We spent an evening listening to Ravi http://www.rzim.org/ speaking on Jesus being unique at the Evangelical Church of Bangkok http://www.ecbbangkok.org
Here are a couple of highlights.
First, he started with a profound conversation with Jesus in John 18. 33Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
33Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34″Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35″Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another
Place.”
37″You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38″What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.
NIV
Ravi talked about how Jesus often answered a question with a question. In doing this, we can find the entry point of the questioner, getting intent. Intent comes before content. Jesus asked Pilot is this question or did some one put you up to this. Was this some one else giving Pilot question, was Pilot seeking truth?
But the conversation ends too soon. Jesus claimed that he came for this reason and that was why he was born, to testify to the truth and that all on the side of truth listen to him. Ravi postulated that those seeking answers who don’t listen to truth are really seeking a lie.
The conversation abruptly ended with Jesus. Pilot said, “What is truth”, and left. Wouldn’t he want to ask what does that mean, or tell me what is truth and listen to the answers.
Ravi gave a short description of truth. He said truth is primarily a property of a statement. And these statements refer to an object they are describing. Jesus also claimed to be the truth, John 14:6 which puts him on a different plain than anyone who ever talked about truth. He not only said he can talk about truth or know truth, but he was truth.
Another highlight came as he talked about the resurrection setting Jesus apart. If Jesus was a charlatan, he wouldn’t have said, in three days, I will rise from the grave. He could have said, I will rise spiritually…something that cannot be proven. However, Jesus told his critics and skeptics that he would raise bodily and fully, showing himself to the disciples, his brother and eventually 500.
One quotable moment came when Ravi said, “Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good, but to make dead people live”.
I am thankful for people like Ravi who work to give the gospel credibility in the face of skeptics and to those like myself always looking to build my faith.
Jesus truly was a man unique to this world. As I listened to questions, I wondered what questions others have to knowing truth.
ASK THE BLIND PASTOR 