Dear Members and Friends of IBCZ,
The sermon last week focused on the Church at Smyrna, as found in Rev. 2:8-11. The risen Christ warned this church of coming persecution which would be more severe than what they had already been experiencing.
While we are likely not facing genuine persecution, we will face opposition or perhaps ridicule from others as we live as followers of Jesus. To stand firm, we must have a good foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we must be secure in its trustworthiness; we must be genuinely convinced that it is true. We need this not only to help us stand firm in our faith when challenged by others, but also to help answer our own questions and doubts that from time to time confront us.
I mentioned in the sermon that there are numerous resources on the internet, as well as books of course, that present a clear defense of the Christian gospel. Some approach this from a scientific perspective, others from a philosophical perspective, and some from a biblical/theological viewpoint. Below I have listed a few helpful resources. (There are many others, of course, but these ones are especially helpful.) It would be well worth your time to explore some of these as they will certainly help you be secure in your faith.
Blessings,
Pastor Bob
One of the best resources is rzim.org. This is the ministry of Ravi Zacharias. The website contains both articles and recordings by Ravi Zacharias as well as many other speakers/authors who tackle many contemporary objections to the Christian faith.
Dr. William Lane Craig is a philosopher and theologian who has many resources on his website that defend the faith. His website is reasonablefaith.org.
Dr. Hugh Ross, is a Canadian cosmologist and Christian apologist. He defends the faith primarily from a scientific perspective, showing how scientific discoveries continually demonstrate the reality of a Creator consistent with the Biblical message. His website is reasons.org.
Dr. John Lennox (johnlennox.org) is a retired professor of Mathematics at Oxford University. While amazingly brilliant, he defends the Christian faith in terms that are quite understandable. (He will be one of the speakers at the Festival of Thought in Zurich this September.)
Less Strobel is a former atheist and investigative journalist with the Chicago Tribune. He has written many insightful books (The Case for Christ, The Case for a Creator among others), and has many engaging talks on his website – leestrobelcom.