IS CHRIST REALLY GOD

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IS CHRIST REALLY GOD?
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INTRODUCTION

• Why are we here?
• "We are beginning a thirteen-session course
  entitled Is Christ Really God
• Which will help us to Learn how to Lead our
  Families to a Personal Encounter with Christ.
• At the conclusion of this thirteen-session course
  we will be equipped as a group to share what we
  have learned with our families. How we will do
  this will be laid out in a latter session.

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INTRODUCTION

• "The primary purpose of this course is to equip
  you to pass on YOUR faith to YOUR families,
  specifically as it relates to what we believe
  about Christ and the fact that Christ came to
  earth to redeem us.
• What we as adults believe drives our values which
  in turn drives our behavior and our behavior and
  how we model our lives in front of our young
  people is critical to their outcome.
• A note for new comers - This is an interactive
  participatory course. In almost all cases there
  is NO wrong answer!
• The Last Christian Generation - This book is the
  companion to this entire course. It is optional
  but recommended. Suggested donation is 13.00.
• OK time to go to work..

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• Some definitions
• "born-again, churched young people
• Josh McDowell is referring to young people
  (teenagers) in evangelical churches who have
  stated that they
• (1) have made a personal commitment to Jesus
  Christ that is still important to their lives
  today, and
• (2) believe they will go to heaven because they
  have confessed their sins and accepted Christ as
  their Savior.

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• Some definitions
• "born-again, churched young people' does not
  mean
• That these young people have actually had a
  born-again encounter with Christ.
• An authentic born-again Christian experiences a
  transformation that enables him or her to begin
  to live a Christlike life.
• Because young people classify themselves as
  "born-again" does not guarantee that they have
  truly experienced a transformed relationship in
  Christ.

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• Course Objective
• The purpose of this course is to help you better
  understand the true meaning of Christianity, why
  Christ came to earth, and how to lead your family
  members to a clear understanding of who Jesus is
  and how they can have a transformed relationship
  with him.
• While we are focusing on the family and young
  people, you will find direct implications for
  your life regardless of your age or marital
  status.

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• Answering YES or NO , does the majority of our
  own churched people hold the following beliefs?
• I believe Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, and
  Jews pray to the same God.YES or NO
• I believe after Jesus was crucified and died he
  did not return to life physically. YES or NO
• I believe the Holy Spirit is not a living
  entity, but a symbol of God's presence.YES or
  NO
• I believe that Christ came to earth to teach us
  how to live good enough lives to earn a spot in
  heaven.YES or NO
• I believe there is no such thing as absolute
  truth (a truth outside myself that determines
  what is right and wrong for all people, in all
  places, for all time YES or NO

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• How many, do you think, as a group the majority
  of our own churched young people hold the
  following beliefs and stated?
• "I believe Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, and
  Jews pray to the same God."
• "I believe after Jesus was crucified and died he
  did not return to life physically."
• "I believe the Holy Spirit is not a living
  entity, but a symbol of God's presence."
• "I believe that Christ came to earth to teach us
  how to live good enough lives to earn a spot in
  heaven."
• "I believe there is no such thing as absolute
  truth (a truth outside myself that determines
  what is right and wrong for all people, in all
  places, for all time)'

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• Josh McDowell has spoken to more than ten million
  people in eighty-four countries. He has authored
  or coauthored more than one hundred books and
  workbooks with more than forty-two million in
  print worldwide. Josh has been married to his
  wife, Dottie, for more than thirty-five years and
  has four children. Josh and Dottie live in Dana
  Point, California.

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• Do you believe it is true that Christ was, and
  is, the Son of God?
• Yes
• No
• Not sure
• What makes it true? (Vote for A or B)

• A
• The fact that I believe Christ is the Son of God
  makes it true. . . for me..My belief creates
  this truth for me.

• A
• The fact that I believe Christ is the Son of God
  makes it true. . . for me..My belief creates
  this truth for me.

• B
• The fact is, God revealed himself in human form
  as Jesus Christ and because it is true, I believe
  it. I have personally discovered this truth.

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• Now the DVD
• IS CHRIST
• REALLY GOD?

CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER THEATER
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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?
Our young people would have selected A Do you
understand why?

• Do you believe it is true that Christ was, and
  is, the Son of God?
• Yes
• No
• Not sure
• What makes it true? (Vote)

• A
• The fact that I believe Christ is the Son of God
  makes it true. . . for me..My belief creates
  this truth for me.

• B
• The fact is, God revealed himself in human form
  as Jesus Christ and because it is true, I believe
  it. I have personally discovered this truth.

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• Why is that the case?
• Todav's young people have been influenced heavily
  bv a culture that believes there is no one truth
  for everyone.
• and we as a church and Christian families have
  largelv been unable to counter those distorted
  views.

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• Lets read from Acts
• "He is the God who made the world and everything
  in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he
  doesn't live in man-made temples, and human hands
  can't serve his needs-for he has no needs. He
  himself gives life and breath to everything, and
  he satisfies every need there is. From one man he
  created all the nations throughout the whole
  earth. He decided beforehand which should rise
  and fall, and he determined their boundaries.
  "His purpose in all of this was that the nations
  should seek after God and perhaps feel their way
  toward him and find him-though he is not far from
  anyone of us. For in him we live and move and
  exist." (Acts 1724-28 NLT)

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• SoWe can probably all agree that "life and
  breath" is something created by God and given to
  each of us. But what about the satisfying of our
  needs? Is that something we create on our own or
  something we discover in God? Where does
  satisfaction come from?
• True satisfaction and happiness come from God
  because he designed us to find happiness in HIM.
  So that isn't something we can create we must
  discover it in God.

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• Lets read the following passage
• "I am the LORD there is no other God. I have
  prepared you, even though you do not know me, so
  all the world from east to west will know there
  is no other God. I am the LORD, and there is no
  other. I am the one who creates the light and
  makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good
  times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who
  does these things' (Isaiah 455-7 NLT) 
• Do you think the God described in the passage
  from Acts 17 and this one from Isaiah sounds like
  the God most of our young people believe in?
  (Vote.)
• Yes
• No
• Not sure 

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• Lets read the following passages
• "And now. . . what does the LORD your God require
  of you? He requires you to fear him, to live
  according to his will, to love and worship him
  with all your heart and soul, and to obey the
  LORD's commands and laws that I am giving you
  today for your own good. (Deuteronomy 1012-13
  NLT)
• "You must worship no other gods, but only the
  LORD, for he is a God who is passionate about his
  relationship with you' (Exodus 3414 NLT) 
• Do you agree with the claim in the DVD that
  presenting to our kids the simple truth that
  Christ is God (even with the objective evidence
  to prove it) is not enough-that we must also
  present that truth within the context of
  relationships? Do you believe we have tended to
  separate truth from relationships and that we
  need truth plus relationships?
• Discuss-Why or why not?

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God and Truth. . . Created or Discovered?

• When we separate truth from relationships we in
  essence become poor models of who Christ is and
  what He can do in our lives-
• That is - transform us more and more into HIS
  likeness. Christ was compassionate. caring. and
  relational. He wants us to present HIM to our
  families by exhibiting those same qualities in
  our own lives.
• List one or more young people in your life with
  whom you want to share the realization that
  Christianity is both true and relational.

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