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Not everyone who hears of the resurrection of Christ will believe. Some will believe, some will mock/sneer, and others will be open to hearing more on the matter  (Acts 17:32-34). Not every skeptic is created equal! Some are mockingly antagonistic, while others just aren't convinced. How do we answer those who suggest that the resurrection is not the most plausible explanation for the empty tomb? Is it possible that the disciples hallucinated the resurrection appearances? Perhaps someone stole the body? Some even suggest Jesus didn't actually die, but only passed out and then when He came to He pretended He had risen. Listen as Pastor Matt cross-examines these skeptical suggestions and shows that the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the only logical conclusion given the data we have.

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The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the crowning proof of Christianity.  If the resurrection didn't take place then Christianity is a false religion. If it did take place, then Christ is God & the Christian faith is absolute truth. Listen as Pastor Matt walks your through how to defend the historicity of the resurrection to a skeptic.

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When defending the Christian faith it is necessary to appeal to the Scriptures. Unfortunately, most Christians can be stumped by one simple question from the skeptic: "Why do you believe the Bible?' Listen as Pastor Matt explores the power and wisdom of the thoroughly biblical answer put forth by Voddie Bauchum based off of 1 Peter 1:17-21.

“I choose to believe The Bible because it is a reliable collection of historical documents, written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses, reporting supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies & claimed their writings are Divine rather than human in origin.”

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A couple of week’s ago I stumbled on an article titled ‘Why You Should Stop Treating Jesus’s Birth Narratives as History.’ This guy loved the Spiritual lessons one could glean from the whole Jesus story. In his construct, the story is ‘truth’ but it isn’t TRUE. That is to say that it did not happen. Let me tell you right now, if we neglect the historicity of the nativity of Jesus, the Christian faith is of ZERO value. But how can we know? When you really bear down on the birth narrative of Christ, & ask the questions that the text demand you ask, you actually find great apologetic value in this familiar little story.

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The first three 'Cs' of Gospel-Centered Apologetics answers three questions;

1) Compatibility- How is this person's worldview compatible with Christianity? There will be ways that it is, because all men are created in the image of God.

2) Consistency - How is this person's worldview internally inconsistent? It will be, because all other worldviews are false and will necessarily be internally inconsistent.

3) Contrast- How does Christianity hold to the true aspects of their worldview, but in an internally consistent system? It will, because Christianity is God's revealed truth.

In the last two lectures Pastor Matt applied these questions to the two major worldviews we encounter in America; Evolutionary Naturalism and Religious Postmodernism. This week listen as Pastor Matt moves to the fourth 'C'; Confirmation, where he demonstrates how Jesus and the apostles used the Scriptures and eye-witness testimony to 'give evidence' (Acts 17:2-3), and 'persuaded' (Acts 28:23-28), and 'proved' (Acts 17:31) that Jesus was the death conquering Christ and that Christianity was the truth.

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Listen as Pastor Matt explains the belief system of  Religious Postmodernism and how to apply Gospel-Centered Apologetics to counter this pervasive and destructive worldview.

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In lecture 6 Pastor Matt explained how to direct conversations toward a productive ‘clash of gospels,’ where we point people to the Biblical Gospel consisting of Creation, Fall, Redemption in Christ, and Consummation. In this lecture we consider how to apply these principles when countering the worldlier of an Evolutionary Naturalist.

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Every person has a basic worldview, a 'gospel,' that gives their lives meaning and purpose. Each 'gospel' will answer the four major worldview questions;

1. Where Did I Come From?

2. What's Wrong with the World?

3. What's the Solutions?

4. Where is all this Headed/What Happens When I Die?

Listen as Pastor Matt explains how to direct conversations toward a productive 'clash of gospels,' where we point people to the Biblical Gospel consisting of Creation, Fall, Redemption in Christ, and Consummation.

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Apologetics is the biblical practice of defending the faith. Paul did it. Peter did it. Jesus did it. And we are commanded to do it. But man's problem is not only an intellectual problem but a spiritual and moral problem. Listen as Pastor Matt explains from Romans 1 the limits of evidence and reason, and the need for prayer and the Spirit of God to work for evangelism and discipleship to be effective.

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People look for revelation from God from many sources today; reams, visions, audible voices, modern prophets, & modern day miracles. But the Reformed tradition looks to one source for Special Revelation; Sola Scriptura. Listen as Pastor Matt explains and defends this Scriptural doctrine from the pages of Scripture itself.