The Unshakable Truth Study Guide: How You Can Experience the 12 Essentials of a Relevant Faith

by Josh McDowell, Sean McDowell

Overview

This comprehensive study guide covers the introduction and the 12 foundational truths distilled in The Unshakable Truth, making it ideal for a 13-week group course and adaptable for a 52-week one.

Users of the study guide—whether individuals or church groups—will get a firm grip on the book's central issues: what they as Christians believe, why they believe it, how it’s relevant to life, and how they can pass it on to the next generation. The guide will help them work the meaning, credibility, and relevance of Christianity deep into their minds and hearts.

Ultimately, believers will be helped to understand apologetics relationally, seeing how right believing affects not only them but also the people they encounter. A great resource for pastors, leaders, parents, youth groups, church groups—anyone wanting to reveal Christianity’s power in today’s life and culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780736944649
Publisher:	Harvest House Publishers
Publication date:	01/01/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	320 KB

About the Author

Josh McDowell has been reaching the spiritually skeptical for more than five decades. Since beginning ministry in 1961, Josh has spoken to more than 25 million people in 128 countries. He is the author or coauthor of 148 books, with over 51 million copies distributed worldwide, including Straight Talk with Your Kids About Sex, Experience Your Bible, Evidence for the Historical Jesus, More Than a Carpenter (over 15 million copies printed in 85 languages), and The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, recognized by World magazine as one of the twentieth century's top 40 books. Josh continues to travel throughout the United States and countries around the world, helping young people and adults strengthen their faith and understanding of Scripture. Josh will tell you that his family is his ministry. He and his wife, Dottie, have been married for over 40 years and have four children and numerous grandchildren.

Sean McDowell is an educator and a popular speaker at schools, churches, and conferences nationwide. He is author of Ethix: Being Bold in a Whatever World, coauthor of 77 FAQs About God and the Bible, Experience Your Bible, and Understanding Intelligent Design, and general editor of Apologetics for a New Generation and The Apologetics Study Bible for Students. He is currently pursuing a PhD in apologetics and worldview studies. Sean’s website, www.seanmcdowell.org, offers his blog, many articles and videos, and much additional curriculum.

Josh McDowell has been reaching the spiritually skeptical for more than five decades. Since beginning ministry in 1961, Josh has spoken to more than 25 million people in 128 countries. He is the author or coauthor of 148 books, with over 51 million copies distributed worldwide, including Straight Talk with Your Kids About Sex, Experience Your Bible, Evidence for the Historical Jesus, More Than a Carpenter (over 15 million copies printed in 85 languages), and The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, recognized by World magazine as one of the twentieth century's top 40 books. Josh continues to travel throughout the United States and countries around the world, helping young people and adults strengthen their faith and understanding of Scripture. Josh will tell you that his family is his ministry. He and his wife, Dottie, have been married for over 40 years and have four children and numerous grandchildren.

Sean McDowell is an educator and a popular speaker at schools, churches, and conferences nationwide. He is author of Ethix: Being Bold in a Whatever World, coauthor of 77 FAQs About God and the Bible, Experience Your Bible, and Understanding Intelligent Design, and general editor of Apologetics for a New Generation and The Apologetics Study Bible for Students. He is currently pursuing a PhD in apologetics and worldview studies. Sean’s website, www.seanmcdowell.org, offers his blog, many articles and videos, and much additional curriculum.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

PART I

The 12 Unshakable Truths of Christianity

1. What We All Want out of Life . . . . . . 15

2. Twelve Truths that Define the Christian Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

3. The Real Meaning of Truth . . 37

PART II

The Unshakable Truth of God's Creation

Truth ONE: God Exists

4. Who Is God? . . . . . . . 51

5. Evidence for God's Existence . . . . . . . . 57

6. Discovering Your Identity . . 67

7. Living Out Your Relational Image of God . . . . . 75

Truth TWO: God's Word

8. Why God Gave Us His Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

9. Evidence that God's Word Is Reliable . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

10. The Protection and Provision of God's Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

11. Living Under God's Protection and Enjoying His Provisions . . . . . . 113

Truth THREE: Original Sin

12. The First Broken Relationship . . . . . . 125

13. Evidence That Sin Has Consequences . . . . . 133

14. Choosing Right from Wrong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

15. Practical Examples of How to Make Right Choices . . . . . 145

PART III

The Unshakable Truth of God's Incarnation

Truth FOUR: God Became Human

16. We Rejected God-God Accepted Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

17. Evidence that God Became Human to Redeem Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

18. What God's Unconditional Acceptance Produces . . 171

19. How to Accept Others As God Accepts Us . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Truth FIVE: Christ's Atonement for Sin

20. The High Price of Forgiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

21. Evidence that Jesus Was God's Perfect Sacrifice . 193

22. The True Meaning of Love . . . . . . 199

23. How to Love Others As God Loves Us . . 203

Truth SIX: Justification through Faith

24. What Makes Us Right Before God? . . . . . . 213

25. Evidence that Christ Has the Power to Save Us . . . . . . 217

26. The Joy of Salvation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

27. Explaining How to Have a Relationship with God . . 231

Truth SEVEN: Living the Transformed Life

28. Understanding Your Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

29. Evidences of a Changed Life . . 245

30. Seeing Yourself As God Sees You . . 255

31. Living Out a Changed Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

PART IV

The Unshakable Truth of God's Re-Creation

Truth EIGHT: Jesus' Bodily Resurrection

32. The Historical Necessity of Christ's Resurrection . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

33. Evidence that Jesus Literally Rose from the Dead .289

34. Overcoming the Fear of Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

35. Living Bodily on Earth with Our Hearts in Heaven . . 303

Truth NINE: The Trinity

36. The Meaning of One God in Three Persons . . . . . . . . . . . 313

37. Evidence that the Holy Spirit Exists . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

38. The Purpose of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives . . 327

39. How to Live in the Power of the Holy Spirit . . 335

Truth TEN: God's Kingdom

40. Kingdoms at War . . . . . . . 349

41. Evidence that God's Kingdom Has Positively

Influenced the World . . 355

42. Determining Your Kingdom Worldview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361

43. How Your Worldview Defines Who You Are,

Why You Are Here, and Where You Are Going . . . . . 367

Truth ELEVEN: The Church

44. What Is the Church? . . . . . . . . . . 377

45. Evidence that God's Authentic Church Is Alive and Well . . . 383

46. The Priority of the Church . . . 391

47. How the Church Meets Human and Spiritual Needs . . . . . . . . 397

Truth TWELVE: The Return of Christ

48. Our Restored Home: Heaven on Earth . . . . . . . . . . . 407

49. Evidence for Life After Death . . 413

50. Experiencing Eternal Joy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421

51. Fulfilling Your Destiny . . . . . . . 427

Family or Small-Group Activities

Appendix A: The Redemption Celebration . . . . . . . 435

Appendix B: The Revelation Celebration . 455

Appendix C: The Restoration Celebration . 473

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501