Today, throughout many of our societies and schools, there is a widely held belief that science can explain everything about our existence. This viewpoint makes all things that are ‘religious’ untrue, being suited for personal belief but not for public conversation. What’s easily missed is that physical science can never prove anything about God — who is by his very nature non-material (not physical). All it can do is reveal the logical inference that he must exist.

What is the most amazing thing humans have ever created? For me, it’s got to be something like the airplane. The flight of a 300-ton plane seems almost a miracle — equalled only by the miracle of its safe landing! When we compare the things people have made to what God has created there’s no comparison. The things God has created are far more complex. When considering life, all life has multiple interlinking components. Many of these components are invisible to our eyes. Powerful modern microscopes have, however, now made some of these things visible. The detail and complexity discovered within life is mind-blowing!

What is one of the most upsetting things for you in this world? For me it’s the abuse of power that causes suffering, and also false beliefs that give permission to behave in ways that create suffering. Because beliefs lead behaviour, beliefs matter!

The Bible is the world’s most read, printed, stolen and attacked book. It doesn’t win these awards by a small margin. It would be fair to say its readership and influence are so significant that it belongs on a bookshelf all by itself.

The historical trustworthiness of the Bible is important because this book claims to be a record of the history through which the God of the universe has revealed what he is like. If our only source of information about God was from nature, we’d think God was a mix of good and bad. The most significant thing discovered from a study of this history is that he is not.

Bible critics have suggested various places mentioned in the New Testament never existed. For example, the Pool of Siloam where the man born blind (John 9:1-7) went to wash and was healed. Then in 2004, the pool was accidentally discovered by men digging a sewer. Its excavation was completed in 2023, after which it was opened for public viewing.

The Bible’s many hundreds of predictions are also very bold. With 5000 years of Bible history behind us, we can investigate to see whether the predictions came true. What we are, therefore, given is a way of testing whether the Bible does have the Divine hand of God behind it!

How well do you think you could predict five unusual things that would happen in the coming week? Studies on the work of psychics have shown that it’s possible to achieve about an 8% accuracy rate through some intelligent guessing while also speaking in generalisations...

Despite the evil and suffering of our world, the fulfilled predictions show us that God does still have a plan and is in control. Put differently, there is hope! God isn’t freaking out, as if he had lost control of his creation. Despite our evils, God has a plan that is still going to work.

Jesus claimed to be God visiting Earth! This claim is so radical that some sceptics of the Bible have suggested that Christians have misunderstood Jesus. If we study the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we see that Jesus often avoided making a direct claim to be the ‘Son of God’.

Have you ever held a belief that you later changed after coming across new information? Today we’re looking at Jesus’ resurrection, and you’ll be surprised to discover how many academics agree that the evidence says it happened.

Have you ever been given incorrect directions? It doesn’t take long to realise that taking any road at all won’t get you to your desired destination, and it is the same with the world’s religions. Some people like to deny that spiritual truth exists, suggesting instead that all religious views are equally ‘true’.

The actual God of the universe is logically the one who created the universe and us. Jesus claimed to be the only way to know the Creator God. This claim is either true or false. The evidence either supports this claim or it doesn’t. So, what does the evidence suggest?

One of the most surprising things about Jesus is the fact that he didn’t gain any of his influence as the result of an earthly position given to him. Jesus wasn’t the ruler of an Empire – like Julius Caesar of Rome or Alexander the Great who led the Greeks. He was instead born into relative poverty and obscurity.

The greatest pursuit of life is the pursuit of what is ultimately real and true about life. We have been looking at reasons for believing there is a God who has revealed himself through history – as recorded in the Bible, and ultimately through Jesus. This journey is both about seeking truth and also having the courage to follow where it leads.

Imagine a sports car built for a flat sealed race track that is then placed on an off-road track made of mud and sand. The car might not even be able to move! In the same way, if there is a God and we reject the values that he created us to live by, we should expect things will fall apart.

This is the idea that there is a God. If so, a fixed moral law therefore exists, because there is a moral law giver (God). He created this good law for our good, with a full view of all of our history before him. His laws are not random. There is therefore a basis for defining good — and also a basis for valuing all human life.

If there is no God, the only logical answer is that human consciousness is just an illusion. For those in the Eastern religions, its existence is an illusion they claim no explanation for. Meanwhile, for the atheist, our consciousness is the result of a remarkable accident, springing out of random chemical reactions in our brains.

For a first area of experience, we have noted that if a God exists then miracles are possible. Jesus performed many amazing miracles. The Old Testament is also full of miracles. The period of the Exodus, where God’s people walked through desert areas depending on God’s supernatural provision and protection stands out. The Christian faith is one of miracles.

If something is logically true it should also be experientially real. Otherwise, it’s just a theory. This is true of the Christian faith in the profoundest of ways. It is not without reason that it is globally known as the faith of good works, love and charity. When it is applied, it works!

In history, terrible things have been done by people who wielded power in all organisations — including the church. However, when it comes to the church, there is a distinction in that the problem is not with the church or Christian faith — but instead with those people.

If a loving God does exist and can be known, how could we test the truth of that? The answer is in those hundreds of millions of testimonies! When a person becomes a Christian a pattern follows. Their behaviour, character and attitudes mysteriously begin to change for the better!

Data showing that those who embraced this faith experienced improved marriage strength, marital satisfaction, life satisfaction, an increased sense of meaning in life, higher educational levels, volunteer more, become more generous to charitable causes, have more civic engagement, improved financial stability, more stable long-term family dynamics, improved long-term physical health and increased longevity in life.

The next question is about what that God is like, and whether he/she/it can be known. The Bible records a history, the first half of which is believed by over half the world’s population (Jews, Christians, Muslims). These agree that this God has revealed himself to us. What is discovered early in the Bible is that he is a good God, not bad.