People are asking about God...can you answer them?

Christine DiGiacomo
Sep 23
5 min read

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/21023d65/people-are-asking-about-godcan-you-answer-them

What a weekend! On Saturday, I had the privilege of officiating at a Celebration of Life for a 94-year-old woman of grace. Shirley was still living large and enjoying every day. So much to glean from the way she lived--full of faith in God, love of family and all things fun and adventurous.

And.then.there.was.Sunday. When I prayed in the morning, I simply asked God that Charlie Kirk's Memorial would honor Him. Did it? Yes, beyond what anyone could have imagined! At 10, I remember seeing Billy Graham for the first time; years later, I took two of my teen-aged kids to see him, and of course, I also got to go to Greg Laurie's Harvest Crusade in Anaheim, California. Each was a wonderful, faith-affirming experience, but what Turning Point USA put on for national television with estimates of a crowd of more than 100,000 in attendance, and of course, the countless millions who watched on line was a wonder to behold. It was the start of something big - one might say it was a turning point for our nation . . .

a turning back to God.

But today is the day after the day after. What now? ->Have you and I been inspired to live differently? hmmm... It all starts with our thinking and continues with intention. No blind ambling through a single day.

You see, people are looking for substance and something to believe in; they are looking for something that will satisfy, looking for purpose. People are looking for what we have: Truth. My last Morning Briefing contended that you and I ought be able to easily answer the question 'why are you a Christian?' First answer: I am a Christian because it is the best explanation for reality, for the way things are.

Conversations revolving around this search for meaning are my stock-in-trade. On the weekend, I had the privilege of a couple of these discussions. One individual said to me, ‘Hey, so I have some questions--you know about Christianity.' And then, challenged, 'I mean, come on—do you really think Jesus was alive again after he was dead? Like seriously, you think he rose from the dead? How can you think such a thing—just because it says it in your Bible? Maybe you just wanna believe that…’

How did I answer Michael? I told him the truth.

*In order to speak the truth, we must know it and be able to articulate it.

Yes, Jesus Christ rose from the grave, the only religious Leader who does not have a tomb that his followers can visit. He rose from the grave because he is what he claimed to be, the only Son of God, who the gospel writer John described as both light and life. Brilliant are these words of John’s: In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.¹

How do we know that after he was dead and buried Jesus was alive again? Because he was seen by other people! Who? More than 515 people. Notably, Jesus talked with the women at the tomb, the 11 disciples--most importantly, Thomas to whom Jesus showed his nail-scarred hands, inviting him to touch his wounded side, and Peter, who he restored to himself. Such love – that Jesus did not criticize Thomas for demanding proof, nor did he resent Peter who had denied him at crunch time. Instead, Jesus looked into their eyes and righted relationship with each of them. That right there is quintessential Jesus. While we who bear his name are known for being judgmental, not Jesus. Chew on that for a minute.

Jesus also walked and talked with two men on the Road to Emmaus (seven miles outside of Jerusalem), in what was surely a conversation the pair would never forget as “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself…”² Remarkable indeed! How I would have loved to have heard all he said to them!

And then from atop the Mt. of Olives, Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at one time, and gave a simple, powerful charge, one that goes out to you and me to this day. Recorded in all four gospels, Jesus commissioned his followers to go and tell what they had witnessed/experienced of him. From the pen of Matthew, “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”³

Back to Michael, my young friend.

The kind of questions he asked require clear answers about the claims of Christianity. You and I are charged to be able to give the reasons for our faith in Jesus Christ... a reasonable explanation.4

If true, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event in history.

Here's some evidence for it:

1.the tomb of Jesus Christ was empty.

2.More than 500 people saw Jesus alive, in indoor and outdoor settings; they even ate with him.

3.His disciples did what Jesus told them to do--they shared their eye witness testimonies, told what they had watched him do and heard him say; they described when they were with Jesus at his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, and his death on the cross

4.Even when threatened with death, those men would not deny what they saw and experienced of Jesus Christ; of Jesus' disciples, all but John were martyred because they would not denounce him. People do not die for what they know is a lie.

5.The disciples were courageously emboldened after the resurrection. Just take Peter, the impetuous disciple we love, who was so radically changed by what he saw that he stood up and preached the gospel, [which of course, includes the resurrection of Jesus] and more than 3000 people were saved! And this, just about 50 days after the Resurrection. Remember, those 3000+ people would have shouted him down if he was lying! It was common knowledge around Jerusalem--the rabbi Jesus was crucified but he was resurrected on the third day as he had said he would be.

6.One last proof--James, the half-brother of Jesus, did not believe Jesus was the Messiah until he saw Jesus after he defeated death. He could not discount him any longer. When writing, James then referred to himself as a 'servant of the Lord Jesus Christ' in James 1.1, became the first leader in the Jerusalem church.

**Secular sources - that is, outside of the historical biblical accounts - include those of Josephus, Tacitus, Mara-Bar Sarapian, Lucian Of Samosata.5

Jesus did indeed rise from the grave, and he is alive! We who follow him serve a living Savior, not a dead teacher.

Back to the question at hand:

Why Am I a Christian? Why Should You be a Christian?

(1) Christianity is the best explanation for reality.

(2) The Resurrection is Proof that Christianity is true.

The historical event of His resurrection proves that Jesus is the Son of God; he miraculously did what he said he would do: He rose from the dead.

He's Alive! Look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWD-VbJIWEw&list=RDYWD-VbJIWEw&start_radio=1

We must be able to share the evidence of the Truth we believe!

Christine!

^{1 – John 1.4-5, ESV}

^{2 – Luke 24.27}

^{3 – Matthew 28.18-20}