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THE VALUE OF PLACING LINKS
TO TGOC'S WEBSITE
ON OTHER WEBSITES
Here at THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, we are always looking for better, more-efficient ways to carry out our goal of "taking the whole Gospel to the whole world." One of the ways we can do that is by encouraging people from all over the world to visit, and take advantage of, the many items that we offer on our Website (video programs, audio programs, written transcripts, Bible quizzes, etc.). And one of the ways that we can get more people to visit our Website is by encouraging those who are in charge of other Websites to add links for our site to their sites. For example, we always appreciate it when people place links on their sites to our home page, our video page, our audio page, our transcripts and study questions page, or our Bible quiz page.
If you are in charge of a Website, we would like to ask you to please consider placing links to TGOC's Website on your site. Or, if you know someone who operates a Website (such as, for example, a church, a preacher-training school, etc.), we would be extremely grateful if you would ask the person in charge of their Website to consider placing links to TGOC's Website on their site. One of the (many) nice things about our work is that we are not in competition with anyone. All we want to do is expose as many people as possible to the pure, unadulterated Gospel of Christ—which the apostle Paul described as "the power of God to salvation" (Rom. 1:16). If you could place links to our Website on your Website, or encourage others to do the same, we would appreciate it immensely. Who knows what good might come from such a simple act? Anything we can do to loosen Satan's grip on those who are lost, we need to do. After all, precious souls are at stake.
TRUTH SERIES BIBLE QUIZZES
NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
In our last e-newsletter, we announced the addition to our Website of the last four Topical Series Bible quizzes. In this newsletter, we are pleased to announce the first four quizzes in our Truth Series. Included in this offering are quizzes on: (1) The Truth about the Truth; (2) The Truth about Hell; (3) The Truth about Homosexuality; and (4) The Truth about Marriage. We invite you to test your Bible knowledge on these subjects by taking the quizzes, which can be found on our Website at www.thegospelofchrist.com/quiz.
TGOC ANNOUNCES
THE FIRST TWO LESSONS
IN ITS NEW
"FUNDAMENTALS OF THE FAITH"
SERIES
Also in our July 24 e-newsletter, we announced the availability of the last two lessons ("The Narrow-minded Jesus" and "Jesus in the Book of Revelation") in our "More About Jesus" Series of videos. In this newsletter, we are pleased to announce the first two lessons in our new "Fundamentals of the Faith" Series ("The Existence of God" and "Jesus Christ—The Son of God") featuring James Gravelle as the speaker.
In his lesson on "The Existence of God," James begins by reminding Christians of Peter's admonition in 1 Peter 3:15 to "be ready always to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." From that starting point, James then explains the rationale behind his new "Fundamentals of the Faith" Series of lessons by explaining that we must be able to prove what we believe. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, "Test all things; hold fast what is good." Christians must be able to prove that God exists, that the Bible is His Word, and that Jesus is His Son. The souls of the lost depend on our success in such matters.
In the initial lesson of this series, James commences by offering proof for the existence of the God of the Bible. To do that, he first examines the complexity and design behind the Universe in which we live. As James correctly observes, "One does not get a poem without a poet. One does not get a law without a lawgiver. One cannot have a painting without a painter. One cannot have a musical score without a composer. And just as assuredly, one does not get purposeful design without a designer." Indeed. Even atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and infidels admit (albeit begrudgingly at times) that this assessment is true. One atheist, Paul Ricci, put it like this in his book, Fundamentals of Critical Thinking: "It's true that everything designed has a designer. 'Everything designed has a designer,' is an analytically true statement" (1986, p. 190). If, then, the Christian can show that there is purposeful design in the Universe, the conclusion will become obvious: there must be a Designer. By the time James concludes his discussion about the Universe in which we live, there can be no doubt that it is incredibly well designed, that it must have had a designer, and that we can know who that Designer is. As the writer of the Book of Hebrews put it, "Every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God" (Heb. 3:4).
But James does not stop there. He also examines the make-up of various aspects of the human body, concentrating on such things as the skeletal system, the eye, the skin, the cell, and even the DNA found within each cell. To the unbiased mind, the evidence is absolutely overwhelming. This, no doubt, is one of the reasons that the psalmist wrote, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' " One would have to be foolish indeed to ignore all of the evidence in nature around us of God's existence. As Luke observed, "Nevertheless, He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:17).
In his lesson on "Jesus Christ—The Son of God," James begins by quoting Matthew 22:41-42—"While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?' " James quickly moves forward in his presentation by presenting the evidence intended to help people answer such questions (questions, by the way, that every accountable person must eventually answer). He examines the Jesus of history, showing that there can be no doubt that Christ really lived and died. He examines the Jesus of the Old Testament, showing how the writers of the Old Covenant illuminated Christ in their writings. He examines the humanity of Jesus, showing that He experienced emotions, wants, and desires just like the rest of us. And James then examines three areas that provide irrefutable proof that Jesus really was Who He claimed to be—God come to Earth: (1) Christ's perfect fulfillment of over 300 Old Testament prophecies; (2) Christ's ability to work miracles; and (3) His resurrection from the dead three days after He had been crucified and buried.
James ends his discussion by asking, "Who is Jesus of Nazareth?" He then provides the answer: "According to John 7:15, Jesus had no rabbinical training, yet through His teaching He turned the world 'upside down' (Acts 17:6). As the evidence comes to light, we see that Jesus is both the Son of Man as well as the Son of God. He lived and died to redeem fallen mankind. He gave Himself as a ransom (Mt. 20:28). He is God, Who predates, and Who will outlast, time itself (Phil. 2:5-11)." Our old friend, "doubting Thomas," had it right when he looked at Christ and uttered these words: "My Lord and my God!" (Jn. 20:28).
Both of these lessons are now available on our Website, where you will find them in
video, audio, and written transcript formats. We invite you to take advantage of them and to share them with others.
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