Dear CU Gloria Cornerstone Partners and friends of the ministry,
Greenleaf’s Testimony of the Evangelists is one of a thousand such apologetic works from lawyers, literary scholars, philosophers, and theologians who have argued for through the ages the veracity of the teachings of Jesus and eyewitness testimonies of his earliest followers. Last month I mentioned the stunning ‘Christ hymn’ in Philippians, chapter 2 (see also John 1:1-18; Colossians 1:15-20). As I say to students all of the time, the descriptions of the nature and person of Jesus in the New Testament are crazy talk unless we can support and defend them. The onus is on us to do our homework and to keep an open mind.
But then what? What are we to do when convinced of the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus?
If “even the demons believe, and tremble” (James 2:19), it is clear that intellectual assent is not enough. Saving faith is a matter of the heart that leads to transforming and renewing desires. It is no coincidence that a healthy portion of Paul’s “therefore...work out your salvation with fear and trembling” involves the personal testimonies of his pastoral companions (Timothy and Epaphroditus) and his own testimony in chapter 3; a rather impressive and challenging attempt to describe his relationship with Jesus:
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ... -Philippians 3:7,8
Such rich material has informed and framed our conversations in Bible courses as of late. It is not unusual for a majority of students to be in process or simply uncertain about their faith when we first meet them. It is nothing short of thrilling to be able to engage in meaningful spiritual conversations individually or in these small group settings. It is tough to sit on the fence, if you will, in matters of the heart and/or faith, so we see students taking decisive steps towards and away from Jesus all of the time.
This leads me to our primary prayer request. Please pray that many, many students would respond to their classmates' multifaceted invitations in the months to come to seriously consider the claims of Jesus and come to know him in trajectory-altering, life-changing ways. We are keenly aware of our limitations—friendship, invitations, conversations, events, etc.—and fully aware of our need to see the Holy Spirit work powerfully in and through us.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Don Weiss
Ministry Director
Christian Union Gloria
Please note: if you would like to receive regular updates on how to pray for Christian Union's work at Harvard, please email prayer@christianunion.org.
