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Kevin Johnson is the bestselling author or co-author of more than 50 books and Bible products for kids, youth, and adults. With a background as a youthworker, editor, and teaching pastor, he now pastors Emmaus Road Church in metro Minneapolis. Learn more at kevinjohnsonbooks.com.

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"One of the most challenging parts of following Jesus is being able to explain the what's and why's of your faith. Whether a friend's questions stump you or you're having doubts of your own, it helps to know what you believe and why. There's no need to be afraid to ask the tough questions. When it comes to your faith, there's no such thing as a dumb question and no topic should be off-limits. God wants you to understand your faith so you can help others understand it, too. In Think, you'll find 20 straightforward studies that explore what the Bible says about controversial and difficult topics. You'll discover why the Bible is worth believing, you'll find out how you can be sure Jesus was more than a nice guy and good teacher, and you'll see that the Bible really does have relevant things to say about life today. God wants to give you solid reasons to believe, along with the know-how to explain your faith without sounding intolerant or arrogant. So dig in and be sure about what you believe."

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Think

Zondervan

Contents

1. THE WHOLE TRUTH Where can I get answers about God? Psalm 19:1-4, 7-11..............................62. THE BOOK Why believe the Bible? 2 Timothy 3:10-17..................................................113. SPOKEN WORD How did the Bible get here? 2 Peter 1:16-21............................................164. REST ASSURED Is the Christian faith made up? John 20:24-31.........................................215. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING Where did the world come from? Genesis 1:1-4, 26-27, 31.....................266. RIGHT UP THERE Is God down on people? Psalm 8:1-8...................................................317. THE ONE AND ONLY Who is Jesus? Colossians 1:15-20..................................................368. UP FROM THE GRAVE Did Jesus actually rise from the dead? 1 Corinthians 15:1-8......................419. REALLY ALIVE Why does it matter that Jesus rose again? 1 Corinthians 15:12-19......................4610. GOOD TO GO? Does being good get you into heaven? Romans 3:20-26...................................5111. KNOWING GOD How can I have a relationship with God? John 3:16-21..................................5612. SO WRONG How can God exist when the world is so evil? Romans 5:12-20..............................6113. STILL STRONG Are Christians weak? 2 Corinthians 11:23-29..........................................6614. DEAD BONES What about hypocrites? Matthew 23:1-7, 13, 27-28.......................................7115. SPEAK UP Why do Christians always talk about God? 1 Peter 3:15-18.................................7616. ASK AND RECEIVE Why doesn't God answer all my prayers? Luke 11:5-13...............................8117. WISE ONES Does God want to wreck my life? Matthew 7:24-27.........................................8618. HIDE AND SEEK Is God out to get me? Psalm 103:1-14................................................9119. SPIDER FIRE Is hell real? Revelation 20:7-15......................................................9620. TO VALHALLA-OR NOT What is heaven like? Revelation 21:1-7.........................................101

Chapter One

START You might feel close to God when you're looking out from a sundrenched mountaintop or wandering along a breezy forest path. Enjoying and examining the world truly does teach us indispensible facts about God. Yet there's infinitely more to know. If you want to know all truth about God-and nothing but truth-you'll want to keep looking.

How do you expect to discover life-altering answers about God?

READ Psalm 19:1-4, 7-11

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.

4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure, and all of them are righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.

11 By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

THINK What exactly can you learn about God by looking around the world? How far does the truth about God spread?

God's glory is his awesome majesty, splendor, perfection, and power.

You can figure out many things about God from the things he's made, his works. You find out even more from the things he says, his words. What do God's words teach you?

The term law covers not just dos and don'ts, but everything Scripture reveals about God. The combination of laws, statutes, precepts, commands, and ordinances sums up everything God has disclosed.

This psalm about the works and words of God was penned by King David of the Old Testament. Why does David rely on God's words? What good are they?

LIVE How much do you count on the Bible to discover answers about life? Why is that a good idea-or not?

What facts about God would you miss if you ignored the Bible?

Top of the list: You would overlook everything Jesus shows us about God. Jesus' closest friend, the apostle John, called him "the Word"-God come to earth as a human being to fully reveal who God is. Jesus "became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son" (John 1:14, NLT).

How would you explain to your friends how to figure out who God really is?

WRAP The physical universe informs us that a loving and powerful being made the world. But the information we can gather about God just by looking around is incomplete. If we want to discover everything we need to know about the God who made and rules the world, we can't get by without the Bible.

MORE THOUGHTS TO MULL

* List what you know about God through creation, his works. Then list what you know about God through the Bible, his Word.

* What sources of knowledge do people rely on to supply them with true answers to big questions? How are those sources helpful-or misleading?

* Set a goal of memorizing some of the Bible passages you'll study as you work through this book. You'll find select verses at the start of each chapter.

MORE SCRIPTURES TO DIG

* Grab a Bible and look at the rest of Psalm 19. You've already read most of it. Then flip to Psalm 119. It's the longest chapter in the Bible. It happens to be all about the greatness of God's words.

* God's handiwork is so unmistakable that all people know-deep down-that God exists. Romans 1:19-20 says, "They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God" (NLT). God's work of creation shows us enough that we can tell that God put us here, that we belong to him, and that we answer to him. But if we know God only from what we see in the world, our knowledge will be limited. And because all of us are sinful, our understanding of God will be flawed.

* God spoke in words first through his prophets (2 Peter 1:19-22) and then through his Son. Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-14). The Bible wraps together God's words so you can read them firsthand. The Bible tells you how to become friends with God through Jesus and teaches you God's best way to live (2 Timothy 3:15-16).

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Excerpted from Thinkby Kevin Johnson Copyright © 2009 by Kevin Johnson. Excerpted by permission.
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