Beyond Belief to Convictions

by McDowell, Josh D.

• ISBN13: 9780842380096
• ISBN10: 0842380094
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-09-01
• Publisher: TYNDALE HOUSE PUBLISHERS

Summary

Josh McDowell's Beyond Belief message is the foundation to launch a spiritual revolution among youth. This is a revolution to equip churches and families to raise up a generation of the cross--young people who have been transformed by Christ and the cross, who are empowered to live crossgrain to the culture and are committed to share Christ across all cultures. Sixteen stand-alone products make up an entire family of resources that churches need to launch a church-wide revolution. These products are directed to every age group from 5 to 105, and help equip church groups and families with the tools to lead their children and youth to become transformed, passionate followers of Christ. In this first follow-up to Josh's popular first family devotional, Josh helps parents pray and worship together with their children while grounding them in knowledge of why God is who he is.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xi
Part one THE LOSS OF CONVICTIONS: A CONDITION IN OUR CULTURE
A Crisis of Beliefs	3	(16)
Dangers in a Twenty-First-Century Coliseum	4	(1)
Why Beliefs Matter	5	(2)
Our Kids' Distorted Beliefs	7	(9)
Our Kids are Adopting Distorted Beliefs about God	8	(3)
Our Kids are Embracing Distorted Beliefs about Truth	11	(3)
Our Kids are Accepting Distorted Beliefs about Reality	14	(2)
Time is running Out, But There Is Still Hope	16	(3)
Beliefs to Convictions	19	(28)
Why ``Believing'' Is Not Enough	20	(2)
Developing Convictions about what we Believe	22	(2)
Convictions: Believing in what is Objectively True	24	(6)
Convictions: Believing in what is Relationally Meaningful	30	(1)
After September 11, 2001: Reassessing what's Important in Life	31	(6)
``Who Am I?'' and the Person of Jesus	34	(1)
``Why Am I here?'' and the Word of God	35	(1)
``Where Am I going?'' and the Resurrection of Christ	36	(1)
My Quest for Life's Meaning	37	(10)
Part two THE DEITY AND INCARNATION: GOD WANTS A RELATIONSHIP WITH US
The Truth about Truth	47	(12)
A Light in the Midst of Darkness	51	(1)
What is Truth?	52	(1)
The Person of Truth	53	(2)
A Shift from ``What'' to ``Who''	55	(2)
A Relationship with Christ Defines Community	57	(2)
How true are Christ's Claims?	59	(20)
How can we Know Jesus was and is the Son of God?	61	(2)
Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled in One Person	63	(5)
Identifying the Deity	63	(4)
The Probability Factor	67	(1)
The Virgin Birth	68	(3)
The Miracles of Christ	71	(8)
The Relational meaning of the Incarnation	79	(26)
Longing for a Connection	80	(3)
The Incarnation Says ``I Want to Have a Relationship with You!''	83	(12)
God Accepts You Unconditionally	86	(1)
God Loves You Sacrificially	87	(3)
God Understands You Intimately	90	(3)
God Relates to You Continually	93	(2)
Who Am I?	95	(2)
A Special, One-of a-Kind Child of God	97	(4)
Discovering Your Uniqueness	101	(4)
Relationally Connecting the Disconnected	105	(20)
The Embodiment of Christ: The Church	109	(3)
Where Relational Connections Begin: The Family	112	(2)
Starting with the Relational Connecting Point of Acceptance	114	(11)
The Basis of Genuine Acceptance	117	(1)
Acceptance by Comparison	118	(1)
Acceptance Fosters a Secure Connection	119	(6)
The Incarnation Celebration	125	(32)
Part Three THE BIBLE: GOD WANTS US TO KNOW HIM AND BE LIKE HIM
The Bible: Relational and Reliable	157	(24)
The Relational meaning of the Bible	159	(4)
When the Book of the Law Was Lost	163	(1)
A Distorted Revelation Produces Distorted Results	164	(2)
What the Bible Reflects	166	(12)
God's word has been Recorded Exactly	167	(2)
God's word has been Relayed Accurately	169	(7)
God's word has been Reinforced Externally	176	(2)
God's Eternal Theme and Endless Quest	178	(3)
The Meaning of God's Word to Our Lives	181	(20)
An Exclusive Book Proclaiming an Exclusive Truth	184	(2)
Why Am I Here?	186	(1)
The Written Revelation	187	(2)
Empowered by the Spirit and the Word	189	(3)
Living What We Believe	192	(6)
Do We See Him As He Is	198	(3)
Interpreting the Words of God	201	(28)
The Bible Is Not Open to Private Interpretation	209	(5)
Ask, ``What Does It Say?''	210	(1)
Ask, ``What Does It Mean?''	211	(2)
Ask, ``How Does It Apply?''	213	(1)
Seeing Christ like Love through the Lens of Scripture	214	(6)
Living Out Christ's Love	220	(9)
Part Four THE RESURRECTION: GOD WANTS US TO TRUST HIM NO MATTER WHAT
The Revelation Celebration	229	(14)
Because He Lives	243	(16)
In a Life Where Death Reigns	244	(2)
``Trust in Me, No Matter What!''	246	(3)
Where Am I Going?	249	(4)
Honor out of Hardship	253	(1)
When we can't see the Good	254	(2)
The Historical Necessity of the Resurrection	256	(3)
The Case of the Empty Tomb	259	(18)
The Stolen-Body Theory	261	(3)
The Swoon Theory	264	(6)
The Hallucination Theory	270	(3)
The True Faith	273	(4)
God Wants a Relationship with us	274	(1)
God wants us to know Him and be like him	275	(1)
God wants us to trust him, no Matter what	275	(2)
Our Mission in Life	277	(18)
Mission Central	279	(2)
A Great Harvest	281	(2)
The Resurrection Celebration Play	283	(8)
The Rest of the Story	291	(4)
Part Five TAKING THE NEXT STEP
You Can Make a Difference	295	(8)
We Lose what we Don't use	296	(1)
Empowering Resources for Your Church	297	(1)
Empowering Resources for Your Family	298	(1)
Empowering Resources for Your Christian School and Home school	298	(1)
The Battle Is the Lord's	299	(4)
Appendix A: Launching a Church- and Family-wide Beyond Belief Campaign	303	(4)
Appendix B: More about the Find Your Fit and Life Keys Courses	307	(2)
Appendix C: More about Intimate Life Ministries and the Great Commandment Network	309	(4)
Appendix D: More on Evidence for Christianity	313	(2)
Notes	315	(6)
About the Authors	321