Let's Talk about Jesus!

A growing number of people in America do not consider themselves Christians. Some are completely non-religious. Others follow different religions. Some are just not sure what to believe. To my surprise I have found that many non-Christians have a deep respect for Jesus and don’t mind talking about Him, it is all the “other” Christian stuff that causes difficulties in conversation. So when I witness to people who are not from Christian backgrounds, I try to keep the conversation focused on Jesus, not politics, or church structure or religious tradition.

Consider these ideas:

Muslims have many different sects, just like there are many different Christian denominations. Muslims often argue among themselves about the particulars of what their various sects believe, but nearly all Muslims respect Jesus as a great prophet and religious teacher. Though they don't think Jesus is the Savior of the world, they do think He was an important prophet. When talking to Muslims about Jesus we can focus on the prophetic words that Jesus spoke since they respect Jesus as a prophet.

Jews do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah for whom they have been waiting, but many Jews do have respect for Jesus as a great religious teacher. When talking about Jesus to Jews, we can focus on what Jesus says about Moses and other prophets whom laid the foundation for the Jewish faith.

Many Buddhists believe Jesus is a reincarnation of one of the Buddhas. Though I don't share that viewpoint, I do appreciate their respect for Jesus. When talking to Buddhists we can talk about what Jesus said about inner spirituality being superior to outward appearances since that is also important to Buddhists.

Gandhi, who was Hindu, had great respect for Jesus. Gandhi once said that if more Christians in his nation actually lived like Jesus, all of India would be Christian. When talking to Hindus about Jesus, we can focus on the actions Jesus told us to emulate, since outward religious action is important in their faith.

Many atheists even respect Jesus. They love how He talked about social justice issues. They often agree with how Jesus chastised established religion for neglecting the poor and needy. When talking to atheists about Jesus we can focus on the relational aspects of how Jesus told us to treat each other and how He encouraged us to use our wealth to make a difference in the world around us.

The point I am trying to make is that talking to others about Jesus might be easier than we think because most people, even non-Christians, respect Jesus. Of course, those of us who are Christians should make sure we don't mess up our discussion about Jesus by failing to act like Jesus. We can’t just talk about Him; we must do our best to live like Him. So let’s live it AND talk it this year!

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

How Reliable is the Bible?

We live in a culture that now questions everything, even things that have long been accepted as truth. One icon of American culture that is now being questioned repeatedly is the reliability of the Bible. Conservative Christians say we should trust the Bible because God told people what to write in it and that God has preserved that truth through the ages through the power of the Holy Spirit so that the Bible we read today teaches the same thing that the original manuscripts did. Many scholars refer to this as the “divine inspiration of scripture.” This concept held sway over American moral thought since the founding of the nation in 1776.

But today many people question just how reliable those ancient manuscripts of the Bible really are. After all, they reason, the Bible was written a long time ago in a different language and in a different cultural context. Surely it has been changed again and again in all those translations so that even if it was from God in the beginning, it cannot be close to the truth now. This has caused many people to question whether they can trust the Bible or not.

Here is some helpful information about the reliability of the ancient manuscripts that might help us understand how reliable those ancient texts are. There are over 24,000 ancient New Testament manuscripts that have been discovered so far. That is an incredible number of documents. Compare this with the second best-preserved literary work of all antiquity, Homer's Iliad, for which we have discovered only 643 preserved manuscripts. The printing press wasn't invented until the 1450's, but we have hand-written copies of the Old Testament dating back to the 200's BC. Remarkably, these ancient manuscripts are nearly identical to the Bible we read today.

Some people accept the reliability of the Old Testament, since it has been preserved by Jewish scholars as well as Christian ones, but doubt if the New Testament of today is the same as the written in the First Century. They reason that the New Testament we read today was completed so far after the time of Jesus that it could not possibly be an accurate reflection of what happened during that time period. But literary science shows otherwise. The Bodmer Papyrus II contains most of the Gospel of John and dates from around 150-200 AD. The Chester Beatty Papyri contains major portions of the New Testament and dates back to about 200 AD. The Codex Vaticanus, the oldest complete New Testament manuscript discovered so far, dates from 325-350 AD. The apostle John, who lived with Jesus and learned from Jesus, penned five New Testament books and died in 100 AD. We have fragments of John's Gospel that date from 110-130 AD, within 30 years of his death. When translated into English, these documents all give essentially the same New Testament that most modern translations give us today.  When compared to other ancient works such as Plato, Homer or Tacitus, that short time period between the original and the most recent copy is dramatic.

Clement of Rome was martyred in 100 AD. In his writings, he quoted from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, 1 Corinthians, 1 Peter, Hebrews, and Titus. Clement's quotes correspond with the Bible we read today. In fact, even if we lost all of the 5,300 early Greek manuscripts, all of the 10,000 Latin vulgates, and all of the 9,300 other ancient manuscripts, we would be able to reconstruct all but 11 verses of the New Testament from the writings of the early Church leaders who quoted from them extensively. We have over 36,000 preserved quotes from the New Testament. The New Testament we read today is essentially the same as the one written in the First Century.

The Bible was completed in its entirety nearly 2,000 years ago and stands today as the best-preserved literary work of all antiquity. The Bible is unquestionably the world's all-time bestseller with an estimated 2 billion copies in print and we can trust that the Bible we read today is the same one the ancient believers of old read. Do not let doubt hollow out your faith. Let the Holy Spirit convince you and let science confirm what the Holy Spirit is saying and trust that the Bible is a reliable work.

(Some of this information was adapted from: http://www.allabouttruth.org/bible-truth.htm).

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Feel Good Doctors - Guest Post by Bill Davis

There is a story about an older man who went to get his annual physical. His personal physician said he was the perfect specimen of good health and his heart was like the heart of a young athlete. A few days later, this man had a massive heart attack and had to have emergency heart surgery. As he was recuperating from the surgery, his surgeon said he was lucky to be alive because his blood pressure was so high and his cholesterol was so elevated that his arteries have to be almost blocked. When he went back to his personal physician he asked him why he had not told him the truth; he might have died. The doctor told him that he didn’t want him to worry. He always tells his patients how great their health is. Seems this physician wants all his patients to have a good experience at his office and wants them to leave feeling good about themselves.

Are any of our churches like that? Are we like that? How often do we not share the truth with others because we don’t want to make them uncomfortable or unhappy? We often hide behind tolerance or not judging.

Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV); “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Good works will not earn our way into Heaven but others certainly judge us by our works.

Bill Davis lives in Anderson County, SC, where he speaks at churches and encourages evangelism and discipleship efforts across the region. He is the author of “The Revelation of Jesus.”

How to Have An Easy Revival

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Revelation 2:4-5

Why have so many churches lost the spiritual passion they once had? That was the subject of a lively conversation I had last week with an experienced pastor. He recalled days gone by when churches were filled with people who sang enthusiastically, studied the Bible intently, donated generously and shared their faith with confidence. Now, he lamented, it seems that churches have a lot more empty seats, hardly anyone actually sings, few people carry a Bible (even an electronic one) and tithers have become an endangered species. As we discussed the challenges churches face, we agreed that the root of the problem seems to be with the lack of personal spirituality.

In our current culture, people have become so busy they no longer take time to read the Bible and pray, which greatly impacts the depth of their devotion to God. Likewise, people have become so focused on having the latest gadgets, the newest cars and the most fabulous vacations that they no longer feel they can afford to tithe. Many young adults have borrowed so much money in order to secure an education; tithing seems like a financial impossibility. All of this impacts the church more than most people realize.

A church is only as strong as its individual members, so when the individual members struggle spiritually, so does the church as a whole. When individual members no longer study the Bible on their own, know how to engage in worship or give of their time, talent and treasure, the church as an organization can no longer accomplish its mission as effectively as it once did.

The good news is that churches can be revived fairly simply. All it takes is individual members once again accepting responsibility for their own spiritual disciplines. Imagine it each of us began to have a daily time of Bible reading and prayer like our grandparent’s generation! Imagine if each of actually denied our wants and took up our cross daily and lived for Christ, volunteering our time and giving of our financial resources! Some may say it is unrealistic to expect everyone to do this. What if only 1/3 of the members of each church did this? I believe revival would come to such a church in a matter of months. Revival would come without the church having to start any new programs, build any new buildings or hire any new staff members. It would come as a result of the hearts of individual members being revived.

As 2015 draws to a close, perhaps it is time for us to focus on reviving the church by experiencing personal spiritual revival ourselves. Let us pray together toward that end.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Playing the God Card

Over the years I have heard people justify many different behaviors by saying God told them to do it.  When someone says this, they are playing the God card. Once the God card is played, it is very difficult to have any meaningful conversation about the behavior because if we do not agree with whatever the other person claims God said, then we are going against God.

If someone says God told them to bake cookies for a next door neighbor as a way to demonstrate God's love to them, we need not be overly concerned if they have actually heard from God or not. After all, cookies are fairly harmless, so if it was only the person's emotions that wanted to make the cookies and not a real word from God, it may not make much of a difference.

But people often play the God card for much bigger things than just baking cookies for the neighbors. I will never forget the conversation I had with two men who attended a church I was once the pastor of. The first claimed God had told him to leave his wife and marry another woman. But he had a problem because that other woman was already in an adulterous relationship with a different man. And that other man also claimed God wanted him to leave his wife and marry the adulterous women. The two men were in conflict over which of them could get divorced first and win the hand of the adulterous women. Talk about a weird love triangle! 

Though I do not claim to speak for God, I highly doubt God wanted two marriages to break up so that two men would be free to argue over a third woman. I have always thought those men were led by lust, not by the Lord. But once they declared that "God told him" to do this, they no longer needed to listen to a mere pastor's advice. After all, who was I as their pastor to tell them something different than what God has said?

In situations like this I always remind people that God speaks by His Spirit through the Bible, circumstances, prayer and the church. Notice that the Bible is first, because it is the plumb line through which the other methods are measured. I do not know if there is a specific verse in the Bible that deals with baking cookies for a neighbor, but I do know several that talk about lusting after another man's wife. God will never lead us to contradict His Word.

God also speaks through circumstances. If we are having to kick a door open through deceit, manipulation or coercion, then it is clearly NOT a door God has opened. Since the Bible is our plumb line, God never opens a door that goes against what the Bible has already said.

God also speaks through prayer. As we pray through the scriptures and look at the circumstances God has put us in, proper behavior presents itself. God will not tell us in our prayers to do something contrary to His Word.

Rarely does God speak to only one person about things He plans to do. There is only one Spirit and that Spirit normally speaks to several of His children. If we think God wants us to do something, we should seek counsel from other mature Christians to see if God is telling them the same thing. That is why it is important to be active in a local church, so we can benefit from the godly wisdom of others in times of uncertainty. If we find that we are the only one God is speaking to about something, that most likely means that the timing is not yet right for us to proceed and we must wait until He also speaks to others about the same thing before moving forward.

In the end, if we do conclude that God has actually spoken to us about doing a certain thing, then we really must act upon that leading. However, we must remember that the prophets of old often paid a high price for obeying what God said. Why would we expect it to be any different for us? Far too often I hear people say that God told them to do a certain thing, but then when that thing gets hard, they bail. They apparently thought God only wanted them to obey when it was easy, though that goes against the whole narrative of scripture. We should be careful about playing the God card, but when we do, we should follow through with it, even if it costs us dearly.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett is a church planter and author who has lived in New England since 1993 starting churches and discipling new believers. He is a happy husband, proud father and grandfather, thankful cancer survivor, and more convinced than ever that New England is ripe for spiritual revival. Check out Dr. Dorsett's books at this link:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00405U4NY

Books Make Great Christmas Gifts

As we approach the Christmas season, instead of buying our loved ones another trinket that will sit on a shelf unused, we should consider buying them Christian books that can change their lives. While bookstores are full of books by authors who have great marketing plans, perhaps we might consider books by lesser known authors who have shown their ability to connect biblical teaching with daily living. Not only do such books make great gifts, but because they are from lessor known authors, it is unlikely that our loved ones already have copies. Consider the books below while doing your Christmas shopping. They can be ordered in print form or digitally.

Teaming Up: Using Our Spiritual Gifts Effectively   Available in both print and Kindle versions.
Easy to read and full of practical examples for how to use our spiritual gifts to strengthen the church.

The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences                            
Available in both print and Kindle editions
Daily devotional that shows how God often reveals Himself in the mundane things of life. Many of the stories are examples of God's mission work in New England.

Breaking Free from the Spirit of Offense 
Available in both print and Kindle editions
We are living in a time when it seems that everyone is offended by everything. Perhaps it is time to break free. This short book reveals how.

Malachi: Finding Hope in the Midst of Adiversity - Print Edition

Malachi: Finding Hope in the Midst of Adversity - Kindle Edition

Though many people think of Malachi as a book about judgment, this practical Bible study reveals the thread of hope that runs through it and how that thread of hope can change our lives.





Touching the Footprints of Jesus - Print Edition

Touching the Footprints of Jesus - Kindle Edition

This devotional guide is based on a trip the author took to the Holy Land. Each daily reading reveals another caveat for how an experience in the Holy Land can enhance one's walk with Christ.




Fun collection of puzzles and games that are great for children and for the young at heart.


Bible Brain Teasers: Fun Adventures Through the Bible - Print Edition

Bible Brain Teasers: Fun Adventures Through the Bible - Ebook Edition

To Find Happiness, Stop Looking . . .

Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the Lord and he will lift you up.

Many people are chasing happiness in life. They move from friendship to friendship, romantic relationship to romantic relationship, job to job, church to church, city to city, even career to career, in the hopes of finding that ever elusive thing called happiness. Sometimes they find it for a while, but then something happens and that sense of happiness goes away. We have all experienced it.

It seems that the more we chase happiness, the less we find it. A new scientific study has confirmed that when Americans make the pursuit of happiness their goal, “That sets up Americans for a lifetime of letdowns” (Time magazine, October 12, 2015, page 28). In the study, researchers found that those who look for happiness in success or possessions are rarely satisfied. Even if they do find some level of satisfaction, it never lasts. Those who tend to be the happiest are those who find happiness outside of possessions or careers. They find it in calm relaxing moments with family and friends. They find it in savoring happy memories. They find it in enjoying what they have instead of always grasping for something more. They find it in having realistic expectations.

For many people, happiness is found in our faith. Quiet times of prayer and meditating on scripture bring calmness to our lives, which increases our level of happiness. Spending time with others who value spirituality while sharing a meal increases our level of happiness. Volunteering in our community with a group of friends is also a huge factor in helping people find happiness in life. Simply focusing on our relationship with God, instead of our busy schedules and overloaded calenders, can go a long way in raising our level of happiness. In fact, the more we focus on our relationship with the Lord, the more we find that other things in life either no longer matter, or happen anyway without all the stress of trying to achieve them. God has a way of working things out for us, when we focus on Him. Perhaps the best way to find happiness is to stop looking for it at all and just focus on loving and serving the Lord, which often forms within us a sense of well being that is far greater than some momentary happiness that dissolves like vapor.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY