What If...?

1 Thessalonians 1:56 - “For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true.” (NLT)

There has always been some debate as to whether or not the Scriptures are true. Can we trust what was written so long ago? Can we believe that these texts have not been tampered with and that they could possibly stand the test of time? It seems as though it was going to be a problem for people who were even in the midst of living out the Scriptures. Even the people who knew the Old Testament Scriptures had that trouble, and even crucified Jesus because of it.

So what makes us so different? Jesus. At least that is the short answer. Scholars estimate that Jesus fulfilled between 300 and 570 prophecies both with His life and after His death. It would be an incredible coincidence that some random guy, could manage to make that happen. When Jesus rose from the grave and was seen to be alive, there were over 500 people that saw Him. In 1 Corinthians 15: 3-8, Paul gives a list of people to whom the risen Jesus appeared. These witnesses to the resurrected Jesus include the Apostle Peter, James the brother of Jesus, and, most intriguingly, a group of more than 500 people at the same time.

So if we can build a case that there is truth within this text, what happens next. What if it is all true? What should our lives look like if we believe this to be true? Should we act differently? Should we trust differently? During our season of Lent I have written a daily devotional to go alongside with our weekly sermon series that will explore this life that we are living, or at least should be living, if this is all true!

Maybe we should make different decisions. Maybe we should trust Him in our weakness and troubles. Maybe, just maybe, we can be transformed by the living God and see a difference come to our lives and even the lives of those around us. Wouldn’t it be great if we took the next 40 plus days, searched our hearts, searched through the Scriptures, and found all that God intended for us to find, so that we might be all that He calls us to be. What If…?
- Pastor Mike