Marc Estes

Is there any scientific way of determining the Bible’s Reliability? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” There is a mathematical law in science that can help us find out. It is called “The law of Compound Probabilities.” It is one of the most profound proofs of the Bible’s divine accuracy and inspiration. It is defined as:

“The Law of Compound Probabilities I a mathematical law which is used to calculate the probability of a specific set of conditions, requirements, or qualifications being fulfilled… it’s a way of figuring the odds.” It is commonly used in the market place to determine financial projections, in weather forecasting, in figuring insurance tables, professional athletics, and in political campaigning. ¹

Peter W. Stoner, the Chairman of the Mathematics and Astronomy Department at Pasadena City College and Chairman of the Science Division of Westmont College from 1953-57 applied the Law of Compound Probabilities to the area of prophetic fulfillment. He did so to determine the odds of a certain prescribed number of biblical prophecies relating to Christ being fulfilled.  Data compiled over a ten-year period was then gathered, with the following staggering results: ¹

Odds of Fulfillment of Eight Prophecies in Perfect Detail and Order: Equals 10¹⁷   

This is a ten with seventeen zeros following. It is compared to state of Texas being filled with Silver Dollars two feet deep. Mark one with a red mark, blind fold someone, and give them one chance to find marked silver dollar on first try. This is odds of 10^17.

Odds of Fulfillment of Sixteen Prophecies in Perfect Detail and Order: Equals 10⁴⁵

He calculated that odds to be compared to the following scenario. The sun is 93 million miles from earth; however, if you had this many silver dollars, you could build a stellar ball so enormous that is would extend 30 times farther out than the sun. Again, mark one, get in your stellar space shuttle, blindfolded, and just choose one, and this would be the chances of fulfilling sixteen prophecies.

Odds of Fulfillment of Forty-Eight Prophecies in Perfect Detail and Order: Equals 10¹⁵⁷

The computers began to overload and burn out at this point and freeze up. This number is so astronomical and beyond human comprehension that there is no name for it! Let use the smallest thing known to man, a electron, which is only 2.5 X 10¹⁵ quintillionth of an inch long. If you devoted yourself to counting just a single file of electrons one-inch long, you would have to count 250 per minute, day and night, for 19 million years! In a cubic inch you would then multiply that cubed! 19 million years times 19 million years times 19 million years.  It has been said that there are more electrons in a grain of sand than all the leaves on all the trees in the world.

However if you had 1 X 10¹⁵⁷ electrons to work with, you could make a cosmic all of electrons so large it would be as big as our known universe. In fact, you would have so many electrons that if there was some way to mass produce these balls, you could make them at a rate of 500 a minute, day and night, for 6 billion years, 10¹⁰ times over!  NOW…. Mark one of these electrons and blindfold yourself and try to find it on your first try, and these are the odds of fulfilling forty-eight prophecies in exact order. 

JESUS FULFILLED 332 AND THEY ARE RECORDED IN EXACT PERFECT ORDER AND DETAIL IN THE BIBLE!!!! ¹

I say all of that to bring us to the reality, that the Bible has some validity. 

What is the culture look like that we are trying to reach?  As a leader, this is a question you must constantly be asking yourself. If you are going to be effective in reaching people you must understand how they believe and behave. With the massive belief/behavior shift taking place in our society today it is impearative that we take the time necessary to understand those within our reach.   

How a person believes plays a critical part as to how we connect with those coming into the church. What they believe, how they behave and their perceptions of us greatly affect how we should relate to them as well as how they will relate to us. In this post, we will deal specifically with their beliefs.

Their Beliefs – The United states is home to over 200 different types of religions and belief systems, but is dominated by seven major faith groups. The breakdown of these groups was taken from the book,  The Seven Faith Tribes, by George Barna

• Casual Christians - There are about 225 million adults in America and approximately 150 million fit into this category.  Their belief system is differs greatly from Biblical Christian beliefs:   
  • 74% claim to have personal relationship with Jesus.
  • 38% are certain they will have eternal life.
  • Only 18% spiritual maturity equates to making commitment to community of faith.
  • 18% engage in big three weekly: church attendance, read bible, and pray.
  • Less than 5% tithe their income, average about 1.5% of income to all contributions.

• Captive Christians – There are roughly 36 million that fit into this category, about 16% of population.  This segment of Christian would be a combination of evangelicals and Protestants.  Their combination of Bible-based conviction and spiritual practices has transformed them into different people. Conversion is real, they live what they believe.

• American Jews – The largest population of Jews now reside in United States, 6.5 million, which is close to half of Jews worldwide. 2% of U.S. population. Contemporary Judaism has its roots in the Middle East, but its heart is in postmodern West.  The changes redefining the beliefs of Judaism are extensive, too much to mention, but do play a role in the make-up in the belief structure of USA.  It has become more of a culture than an actual religion.

•  Mormons – There are 13 million Mormons worldwide and approximately 5 million living in the U.S., 40% living in Utah alone. Almost as many leave the church as are added to the church resulting only in small net gain annually.  Although there are varying degrees of awareness of Church doctrine over 77% state that family values are their top priority.

• Pantheists – The 31 Flavors of America’s belief system, which include Hindus, Buddhists, New Agers, and most religions rooted in Eastern religion.  This group represents about 1.5% of U.S. Population, about 3.5 million.  57% of this entire group is of Asian descent.

• Muslims – A collection of vastly different Muslim segments and theological views.  Varying studies show this group to be between 1.5 to 4 million, best estimate to be around 2.3 million.  Over 50% of this group lives in Northeastern United States.  Most feel highly rejected and grossly misunderstood and wrongly labeled with extreme radical Muslims.

• Spiritual Skeptics – About 11% of Americans are either Atheist (9%) or Agnostic (2%). This group has doubled in size in last quarter century now totaling about 25 million Americans. One of the fastest growing groups with expectation for aggressive growth in the coming years.

It is faith that allows us the privilege of seeing the fulfillment of God’s purposes in our lives. The more faith we have for our lives, the more of your potential is released. What hinders us most from accomplishing extraordinary exploits is not the way God sees us, but the way we see God. God views us with unlimited potential, as we see ourselves quite the opposite. Let us be encouraged with the stretching statement of our Savior in Mark 10:27, “all things are possible with God.”

The account of Jesus and Lazarus brings some shocking parallels to the church and her current condition. It is evident the lost people surrounding us are like Lazarus. They are dead in sin, bound by their habits and life-styles and are a stench to the nostrils of God.

The church has taken on the role of Mary and Martha, either laying at the feet of Jesus, or busy about doing  church but do not possess the faith needed to bring change to the “Lazarus Generation.”

What is needed is ‘Jesus Faith’ and not a Martha and Mary Faith, as will will never be capable of impacting our ‘Lazarus’ society.

Do not lose site of the fact that God has placed you exactly where He wants you! Your neighbors have been carefully selected, and placed in your life by the hand of God, for your inheritance. You co-workers are set in by your side as a master plan of the Lord to bring them to salvation. He now desires to impart to you a new faith that you might become Jesus Today for all those around you to see. Can you see it? Do you hear it? Can you believe it? Do you have faith for it? Will you respond to it?

God is just waiting for you to have the faith to believe that He can use you like never before. Whatever expectation level you have is too small. Ephesians 3:20 insures us, “He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. His thoughts are higher than your thoughts (Isaiah 58:11), and He thinks you can do extraordinary exploits as His co-partner.

Not only does He believe you can reach touch your neighbors and relatives, but that you can be instrumental in touching nations; that’s right, nations! If it weren’t true, He would not put it in His Word. He challenges us to ask Him as seen in Psalms 2:8, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.”

It is only with this level of faith that we will see God’s plan filled in our lives, our churches, our cities and our world. The thought of reaching your friends and relatives requires great faith. The challenge of touching your city demands a greater faith, and the thought of reaching over 6, 073,104,885 people that span the globe cannot be accomplished through human strength, thoughts or strategy, but only through complete faith in God. God’s desires that each of us would have abounding faith that will cut off all of the cant’s and make them into can’s.

Have you ever missed an opportunity to share the good news with someone? If you are like every other Christian that has ever breathed, the answer to this question is an obvious yes! I can remember early on in my Christian walk, one of the most painful personal experiences of missing an opportunity to share with a man named Dave.

Dave was a bright, yet cantankerous individual, with a potty-mouth worse than any sailor you have ever met. He seemed to be drawn to me, and we had built a good relationship over a one year period of working together in Lake Tahoe. I was checking the mail at the post office when I noticed his huge 4 x 4 ford truck roll up outside. I knew that God was speaking to me to share with him at that moment, yet I allowed the inner turmoil, fear and intimidation of the enemy, and my own insecurities, to dictate my actions. The end result, a normal, yet pointless conversation!

The next morning, I would take my routine stroll to the end of the driveway to pick up the Tahoe Daily Tribune. I pulled off the plastic cover, rolled out the paper and would be confronted with the shocking reality of a missed opportunity. The headlines read, “LOCAL MAN DROWNS IN LAKE.” Dave left the post office, went out to Camp Richardson, hopped into a boat that would capsize and he drowned in a matter of moments in the frigid winter water of Lake Tahoe. Cold. Alone. Without Christ.

I will never forget that moment. Pain! Regret! Condemnation! Sorrow.

Later on that day, I stumbled upon a scripture that comforted me and at the same time, challenged me. It has become one of those life-scriptures for me. Upon reading these riveting words, I realized I was in the company of others who had made similar mistakes and rebounded, mainly Peter.

He was the disciple that hacked off a guys ear in the garden. He is the one that would get out of the boat, walk on water only to sink. He is the boisterous one that claimed he would never deny Christ, only to deny Him three times in one day. I am sure he broke out in a rash for years to come everytime the rooster crowed! Missed opportunity.

Yet, Peter is the same man that would preach to thousands on the day of Pentecost and see multitudes saved. He is the guy that met the man at the temple gate and saw him healed. He had experienced both pain and victory, sorrow and joy. He figured it out that victory felt much better than regret.

Many years later he would write to Christians that were being scattered throughout the Roman empire. He challenged them to stay focused, live a pure and holy life, and to realize persecution might come. It is in this context that he writed in 1 Peter 3:15, “ALWAYS BE READY to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope  you have.”  You may not be facing persecution today, but the principle still applies! If the shoe fits, wear it.

Since the cold December morning years ago, I have made it my aim to be ready to share the gospel with anyone at anytime as the Lord leads. This is definitely something I have not mastered, but has become my aim.

God WILL give you opportunities today to share with those that need Christ. It might be your next store neighbor putting out the trash. I could be a co-worker who sits in the cubicle next to you. It very well might be the person on the street corner with the sign, “Need Help” that you have driven past repeatedly over the past few weeks. It could be that relative that calls and asks how things are going.

Let us make it our passion, to BE READY to share when God calls. You may not be put into a situation like I did with Dave…but you just might! Think about it.

This is my fifth post in reaching people who need Christ (See other four in this blog).

The world is filled with people who have immense needs. It is my firm conviction that one of the greatest ways to preach the good news to a dead and dying world is through meeting their needs and touching them at their point of brokenness. In the gospels, Jesus models this approach by reaching out to people’s needs on forty-six different occasions before ever opening His mouth with a gospel message. He may have been on to something?

It says in 1 John 3:16-19, “We know what real love is because Christ gave us his life for us…Dear children, let us stop saying we love each; let us really show it by our actions.” John is trying to communicate a fundamental point that is missing in the lives of many Christians and many churches today; demonstration precludes proclamation!

It was Christ’s dying on the cross that validated His ministry and ultimately the gospel’s power and affect on humanity. The same applies to sharing the gospel. What validates our proclamation to a needy world is our willingness to meet them at their point of need, just as the guy in the ditch who was touched by the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

In addition to our actions, we must make the motive behind our actions, compassion. It is important that we reach out and show action to our words, but they too are in vain with out genuine love, care and concern for the person you are attempting to reach.

Let us make love our great aim, and SHOW a world the love of Christ as we proclaim the good news. The end result will be many people coming to Christ as a result of your sacrifice and love.

Today, make it your goal to find one person in need and meet the need, with no strings attached. It will definitely add some brightness to your day and put a smile on God’s face!

In the past three posts we have discussed important components that are needed in our lives to reach those that need Christ. So far we have discussed the need to establish relationships, be an example to those around us and be aware of our enemy.

The next step in our journey in reaching those that need Christ is to make sure to pray for each person regularly.

I don’t know if this will challenge your theology, but I believe that any time, anywhere, anybody ever gets saved, it is because someone prayed first! Evangelism without prayer is like an arrow without a tip. We must first be victorious in the spiritual before we can be successful in the natural. Prayer is the foundation to evangelism.

TW Hunt, from Southern Baptist Convention said, “The biggest single non-biblical aspect of American praying today is lack of intercession or praying for others… and this is where Americans fail  most dismally.”  HOW TRUE

Colossians 4:3-4, “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”  Prayer opens the door for the gospel to be shared!

James 5:16, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Here are  five very effective, scriptural prayers that we should personalize for every person God puts on our heart. We should pray that the Lord would:

1. Bind the spirit that binds the mind of the unbeliever. (2 Cor. 4:4)

2. Pray that the Lord would loose the spirit of wisdom and revelation. (Eph 1:17)

3. Pray that the Lord would release a spirit of adoption. (Rom 8:15)

4. Pray that the Lord would put laborers into their path (Luke 10:2)

5. Pray that the Father would draw them. (John 6:44)

Take a moment and make a list of all those you wish to see come to Christ and pray these five prayers over their name. You can be rest assured that God hears your prayers and that your prayers will be a key part in bringing them one step closer to our King.

This is the third post in a series of posts entitled, “Reaching Those who Need Christ.”

Jack Hayford once said, “You will never reach spiritual maturity until you realize you are in a spiritual battle.” This profound statement holds the secret as to why many of us today are limited in our effectiveness to reach people for Christ. In addition it holds the key to changing us into becoming more fruitful in our witnessing experiences.

There is a real enemy alive on planet earth, and is working 24/7 to keep the kingdom of God from moving forward; that includes you and me! Whether you believe it or not, you are in a battle. It is too late to change your involvement. In fact, it is unwise to ignore it.  When you got saved, you got the marching orders to fight for the King. Christianity was never intended to be a “Love Boat” but a battleship.

Our adversary has one mission in mind; to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Unfortunately that includes you as well. It is amazing how quickly we forget that we are the carriers of the most powerful transforming truth on planet earth, and it is us who He is attempting to distract, resist, hinder and even destroy. He started in the garden with Adam and Eve, continue with his attempts to destroy Moses (the carrier of the message) and even took a stab at Jesus, the Message Himself. Don’t stop and think for a moment that you aren’t on his hit list as well.

As a threat to the enemy’s purpose, he will do whatever he can to keep you from seeing your true purpose here on earth. That purpose is to share the good news with everyone, everywhere (Matthew 16:15). That is why Paul admonishes us to remember there is an enemy and we need to be aware of his cunning schemes. He writes in 2 Corinthians 2:11, “Do not be ignorant concerning the enemy’s tactics…” There are two basic tactics the enemy has used for centuries, that have never changed. Our ability to realize and discern these daily will determine whether we are successful in touching the lives of those that desperately need Christ.

His first tactic is to paralyze the church (you and me).  There are five predominant ways he accomplishes this task. They are; intimidation, fear, apathy, busyness, and deception. Stop for a moment and think about the last time you felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit to share with someone. Did any of these five thoughts or emotions surface? Chances are they did. Unfortunately, statistics would say that you may have succumbed to his soothing voice and missed an opportunity to touch a life for Christ.

If we are not careful, we can allow the enemy to influence our actions in the most subtle ways, without ever even knowing he was the instigator of our actions. The Apostle Peter drives this point home and gives us some great advise, “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

The second tactic of the enemy is to paralyze those we are trying to reach. It is amazing to see the distaste that has been created in the minds of the unbeliever towards Christ, His church and His followers. I do admit, some of this is our own fault, but much of it has to do with the enemy’s strategy to create a spiritual DMZ zone between us that believe, and those that don’t. Distance is the greatest deterrent to the gospel message. Paul hits the nail on the head by revealing this truth about the devil’s deterring schemes. He says in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  We are the light of the world!  God’s ultimate plan is that people without Christ will ultimately see the light of Christ in you. So if the enemy can put a distaste in their minds regarding you, the church-the light of Christ, he has accomplished the second part of his strategy to distance them from you and from the message that will save their souls.

The challenge then lies in us to realize the spiritual battle we are in, and do our part to destroy the works of the devil. Evangelism is one of the most resisted activities on planet earth and we must do our part in waging a good fight in the spiritual realm, if we are to be successful in reaching people in the natural realm. It is imperative that each of us recognize the enemy’s tactics as well as our place of spiritual authority in this real war we face daily. Over two-thousand years ago, Jesus made a riveting statement that still applies to you and me today. “I  have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you” (Luke 10:19).

It is time for each of us to realize we are in a spiritual battle and become spiritually mature in discerning the tactics of the enemy by realizing the authority that has been entrusted to our care and use it to win people to Christ.

Our next post, Reaching 4, we will discuss how prayer plays a role in dismantling the enemy’s tactics.

In our first post, REACHING 1, I discussed the importance of building relationships with those that need Christ. I emphasized that the majority of people who give their life to Christ and remain committed to Christ and His church, come to Christ through a relative, friend, neighbor or co-worker. Let me encourage you once again, make it your aim to develop quality relationships with those that need Christ.

After we begin developing relationships with those that need Christ, it is imperative that we realize the importance of our example. People ALWAYS see more of what you do than what you say. How you live your life really defines your beliefs and convictions, moreso than some grandiose talk in the employee lounge. What you ‘possess’ is more important than what you, ‘confess’ to the spiritual seeker.

Non-Christians today are looking closely at those that call themselves a Christian, that includes you. I think they are genuinely looking for some real answers to the complex problems facing our world, as well as those that are haunting their own soul. People are perplexed! Conciously and subconciously, they are mulling over some seemingly critical questions regarding our Christian walk such as, “Does their lifestyle match their confession?” or, “Do they live what they believe?” Unfortunately, in many cases, the evidence gathered leads them down the path to a disturbing conclusion, “They are all talk, not much walk.”  Ouch!

Many years ago while attending the University of London, Mahatma Ghandi was on a pursuit to find the one, “true super religion.” He decided to stay with a Christian family to observe their lifestyle and learn about their Christian beliefs. For the next six months he would observe their blatant hypocrisy, cringe at their negative comments about church leaders, and become appalled at their lack of commitment to their cause. At the end of his stay he made this chilling statement, “Christianity is not the one true religion I hoped to find, it is just one of many… I would have become a Christian if I just could have found one to convert me.”

Let’s get real for a moment. If I was to ask your friends and neighbors about your lifestyle, attitude, habits and commitment to Christ, how would you score? Would there be overwhelming evidence that attracts them to the God you serve, or a distate that repels them to pursue other options? You might want to ask them.

The Apostle Paul communicates the secret to his ncredible success of reaching people. In 1 Corinthians 9:27 he says, “I put my flesh in subjection to my spirit that when I preach the gospel I might not become disqualified.” Paul’s powerful words should remind us all of the importance of making sure that we discipline ourselves to live a godly life so that when we get the opportunity to share the Good News, that it has a powerful impact in the lives of those around us.

What areas of your life do you need to change today? What habits have had a negative impact on your testimony? Are there some attitudes that need adjusting? How about your speech? Make the decision today to change any area that might disqaulify you. You never know, you just might end up being an example to someone who needs Christ.

Stay tuned for REACHING 3

People today are starved for meaningul, lasting relationships. One of the greatest ways to reach those that need Christ is through quality relationships. In fact, 86% of all people that ever come to Christ and stay commited to a church family come through a relationship with a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or a relative.

Unfoturtnately, today many Christians don’t have much relationships with those outside of their church family, and if so, are often reluctant to share the Good News within them in fear that they might be rejected or because it isn’t a priority in their lives.

My encouragement to you is to make your life count by touching those that need Him through building healthy relationships with them! Don’t over-complicate touching the lives of people for Christ. RELAX! Just love them, spend time with them, enjoy their company, be an example, meet their needs and allow the Holy Spirit to do His part.

The Bible is filled with examples of reaching people for Christ through relationships:

- Andrew reaches out to his brother Simon Peter.
- Phillip reaches out to his friend Nathaniel (John 1:35-36).
- Cornelius, the Roman centurion, reaches his relatives and family (Acts 10).
- The Philippian jailer brings his circle of relationships to Christ (Acts 16:27-34).

Here are some practical ideas to help you in reaching people for Christ.

1 Pray and ask God to give you 7-10 people in which to build meaningful relationships. These relationships might come through existing friends, relatives, neighbors or co-workers. You may also consider getting involved in your community to build relationships as well.

2. Take the time to nurture those relationships by spending quality time with them. Plan time each week to spend time with them. Those that fail to plan, plan to fail.

3. Pray for each person regularly.

4. Find common interests and use them as opportunities to bond with them.

5. Look for any needs in their lives and take the opportunity to meet those needs to the best of your ability.

6. Introduce them to others from your church family.

7. Don’t lose sight of the reason you are establishing these new relationships.

Hopefully, these simple thoughts will encourage you in your journey of touching the lives of those around you. Make the decision today to implement these seven simple truths into  your life. You won’t be disappointed, in fact, you just might enjoy it!

Stayed tuned for REACHING 2