Take a Tip from Lieutenant Columbo
Article ID: JAE296 | By: Greg Koukl
This article first appeared in the Effective Evangelism column of the Christian Research Journal, volume 29, number 06 (2006). For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http://www.equip.org

Being an ambassador for Christ in the twenty‐first century requires more than having the right answers. It is too easy for postmoderns to ignore our facts, deny our claims, or simply yawn and walk away from the line we have drawn in the sand.

Sometimes, however, they do not walk away; instead, they stay and fight. We wade into battle only to face a return barrage that we cannot handle. Caught off balance, we retreat in humiliation, maybe for good.

I would like to suggest another approach. Jesus said when you find yourself a sheep amidst wolves, be innocent, but be shrewd. This calls for a tactical approach.

“Do You Mind If I Ask You a Question?” My favorite approach is what I call the “Columbo” tactic. It is the simplest device imaginable to stop a challenger in his tracks, turn the tables, put you in the driver’s seat, and, more important, get him thinking. This tactic is typified by Lieutenant Columbo, the bumbling and seemingly inept television detective whose remarkable success was based on an innocent query: “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

Jesus used this method. When facing a hostile crowd He often asked challenging or leading questions meant to challenge His detractors: “Was the baptism of John from Heaven or from men?…Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” (Luke 20:4, 24 NIV).

The key to this tactic is going on the offense with carefully planned and selected questions that move the discussion along in an interactive way. It is best played out Columbo style—halting, head‐scratching, and apparently harmless.

Simply put, instead of making assertions, ask questions. The Columbo tactic is a lot of fun and it offers tremendous advantages. For one, questions are interactive by nature and invite others to participate. They are neutral, so no “preaching” is involved; you are not arguing, but asking, gathering information. Carefully placed questions also shift the burden of proof (i.e., the responsibility to defend or give evidence for a view) to the other person where it often belongs. The most effective questions either gain information or reverse the burden of proof.

“What Do You Mean by That?” Sometimes you need more information to know how to proceed, so your initial probe will be open‐ended. The most efficient type of question you can ask in most circumstances is a clarification question —some variation of “What do you mean?”—that encourages the person to explain more about what she thinks. It is a natural opening with absolutely no pressure when delivered in a mild and genuinely inquisitive fashion.

For example, when someone declares, “There is no God,” you can ask, “What do you mean by God?” (in other words, “What particular idea of God are you rejecting?”). When someone asserts, “All religions are basically the same,” you can ask, “Really? What do you mean by the same?” (i.e., “In what way?”). When someone objects, “You shouldn’t force your views on me,” you can ask, “Specifically, what am I doing to force my views on you right now?” (then perhaps, “How is that forcing my views?”). When someone states, “The Bible has been changed over the years,” you can ask, “What in the Bible has been changed?” (specifically, “How exactly do you think it has been altered?”).

Questions like these accomplish several important things. First, they immediately engage the other person in friendly conversation. Second, they flatter the other person, because questions show that you are genuinely interested in the person’s view. Third, they compel that person to think more carefully— maybe for the first time—about what exactly she means. Finally, questions uncover valuable information, revealing precisely what the person thinks so that you do not misunderstand or misrepresent her view.

It is important to pay attention to the person’s response. If it is unclear, follow up with more questions. Say, “Let me see if I understand you on this,” then restate the view back to her to make sure you have it right.

Some time ago, while on vacation in Wisconsin, my wife and I were at a one‐hour photo store being helped by a woman who had a large pentagram (a five‐pointed star generally associated with the occult) dangling from her neck.

“Does that have religious significance,” I asked, “or is it just jewelry?”

“It has religious significance,” she answered. “The five points stand for earth, wind, fire, water, and spirit. I’m a pagan.”

My wife, unaware that pagan referred to Wicca (witchcraft) and earth worship, laughed in amazement at what seemed like a remarkably candid confession. “I’ve never heard anyone actually admit outright that they were pagan,” she explained. She knew the term only as a pejorative that her friends use when yelling at their children: “Get in here, you little pagans!”

“It’s an earth religion,” the woman explained, “like the Native Americans’.”

“So you’re Wiccan?” I asked. She nodded. Noticing a piece of jewelry and asking a simple question about it, a variation of “What do you mean by that?” led to a productive conversation.

“How Did You Come to That Conclusion?” The first Columbo question helps you know what another person thinks. To know why he thinks that way takes a second question: “How did you come to that conclusion?” An alternate might be, “Why do you say that?” or “What are your reasons for believing that?”

These questions charitably assume that the person actually has thought through the issue carefully and not just made assertions or expressed his feelings. They accomplish something else vitally important: they force the other person to give an account for his beliefs. The basic rule that governs exchanges like these is: the person making the claim bears the burden of proof.

Here is why this is so important. Christians should not be the only ones who have to defend what they believe. Reject the impulse to counter every assertion someone manufactures. Do not try to refute every tale spun out of thin air. It is not your job to answer his claim; rather, it is his job to defend it.

For example, I once was a guest on a secular talk‐radio show in Los Angeles where I made a case for intelligent design over evolution. When a caller used the Big Bang theory to argue against a Creator, I said that if there was a Big Bang, it worked in my favor. A Big Bang needs a Big “Banger,” it seemed to me.

The caller disagreed. The Big Bang does not need God, he claimed. Then leading off with the phrase, “One could say…,” he spun a lengthy science‐fiction tale for the audience about how everything came from nothing.

“You’re right,” I responded. “‘One could say’ anything he wants, but giving good reasons why we should believe the story you just told is another thing altogether.”

It was not my job to disprove his fairy tale. He bore the burden of proof for his own claim. It was his job to show why anyone should take his something‐from‐nothing fantasy seriously.

The Professor’s Ploy. The Columbo tactic is especially effective in the classroom. Some professors are fond of taking pot‐shots at Christianity with remarks like, “The Bible is just a bunch of fables.” Wellmeaning believers sometimes accept the challenge and attempt a head‐to‐head duel with the professor. This rarely works.

The rule of engagement that governs exchanges like these is: the person with the microphone wins. The professor always has the strategic advantage. It is foolish to get into a power struggle when you are outgunned. There is a better way: use your tactic.

Simply ask your Columbo questions: “Professor, what do you mean by that?” and “How did you come to that conclusion?” Make him shoulder the burden of proof. After all, he is the teacher, and he is the one making the claim. With this approach you are able to stay engaged while deftly sidestepping the power struggle.

The professor may sense your tactical maneuver and respond, “Oh, you must be one of those fundamentalists who thinks the Bible is inspired by God. Okay, I’m a fair man. Why don’t you take a few minutes and prove that to the rest of the class?”

In one quick move he has cleverly shifted the burden of proof back on you, the student. If you find yourself facing the challenge to “prove me wrong,” don’t take the bait! Falling into this trap is fatal; instead, shift the burden back on the professor where it belongs. After all, he made the claim.

Respond this way: “Professor, you don’t know what my own view is because I haven’t mentioned it. More to the point, it’s irrelevant. It doesn’t matter what I believe. I’m just a student. I’m here to learn. You’ve made a controversial claim. I simply want clarification and reasons, that’s all.” If he gives you an answer, thank him for explaining himself and either ask another question or let it go for the time being.

Do not miss this point: the Christian does not have to be the expert on everything. If we keep the burden of proof on the person who is making a claim, we do not have to have all the answers. In fact, we can be effective even when we know very little—if we ask the right questions.

Staying in the Driver’s Seat. Asking simple, leading questions is an effortless way to make capital of a conversation for spiritual ends without seeming abrupt, rude, or pushy. Questions are engaging and interactive, probing yet amicable. Most important, they keep you in the driver’s seat while someone else does all the work.

When someone says to you, “The Bible has been changed so many times” or “No one can know the truth about religion” or “All religions are basically the same,” do not retreat in silence; instead, simply raise your eyebrows and ask, “Oh? What do you mean by that?” and “How did you come to that conclusion?”

Most critics are not well equipped to defend their own claims. They rarely have thought through what they believe and have relied more on generalizations and slogans than on careful reflection. To expose this weakness, take your cue from Lieutenant Columbo: scratch your head, rub your chin, pause for a moment, then say, ”Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

— Gregory Koukl

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Hi Jim, since you are so good at defending our faith, I was wondering if you would read the following response a friend of mine from my high school days posted on FB. I have tried discussing these matters with her but she gets very defensive. I would be glad to know how you would respond to her comments point by point. “The bible is not the basis of our Constitution. I wholeheartedly disagree. And recorded history does too. I am currently reading the biography of Alexander Hamilton and I have read The Federalist Papers, biographies of most of the Founding Fathers, and a number of history books. The common denominator is their desire to avoid a national religion. The bible is not factual. There is too much hard scientific evidence to the contrary. While I believe that you have the freedom to believe what you want, I have the freedom from your beliefs too. The bible has 11 cases of incest, and has been used to justify slavery, child abuse, discrimination, and war. I do not want government based on that.” Thanks for your help with this

Michelle, one of the first things we must recognize is hard core evolutionist/ atheist most likely cannot be changed, 2 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, Romans 1: 28. the 2nd point is argument is never the answer, they do get on the defensive. So, it really depends upon the person you’re speaking to when determining how to approach them, (1 Peter 3:15 tells us to defend the word…. meekly and humbly) we must lead them into a “conversation”.

It appears to me in your message that the following are the arguments she poses:

1. “The bible is not the basis of our Constitution.
2. The bible is not factual. There is too much hard-scientific evidence to the contrary.
3. While I believe that you have the freedom to believe what you want, I have the freedom from your beliefs too.
4. The bible has 11 cases of incest, and has been used to justify slavery, child abuse, discrimination, and war.

I will give you my answers at the end of this message.

One thing I find interesting about your statement is she doesn’t want government based upon the bible, (you and I know that is a scary thing, every other government has absolutely been as she described, when not based upon the Bible, consider Hitler’s Germany for instance)  and all the examples of abuse, and such that she quotes… she obviously has never read the bible, let alone understands it, nor does she understand much about our countries history, nor does she know much about science, all she knows in all these subjects is what another atheist has told her. The bible hasn’t changed, science has, it is always moving towards biblical statements concerning scientific facts. She apparently has her mind set on believing the lie, without evidence.

Normally the way I respond to atheist is to ask them if they are interested in truth…. Biblically or not… and all of them will say yes and state that as the reason for rejecting scripture (but you must remember Liberals are not really interested in the truth, even though they think they are).

Your response should be something like this: “if you are truly interest in learning the truth, if you are truly committed to knowing the truth then you must be willing to examine both sides of the issue, consider all the facts, with an open mind, and until you are ready to do that, you are rejecting the truth, and are only interested in a philosophy that supports your desired lifestyle. (Always, always remember the part about meekness and humility)

A person truly committed to truth, will seek truth diligently, and when they find it, will live by it.

A good question is simply to ask them is “What if I could prove to you God does exist, and He is the author of the bible, would that change your view”?

I tell the guys in the prison, that I can do exactly that, but so what? What difference does it make if they do not let this truth change their lives?

We can give scientific and mathematical proof of creation being the true reason for our existence (vs. evolution) all day long (literally, all day long), and the committed atheist/ evolutionist will reject it, and come up with some answer such as …. Well given enough time…

This is the reason I am developing the new class called the two witnesses. These are facts contained in scripture that cannot be argued by anyone. They are the scientific facts stated in the bible such as the jet stream circuit (verified by during world war II by airmen), that there are springs in the bottom of the ocean (verified by scientist in the 1970’s), and all the health facts long before mankind had any proof, or idea of the facts being presented.

2^nd are the prophesies in the bible, predictions of the future which are now history, of which there are some 2,500 of them and all except a few last day prophesies have been fulfilled exactly as predicted. For instance, Daniels 70 “7’s” (predictions of 70 – 7 year periods of time ending with the crucifixion of Christ) are so accurate that even bible scholars thought that it was history being passed off as prophecies, until they found the dead sea scrolls in 1948 that predated the prophesies, proving it was prophecy.

They cannot be argued, because they are in the bible and are proven scientific or now historical facts, and, it can be proven the bible has not changed (we have thousands of very early copies, even 4 -5 thousand of just the new testament)

One technique I like to use is to tell people in the theaters of their minds to picture a chalk board like they had in school, stretching from the beginning of time to today. Start by drawing line on your board at the very top, all the way across, in a straight line and label that line “The Bible” because it is the same all through time, it never changes and never will. Secondly start a line at the bottom left and title it “Science” and as we progress through the course they will move that line up every time science changes it position due to more evidence… the line will always head towards the Bible line, and eventually if we’re around long enough it will meet up with the bible line and join it, but will never go above it.

The point to the two witnesses is simply this; for early man to record all these facts of science and the future, they had to have a source of higher intelligence, a higher power, that higher power is what we refer to as “God” and to the logical mind it proves the bible had to be inspired by God.

Remember the apostles when they were evangelizing made the statement that the Jews found the gospel a stumbling block, and the Greeks considered it nonsense… the reason is the Jews had basic understanding, the Greeks didn’t. The Pew research institute tells us people born in 1996 and later only about 50% have any knowledge of scripture at all. Which means half of America today (Liberals) are merely modern day Greeks… it sounds like nonsense to them, and they consider it intellectual suicide to even consider the possibility of the Bible being the truth. So, anytime you are dealing with an atheist you need to determine that. However, you do have some inside knowledge about her… she and everyone else who claims to be an atheist are lying (Romans 1:18 – 19) The Brown trucking company in Georgia polygraphed everyone applying for a job with them until 1988. One of the questions they asked everyone is if they believed in God… when a confirmed atheist would answer no, in every case the machine indicated they were lying, and they tested over 15,000 people.

Now to answer her statements:

1. “The bible is not the basis of our Constitution.
   1. A simple study of American history proves that the Bible/ Christianity is absolutely the basis of our Constitution, and our very existence, in addition:
      1. In the beginning the education of children was the responsibility of the church
      2. All school children learned from the McGuffey reader which was based upon bible scriptures

• If you go to court, you swear to tell the truth by placing your hand on a bible (liberals may have had this changed…. Wouldn’t surprise me) indicating, truth, and the commitment to it was found in the Bible

1. Congress and the Senate began, and I think they still do, with prayer.
2. All courthouse, and federal buildings generally have the ten commandments posted or some other scripture.

2. The bible is not factual. There is too much hard-scientific evidence to the contrary.
   1. There are over a hundred examples of science now proving the truth and consistency of scripture, basically science is just catching up to biblical statements concerning our cosmos and our Earth.
3. While I believe that you have the freedom to believe what you want, I have the freedom from your beliefs too.
   1. This is a biblical principle, God only wants those to come to Him voluntarily.
4. The bible has 11 cases of incest, and has been used to justify slavery, child abuse, discrimination, and war.
   1. People over time have misused biblical scriptures to preform evil acts, there is no doubt about this, the crusades are a good example of this. However,
      1. Slavery is a fact of history, began in Africa (this is just a fact of life, and the bible does not hide from facts.)
      2. Child abuse has been prevalent throughout history. Various societies have used children in their temple worship (not Christian or Jews) for sexual purposes all through time (for instance, and for obvious reasons, I like to use Amy Carmichael as an example of this, who went to India to save the little girls from this abuse, and later the little boys as well. (Again, this is just a fact of life, and the bible does not hide from facts.)
         1. A simple reading of scripture tells us God is against this, and anyone commits this crime will suffer harsher judgment than anyone else.

• Incest is much more common than we like to admit, it’s like the old joke that some family trees do not have branches. Again, this is just a fact of life, and the bible does not hide from facts.
  1. In the beginning, everyone was a brother and sister, all born of Adam, so there was no option.
  2. In the ark, these eight people were all relatives, again no option.
  3. In early America, in the small villages across the land, very often the only mate available was a cousin.
  4. President Roosevelt was married to his 1^st

1. Discrimination:
   1. This is common among all people groups, and not just a white man’s invention. And there are many examples of this, not just skin color even though that is the common reason. The sad thing is evolutionist preach there are five races of mankind, but the bible teaches us there is only one race: the human race, and now DNA has proven the bible to be correct, again proving evolution to be wrong. And, there is only one skin color; brown with various shades depending on how much of what I call food coloring is present.
2. War: Again, this is just a fact of life, and the bible does not hide from facts.
   1. War has existed all through history.
      1. America has been involved in war many times, generally dragged into it by other countries, such as in world war II when we were attacked without provocation in Pearl Harbor by a country that did not believe in God, nor the bible.
         1. Also by Germany, and contrary to what many will tell you, Hitler was not a Christian.
         2. The American revolution… to gain freedom from England and establish our country as a Christian country, following the precepts of Christ, but giving religious freedom to all (the idea of course Christian religion, and even those who claimed this really meant their brand of Christian religion which for the most part was their own brand of Christian beliefs.

• The civil war, in which the conservative republicans recognized that slavery was an evil practice being defended by the liberal democrats of the day (in addition the KKK later was the strong arm of the democratic party… not the republicans) When John Kennedy supported the civil rights bill in the 1960’s he was considered a traitor to his party, and his reward was assignation.

1. God uses war in the scriptures for several reasons, including to punish the Jews who turned their backs of Him.
2. He used wars and battles to demonstrate His great power, that it was He who was in control, allowing just a handful of men defeat great armies, and at time sending angels to destroy evil empires and armies.

Let’s look at the other options. A godless society: Our government today has approved of homosexual activity as legal, even to the point of gay marriages in direct opposition to God’s word. It has opened girl’s restrooms in the schools, and public, as well as private buildings, subjecting our little girls to any perverts, to whatever abuse they choose to perpetrate on these children.

God says thou shall not murder, yet the godless society says that is Okay… genocide against the aged, with the idea that anyone over 80 should not receive medical care outside of pain killers to make them more comfortable (I guess that is their idea of compassion). We have murdered 60 million innocent babies, by tearing the them literally, limb from limb, knowing full well they feel that pain, and then crushing their skulls… great example of a compassionate yet godless society.

Even if the Bible wasn’t true (and it is proven to be true, by science) I would still prefer is precepts over the godless societies that have emerged from time to time, including the United States in the last 8 years.

I hope you will look around this website, you find overwhelming evidence that proves the bible to be the Inspired Word of God.

Transcript of the September 2016 Prison Sermon by Jim Carmichael

Grace be to God that I am able to stand before you this evening and share His word with you.  

if you possess a certain level of common sense, once something is proven to you to be true beyond a shadow of a doubt,

especially when it concerns your eternal well-being, seeking that truth should become a passion in your life.

The bible gives us an example of just how strong that passion should be:

Psalm 42:1 (For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.) As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?…

Genesis 2: 7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. God is life, and He imparted life to us, now think how much you would desire that breath of life if you were drowning.

This should be our goal, to seek God with this kind of overwhelming passion.

But we can’t just choose to, at least I couldn’t, we have to have a conviction, a true ironclad conviction that God does exist, and did create the world.

 Let me define Science;            Science means knowledge.

There are two forms of science

There is true science we call observable science. WE call it true because we can see evidence of it.

We can see the result of a thing happening, such as arriving upon an accident about 5 minutes after it occurred. We didn’t see the accident, but we see two cars smashed together and can safely assume there was indeed a car accident because it is based upon observable evidence.

On the other hand, we have false science, or pseudo-science, more commonly known as scientific theory.

Now pseudo-science would be like saying, I believe an accident has occurred here, even though there are no witnesses, no wreckage, and no real reason to think so.

There is no way to prove scientific theory, because there are no witnesses, and no evidence, and in fact may even contradict real science.

We can go back to the accident, and instead of thinking an accident had occurred we would try to convince people that what appeared to be an accident was actually just an act of nature, both wrecked cars just developed through time. That would be contrary to observable evidence, wouldn’t it?

That is precisely what the theory of evolution attempts to do with observable evidence of creation, even though all the evidence points towards creation, the evolutionist wants to tell us even though it appears to be creation, it really just occurred through small mutations over millions of years.

 How can we know the bible is truly inspired by God? And, can it possibly be proven?

The answer is; God gave us two witnesses to this fact, many years before they could stand as witnesses.

The prophesies, which is man making predictions of future events of which they could not have had any knowledge of in advance, no way of knowing what or why they were predicting it, all they knew was God was telling them to write it down, and they did.

The second was having them write what would become observable science/ knowledge thousands of years in advance. They were writing things they could have had no idea of what it meant, and no man could have until recent years with the development of technology, and true science.

These are our two witnesses that offer us testimony to the fact that God must have told them what to write, and they did, it had to be the inspired word of God, there is simply no other option.

I normally do not study prophesies concerning end-time events, however I do want to look at a couple of those prophesies.

1 Timothy 6:20 warns us of a false doctrine, and false teachers stating that those would come who would profess profanity and idle babblings that actually contradict true, or observable science/ knowledge.

 That time has come, and a great delusion has swept the earth which was also predicted

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Today a great lie has covered the earth, the theory of evolution which contradicts observable evidence, yet is taught worldwide as fact, and many just accept this without investigation.

There are only two options on how we came to exist: Either through evolution, or creation.

There can only be one absolute truth regarding the beginning, not two. One is supported by observable evidence the other is not.

Did it ever occur to you that if we can prove just one fact that had to come from God, that is all that required to “prove” His existence, but I will tell you now, He has given us a thousand ways, and the theory of evolution has given us none, yet people flock to it.

Why, for evolution eliminates the need for Christ, there is nothing to be forgiven for, we just developed this way, there is nothing after this life, no hell that burns forever.

The problem with that idea is that you might not believe a bus is barreling down on you when in reality it is, but if you don’t move, believe it or not, you are going to be squashed.

Whether you believe in hell or not, if you do not accept the truth, with a passion and live by it, and teach it to others, you will be hit by it, and there will be no recourse, and it will continue forever.

I would like to explain something to you, we have all kinds of proof that creation is the only answer, from the study of the cosmos, the earth, and the human body. We use these facts very often in an attempt to “prove” creation, but at each and every turn, at every example those who believe in the lie will have a counter, and generally it will be “given enough time” and all things could have occurred by chance.

So what is the answer? Using these facts as the observable science, the true knowledge, that even the atheist will not refute… for it is science… observable science and compare it to the bible in order to verify the bible is in line with that same observable science.

So where does the proof lie?

When we can demonstrate the bible stated the observable facts long before they were observable, information given to man before he would have had any idea of why he was writing it, then we are establishing a higher power must have been in play, and we are going to look at a few examples of this evidence this evening.

The earth was designed for biological life. (Isaiah 45:18) Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.

Scientist have discovered that the most fundamental characteristics of our earth and cosmos are so finely tuned that if just one of them were even slightly different, life as we know it couldn’t exist. This is called the Anthropic Principle and it agrees with the Bible which states that God formed the earth to be inhabited.

I hope you see the connection, God created the earth to be inhabited, and it is so finely tuned that life couldn’t have existed as we know it without the fine tuning.

Let’s go to Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth.

Satan just adds two words, In the beginning God did not create the heavens and Earth.

Just as he only changed one word in the Garden, he caused the fall of man, he now changes two words, and hopes to seal our fate… eternity in the lake of fire with him and his demons.

In the beginning God revealed Himself to early man. It was obvious enough that He told them to write, and they wrote without question, writing things they had no idea of their meaning.

So let’s take a look at them and see if they agree with observable science.

God told them in Genesis 1: 14-16 That He had created the lights in the heavens for signs, seasons, days and years. We know now that it takes one full year of time for the earth to make one trip around the Sun, and during that year the seasons changed due to their position in relationship to the Sun. The phases of the moon follow one another with clock like precision constituting the lunar calendar, and in Job 38:12,14 The picture here is of a clay vessel being turned or rotated upon the potter’s wheel – an accurate analogy of the earth’s rotation. Luke 17:34-36 says the second coming of Jesus Christ will occur while some are asleep at night, and others are working at daytime activities in the field. This is another clear indication of a revolving earth, with day and night occurring at the same time. And, here is your first example of the bible agreeing with observable science.

Now, we have covered the seasons, the day’s, the year, and even the calendar with the earth tuning on its axis, but what about that first reason given for those lights? For signs. Now many think this has to do with astrology, but God commands us not to use the stars for predicting the future Isaiah 47:13 “You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you.”,

yet He gave them as signs, so what could those signs be for?

Dan 12:4  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Increased when? In the end. Do we have a great increase in knowledge now?

This verse is a great witness to the fact that God has concealed the meaning of this book until the “time of the end”.  To “shut up” means to hide, keep secret or conceal.  This is a common methodology of God found throughout the Bible.  God has hidden information for us to find.   This information is revealed by the Spirit of God at the proper time.  For some scriptures it was during the time of the Apostles and Paul when God revealed vast amounts of new revelation.  But, it is also for our time based upon this verse in Daniel, that we live in right now.

So I want to go over this really quickly, in the beginning God revealed Himself to early man, a burning bush, To Noah on how to build the Ark (by the way, the dimensions of the ark turned out to be the perfect dimensions for large sea going cargo vessels, one of those revealed scientific facts) To Moses, with his ten plagues, parting of the red sea.

Later with Christ revealing Himself as God in the flesh performing miracles of healing and raising the dead, and rising from the dead Himself.

And now us, He is revealing Himself with this great increase of knowledge, so we can know and recognize Him. So we can accept Him, so we can have our witness, in order to gain eternal life.

the new technology has revealed many things in scripture that proves it to be in accordance with observable science.

Let’s go a little further. These lights in the heaven are stars; In Genesis 17:22 and Hebrews 11:12 God states that the stars are comparable to the sands of the sea. Modern day scientist estimates the number of stars as very comparable to the number of pebbles of sand on the sea shore.

 

In Jeremiah 33:22 God says they are incalculable. At a time when less than 5,000 stars were visible to the human eye, God stated they were incalculable. It was not until the 17^th century that Galileo invented the telescope and got a glimpse into the immensity of our universe, today astronomers estimate that there are 10,000 billion trillion stars (that’s a 1 with 25 “0”’s following it), and as the bible states, they also say this estimate might be “woefully” inadequate.

The bible agrees with observable science. Although the number of stars are immense, and incalculable the scientists state that the number is finite, which also agrees with the bible which states that in Isaiah 40:26, and in Psalms 147:4 God counts them and calls them by name… we serve an awesome God.

In Job 38: 31 The Pleiades and Orion star clusters are described. The Pleiades star cluster is bound gravitationally while the Orion star cluster is loose and disintegrating, the clusters gravity isn’t strong enough to hold the group together, yet God asked Job 4,000 years ago” Can you bind the cluster of Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion?” Yet, it is only recently that we realized that the Pleiades is gravitationally bound, but Orion’s stars are flying apart.

Let’s look at a star very familiar to us… The Sun… goes in a circuit. We found this in Palms 19:6. Some scientist scoffed at this verse thinking it taught geocentricity, that the Sun traveled around the Earth, and insisted the Sun was stationary, yet we now know that the Sun travels through space at 600,000 miles per hour. It is literally moving through a huge circuit in space, just as the bible stated 3,000 years ago.

 Of course what do stars do? Provide light, so….

Let’s go a little further, 4000 years ago God declared that light had its way in Job 38:19. In the original language the word used here was Derrick, which means road or path, and more accurately a road or path traveled. Job wrote this at a time when it was thought that light traveled instantaneously, we now know that light is a form of energy that travels at 186,000 miles a second in a straight line, and as the bible says, in complete agreement with observable science, light has its way.

And moving to Job 38:24 the bible states that light can be divided, and it wasn’t until about 400 years ago that Sir Isaac Newton decided to study light and discovered that white light was made of 7 colors that could be divided, and then reunited. Science confirmed this 400 years ago, but God declared it 4 millennia ago.

Let’s wrap this up with one more example, staying in Job 38, going to verse 35 God says light can be sent, and then manifest itself in speech. We now know that light waves and radio waves are merely two forms of the same thing, electromagnetic waves. Therefore, radio waves are merely a form of light, and by using a radio transmitter, we can send lightening’s, and they will indeed manifest themselves in speech.

As should be obvious, these are things that could have only been known by God when they were written, and they have been revealed to us in these days of increased knowledge, and written at an earlier time so we could confirm the truth of God.

We lived in a blessed time.  There are app 2,500 predictions of the future in the bible almost all fulfilled except for a few end-time prophesies, and hundreds of these scientific facts proving the bible lines up perfectly with observable science.

We didn’t even touch the tip of the preverbal iceberg… it’s an exciting journey for anyone who decides to take it… it gives you an iron clad faith, which will instill in you a passion for seeking God and his truth.

So, you can have your witnesses, your two witnesses of the end times, and you can know you live in the final days. God’s word is provable, and by that fact we know trustworthy to be true, every word…. And the increase in knowledge, the description that covers the earth, all tell us we are in the end days… the very end days.

Now I am going to wrap this up with two more verses: To me the two scariest verses in the Bible.

Revelation 3:15 -17 15I   know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other. 16 So because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of My mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.…

James 1: 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Studying apologetics, becoming a student of it, along with solid biblical knowledge will give you an ironclad faith, that faith will cause a passion in you to share the word with everyone who will listen.

And, you will have an unstoppable power to defend the word against the most aggressive atheist that might attack you.

So why are we studying this? Because many people have no idea of the truth of the scripture. They have had no background training, and all they have heard that bible is just a bunch of nonsense, full of lies, because they have been taught evolution is the true answer for the reason we are here.

They have been deceived. If not taught the true knowledge, they face an eternity in damnation, and if only for a teacher they could have eternal life.

Let’s be that teacher. We have to defend the bible, and from what? From the ignorance of the world that now believes in the theory, the pseudo-science of evolution, and to do that we must have solid, honest, provable information.  Thank you for your time.

 

 

To break the cycle of the repeat offender.

With the G-I Program, G-1 members are encouraged to begin positive growth by organized involvement within the existing programs and opportunities offered from the DOC, the faith based community, and other support groups.

The very nature of the G-1 Chapter compels the G-1 members to take full advantage of the resources available while they are incarcerated and prepare themselves to become productive members of society when released.

Completion of the LITE PLAN as a G-1 member entitles them to the G-1 network of aftercare providers and all related resources available upon release.

Genesis One is a Christian, faith-based organization

whose Chapter membership is open to anyone regardless of race, age, gender, or religious preference. However, one must accept GOD into their life before they may continue with the Genesis One Program. We believe that without GOD, this program will be of no value to G-1 members.
Dick Conner Correctional Center

GENESIS-ONE Newsletter

Gary J. Doby, Editor-in-Chief
Fred Durbin, Graphics & Design / Editor
NOTE: All Scripture cited in these newsletters are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Leadership

John Wood, Sponsor
Thomas Ward, Chapter Coordinator Bruce Walker, Asst. Chapter Coordinator Juan Caballero, Chapter Prayer Warrior Fred Durbin, Interim Chapter Secretary

“G-1 Newsletter”

is published monthly at ! the Dick Conner Correctional Center. The i
i newsletter is intended to be a forum for : : Christian fellowship by providing a medium to share testimonies, artwork, poetry, and/or Bible exegesis submitted by
offenders, volunteers, and staff
Members of the Faith-based community on the yard are invited to submit their work. We prefer written work to be between 100-500 words. Artwork should be created in black pen or pencil. Please share your gifts: “Every good gift is from above, and cometh down from the FATHER…” —James I :17

Apologetics is best seen as either pre-evangelism or as part of the process of evangelism.

It removes barriers to belief and prepares the ground for the seed of the gospel to be sown.

 

One more time, just to make sure we get this:

It removes barriers to belief and prepares the ground for the seed of the gospel to be sown.

You could compare it to the farmer who is plowing his field preparing it for seed. This is apologtices.

Then you see the same farmer planting the seed, after the field has been prepared. This is evangelism.

What comes next is the harvest: New Christians, looking forward to eternal life without pain, without tears, never growing old. It will be one of those Christians who do not fall away as almost 80 to 85 % do.

This is the ground Christ spoke about in his parable: Matthew 13: 3

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Will you have a better harvest if you plow the ground before you attempt to plant the seed…..or not?