New Hope UMC

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This study was in four parts and was completed on December 16, 2020. Author Lee Strobel is a journalist who has devoted his career to investigations of Christian history, scriptures and biblical truths which are the foundations of our beliefs. In this study, he investigates the reasons for our belief in the the birth of the Messiah, the reason we celebrate Christmas. What the Bible actually says about Jesus' birth and how you can know it is accurate Whether the Christmas story actually happened or developed from the myths of the day The Bible's claim that Jesus was born of a virgin and why it is important to your faith How Jesus-and only Jesus-fulfilled hundreds of biblical prophecies about the Messiah The Case for Christmas will invite you to look beyond the familiar traditions of the season, challenge you to examine the evidence for yourself, and consider why Christmas really matters.

 

Episode 1: Setting the Record Straight.  What does scripture tell us about the birth of Jesus? Strobel covers this as told in Luke and gives us the context and likely circumstances of the journey to Bethlehem and the time in the Inn. Some of this may surprise us. 

Episode 2: Beneath the Fake News.  Was this whole idea of the virgin birth just stolen from other religions and mythologies to give us a reason to be different somehow? The author convincingly dispels these notions for what they are - fake news.

Episode 3: A Mind Boggling Proposition. Was Jesus really born of a virgin? If not, we do not have a divine savior. If so, it changes everything for us and for the whole world. Strobel covers this in compelling, convincing way that really makes a lot of sense.  

Episode 4: The Prophetic Fingerprint. What are the Old Testament references to the coming Messiah? What do the prophets say? Quite a lot, actually. Strobel covers the prophecies if Isaiah, Micah, Joel and others. i

These videos are fairly short and can be watched in a couple of hours. This is timeless information that is easy to understand. Strobel is a scholar certainly but he is also a strong believer. A wonderful study and very timely as it followed the first season of The Chosen, about Jesus and the disciples.