Think: Figure Out What You Believe and Why

By Kevin Johnson

"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."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Dec 15, 2009
• ISBN: 9780310868286

Kevin Johnson

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.

Book preview

ZONDERVAN

YOUTH SPECIALTIES

Think: Figure Out What You Believe and Why

Copyright 2009 by Kevin Johnson

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

ePub Edition september 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-86828-6

Youth Specialties resources, 300 S. Pierce St., El Cajon, CA 92020 are published by Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530.

ISBN 978–0-310–28266-2

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, Today’s New International Version™. TNIV®. Copyright 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Youth Specialties, nor does Youth Specialties vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover design by David Conn

Interior design by SharpSeven Design

Contents

TITLE PAGE

COPYRIGHT PAGE

1. THE WHOLE TRUTH

Where can I get answers about God?

Psalm 19:1–4, 7–11

2. THE BOOK

Why believe the Bible?

2 Timothy 3:10–17

3. SPOKEN WORD

How did the Bible get here?

2 Peter 1:16–21

4. REST ASSURED

Is the Christian faith made up?

John 20:24–31

5. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING

Where did the world come from?

Genesis 1:1–4, 26–27, 31

6. RIGHT UP THERE 31

Is God down on people?

Psalm 8:1–8

7. THE ONE AND ONLY

Who is Jesus?

Colossians 1:15–20

8. UP FROM THE GRAVE

Did Jesus actually rise from the dead?

1 Corinthians 15:1–8

9. REALLY ALIVE

Why does it matter that Jesus rose again?

1 Corinthians 15:12–19

10. GOOD TO GO?

Does being good get you into heaven?

Romans 3:20–26

11. KNOWING GOD

How can I have a relationship with God?

John 3:16–21

12. SO WRONG

How can God exist when the world is so evil?

Romans 5:12–20

13. STILL STRONG

Are Christians weak?

2 Corinthians 11:23–29

14. DEAD BONES

What about hypocrites?

Matthew 23:1–7, 13, 27–28

15. SPEAK UP

Why do Christians always talk about God?

1 Peter 3:15–18

16. ASK AND RECEIVE

Why doesn’t God answer all my prayers?

Luke 11:5–13

17. WISE ONES

Does God want to wreck my life?

Matthew 7:24–27

18. HIDE AND SEEK

Is God out to get me?

Psalm 103:1–14

19. SPIDER FIRE

Is hell real?

Revelation 20:7–15

20. TO VALHALLA—OR NOT

What is heaven like?

Revelation 21:1–7

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

SHARE YOUR THOUGHT

Start Here

It’s time to let your faith fly HIGHER. If you’re ready to take your relationship with God to the next level, this series of books shows you how.

Think contains 20 Bible studies that lead you upward. You’ll find Scriptures that speak to the core of your life, along with space to express what’s on your mind. You’ll think for yourself and discover significant insights you might not find on your own. Think helps you ponder the big questions of faith. You’ll understand that God wants to give you answers—not just about what you believe but why. And you’ll figure out for yourself why you don’t want to settle for anything less than a faith that makes sense.

Don’t rush through Think. You can do a study per day, a study per week, or anything between. Actually, the slower you go, the more you’ll gain. Each study is just a few pages long but provides you plenty to think about and act on. The end of each study comes with added material to let you fly even higher.

You’ll see that every study opens with a mostly-blank page that has a single Bible verse that sums up the main point. These verses are worth memorizing, as a way to fill your head with the amazing truths of God’s Word. Then comes START, a brief introduction to get you into the topic. READ takes you to a Scripture passage. You can read the verses here in the book or, if you want, grab your own Bible and read the passage there. THINK helps you examine the main ideas of the text, and LIVE makes it easy to apply what you learn. WRAP pulls everything together.

Then there’s some bonus material. MORE THOUGHTS TO MULL tosses you a few more questions to ask yourself or others. MORE SCRIPTURES TO DIG leads you to related Bible passages to help you hear even more from God on the topic.

Whether you read on your own or get together with a group,