11/5/23 - M.A.P.S
What is Fuel? A place where high school students can build community and explore the Christian faith.
What is the goal of Fuel? To inspire students to see the world differently.
Why is that? Because God wants For U an Epic Life, and for that to be possible, we must change the filter in which we see the world, people, and our circumstances.
Problem to address: 70-80% of students that claim to be “Christian” in high school abandon their faith after high school. That is 3 out of 4 or 4 out of 5 of your friend group. That is a FRIGHTENING stat that hasn’t changed for decades. Now, it’s getting worse.
The challenge.
Most students are typically NOT EQUIPPED to face the next stage of life without their family and friend support unless they have a faith grounded in facts and evidence.
Examples:
Soldier: what if they went to war without any weapons or training.
Baseball player: what if they tried to hit a fastball without any training or preparation.
Guitar player: what if they tried to play a concert without any training or preparation.
A Christian Young Adult: why would it be any different?
FUEL will focus on:
FACT-BASED FAITH - apologetics
A DEFINED PURPOSE beyond just love God, love others. There is a third piece to the triangle (The Great Commission).
GOAL
For students to know WHY they believe what they believe AND be able to articulate it.
WHY TC BELIEVES
Because of the evidence (it’s that simple)
To expand on that…I have P.E.A.C.E about my beliefs
P - Peace in my soul
E - Evidence for the Bible (beginning tonight)
A - Alternatives?
C - Creation
E - Evidence for Jesus
Tonight - EVIDENCE FOR THE BIBLE - M.A.P.S
M - Manuscript Evidence (tonight’s focus)
A - Archaeology
P - Prophecies Fulfilled
S - Science
Apologetics Fact #2 - The New Testament vs Roman History
Notes:
All of the authors above the New Testament are authors, historians, Emperors, philosophers, poets, etc. The accuracy of their manuscript copies is so bad, there isn’t even an accuracy rating. But yet, Roman history is taught as absolute fact and the New Testament isn’t considered reliable.
Scholars have admitted that they would do anything to have the same manuscript documentation and accuracy Christians have with the New Testament.
Why don’t people believe the evidence? 2 reasons:
1) There is a great deceiver at work. And even scripture says that some won’t understand and won’t even want to understand.
2) Because the Bible records supernatural events, some refuse to accept anything related to it, regardless of what the evidence says.