Christmas Faith is Strengthened through Christmas Evidence. The Bible offers The Bible Offers evidence to Strengthen our Confidence in Christ’s claims, birth, and final work. Hundreds of years prior to His arrival, prophets laid out specific details of the Messiah’s birth. Studying these prophetic predictions strengthens our confidence in God, His power, His wisdom, and His timeless plan. Doubts Are Natural: Do you ever have moments where you wonder… “Is this all really true? Am I really sure that I haven’t placed my eternal destiny into a story about a talking snake and a magical Resurrection? Do you ever hear all the theories from different religions and philosophies and wonder if Jesus is really… the ONLY way to God? With the pressure of multi-culturalism and relativism in our culture… Isn’t only natural to at least wonder? As you approach the holidays, it’s easy to see real life pain and allow doubt to creep into your life: Your son and daughter-in-law are struggling with infertility, your mom is dying… Your grandfather passed away this past year… You got a medical report, Audit notice, or pink slip… just in time for the Holidays…. Whatever the “thing” was or is, it has you doubting God’s love. God’s presence. And God’s plan. Michael Jordan is a friend who has been attending our church for about a year. He would call himself a skeptic or maybe an explorer. I interviewed him on stage last January. He shared his doubts about faith and God stem from the hypocrisy of church people over the years. However, he has been coming, listening, watching. He even decided to go on our Belize mission trip last year and is planning to go again this year. We were at a lunch a few weeks ago and he shared some interesting “coincidence” that have him thinking about his doubts. As a boat lover who sold high end racing boats for years, it was a big deal for him to go to Belize and miss the annual boat show he attended faithfully for 20 years, but he went. As a medical supply company he often has supplies in his bag. He had several tools in his bag used to check a patient’s blood. He pulled them all out of the bag. He even turned the bag upside down to dump them out. He filled his bag with toys and candy for the kids. As they arrive at the hospital in Belize. Michael realized that the hospital needed some Oxidizers… The very thing he dumped out of his bag a week earlier. He reached into his bag to get a toy and sure enough… There was one medical tool in the bag. He turned to me and said, “Chad, I don’t have an explanation for this… But I imagine you do. What I know FOR SURE, is that I emptied and dumped everything out of that bag that was medical.” We laughed as he is beginning to see God draw Him near despite his doubts. Michael is learning evidence for his faith. “We know doubts are a part of life for all of us. Doubts Are Natural: God comes to us in our doubts and doesn’t say, “I can’t believe you feel that way.” He doesn’t say, “Just believe… Faith is the absence of facts.” No, No, No. God comes to us and welcome our honest doubts. God Offers Evidence to Strengthen Our Faith When it is Weak. Christmas Faith is Strengthened through Christmas Evidence.…
