Have you ever wondered why we believe what we believe about Jesus and Christian doctrine?
When I left my old “New Age” life behind I sometimes scrambled to find good teaching resources which were faithful to Scripture. A large hunk of the problem was my own personal ignorance and the fact that I am a slow learner. It was (and still is) a slow process for me. See my P.S. below…
I often asked myself why I believed something and whether it really had a solid biblical foundation. Having said that, I believe God graciously guided me through a lot of mine fields. I learned the hard way that the measure of what we believe should be Scripture itself, not our personal interpretation of it.
To that end, Michael Easley’s teaching series Why We Believe What We Believe is an excellent resource for both new and older Christians. These lectures were first delivered to Moody Bible Institute faculty and students. You can read Dr. Easley’s bio HERE
I first came across the Why We Believe What We Believe series while listening to Moody Radio’s Today in the Word program as I was driving my daughter to work. The trip was twenty five minutes either way. I would drop her off as the program would start and get home just as it finished.
I really looked forward to each day’s drive and enjoyed the series so much that my wife bought me the disc set from Moody. The topics covered why we believe what we believe about: the Bible; the Trinity; Inspiration; Jesus Christ; Salvation; the Holy Spirit and Satan.
Dr. Easley has done us all an immense favor by making this excellent resource available on his website in thirteen 25 minute episodes. For your convenience we have linked to each episode individually:
A Longish Postscript:
Every now and then I get asked about a particular ministry or certain pastor. My opinion is just that, and it comes with many caveats. For example, why should anyone trust me? – I’m no pastor, nor am I a teacher. And I don’t want to be!
But I do have some things to say….
When I left the New Age and began sourcing Christian materials, I didn’t know any pastors, nor was I aware of any biblical churches in my area. My only sources were the Bible, the internet and a Christian bookstore some thirty minutes drive from my home.
While the bookstore had some great books, it also sold many which reminded me of the New Age. These were the health and wealth Word of Faith ministries.
Then there was the internet. I needed help reading God’s Word – as everyone does. The Holy Spirit guides us, when we pray, in illuminating the Bible. But God has also established ministers and pastors to do that. We don’t go off on our own – this would be asking for trouble.
One problem with Christian internet materials is the plethora of voices. Yet there are distinct red flags we ought to be wary of. Be careful of pastors and ministries which spend most of the time finding faults in others, and-or claim to be the sole guardians of biblical truth.
Ask yourself how they engage others – do they show fruits of the Spirit? Do they have clear statements of faith? Are they visible enough to other ministries so they can be held accountable?
Some of these ministries (most often on YouTube) are anonymous. Run from them!
We started Zeteo 316 mainly because we wanted to point people to what we determined to be faithful ministries. None of them are perfect – we aren’t. No ministry is. There are areas of disagreements. But they are trustworthy in all the essentials.
Ultimately it is up to us all to reason carefully, pray fervently, and to read God’s Word diligently in order to discern God’s Truth.
Maranatha!
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