a point of confrontation. 00:15:01.980 --> 00:15:02.779 We demonstrate, 00:15:02.919 --> 00:15:04.179 that God is so holy, 00:15:04.279 --> 00:15:05.519 that everyone falls short, 00:15:05.559 --> 00:15:06.139 of his standards, 00:15:06.340 --> 00:15:07.820 and that includes them. 00:15:09.059 --> 00:15:10.360 And people see this too, 00:15:10.940 --> 00:15:12.419 in the world around us, 00:15:12.440 --> 00:15:13.340 so we connect again, 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:14.740 no one's uncancellable, 00:15:14.919 --> 00:15:15.340 are they? 00:15:15.860 --> 00:15:17.080 God then, 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:18.279 shows mercy, 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:20.179 so that those who do repent, 00:15:20.279 --> 00:15:20.679 of their evil, 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:21.639 can be saved. 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:23.840 Because that's what people, 00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:24.580 want to see. 00:15:24.919 --> 00:15:25.700 They are thirsty, 00:15:25.700 --> 00:15:26.320 for justice, 00:15:26.320 --> 00:15:27.259 and desperately, 00:15:27.460 --> 00:15:28.340 in need of mercy. 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:31.060 And until they see the cross, 00:15:31.660 --> 00:15:32.399 there's literally, 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:33.300 no way for them, 00:15:33.379 --> 00:15:34.000 to be quenched, 00:15:34.100 --> 00:15:35.980 of both desires. 00:15:36.580 --> 00:15:37.259 Either justice, 00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:37.840 or mercy, 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:39.160 has to suffer, 00:15:40.060 --> 00:15:41.960 until people see, 00:15:42.780 --> 00:15:43.780 the cross of Christ. 00:15:43.980 --> 00:15:44.280 No way, 00:15:44.340 --> 00:15:45.000 at all that is, 00:15:45.259 --> 00:15:46.300 the power of God, 00:15:46.379 --> 00:15:47.519 and the wisdom of God, 00:15:47.860 --> 00:15:48.700 they meet there. 00:15:49.340 --> 00:15:50.440 That's where they meet. 00:15:51.560 --> 00:15:52.340 Look at someone, 00:15:52.340 --> 00:15:53.940 like Rachel Den Hollander, 00:15:54.300 --> 00:15:56.540 she's an American Christian, 00:15:56.539 --> 00:15:57.899 and victim survivor, 00:15:57.899 --> 00:15:58.500 of one of, 00:15:58.939 --> 00:16:00.519 the most prolific abusers, 00:16:00.659 --> 00:16:01.459 of the century. 00:16:02.399 --> 00:16:03.259 Her testimony, 00:16:03.480 --> 00:16:04.639 and impact statement, 00:16:05.459 --> 00:16:06.939 at Larry Nassar's trial, 00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:07.959 did two things. 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:09.539 Played a huge part, 00:16:09.599 --> 00:16:10.539 in putting him to jail, 00:16:11.259 --> 00:16:12.759 for the rest of his life. 00:16:13.319 --> 00:16:14.879 And she also offered him, 00:16:15.099 --> 00:16:16.059 saving mercy. 00:16:17.399 --> 00:16:18.199 She was able to do, 00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:19.240 both those things, 00:16:20.019 --> 00:16:21.219 because of her, 00:16:21.319 --> 00:16:22.539 understanding of, 00:16:23.139 --> 00:16:24.039 the Christian view, 00:16:24.120 --> 00:16:24.860 of both justice, 00:16:24.860 --> 00:16:25.379 and mercy. 00:16:25.700 --> 00:16:26.560 And as a result, 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:28.600 millions of Americans, 00:16:28.840 --> 00:16:29.580 following the trial, 00:16:29.680 --> 00:16:30.720 heard something of the gospel, 00:16:30.940 --> 00:16:32.399 and all over the world as well. 00:16:32.800 --> 00:16:33.980 Not on the periphery, 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:34.580 of the gospel, 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:36.180 but at the very center of it. 00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:38.399 The universal offer, 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:39.120 of forgiveness, 00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:39.980 from a God, 00:16:40.100 --> 00:16:41.100 who does not shy away, 00:16:41.180 --> 00:16:41.960 from justice. 00:16:42.919 --> 00:16:44.100 So things that we might, 00:16:44.100 --> 00:16:45.180 just dismiss as, 00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:45.680 cultural, 00:16:45.800 --> 00:16:46.180 important, 00:16:46.340 --> 00:16:47.419 but cultural issues, 00:16:47.740 --> 00:16:48.940 are never actually, 00:16:48.940 --> 00:16:50.000 that far away, 00:16:50.539 --> 00:16:51.420 from the gospel. 00:16:52.620 --> 00:16:53.519 Let me take, 00:16:53.580 --> 00:16:54.180 another example, 00:16:54.179 --> 00:16:55.199 from what some, 00:16:55.319 --> 00:16:57.899 might disparagingly call, 00:16:58.079 --> 00:16:59.479 the woke movement, 00:17:00.139 --> 00:17:01.159 which by and large, 00:17:01.199 --> 00:17:02.359 is rather atheist. 00:17:03.359 --> 00:17:03.979 That word, 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:04.319 by the way, 00:17:04.399 --> 00:17:05.799 is woke, 00:17:05.919 --> 00:17:06.839 is rather significant. 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:07.359 We might, 00:17:07.500 --> 00:17:08.679 come to that later on. 00:17:09.339 --> 00:17:10.039 But I wonder, 00:17:10.139 --> 00:17:11.299 if you guys are familiar, 00:17:11.299 --> 00:17:12.139 with the term, 00:17:12.339 --> 00:17:13.740 cultural appropriation. 00:17:14.460 --> 00:17:15.940 It's often raised, 00:17:16.139 --> 00:17:17.019 with regards, 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:18.319 to white Americans, 00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:19.299 dressing up as, 00:17:19.299 --> 00:17:20.559 Native Americans, 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:21.419 at Halloween, 00:17:21.819 --> 00:17:22.859 or Jamie Oliver, 00:17:22.859 --> 00:17:23.759 was accused of it, 00:17:23.779 --> 00:17:25.000 a year or two ago, 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:26.480 when he brought out, 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:27.179 his Jamaican, 00:17:27.299 --> 00:17:28.359 chicken recipe. 00:17:29.579 --> 00:17:29.799 Well, 00:17:29.859 --> 00:17:31.480 what cultural appropriation, 00:17:31.480 --> 00:17:32.220 is, 00:17:32.619 --> 00:17:33.679 is when someone, 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:35.099 makes something valuable, 00:17:35.099 --> 00:17:35.679 to them, 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:36.859 then someone, 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:37.879 from a different culture, 00:17:37.980 --> 00:17:39.220 takes that valuable thing, 00:17:41.319 --> 00:17:42.019 empties it, 00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:43.279 of all of its meaning, 00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:43.899 and value, 00:17:43.900 --> 00:17:46.820 and uses it cheaply. 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:48.120 So, 00:17:48.220 --> 00:17:49.680 to take the headdress example, 00:17:50.080 --> 00:17:51.400 in the native cultures, 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:52.759 around the Great Plains, 00:17:52.940 --> 00:17:53.560 the presentation, 00:17:53.560 --> 00:17:54.880 of an eagle feather, 00:17:55.300 --> 00:17:56.019 is considered, 00:17:56.180 --> 00:17:57.040 to be one of the highest, 00:17:57.040 --> 00:17:58.000 marks of respect. 00:17:58.580 --> 00:17:59.580 They're so significant, 00:17:59.800 --> 00:18:00.540 that in many cases, 00:18:00.580 --> 00:18:01.240 only two or three, 00:18:01.320 --> 00:18:01.900 would be awarded, 00:18:02.140 --> 00:18:02.980 in a whole lifetime. 00:18:03.900 --> 00:18:04.960 But when enough feathers, 00:18:05.040 --> 00:18:05.980 are collected together, 00:18:05.980 --> 00:18:07.060 they can be incorporated, 00:18:07.220 --> 00:18:08.220 into a headdress. 00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:08.660 So, 00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:09.820 there's no real surprise, 00:18:10.019 --> 00:18:10.780 that Native Americans, 00:18:10.940 --> 00:18:11.360 are offended, 00:18:11.980 --> 00:18:13.000 when drunk teenagers, 00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:14.140 stagger about them, 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:15.019 at music festivals. 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:15.859 And Christians, 00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:17.319 definitely know a similar feeling, 00:18:17.839 --> 00:18:19.299 when a cross is used casually, 00:18:19.400 --> 00:18:19.839 don't we? 00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:21.039 Now, 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:21.259 obviously, 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:21.980 I'm not here, 00:18:22.059 --> 00:18:22.940 primarily to talk to you, 00:18:22.980 --> 00:18:24.220 about cultural appropriation. 00:18:24.220 --> 00:18:25.480 But this is another, 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:27.000 huge area of conversation, 00:18:27.420 --> 00:18:29.720 in which we can see, 00:18:29.859 --> 00:18:30.400 the gospel, 00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:32.160 is just waiting, 00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:33.319 to be preached. 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:34.960 It highlights, 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:35.960 another area, 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:36.740 where the gospel, 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:37.759 connects with people, 00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:38.759 that we often miss. 00:18:39.660 --> 00:18:40.579 What does this, 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:42.460 popular idea, 00:18:42.460 --> 00:18:43.480 of cultural appropriation, 00:18:43.620 --> 00:18:45.140 say it at its most basic level? 00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:46.779 Well, 00:18:46.779 --> 00:18:47.460 it says that creators, 00:18:47.460 --> 00:18:48.299 have rights, 00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:49.259 over what they've made. 00:18:49.880 --> 00:18:51.220 It says that it's wicked, 00:18:51.220 --> 00:18:52.019 to take something, 00:18:52.019 --> 00:18:53.100 made by a creator, 00:18:53.400 --> 00:18:54.380 to then empty it, 00:18:54.380 --> 00:18:55.519 of its original value, 00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:56.039 and meaning, 00:18:56.460 --> 00:18:57.880 and to use it cheaply, 00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:02.740 against the creator's wishes. 00:19:03.700 --> 00:19:04.380 Which means, 00:19:04.380 --> 00:19:05.440 that if there is a God, 00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:06.420 then he does have, 00:19:06.500 --> 00:19:07.220 a right to judge. 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:09.680 And we should look to him, 00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:11.060 first and foremost, 00:19:11.160 --> 00:19:11.680 when deciding, 00:19:11.799 --> 00:19:12.840 how to use his creation, 00:19:13.360 --> 00:19:14.140 whether that be, 00:19:14.140 --> 00:19:15.539 the world around us, 00:19:15.539 --> 00:19:17.640 or our own bodies. 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:19.140 Now obviously, 00:19:19.140 --> 00:19:19.580 you can see, 00:19:19.660 --> 00:19:20.620 we're heading to a point, 00:19:20.620 --> 00:19:21.440 of confrontation, 00:19:21.640 --> 00:19:22.360 fairly quickly. 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:23.440 But that's good. 00:19:24.039 --> 00:19:24.900 We don't want to be, 00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:25.840 persuading atheists, 00:19:26.060 --> 00:19:27.120 that they already agree, 00:19:27.120 --> 00:19:28.000 with us on everything. 00:19:28.860 --> 00:19:29.180 Otherwise, 00:19:29.360 --> 00:19:29.920 they'll walk away, 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:31.120 thinking that we agree nicely, 00:19:31.299 --> 00:19:32.259 and still not know, 00:19:32.259 --> 00:19:32.759 the gospel. 00:19:33.980 --> 00:19:34.620 But do you see, 00:19:34.700 --> 00:19:35.400 the point of connection? 00:19:35.500 --> 00:19:35.980 Do you see how, 00:19:36.060 --> 00:19:36.380 in telling, 00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:38.120 the simple gospel, 00:19:38.280 --> 00:19:38.820 which includes, 00:19:38.940 --> 00:19:40.120 talk about human sinfulness, 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:41.980 and God's judgment over us, 00:19:42.700 --> 00:19:43.660 a lot of the thinking, 00:19:43.800 --> 00:19:44.440 is already there, 00:19:44.500 --> 00:19:45.460 in people's minds. 00:19:46.220 --> 00:19:47.160 If we can just, 00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:48.100 point them to it. 00:19:49.080 --> 00:19:49.340 I mean, 00:19:50.520 --> 00:19:51.240 atheists, 00:19:51.900 --> 00:19:52.760 modern atheists, 00:19:52.840 --> 00:19:53.460 many of them, 00:19:53.620 --> 00:19:54.340 believe very, 00:19:54.460 --> 00:19:55.180 very firmly, 00:19:55.400 --> 00:19:56.480 in progress. 00:19:57.780 --> 00:19:58.640 Which is simply, 00:19:58.740 --> 00:19:59.280 a reworking, 00:19:59.280 --> 00:20:00.720 of the redemptive history, 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:01.600 that we see in the Bible. 00:20:01.740 --> 00:20:02.240 There's certainly, 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:03.520 no historical, 00:20:04.140 --> 00:20:05.300 reason to believe in it, 00:20:05.299 --> 00:20:06.839 as far as I'm concerned. 00:20:07.259 --> 00:20:08.139 We'll move on, 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:09.399 because we don't have, 00:20:09.480 --> 00:20:10.460 a lot of time left. 00:20:11.099 --> 00:20:11.859 And all of that, 00:20:11.980 --> 00:20:12.859 was just to persuade you, 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:13.960 the gospel is already, 00:20:13.960 --> 00:20:15.139 interacting within, 00:20:15.279 --> 00:20:16.639 people's worldviews. 00:20:16.680 --> 00:20:17.419 And we need to be, 00:20:17.419 --> 00:20:18.639 searching for those, 00:20:18.639 --> 00:20:20.039 areas. 00:20:20.359 --> 00:20:20.819 I've given you, 00:20:20.819 --> 00:20:21.519 examples, 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:22.899 rather than formulae. 00:20:23.740 --> 00:20:24.799 But as you engage, 00:20:24.859 --> 00:20:25.500 with your friends, 00:20:25.539 --> 00:20:26.500 as you listen to them, 00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:28.099 and understand their worldviews, 00:20:28.639 --> 00:20:29.460 be alert, 00:20:29.460 --> 00:20:30.539 to those points, 00:20:30.539 --> 00:20:31.359 of connection. 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:33.779 The last thing, 00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:34.899 I want to talk to you about, 00:20:34.900 --> 00:20:35.620 is something called, 00:20:35.700 --> 00:20:36.440 defeater beliefs, 00:20:36.540 --> 00:20:37.420 which we've touched on, 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:37.900 slightly, 00:20:38.460 --> 00:20:39.420 with my NAF, 00:20:39.580 --> 00:20:40.820 circle diagrams earlier. 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:42.060 I apologize for them. 00:20:42.700 --> 00:20:43.460 I'm not yet, 00:20:43.540 --> 00:20:44.580 confident with the tech. 00:20:45.540 --> 00:20:46.240 But a, 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:47.280 a defeater belief, 00:20:47.500 --> 00:20:48.460 is put simply, 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:49.580 a belief, 00:20:49.740 --> 00:20:50.759 which defeats, 00:20:51.019 --> 00:20:51.680 other beliefs. 00:20:52.860 --> 00:20:53.340 So, 00:20:53.420 --> 00:20:54.480 some defeater beliefs, 00:20:54.600 --> 00:20:55.200 are moral. 00:20:55.720 --> 00:20:56.580 If I believe, 00:20:56.680 --> 00:20:57.640 that it's morally wrong, 00:20:57.640 --> 00:20:58.540 for anyone to make, 00:20:58.740 --> 00:20:59.660 a judgment, 00:21:00.019 --> 00:21:00.620 a moral judgment, 00:21:00.740 --> 00:21:01.460 on what someone else, 00:21:01.540 --> 00:21:02.480 does with their bodies, 00:21:03.319 --> 00:21:04.420 then that automatically, 00:21:04.420 --> 00:21:05.680 defeats the idea, 00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:06.900 of there being a good God, 00:21:07.700 --> 00:21:08.819 who will say something like, 00:21:08.860 --> 00:21:09.559 marriage should be, 00:21:09.620 --> 00:21:10.559 between one man, 00:21:10.579 --> 00:21:11.099 and one woman. 00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:13.000 The Bible statement, 00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:13.960 that God made, 00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:15.059 mankind male, 00:21:15.160 --> 00:21:15.660 and female, 00:21:15.819 --> 00:21:16.539 is defeated, 00:21:16.779 --> 00:21:17.440 by other, 00:21:17.519 --> 00:21:18.500 other beliefs, 00:21:18.660 --> 00:21:18.940 morally. 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:21.200 Other defeated beliefs, 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:22.039 are more structural. 00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:22.839 I believe, 00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:23.960 everything is material, 00:21:24.140 --> 00:21:24.400 therefore, 00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:25.839 there can be nothing spiritual, 00:21:25.839 --> 00:21:29.199 or philosophical. 00:21:29.579 --> 00:21:30.619 I don't think, 00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:31.319 that atheism, 00:21:31.459 --> 00:21:32.199 is a belief, 00:21:32.819 --> 00:21:33.059 therefore, 00:21:33.179 --> 00:21:33.759 I'm not guilty, 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:34.619 of any assumptions, 00:21:35.079 --> 00:21:35.599 an atheist, 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:37.199 may well think. 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:38.339 So, 00:21:38.419 --> 00:21:39.319 it's our job, 00:21:39.539 --> 00:21:40.419 to locate, 00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:41.579 and get past, 00:21:42.059 --> 00:21:43.220 those defeated beliefs. 00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:46.240 And the only possible, 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:46.899 way you have, 00:21:46.980 --> 00:21:47.919 of identifying them, 00:21:47.919 --> 00:21:48.459 correctly, 00:21:48.959 --> 00:21:50.539 is to live, 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:51.259 alongside, 00:21:51.559 --> 00:21:52.399 non-Christians. 00:21:53.120 --> 00:21:54.120 You might be able, 00:21:54.259 --> 00:21:55.440 to listen to a talk, 00:21:55.620 --> 00:21:55.900 like this, 00:21:55.940 --> 00:21:56.980 and have a good guess, 00:21:57.740 --> 00:21:59.019 but you might be wrong, 00:21:59.080 --> 00:21:59.860 and making assumptions, 00:21:59.860 --> 00:22:00.720 about their beliefs, 00:22:00.759 --> 00:22:01.960 which never makes, 00:22:01.960 --> 00:22:02.580 someone, 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:04.580 want to listen to you, 00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:05.600 about anything else. 00:22:06.500 --> 00:22:06.860 So, 00:22:06.900 --> 00:22:07.360 we need to be, 00:22:07.460 --> 00:22:08.019 making sure, 00:22:08.100 --> 00:22:08.720 that we're not, 00:22:08.759 --> 00:22:09.840 just speaking to, 00:22:09.960 --> 00:22:11.259 our past experience, 00:22:11.259 --> 00:22:12.220 of atheists, 00:22:12.560 --> 00:22:13.600 but we're speaking to, 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:14.540 John, 00:22:14.720 --> 00:22:15.160 or Sue, 00:22:15.280 --> 00:22:16.120 or whoever it is, 00:22:16.200 --> 00:22:17.200 that's right in front of us, 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:17.740 right now. 00:22:20.940 --> 00:22:21.380 I'm, 00:22:21.380 --> 00:22:22.380 totally out of time, 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:23.320 so let me just list, 00:22:23.320 --> 00:22:24.060 some things, 00:22:24.560 --> 00:22:27.420 that we need to have in mind. 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:27.960 So firstly, 00:22:28.519 --> 00:22:29.800 live authentically, 00:22:30.320 --> 00:22:31.340 and don't apologize, 00:22:31.640 --> 00:22:32.280 for your beliefs. 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:33.640 Listen, 00:22:33.960 --> 00:22:34.500 some things, 00:22:34.700 --> 00:22:35.380 aren't going to be, 00:22:35.580 --> 00:22:36.500 really off-putting, 00:22:36.560 --> 00:22:37.420 to people at first, 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:38.380 as we live, 00:22:38.440 --> 00:22:39.420 as Christians in the world, 00:22:39.460 --> 00:22:40.500 and we are increasingly, 00:22:40.680 --> 00:22:42.100 having to get used to that. 00:22:42.900 --> 00:22:44.200 But if you apologize, 00:22:44.519 --> 00:22:45.360 for those things, 00:22:45.420 --> 00:22:46.140 and hide them, 00:22:46.200 --> 00:22:46.860 then when people, 00:22:47.019 --> 00:22:47.800 do draw near, 00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:48.519 those issues, 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:49.780 that we've apologized, 00:22:49.780 --> 00:22:51.180 for in the past, 00:22:51.180 --> 00:22:53.420 appear then to be huge, 00:22:53.560 --> 00:22:54.019 cracks, 00:22:54.299 --> 00:22:54.720 fissures, 00:22:54.880 --> 00:22:55.960 in Christianity. 00:22:57.200 --> 00:22:58.000 I know of one, 00:22:58.380 --> 00:22:59.900 pro-choice atheist, 00:22:59.900 --> 00:23:01.160 who could not believe, 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:02.279 how little Christians, 00:23:02.360 --> 00:23:03.220 cared about abortion. 00:23:04.740 --> 00:23:06.100 This person believed, 00:23:06.259 --> 00:23:07.060 that a fetus, 00:23:07.140 --> 00:23:07.880 was simply a part, 00:23:07.920 --> 00:23:08.700 of a woman's body, 00:23:08.779 --> 00:23:09.259 but they said, 00:23:09.779 --> 00:23:11.299 if Christians believe, 00:23:11.420 --> 00:23:12.440 that we're killing children, 00:23:13.220 --> 00:23:14.440 then why didn't they do, 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:15.259 or say anything? 00:23:15.259 --> 00:23:18.259 I know that's a sensitive issue, 00:23:18.339 --> 00:23:18.779 and I hope, 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:20.200 that hasn't upset, 00:23:20.200 --> 00:23:20.940 any of you, 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:22.379 that I've used that, 00:23:22.460 --> 00:23:23.220 as an illustration. 00:23:23.859 --> 00:23:24.480 But this person, 00:23:24.579 --> 00:23:25.059 went on to say, 00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:26.500 sometimes it seems, 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:27.619 like they're only pretending, 00:23:27.619 --> 00:23:28.740 to believe in Christianity, 00:23:28.740 --> 00:23:31.839 because they're not acting, 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:32.660 on their beliefs. 00:23:33.319 --> 00:23:35.160 That's just one example, 00:23:35.400 --> 00:23:36.579 don't dumb down, 00:23:36.579 --> 00:23:37.400 your Christianity, 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:38.559 in front of people. 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:40.960 Authenticity is a big deal, 00:23:40.960 --> 00:23:42.579 and it makes Christianity, 00:23:42.579 --> 00:23:43.900 look more like a club, 00:23:44.460 --> 00:23:46.000 than an authentic belief, 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:47.680 built around a relational God, 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:50.740 if we hide parts, 00:23:50.740 --> 00:23:51.340 of the gospel, 00:23:51.640 --> 00:23:52.980 hide parts of our beliefs, 00:23:52.980 --> 00:23:54.200 from how we live, 00:23:54.259 --> 00:23:55.360 in front of other people. 00:23:56.039 --> 00:23:56.200 So, 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:56.900 one, 00:23:57.059 --> 00:23:57.920 live authentically, 00:23:58.279 --> 00:23:59.079 don't shy away, 00:23:59.160 --> 00:24:00.079 from the hard questions, 00:24:00.180 --> 00:24:01.420 in a world full of taboos, 00:24:01.539 --> 00:24:02.740 people are thirsty, 00:24:03.579 --> 00:24:04.420 thirsty as anything, 00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:05.720 for genuine answers. 00:24:06.460 --> 00:24:06.920 Two, 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:08.400 we've already covered this, 00:24:08.460 --> 00:24:09.140 in some detail, 00:24:09.140 --> 00:24:11.040 find out, 00:24:11.040 --> 00:24:12.500 where the gospel confronts, 00:24:12.580 --> 00:24:13.240 and connects with, 00:24:13.500 --> 00:24:14.259 people's beliefs. 00:24:15.060 --> 00:24:16.520 Which leads us to three, 00:24:18.160 --> 00:24:18.560 which is, 00:24:18.740 --> 00:24:19.380 know the gospel. 00:24:20.820 --> 00:24:22.360 You have to know the gospel, 00:24:22.500 --> 00:24:23.420 in order to bring people, 00:24:23.500 --> 00:24:24.160 to know Christ. 00:24:25.040 --> 00:24:25.780 And according to Paul, 00:24:25.840 --> 00:24:26.820 that's all you need, 00:24:26.900 --> 00:24:28.120 to describe your ministry, 00:24:28.320 --> 00:24:28.840 whether that's, 00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:30.800 to friends at work, 00:24:30.840 --> 00:24:31.259 or school, 00:24:31.360 --> 00:24:32.040 or in the neighborhood, 00:24:32.360 --> 00:24:33.800 or something more formal. 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:35.880 That's the only thing, 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:37.300 you need to describe your ministry, 00:24:37.300 --> 00:24:38.320 as a success. 00:24:39.140 --> 00:24:40.020 At the beginning, 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:41.800 of 1 Thessalonians 2, 00:24:42.320 --> 00:24:42.880 Paul says, 00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:43.700 that his coming to them, 00:24:43.820 --> 00:24:44.560 was not in vain. 00:24:44.800 --> 00:24:45.000 Why? 00:24:45.880 --> 00:24:47.220 Because he had boldness, 00:24:47.300 --> 00:24:48.300 to declare to you, 00:24:48.380 --> 00:24:49.520 the gospel of God, 00:24:49.960 --> 00:24:50.620 in the midst, 00:24:50.759 --> 00:24:52.080 of much conflict. 00:24:54.020 --> 00:24:54.480 Friends, 00:24:54.880 --> 00:24:55.660 pray for courage. 00:24:56.220 --> 00:24:57.080 We need it. 00:24:57.840 --> 00:24:58.660 But remember, 00:24:58.800 --> 00:24:59.880 that the gospel is true. 00:25:00.600 --> 00:25:01.280 All we need, 00:25:01.340 --> 00:25:02.360 to succeed in our mission, 00:25:02.540 --> 00:25:04.300 is to declare it boldly. 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:06.259 And an eternity, 00:25:06.259 --> 00:25:07.940 with the Lord Jesus awaits. 00:25:07.940 --> 00:25:09.720 Would it not be wonderful, 00:25:09.720 --> 00:25:10.900 to share that eternity, 00:25:11.360 --> 00:25:13.100 with someone to whom you chose, 00:25:13.440 --> 00:25:14.640 to tell the gospel? 00:25:15.480 --> 00:25:16.700 Pray for your friends, 00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:18.039 pray for courage, 00:25:18.220 --> 00:25:19.180 and take heart, 00:25:19.299 --> 00:25:20.420 that the gospel is true. 00:25:21.559 --> 00:25:22.420 Christ died, 00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:23.720 Christ rose, 00:25:24.440 --> 00:25:25.660 and Christ will come again, 00:25:26.440 --> 00:25:27.259 together all, 00:25:27.559 --> 00:25:28.220 who are his, 00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:30.120 wherever they are, 00:25:30.320 --> 00:25:30.840 right now. 00:25:30.839 --> 00:25:34.000 through the gospel.