Growing up as a young teenager I remember hearing and using the phrase, “Hey, get off my case.” That was a time familiar to many of us—when we first started to make our own decisions and didn’t want to be told anything. I remember many times where I may not have always said it out loud, but I still said it under my breath. Sound familiar?
A few years ago, I learned of a man named J. Warner Wallace who is nationally recognized as a top crime scene detective in Los Angelas, California. His record of accomplishments for solving cold case crimes that had gone unsolved for many years is nothing short of phenomenal. He has frequently been featured on Dateline and other documentary programs. His success is notably connected to his ability to find the evidence. For when solving a case, you have nothing unless you have concrete and reliable evidence.
As one might imagine, Wallace was also a skeptic. For where there is a crime, there is always a cover-up. Someone will always be trying to hide the truth and pull the wool over your eyes. But every crime leaves a trail behind it, and somewhere in that trail is evidence—you just have to keep looking until you find it.
Wallace was also known as a “second generation” atheist. He considered Christianity and all religious believe to be irrational “nonsense”. His worldview was purely evidence based and his personal experience with Christians who lacked integrity. His skepticism was fueled by the hypocrisy of believers that he had encountered over the years.
I was so drawn to Wallaces personal story. Why? Because as a Christian, it bothers me deeply that non-believers do not see evidence of our authentic love for Jesus being demonstrated in our lives. Nor are we known for ability to defend our faith. Furthermore, I believe that the majority of Christians do not know their Bible, which stands as the standard of our faith.
J. Warner Wallace saw Christians as hypocrites. I can totally relate as this too was how I viewed Christians before my life was totally transformed by the love of Jesus Christ. I had heard someone say that walking into McDonalds doesn’t make you a hamburger in the same way that merely going to church doesn’t make you a Christian. That’s kinda funny, but it stuck with me, and I started reading the Bible to investigate for myself rather than merely going through the motions of others.
How others (the world) see Christians and views Christianity has been a focus topic for me. I am appalled when known Christians are bashing others with hate speech, bigotry, racism, political slandering, and finger pointing. These outright prideful words and actions are a total misrepresentation of Jesus to the World. And yes, I do believe in righteous anger, and yes Jesus got angry without sin. But check the biblical context of those situations…they in no way run parallel to those atrocious actions that I mentioned. Read the actual words and actions of Jesus. Jesus not only modeled how we should walk and talk, but He also made it very easy to understand. Jesus said that the two greatest commandments in life are: (#1) to love the Lord your God with all your heart. And (#2) Love your neighbor as yourself. Then He basically said that any and all other Biblical teachings and commands come after these. (Matt 22:37-40 my paraphrase). In simple terms…LOVE GOD and LOVE PEOPLE, everything else follows.
It does not matter how big or expensive that cross is around someone’s neck, or what bumper sticker is on their car, what church building they walk into, or the size of Bible that is under their arm. If someone is not reading that Bible and representing Jesus in a way that truly shows love for others, they are living a double standard. If we truly want to re-present Jesus, we have to know His Word and then model it with integrity. So many people in this world have viewed Christians in a negative and hypocritical way, much like J. Waner Wallace did. Where is the evidence? Let me ask you a question…If you are a Christian and were to be put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Am I saying that Christians who actually do read and live by the Bible are perfect and don’t make mistakes. Absolutely not! We are all a work in progress. What I am saying is that we all need to hear God’s voice and have His direction. The primary way in which to hear Gods voice is through His written word, the Bible. Without it (knowing it and living it), we have no case…no credibility as a Christian.
It’s hard to believe, but it has been eight years since my book The River was published. If you are not familiar with the book, it is based upon three separate prophetic encounters that I had with Jesus. All three connected into an incredible revelation to which I continue to ponder upon every single day. The scenes I saw in the spirit then are even more vivid today as I see their applications in present day.
The following three paragraphs are excerpts from The River, chapter 5, entitled The Church and the City. I believe they add much insight to this message today. Just as an added note, I have now worked as a metrologist an additional 8 years from the date of this writing.
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Discrediting The Word of God
For nine years, I worked in the field of metrology (the science of measurement). In this line of work, I calibrated—with very rigid requirements—all forms of test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment. In this industry, all measurement equipment is very precisely calibrated—and adjusted if necessary—prior to it being certified as accurate. To calibrate anything, you must first have a standard to compare it to—something of which you are confident is more accurate than the equipment in which you are calibrating. Typically, the standard in most situations has to be at least four times more accurate. A practical application would be a piece of test equipment that is certified to be accurate within .001 inch, would then require a calibration standard that is accurate to within .00025 inches. The standards themselves also have to be calibrated by other standards and so on—all to insure a trail of traceability and a reliable process. What’s the point? You can’t have truth unless you are backing it up with what you are sure is accurate. You must have a standard.
It’s hard to believe, but there is a movement within some Christian churches to disregard the accuracy and validity of the Bible. To most (believers and non-believers alike) this seems like an oxymoron. We must remember that satan is always trying to discredit the truth of God’s Word. For you see, if you do not have a standard that you are confident is accurate; then reliability is gone. Can you imagine building a New York City skyscraper with an inaccurate measuring instrument—such as a carpenter’s level with a stuck bubble? Would you get into an aircraft in which you knew the pilots instruments had not been calibrated? No friend, if you didn’t trust that those tools or instruments were accurate, you wouldn’t come within blocks of that skyscraper and wouldn’t step foot into that airplane.
The Holy Bible has withstood the tests of time, it has been scrutinized and taken to trial over and over. Each time standing strong and true with convincing evidence of its authenticity. It is the basis for our moral laws. It is accurate and divinely inspired. It is our “standard.” Our measuring rod. It is alive. If you don’t stand on the truth of the Word of God, friend, then what do you stand on? Satan knows the Bible like the back of his hand, don’t be surprised that his plan is to discredit it. Don’t accept the lie, the Bible is our standard. Without it—we are without truth, wisdom, and direction in life. There is nothing on Earth more credible than the Word of God. Guard it, read it, and live it out in your life!
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I am so thankful that God has given us His divinely inspired manual for life, aren’t you? He speaks to us in many ways, but nothing is more credible and precious as His Written Word. Nothing…nothing in this life can compare to the wisdom gleaned from Gods Word. It needs to be our standard—our North star—our guiding light.
In closing, you should know that there is much more to J. Warner Wallace’s story: His atheistic mind simply would not allow for blind faith Christianity. He needed evidence. He eventually decided to apply his forensic investigative techniques to the Gospels of the Bible. To his surprise, he concluded that the New Testament did in fact provide reliable eyewitness testimony, leading him to believe in Jesus based upon the evidence. He treated the Bible as a “cold case,” evaluating the Gospels for reliability, internal consistency, and external corroboration. Wallace found the factual evidence and concluded that the New Testament provided unquestionable and reliable evidence. Wallace converted his world view to Christianity in 1996.
His initial conversion was not emotional, but an intellectual conclusion that the evidence supported the truth of Christianity. He often notes that he did not become a Christian because he wanted to, but because the evidence forced him to conclude that it was true. Soon thereafter, His actual “relationship” with Jesus Christ began. Wallace then became a prominent Christian apologist, speaker, and author of 10 books, in which he applies the principles of cold-case homicide investigation to Christian apologetics. While he still is occasionally called upon to help with actual criminal investigations.
Friends, it is always my intent to be an encouragement to you. I would never want to get on anyone’s case 😊. No, this message is a reminder for me as well. A reminder of the importance of spending regular dedicated time reading and meditating on God’s Word? It truly is life changing and will lead us all into a deeper walk with Jesus. It will boost our faith, give us direction, hope, peace, and confidence in who we were designed to be. Additionally, we must also know and remember that satan does not want us to be empowered by Gods Word. He knows it full well. God’s Word is true; it is relevant and continues to be verified as the most accurate written document of all time.
God wants to bless you. He is a good, good Father! May you be blessed today as you draw near to Him.
Blessed by the Best,
Mark
See You in the River 