Josh McDowell - Restored--Experience the Joy of Your Eternal Destiny

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RESTOREDEXPERIENCE THE JOY OF YOUR ETERNAL DESTINY

Course 12 of The Unshakable Truth Journey

Copyright 2012 by Josh McDowell Ministry and Sean McDowell

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN: 978-0-7369-4652-0 (pbk.)

ISBN: 978-0-7369-4653-7 (eBook)

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

Authors Josh and Sean McDowell collaborated with their writer to bring you this Unshakable Truth Journey Growth Guide. The content is based upon Scripture and the McDowells book The Unshakable Truth.

Over 50-plus years, Josh McDowell has spoken to more than 10 million people in 120 countries about the evidence for Christianity and the difference the Christian faith makes in the world. He has authored or coauthored more than 120 books (with more than 51 million copies in print), including such classics as More Than a Carpenter and New Evidence That Demands a Verdict.

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 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. Seans website, www.seanmcdowell.org, offers his blog, many articles and videos, and much additional curriculum.

Dave Bellis is a ministry consultant focusing on ministry planning and product development. He is a writer, producer, and product developer. He and his wife, Becky, have two grown children and live in northeastern Ohio.

We would like to thank the many people who brought creativity and insight to forming this course:

Terri Snead and David Ferguson of Great Commandment Network for their writing insights for the TruthTalk and Truth Encounter sections of this growth guide.

Terry Glaspey for his insights and guidance as he helped in the development of the Unshakable Truth Journey concept.

Paul Gossard for his skillful editing of this manuscript.

And finally, the entire team at Harvest House, who graciously endured the process with us.

Y ou hear people talk about having a personal relationship with God and knowing Christ. But what does that really mean? Sure, they probably are saying they are a Christian and God has personally forgiven them of their sins. But is that all of what being a Christian really isbeing a person forgiven by God?

We are here to say that being a follower of Christ is much, much more than that. Everything you are and what you are becoming as a person is wrapped up in it. When Jesus said he was the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) he was offering us a supernatural way to follow in his way, his truth, and his life. As we do, we begin to understand what we were meant to know and be and how we were meant to live. Actually, when we become a follower of Christ we begin to take on Jesus view of the world and begin to think like and be motivated like and live like Christ. And that brings incredible joy and satisfaction to life.

So when we see life and relationships as Jesus sees them, we begin to get a clear picture of who we are and discover our true identity. We begin to realize why we are here and recognize our purpose and meaning in life. We begin to know where we are going and experience our destiny and mission in a life larger than ourselves. Being a Christiana committed follower of Christunlocks our identity, purpose, and destiny in life. It is then that the natural process of spiritual reproduction takes place. That is when imparting the faith to our family and others around us becomes a reality. But what is involved in being that kind of a follower of Christa person who has joy and satisfaction in life and knows how to effectively impart the faith to the next generation?

The Unshakable Truth Journey gets to the core of what being a true follower of Christ means and what knowing Christ is all about. Together you and your group will begin a journey that will last a lifetime. It is a journey into what you as a follower of Christ are to believe biblically, how you process your beliefs into core values, and how you live them out in all your relationships. In fact, we will take the core truths of Christianity and break them down into a five-step process:

1. What truths do you as a Christian believe biblically?

In the first step you and your group will interact with what we as Christians believe about God, his Word, and so on.

2. Why do you believe those truths?

Sure, you can say you believe certain truths because they are biblical, but when you know why they are true it grounds you in your faith. Additionally, it gives you confidence to pass them on to othersespecially your family.

3. How are these truths relevant to life?

In many respects truth isnt very meaningful until you see how it is relevant to your own life.

4. How do you live these truths out personally?

Knowing how the truth of Christianity is relevant is necessary, but what it leads to is understanding how that truth is to become a living reality in your own life. Thats where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

5. How do you, as a group, live these truths out before your community and world?

As Christians we are all to be salt and light to the world around us. In this step you and your group will discover how to impact your own community with truth that is lived out corporatelyas a body.

Be warned! The Unshakable Truth Journey isnt a program to study what Christianity is all about. Simply discovering what something is about has great limitations and ends up being of little value. Rather, this journey is about experiencing firsthand how Gods truth is to be experienced in your life right now and, in fact, for the rest of your life. Its about knowing Gods truth in a real, experiential way. The apostle John said, It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth (1 John 3:19).You will be challenged repeatedly to increasingly know certain truths by experiencing them continually in your relationship with God and with those around you. It is then you will be able to pass on this ever-increasing faith journey to your family and friends.