8-31-15: The Authority of the Bible

Hello everyone!

I haven't been posting in a while, but there is one thing that I have been thinking about recently that I need to share: how we can know the Bible is true and real.

A year or so ago, my church had a service about the 'Authority of the Bible' and a few cases that prove it real. Thanks to my pastor, he sent me a transcript of the service, which I'm adding at the end for you to read. Please take a look if you have any questions about how we can say the Bible is true, besides just saying, "because it is."

I hope you can learn some insight from this and feel free to email me with any further questions you may have.

God bless you all!

Did you know that the bible is the top selling book of all time, each year there are over 100 million bibles purchased. The average home in America has more than 5 bibles in it. 

Now the bible is arguably the most important foundation of the Christian faith. The bible speaks about God, his nature, and his longing to restore us. The bible isn’t just some list of do’s and don’ts, or even a road map of how we should live our live. In Hebrews 4:12 we read that the bible is living and active, that is sharper than any double edged sword. I often heard it said that when you read the bible, it’s also reading you, showing you things about yourself or how you see God. 

But not everyone views the bible this way…

Now when you guys head off to college, a professor of religion when they talk about the bible, typically we say something like, the Bible its comprised of legends and myths that weren’t recorded until many years after the events actually happened. They are hyped up and embellished; therefore it’s impossible to really know what’s true.

Today there is actually a group of people called the Jesus seminar, they go through the whole bible and color code what they think is true and mark what isn’t. They say that we can’t really know for sure that more than 15 to 20% of the whole bible is true.

All of us in the room, who call themselves Christ followers, would acknowledge there is some sort of power held in the pages of this book, but how do we know that the Bible is based on True historical events, that what is said in the Bible actually happened? And how do we know that the books that are in our hands thousands of years after they are written are really God’s intended and inspired words? 

Today I really want you to walk away understanding two things. 

The bible is True Historical events, not myths or legends…

The Bible is God’s inspired word preserved through the ages…

First, the bible is based on true historical events… How can we know…

Exercise-

I bought a new car; its red and while driving I saw a squirrel carrying an acorn….

Around Jesus time, it was far from a cultural norm for people to read and write. Thus oral tradition, or the memorizing and reciting of stories were a common practice. There weren’t face book messages, printing presses; kindles are anything like that at the time. So it was common for stories to be passed from generation. So people, who are looking to debunk the credibility of this book, will say the events weren’t recorded until years after they actually happened. So they are embellished, they are nothing more than myths. Like the telephone game we have no idea of really knowing what actually happened.  So the bible is just a myth…

Another way you can see the bible is based on historical events is to compare it with non-biblical texts.

Tacitus, a roman historian, wrote annals of Rome book 15, which is basically a history book. He is quoted as speaking about Nero and Jesus…

"Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.

Ref. from http://classics.mit.edu/Tacitus/annals.mb.txt

2 Timothy 2:9

for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.

The book second timothy in the bible was written by Paul who was imprisoned by Nero, many suggest after the great fire mentioned above. 

Matthew 27:2
So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor. 

Clearly these stories overlap and accredit each other. 

Thallus, wrote a history Eastern Mediterranean world in Ad 52, and this was a excerpt of what he said…

"On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down.

The bible also speaks about darkness at this time, listen to it..

Mark 15:32-34                                                                                                                          ³³ At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ³⁴ And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice,  (something if you want to pronounce you should study greek b/c I don’t know) “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^[a]

Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian, wrote in Antiquities, book 18 chapter 5, about John the Baptist and Herod.

"Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, 

In Matthew 14 you can read about the whole story of John and Herod but in verse 9 here you see that Herod actually had John beheaded. 

Matthew 14:9 

The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted ¹⁰ and had John beheaded in the prison.

Now these are just three examples of non-biblical texts that actually correspond with True historical events in the bible. The bible isn’t a myth its based on true historical events that other historians accredit. 

The first problem with this argument is the bible isn’t written like a myth or legend, its written like a historical book. 

Think about it most myths and legends don’t include historical people or historical places. The bible speaks about Jesus, Paul, Caesar, Xerxes who you have seen in the movie 300, Herod, and Pilate, and so on. No religion debates the existence of Jesus on this earth, they debate his nature, or whither he was God or man, which is a talk for another time.  

C. S. Lewis, said, "I have been reading poems, romances, vision-literature, legends, myths all my life. I know what they are like. I know that the bible is not. There are too many little details.

Now another important thing to note, when arguing the historical accuracy of the bible is that we know that the synoptic gospels, which is matthew, mark, luke and john were actually written 30-60 years after the life of Jesus. 

So why is that important? 

Fight story- finish writitng

See you know if there are eyewitness to an event, at some point the truth is going to come out especially if a lot of people are present. The truth always surfaces to the top. 

See if I wrote a book that martin Luther king had a heart attack, or that September 11 was just a fire that killed a lot of people, that would be quickly exposed because there are many people that are currently living that were eye witnesses. 

See 1 Corinthians 15 speaks about eye witness seeing Jesus after his resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15: 4-8                                                                                                                    ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas,^[b] and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 

See you must understand the Christian was a very unpopular religion, their was wide spread persecution, people were ostracized for their faith,  so if the gospels or accounts of Jesus life, were written 30 years after his life there would be many people who would have debunked or exposed the new testament if it wasn’t true. 

Think about all the miracles, the stories, the interactions, if they weren’t true historical events the eye witness would have exposed the written accounts. 

See we can know for sure that the bible is based on true historical events. But the bible isn’t just a history book, meant to be studied but rather..

The Bible is God’s inspired word preserved throughout the ages…

2 Timothy 3:16-17                                                                                                                        ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The term breathed is the same word you see in genesis where God literally breathed life into Adam.

Genesis 2:7                                                                                                                              then the LORD God formed the man of^(F) dust from the ground and^(G) breathed into his^(H) nostrils the breath of life, and^(I) the man became a living creature.

The same breath that God breathed into adam is the same breath that he breathed life into the scriptures. It’s living and active. See the bible is God’s word written through man personality..

I was reading about this missionary who was crossing into the border of a communist country and at the border, the guards asked, "Do you have any guns, drugs, or Bibles?"

To them, the Bible was as dangerous as guns and drugs. The Bible threatens more than their religion of atheism. It threatens their place of power and control over the people because it gives to the people what no government can. The Bible enriches lives, instills hope, and frees the human spirit, which makes it as threaten­ing to an atheistic government as guns and drugs. The bible is living and active and its God’s inspired word.

Heres the best part, we can be confident that the word God revealed to the apostles and disciples who wrote the books in the bible is the actual word we have in our hand..

	New Testament	Homer's Iliad	Aristotle's Works
When Written:	1st Cent. A.D. (50-100) A.D.	900 B.C.	384-322 B.C.
Number of Copies:	24,000	600	49
Earliest Copy:	Fragments: 50 years  Books:  100 yearsAll:  250 years	All:  500 years	All:  1400 years
Variant Words:	0.20%	5%	Above 10%

Matthew 5:18    

¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

So here’s what I want you to know…

Paramore- people giving away their worship giving away their hearts. Here’s the thing that was tough on me is I watching as they were singing and they were giving their worship to people they didn’t really know. All they had was some info about them. They didn’t really know them. They would never sit and talk or be invited into a personal conversation. 

Then the next day I came to impact and I saw several kids just kind of watching in the back. Holding back a bit and just going through the motions. I thought there is a God who is so much bigger and the difference is he wants to be known, he is available and accessible. He wants us to have knowledge of him, not just some facts about him. And this book is one of the ways we do that.

9-2-14: God Gives Us MORE Than We Can Handle

Hello all,

I know it feels like forever since I last posted here -- probably since it has been -- and I'd like to give you all a short summery on what has been going on over the last few months.

In April, there was the Student Leadership Conference I talked a lot about last year, but this year it was around the topic of us being "Torchbearers." We learned about how we need to absorb the light that God has provided, as stated in John 8:12 ~ "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" Then we need to understand God's light, so we need to understand what He is saying to us through his Word in the Bible, then we need to be torchbearers and shine God's light throughout the world, as stated in Matthew 5:14-16 ~ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

The next thing I'd like to touch on is Sandblast 2014, the retreat for the high school ministry at my church. Again, I discussed what it is and the general idea of it last year, so feel free to check that out to learn some context. This year, we talked a lot about the difference between serving God, but trying too hard and trying to do everything we can, and serving God by listening and doing what He wants us to do and where He wants us to go to do His work through us.

That's the general gist of the spiritual highlights of the last few months. Now on to what I'd like to cover in this post.


Recently, I've been feeling like God's been putting a lot on my plate and it's become more than I can handle. When I talk to my spiritual mentors about it, they all tell me something along the lines of "Don't worry, God will only give you as much as you can handle." I believe this to be incorrect. I saw a video by a somewhat well-known author, Jefferson Bethke, where he confirmed my thoughts of how God gives us more than we can handle so that we must rely on Him to get through it. If He gave us as much as we can handle, we wouldn't need to rely on God for anything.

So the next time you feel like you're being weighed down by the world and think that God is giving you more than you can handle, that's probably because He is. However,  instead of wanting you to struggle, He wants you to ask Him to help you through it instead of relying on your own strength, which is obviously failing if you're at the point where you think it's too much.

I know the "lesson" part was a bit short, and I apologize for that, but I promise I'll try to post more often as opportunities arise.

Thanks everyone for checking back, even though I have been gone for a while (sorry again!). God bless you and the rest of your week!


Verse of the Day: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:6-7

Prayer request: My relationship with God has been a bit rocky lately, and that's in part because I'm trying to build up my faith on my own, which has been difficult because of various personal problems, so please pray that I rely on God more through these problems and that I pursue Him more and center my life more around Him than myself and my own interests.

3-24-14: Ask God For Help

Hello everyone!

I'm aware I haven't posted anything in a while, and I apologize. It's just really hard to post anything worthy of being read in the short time blocks I have available.

        Christ has been really showing up in my life and many other's as well in the past few months. I took a trip to see my girlfriend in Pennsylvania for New Year's, and I got caught up in delays and cancellations both on the way there and the way back. When it looked like I wouldn't make it there in time for midnight, after praying for transport to figure itself out and that God would help me be with her, less than a half-hour later, my parents were calling me saying they had a way for me to get there on time. God really showed up!
        On the way back, I took one bus from a small town near her to Pittsburgh and I was supposed to take another to Cleveland, but the weather caused all buses to be cancelled. Prayed again for God to protect me, help me to stay calm, and to show me or give me a way to get home. An hour later, my dad called me saying he'd booked a ticket online for a train for Amtrak (cross-country train company) that left in 2 hours, and the station was right across the street! Again, God showing His ability to make everything work out if you ask Him to.

        Right now, I'm at her place again, and once again, God came through when I had trouble on my trip this time as well. I needed to change trains in Pittsburgh, and there was only one train to the smaller town I needed to get to to be with her. The train I was taking from Chicago to Pittsburgh left a half hour late, and just kept getting later and later. After praying for God to help, when we arrived, I heard that we were 2 hours late. That was a half hour before my second train left.
        Later that day, I found out that the train to Pittsburgh was actually supposed to be around 3 hours late, but one of the cargo trains which shares the railway broke down, allowing my train to get to Pittsburgh faster. If it weren't for that train breaking down, I wouldn't have made it! God is incredible.

       What I've learned through all of this is that no matter how small the prayer, whether to be safe or to get to a station on time, God will provide if you have faith. God is incredible!

God bless you all!


Prayer request: This isn't for me, but more for my friend. She was a small group leader for the junior girls in my youth group until a few months ago when she left to be a foster mother for some girls in India. I don't recall exactly how long she'll be there, but it is for an extended period of time, so could you all please pray for safety and that she's able to shine God's light and share His glory with the community and the girls she'll be taking care of? Thank you!

Verse of the day: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. ~1 Peter 5:7

8-14-13: Becoming too big

Hello everyone,

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while, and am super late with the news about Sandblast that I promised about a month ago now.

The reason for this is that I've felt that I've been focusing on myself more than I have on God in these posts. I know that the purpose of this blog is to talk about what God is doing in my life, but I've noticed that it's becoming more about what I'm doing in God's presence instead. I will continue to do more posts in the future, but I need to do a self-evaluation about how I am approaching this blog.

Am I really trying to talk about what God is doing with me and how He affects me, or am I just talking about myself in Christian context?

Sorry I've been so scarce, everyone. God bless you all.


Prayer request: Please pray that I can learn to focus on what God is doing and not just be self-centered as much as I've been becoming. That I'd put him first.

Verse of the Day: He must become greater; I must become less.” ~John 3:30

7-8-13: #Sandblast13 Coming Up!

Hello everyone!

Sorry I've been gone for a while, summer school is killer!

Well there's only about 4 days left until Sandblast, the summer retreat for Student Impact.

Last year, one of my friends was greatly affected by one of the services and really changed his way of life, and another of my friends became a Christian at Sandblast two years ago. My small group is not that open, but at Sandblast last year, everyone was far more open than I'd ever experienced them being, so I'm really excited to see how Sandblast this year affects me, my small group, and my friends.

I'll let you all know what Sandblast was like and how God showed himself after Sandblast, which would be next Tuesday (July 16).


Prayer request: Please pray that everyone going to Sandblast sees God and He works in us. Also, please pray that my small group opens up and we get closer as a whole.

Verse of the day: "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." ~Matthew 18:22

God bless you all!!!

If anyone wants to know how long it is until #Sandblast13, here's a countdown timer I made earlier: http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/fullscreen.html?mode=a&iso=20130712T17&year=2013&month=7&day=12&hour=17&min=0&sec=0&p0=821&msg=%23Sandblast13

5-15-13: Keep Studying God's Word

Hello everyone!

I'm not sure about all of you, but at least for me, the school year is almost over...well, regular school year. I'm taking summer school.

At Uprising, the Christian club at my school for anyone who doesn't know that, we were talking about how each of us students could keep our lives focused on God and how we can remember to pray, worship, etc, as there will be less of a schedule for most of us.

That got me thinking...how can I read my Bible and pray more? I listen to a ton of Christian music of almost any genre, and while that keeps me thinking about God throughout my day, it isn't like reading my Bible and LEARNING about God or praying and TALKING with God as much.

My first thoughts were perhaps have my morning alarm on my iPod have a message of a verse each day, or I discovered a month or so ago that one of the students at Uprising actually lives in my neighborhood (COOL!) so maybe the two of us could meet up now and then, maybe start up a Bible study, just brainstorming ideas.

My next thought was what gets me hyped up for God most? Is it church? Talking with friends about God? Learning about God? It's actually none of those. In fact, one of the biggest causes for me to get even more excited about God is knowing how many people I'm impacting...which I guess can get linked to talking with friends, kinda. For example, my view count: USA - 706; Russia - 45; Germany - 42; Canada - 7; Thailand - 6 (no idea how Thailand got in the top 5!); United Kingdom - 5; Dominican Republic, Philippines, Taiwan - 3; China (well known for their anti-Christian culture, 4%), New Zealand - 2; India (Christianity is a VERY minimal part of the population, only 2.3%), Sweden - 1; for a grand total of 865 views internationally.

Discovering how widespread one blog that started only 6 months, and seeing more of my friends at church when they didn't even think about being a Christian a few months ago...I love it. Seeing people grow in their faith...that's what gets me motivated.

God bless you all!


My prayer request: please pray for me and everyone else having difficulty consistently communicating with God and for those who do now, pray that when summer comes when they don't have so much of a schedule, that they'll find a way to modify their schedule to still be able to study His Word. I pray this for all of you as well.

Verse of the day: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ~Galatians 6:9

5-6-13: Little Comments Make Big Impacts

Hi guys, girls, men and women!

This weekend has been a mix of feelings: happiness, sadness, pain (literally), and excitement.

I'll start out with the worst, pain. Friday I messed up my knee, NO idea how, but it seriously hurts and it's hard to walk without pain. The doctor's guess is that it dislocated and a nerve got caught in the joint, then it repositioned and the nerve is stuck. Just praying for that to stop, it hurts a ton!

Sadness is always a bad thing, but sometimes it has a good outcome or cause. In this case, at Student Impact and youth group, we had to say goodbye to the seniors this weekend. Their last OFFICIAL weekend was this week. I know many will still come, but it's just not the same. Plus there's only one more youth group before summer, and after that they'll be gone :(

A happy part of that, though, is related to that. It's because several of the seniors are going off to colleges, such as Hope, Moody, etc., to learn how to spread God's Word better and one of them, a good friend of mine, is thinking about joining a friend in South Africa serving with a group called YWAM (Youth With A Mission), which is a short-term missionary non-profit organization. I'm really proud of her. She's come a long way since I first met her, which was only last year. She's been a real inspiration to me, and yesterday when I told her that, I was so happy when she said I've helped her, too.

And finally, excited. A friend from college is getting out next week and I cannot WAIT for him to be home! He's made a major impact on my faith and helped me a ton. He was at Impact yesterday, so it was great to talk to him again. Plus, in about a month, I get out of school, so we'll be able to hang out more after that! It's been a hard year, and I'm certain that God has worked through him to help me. He has certainly helped me see God when it was hard for me to do it alone.

Though the highlights of my weekend are two texts I got, one this morning, one yesterday. The one from yesterday was from the girl I was talking about considering YWAM. She and I have been trying to meet up for lunch for the longest time, and she said that since we won't be having youth group after church over the summer that it's likely we could do something then! She also went on a mission trip and I'm thanking God for calling her to go on the trip, as I know that she would grow a ton from it, and I can't wait to finally hear about it.

The other text is from my college friend this morning, completely out-of-the-blue. I don't know why he texted me, but I'm so glad he did. "Just wanted to say that I am really thankful for your friendship Scott. Hope you have an awesome week at school." Wow...I don't know why he said it, but I'm so glad he did. As I said, he's been a major impact, and it makes me so happy to hear that from him. :)

Needless to say, this weekend was kind of a rollercoaster emotionally, but still filled with happiness.

Thank you! God bless you all, I pray you all have a great week!


Verse of the day: And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. ~Hebrews 10:24-25

Prayer request: Just please pray for my knee to heal quickly and that I can stay strong through this last month of school, as hard as it may get...especially with finals, as it's so easy to slack off at the end of the year.

6-11-13: Back To The DR

Hi all,

I know I haven't posted lately, and I apologize for that. I just have been having trouble focusing on God lately due to school ending and summer school beginning and being super tired from all-nighters. Though thankfully, He's showing me himself through my Dominican friends, whom lately I've been talking more with on Facebook. Their love for God is helping me to remember what God did for me in the DR and just how magnificent He is. Since that, I've been reading my Bible and reflecting when I can't sleep. I can thank God for using my friends to reach me, and if any of you ever feel distant from God, be silent and just listen. Maybe he's trying to talk to you in a way you don't expect.

Speaking of the Dominican Republic, I'm happy to announce that the June Dominican Republic team is leaving in about 4 days! I'm super hyped up because I know a few people on the team and I know that they're the right people to go. Several have background in serving, several speak Spanish, some both...and thanks to a Dominican staff member from our church, some of them already know a person the team will be working with.

Prayer request: Please pray that God will work in the hearts of everyone on the team and that the team will work in the hearts of those they are helping. Also pray that they stay safe and hopefully don't suffer as many dehydration-"casualties" as we did...nearly everyone...so they'd be able to serve to the best of their ability.

Thank you, and God bless you all!

5-23-13: God's Word Is Spreading...

Hey all!

I have some news that could only be done by God's will.

I've been getting more and more international views, recently being added to the list are Moldova (a smaller country neighboring Romania and Ukraine) and Brazil. Today, there were over 30 views by people in Brazil, pushing my blog view count to 1,001!!! That means that in the last 6 months, since 6 December, 2012, I've gained nearly as many views as my poetry blog, which I created 2 June, 2012.

There is no way but by God's work that I've been able to reach so many people so quickly, and I feel so blessed to be able to do this for all of you. I thank you all for helping to spread the word about my blog and about God's Word.

Today's prayer request: Please pray that the numbers continue to grow and that God would continue to use me to show His love.

Verse of the Day: But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.  ~1 Peter 3:14-15

God bless you all, and keep sharing about God!

5-19-13: Last House Group of the Year

Hi all,

Today marked another sad point, and a happy point, at Student Impact.

The sad part is because today was the last house group, our youth group, of the year until the school year returns in the fall. However, it was happy...and CRAZY, because the 8th graders, but freshmen by Impact standards, joined us today!!!

Of course we do have to be a bit mean to them...just a bit. What we like to call "freshmen initiation." For us, that's asking them random weird questions and throwing them in a pool. MUAHAHAHA!!!

Our ministry's worship leader joined us! ------>







Prayer request: Please pray that we all focus on God throughout the summer while we aren't together. Also pray that we keep in touch over the summer to keep encouraging each other to study God's word and pray.

And today's verse goes directly with the prayer request: "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." ~Proverbs 27:17