I’ve met many people over the years who tell me that if God would just show up personally, in a visible manifestation of Himself, then they’d believe. When I answer that God did show up on Earth in the person of Jesus Christ about two-thousand years ago, they say, “That’s not good enough!” They want to see Him NOW, today, in front of their very own eyes… then they’d believe.
What do you say to a person who demands a sign? Jesus told his disciples that: “a wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (Matt. 12:39.) Jesus referred to Jonah because similar to the three days Jonah spent in the belly of a gigantic fish and came out alive, Christ spent three days in the “belly of the earth,” and would come out alive but in a new, resurrected body. And this is exactly why the New Testament accounts were written – to record the story of the God-man (who sacrificed Himself to atone for the sins of the world) to those who weren’t privy to being there firsthand.
The Gospels are the actual accounts of bonafide eye-witnesses of Jesus Christ who saw Him after He’d resurrected. These stories are reliable. Why? Believers trust that God inspired the authors of the Bible, but skeptics don’t buy it. So, from a purely secular point of view, the Gospel accounts are reliable because there are more manuscript copies of the New Testament than any other book in ancient history. This means that the Gospel is the most attested historical book; it’s been authenticated by historians to be a reliable record, even if the events themselves are questioned.* Yet for skeptics, this is where apologetics helps.
Scholars have analyzed if what the documents in the New Testament claim are true or not. One of the best investigators I know who has done this is Jim Wallace, a former cold-case detective. Wallace took his skills of determining the truth of eye witness testimonies to analyze the New Testament accounts. He was looking to prove his atheism and find the accounts to be false. That didn’t happen. Instead, Wallace is now a Christian! His research is fascinating, and he has a free insert on the reliability of the New Testament documents here.
Wallace was the first professor at Biola who taught me that no one should ever believe something based purely on feelings. After all, feelings can deceive us at times. “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jer. 17:9 NLT.)
Faith should be based not only on feelings and experiences, but on good reasoning and evidence. Like Wallace, everyone should investigate the truth claims of Christianity to develop a confidence in why it is true. A true seeker, not a skeptic who just wants to argue, should learn the evidence of Biblical reliability as a start. Once they realize these testimonies are true, how can you help them to seek God and to know Him?
Here are 5 ways that have helped me:
#1 Pray & Then Read the Bible
One awesome way that the Lord reveals Himself today is through His Word, the Bible. When a seeker honestly ponders the Word of God, tell them to pray before reading it, asking God to reveal truth. The seeker may not have a ‘lightning bolt’ of confirmation, but she may notice a subtle depth of knowing that begins to happen. She reads a passage and now it seems to make more sense. She develops an understanding that she didn’t have before. This is how the Spirit of God works. It’s rarely a “knock yourself off a donkey” experience. It’s usually more subtle, and we need to quiet ourselves to perceive it.
Finding God is an intentional act—it happens when we seek Him with all our hearts (Jer. 29:13). Those who don’t find God may want Him to “perform” for them. My dad was such a person. I remember telling him all the amazing things God was doing in my life, and he claimed that he wanted those kinds of experiences, too. Yet, I never saw him actively pursue God. Instead, he wanted God to give him a “Damascus Road” experience and knock him off his donkey. That never happened. As far as I know, my dad went to his grave never finding God.
#2 Stay Humble
What does the Bible mean when it says that people must seek God with all their hearts? First, and foremost, we must be humble. People can’t demand anything from God. It just doesn’t work that way. After all, He is Holy and the Creator of everything – even the very breath in our lungs. Acting entitled, like He owes us something, is an attitude God typically won’t honor.
“…But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.” (Isaiah 66:12.)
#3 Be Open
God often uses creation to reveal Himself. The beauty of a gorgeous sunset, a majestic mountaintop, or the crashing waves of the bluest ocean can affect your soul by recognizing God’s design. Sadly, modern science has reduced everything to parts, as if nothing is very special. Science has explained why that mountain is there, we know why the ocean is blue, and we realize a gorgeous sunset is simply the sun’s rays reflecting off of atmospheric conditions. That doesn’t sound inspiring when you stick creation in the scientific test-tube of analysis. But recent discoveries in various scientific fields are showing that maybe we should not view the Earth’s resources as so ordinary. We’ve yet to find another planet like ours that can sustain human life, and the more we know about the Earth, the more science is recognizing that life on this planet is finely-tuned. Earth is very rare indeed! This should cause an attitude of awe and gratitude.
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”( Romans 11:33)
Another important aspect of seeking God is to be open to the spiritual realm. This means we can’t “intellectualize everything away” as mere ‘coincidences’ or ‘good-luck’. I’ve found that the Lord can show Himself (not a literal manifestation) through a generous person who demonstrates the selfless love of Christ. God uses people to bring about His blessings all the time! Be open to a variety of ways God may reveal Himself.
#4 Desire Prophecy
This is definitely a more controversial revelation of God, but the gift of prophecy can impact a person’s life in a way few other things can. Lots of apologists I know rarely mention this because, frankly, it is a spiritual gift that has often been misused. Yet, Paul encourages the Corinthians to: “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” (1 Cor. 14:1.)
Now I get it — sometimes people go way wrong using this spiritual gift. Some of their theology may be off, too, or they just plain get things wrong. But when they get it right? Oh, yeah… it’s soooo good! I’ve had a handful of prophetic words spoken over me in the 30 years I’ve been walking with Jesus. Some of the prophecies were so personal that I knew God really did know me in great detail (just like the number of hairs on my head – Luke 12:7). Those prophetic prayers must have been inspired by the Holy Spirit. So, prophecy is another way God reveals Himself.
#5 Be Real
Be real with God. He knows everything about you anyway, so hiding anything from Him is pointless. True seekers will find God when they are open to how He works through His Word, creation, circumstances, or ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Last but not least, faith is required. We can know a lot about the evidences of Christianity to make a reasonable choice to place our faith in Christ, but we can’t know everything absolutely. That is something some skeptics do not like! They want all the answers but none will be given to them with that kind of attitude.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists, and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
What are some ways that you’ve earnestly sought God and found Him?
(*) Historians, believers and non-believers alike, agree on the attestation of the New Testament, but disagree on whether what was recorded actually happened. Non-believing historians look at the accounts as probable legendary stories. However, many scholars of ancient literature state that the stories do not read like typical myths or legends—they read like eye witness accounts. Plus, there are too many embarrasing issues included in these testimonies; something that legends would not include. For more about this, read the blog I wrote on “odd verses” in the Bible here.
Great message. One of the ways I seek God is to quiet myself, pause and ask Him to show me how to glorify Him. For those who have questioned if God will show up, I share that He shows up in every moment. We just need to be open and notice the blessings He provides. 🙂
Thanks, Melissa! I think you are spot on—we must quiet ourselves. In Psalm 46:10, God commands no less: “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Amen! Bless you, Lisa Q
I love this post! I tend to hear God most clearly when I truly sit still in the mornings, before my brain can start running through any distractions. It truly takes work on our part to seek Him! These are such great points that I think would help ANY believer to strengthen their faith. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Sydney!
I agree that distractions are a hindrance to sensing God or understanding what He may be leading us to do (via His Word, circustances, ec.). I, for one, am not a morning person. I need coffee and lots of it! God bless that hot steaming mug of caffeine! Ha ha ha… Bless you, Lisa Q
Wonderful message on the subject of the authenticity of scriptures. So many, throughout history, have tried to disprove them but have been unsuccessful. Besides Jim Wallace, I also think of CS Lewis. We serve an amazing God.
Hi Yvonne! Yes, C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite apologists/authors. He was a prophetic voice for his time, still speaking to us this way in his book, “The Abolition of Man.” Wow. That was a prophetic commentary on relativism, and it is happening today full-force. Thanks for your comments. Blessings, Lisa Q
Wonderful message, Lisa. Even with the Messiah right in front of them, witnessing the signs for themselves, skeptics still questioned the authenticity of Jesus. Mostly because He came in a way and with a plan that was different than what they wanted or hoped for. They wanted to seat an earthly king with power to rule over the nations.
But Jesus modeled the humility you mention in your article. He came to lift up His Father and to save us from our sins, other gods…and get this…from ourselves…our own ideas on God.
Great tips!
Blessings!
Hi Karen!
Thanks for your comments. You are SO right in pointing out that even though God incarnate stood before them, even the religious leaders of His day did not recognize Him or believe that He was the Messiah. To see God, we truly need to be coming from a place of humility. I think that is such a good thing to remember! Blessings, Lisa Q
It’s sad that people are looking for knowledge when God demands faith. I love your suggestions–especially “Be real.” We aren’t perfect and we have our own questions. We don’t have all the answers.
But God does.
God bless in this great effort!
Thanks Nancy! Yes, too many skeptics want all the answers. They cannot accept things by faith, but without realizing it, many have their own kind of “faith.” They have faith in themselves, faith that science will solve problems and faith that the sun will indeed rise tomorrow. So, in essence, everyone has some kind of faith. I guess the question is—where do you place your faith?
Dear Lisa!
To me, it’s obvious that there’s a God. Anyone who’s honest can see that. Sometimes I engage in conversations on my blog about the existence of God, but if people like to talk about it, that’s not a discussion I’m going into. It does not interest me, and all this ‘us and them’ talk in Christianity is not for me.
Faith and science are two different categories, and for me, it makes no sense to try to bridge the gap, it makes much more sense to realise that these are two categories, which do not contradict or exclude each other.
I like what your professor Wallace said about not believing based on feelings.
I do not know so much about Christianity in general, but I do know how Christianity is talked about and represented in the Christian online community. And if I may be honest here on your blog, I must admit that I’m not proud of what I see my colleagues bring to the table. Most of it is platitudes based on feelings that occur while the bloggers look out through their windows.
This is a problem for me because I know it does not convert non-believers into believers. That would be impossible, when I (the blogger’s friend) think, this is not understandable.
Lisa, we need people like you, who are willing to teach people how to give more qualified answer to people who ask faith-related questions.
You’re doing a great job, and I hope you’ll find your shelf in the community,
With love!
Edna Davidsen
Hi Edna,
You write the best and most encouraging comments! Thank you, thank you, thank you! It is my great pleasure to teach others how to give qualified answers to those asking faith questions or experiencing doubt. I am learning so much from you, too, and am slowly planning on implementing the tools you’ve taught me on how to make my blog more visible just so I can reach more people to help them in their faith journeys.
I am so glad that God is obvious to you. Sadly, that is not the case for everyone. I do think that the field of Science has a lot to do with that. Science has attempted to explain all the mysteries of life away, claiming that there is no need of God to be the reason for it all. It wasn’t always like that. Just a few hundred years ago, many scientists were Christians and embraced both fields as compatible for they saw nature as God’s design. I hope that returns, someday, and instead of attempting to rid the world of faith in God by science, perhaps scientists can embrace that there is a Designer and use their scientific knowledge to attempt to understand God’s design, instead of reducing it to “unguided processes.”
Thanks again for your comments. Blessings to you, my friend! Lisa Q
I think the secret to why people like my comments is straightforward. I use two computer-screens (I never use phone/tablet for work.
With two screens I’m able to see the blog post I’m commenting on while I’m writing the comment. A simple, but very useful trick to writing better comments 🙂
You said: “Science has attempted to explain all the mysteries of life away, claiming that there is no need of God to be the reason for it all.”
Don’t know if I totally agree on that one. Perhaps I’d say ‘some scientists’ try to do that because the people I consider being the best scientists are very clear about the boundaries and communicate to people that there’s a limit to what science can explain, and it’s no problem for them.
Enjoy!
Hey Edna,
Thanks again for your tips. I am your student of business blogging, to be sure!
Regarding the statement of science, I was making a generalization about the field as a whole, not individiual scientists. I know there are individual scientists who are believers, and who are attempting to introduce the theory of Intelligent Design into the mix. So yeah, I get that.
Thanks for your response!
Lisa Q
For me, I just have to slow down. Life gets so busy, I just need to be intentional. God is always there, I just have to take the time to notice. To stop what I’m doing and soak up His presence.
Amen, Heather. We all need to slow down! Seems like people are running along on a hamster wheel, going nowhere fast sometimes. Slowing down is our way of soaking up God’s presence, to be sure. Thanks for the comment!
I love your posts. There is so much solid evidence for the reliability of the scriptures. But the seeking is seldom mentioned. God actually promises that if we seek him with all our hearts, we WILL find him. He will open our eyes and allow us to see him. This is such a significant truth that all believers need to remember: “When a seeker honestly ponders the Word of God, tell them to pray before reading it, asking God to reveal truth. The seeker may not have a ‘lightning bolt’ of confirmation, but she may notice a subtle depth of knowing that begins to happen. She reads a passage and now it seems to make more sense. She develops an understanding that she didn’t have before. This is how the Spirit of God works.” And isn’t it wonderful he does! We seek, but even that is because he is drawing us toward him. Thank you for your posts that are always so informative and uplifting!
Thanks, Melinda!
I’ve been involved in “apologetic circles” for several years now, and you’re right — lots of emphasis is made on the evidence, which is great, but it shouldn’t stop there. Once people understand the reliability of the Bible and what it teaches is true, then we must help them to learn how to connect to God and understand how the Spirit works, as best as we can. Thanks for your encouraging comments! You are a blessing, and you’re writing, too, is so good. You’re a gifted writer, and a blessing to me!
Hi Lisa. I like spending time alone in my backyard. This last summer, I was able to do that a lot, and I’m grateful for it because I can enjoy His creation while communicating with Him at the same time.
I like that you showed your readers how one can know God. I love that you said, “Be real.” Jesus knows our every thought anyway. He knows us inside and out, better than we know ourselves. Who would we be kidding, right?
Good work here, Lisa.
Thanks, Claudia. I’ve been in your backyard and I can see why you meet God there – it’s peaceful. I love being in the out of doors to meet with God! He is, after all, the Creator of it all. Bless you, my friend.
I’ve learned a lot here Lisa. Thank you. Once when I was going through a particular trial and questioning, a pastor directed me to intentionally ask God to show His love for me every day. I’ve suggested this to others when seeking to really Believe. Your suggestions on being Open I’ve seen work in my own life and in others!
Hi Lynn! I am SO happy to hear that you’ve seen God’s love in your life. Bless your heart with more of those special moments… Lisa Q