by Tim Leahy

Webster defines reality as the quality or state of being real. What’s real? Webster defines real as having objective independent existence; not artificial, fraudulent, or illusory: GENUINE; occurring or existing in actuality.

Reality is that which exists and is true. Just because something exists, doesn’t mean that it’s true. In this article, I claim that Christianity is real and true, which means that following Jesus is living in reality.

I believe the most profound statement that Jesus made was, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). I say profound, because of its implications.

If Jesus is the only way to the Father/God, then by implication, all other “truth claims” that contradict Jesus’ statement would have to be false. Further implications are that if Jesus is the truth, then everything contrary to what Jesus and the World of God say would also have to be false.

If God’s Word, and Jesus, the living Word are true then it also sets the parameters for reality. Since the evidence for the life of Jesus is solid[1], and the evidence for the Bible being the Word of God is solid[2] then the belief that the God of the Bible is the Author of reality is a logical conclusion.

Therefore, if we want to live in reality, then we need to live God’s way. I believe it’s safe to say that all the problems and all the confusion stem from our failure to follow God His way. Another way of saying this is, if we did things God’s way would we have the problems we currently have?

Of course, many of the problems we have stem from the fall (the first act of disobedience – Genesis 2:15-3:24) and the consequences of the fall (sin, separation from God, loss of perfection, and death); while others come from the choices we make or don’t make.

The bottom line is that if we had followed God His way, we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re currently in.

Chew on that for a while.

The Good News is that God did something about our mess. He sent His Son Jesus to clean up our mess so we could live in reality now and for eternity. Click here for additional details.

Check out the LMIQ.org website for other informative articles and resources about life and reality.

[1] https://lmiq.org/jesus-existence/

[2] https://lmiq.org/evidence-that-the-bible-is-the-word-of-god/

by Tim Leahy

In talking to people about Jesus, they will say things like: ‘Is there any evidence for His existence?’

The reality is that there is. It has been said that the evidence for Jesus’ existence is beyond a reasonable doubt to the point that most scholars believe that Jesus was an actual person who lived in history.

So, what is the evidence for His existence?

I would say that one of the best and foundational evidence is creation itself. Since the universe exists, there must be a Creator that created the universe[1]. This line of thought is important because if a Creator does not exist, then Jesus’ existence is irrelevant.

The reason for this is that Jesus and those who bore witness to His existence testify that Jesus is the Creator (John 1:1-3, 14; Colossians 1:15-16). Jesus said that He and the Father are one (John 10:30). Jesus told His disciples that since they have seen Him, they have seen the Father (John 14:9-11).

John testifies that Jesus is God (John 1:1-3, 14), Paul testifies that Jesus is God (Colossians 1:15-16), Thomas testifies that Jesus is God (John 20:28), and Peter testifies that Jesus was God (2 Peter 1:1).

This leads us to the question of the reliability of the eyewitness testimony. How do we know that these supposed eyewitnesses actually said these things?

The reliability of the eyewitness statements is directly tied to the evidence for the Bible being the reliable Word of God. See evidence for the Bible being the Word of God[2].

We should not find it hard to believe that the Creator of the universe could communicate with His creation. In fact, that’s exactly what the Word of God testifies to (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:15-17).

Therefore, if the Bible is the Word of God, then we have excellent evidence that Jesus is God and that He lived in a specific place during a specific time. One of the things or evidence that Jesus existed is that those who wrote about Him used specific places and people that connect Him to a specific time and place.

If people were going to make up a fictitious story about a fictitious person, they would not use specific people, places, and events that could be historically confirmed or denied. They would have used fictitious people and places so their story could not be disproven. This was not the case.

The eyewitnesses used specific people, places, and events that have all been confirmed which is known as “historical accuracy”. This on top of the archeological evidence proves that Jesus was a real person, who lived in a real time and place in history.

The icing on the cake is that unbelievers (those who rejected Jesus as the Messiah) wrote about Him (Josephus) and confirmed the facts that the eyewitness testified about. Therefore, the conclusion is that Jesus was a real person who existed in history as the historical documents say.

Therefore, Jesus existed. Since Jesus existed, we can then look for evidence to see if He is who He was.  That evidence again is given to us by the eyewitness who lived with Him for over the last 3 years of His life.

With this being said, I believe the internal and external evidence clearly communicate who Jesus was and what those who followed Him or were around Him thought of Him.

Another roadblock that people throw up regarding Jesus being God comes from the Old Testament where the Word of God says that there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 42;8, 43:11, 44:6). This idea is also spoken of in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; James 2:19).

However, as mentioned above, Jesus and His followers testified that He was God. I believe that the best Old Testament evidence for the trinitary view of God is given in Genesis 1:26 where the Word of God says that God speaks in the plural form when He says, “Let us make man in our likeness…”.

The obvious question is, who was God talking to? As mentioned earlier, Colossians 1:15-16 answers that question when it says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Therefore, when God says He is one, it must mean that there is one God comprised of 3 essences – Father, Son, and Spirit. Once again, who are we to say that’s not possible when God is all-powerful and unlimited? After all, an all-powerful, unlimited God can be anything He wants.

In this case, it’s referred to as the Trinitary view of God – see  What does the Bible teach about the Trinity?

So, when questioned about the existence of God/Jesus, point them to the fact that creation demands a Creator, that Jesus and His followers (eye-witness) communicated that Jesus is God and that the Creator God exists in trinitary form as communicated by the Word of God.

Of course, this should naturally lead to the question as to the evidence for the Bible being the written revelation of God to which you can point them to Evidence That The Bible Is The Word Of God[3].

Therefore, based on the above-listed evidence, Jesus exists, and the testimony about Him is reliable. With this being the case, what will you do with it?

I pray you will believe and receive Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords – See Gospel for more details[4]. Also see LMIQ.org[5] for additional free resources about God, Jesus, and the Word of God.

[1] https://lmiq.org/evidence-for-god/

[2] https://lmiq.org/evidence-that-the-bible-is-the-word-of-god/

[3] https://lmiq.org/evidence-that-the-bible-is-the-word-of-god/

[4] https://lmiq.org/category/gospel/

[5] https://lmiq.org/

Living God’s Way

by Tim Leahy

As I talk to people about the chaos in our culture, I ask them one question: “If we lived God’s way would we be living with the chaos in our culture?” The answer is usually no.

Before I share what I mean by “God’s way”, let me define “chaos in our culture”. Chaos in our culture is referring to the political division and anger we have towards one another, the inability to dialog without name-calling, crime, addiction, poverty, homelessness, divorce, broken and dysfunctional families, and the list goes on.

I believe that if we live God’s way, we would see a dramatic decrease in the chaos because of God’s promises that he wants all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9), and that He transforms the lives of those who are saved (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ezekiel 36:26; Philippians 1:6; Luke 6:43-45). I also believe it because my life has been transformed and I am not alone. The lives of countless people, communities, and nations have been transformed because of Jesus. The good we see in society is because of those whose lives were transformed.

So, what is God’s way?

God’s ways are revealed to us by Him in His Word (Bible) and they are many. For the sake of the short answer here are the tops ones:

God is love and His commandment is to love others as Jesus loved us (sacrificially and continually). The essence of the command to love is what is referred to as the Great Commandment (Mt. 22:36-40) where Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment in the Law was.

 Matt 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’   40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

As we connect the dots of God’s Word we see that love for God should lead us to love others. If we love others we will not participate in the chaos I mentioned previously. This does not mean that we will not experience bad things, evil exists in our fallen world and no one is immune to this. My point is that as communities live God’s way the chaos decreases. I guarantee that chaos is directly related to godlessness; that there is a direct correlation between chaos and not following God His way.

Jesus also said that love for God is obedience (John 14:15; 1 John 5:1-5). One of the ways God commands us to share His love is by telling others about Jesus and what He did to fix our sin and separation problem with God. This is known as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

If we live God’s way we should desire to hear from God daily from His Word so that we would learn how to live His way.  See “Why Read The Bible?” We would also be pointing people to Jesus and teaching them how to follow Him His way and people’s lives would be transformed (Romans 12:2). Sadly, many professing followers of Jesus do not allow God to speak to them regularly (daily), and they do not share the Gospel. Click here to learn how to share the Gospel.

Another aspect of following God His way is what is known as the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Gal 5:22-23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

When we follow God His way we will experience the fruit of the Spirit in proportion to our level of obedience.

In John 15:1-14 Jesus talks about God’s desire that we bear fruit, much fruit, and more fruit. I believe that this is directly connected to the fruit of the Spirit. That as we follow God His way, we will increasingly and abundantly experience the fruit of the Spirit. I believe this because Jesus said that He came to give us life and life abundantly (John 10:10).

There is much more that could be said about living God’s way, but I believe I’ve made my point.

So, do you believe that if we lived God’s way we would be living with the chaos in our culture?

If you have not trusted and committed your life to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and reconciliation with God then your next step is to repent and place your trust in Jesus. Click here for details.

If you are a follower of Jesus but are not living His way your next step is repentance (change directions – obey) and training (discipleship).  Click here for free resources about God’s Word. Click here for free discipleship resources.

Please contact us at Reach.LMIQ@gmail.com if you have questions.

How to Find the Right Church or Christian Ministry

by

Tim Leahy

The short answer to finding the right Church or Christian Ministry is that it is biblical. That means that the Church or ministry believes that the Bible is the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13). That the Bible is the only inspired, infallible, inerrant revelation the Creator gave to humanity (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:15-17). It means that the Church or ministry believes and teaches what God’s Word says, and is committed to living out what God says about following Him His way.

A biblical Church or ministry believes that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world (Luke 2:11, Matthew 1:21; Acts 4:12), and the only way to God (John 14:6), the Creator of the universe (Genesis 1:1).

Click here for additional biblical beliefs that are essential in finding the right Church or ministry.

Finding the right Church or Christian ministry takes time and patients to find. Just because they say they’re a Christian Church or ministry does not mean they are. Unfortunately, not every church or ministry is biblical in its belief and practices.

Before going to the Church or ministry, check them out online. Go to their “About” page and read through their “Statement of Faith” or “beliefs” to make sure they line up closely with an orthodox historical statement of faith like this.