140 Characters or Less
“The Bible”
1 Peter 3:15; Matthew 5:17

Be ready to give the reason for your faith!

1 Peter 3:15

Reason = the motive
	Why do I have hope in Jesus?
	Why do I believe the Bible is so important?
	Why is the church the only hope for the world?

Not…
	What do I believe about Jesus?
	Because the Bible says so!
	Church proves that you’re a Christian.

The answer has to be simple!
	We never have enough time to explain.
	We want to pique their curiosity.
	Simple is the best conversation starter.

How do we keep it simple?
140 characters or less

Our responsibility is to get people to Jesus as quickly as possible!

Why have I chosen to put my hope in Jesus?
“I believe that Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead.”

The Bible
	Why do I believe that the Bible is so important?

Bible (Greek – biblion) = books
Scripture (Greek – graphe) = writings

Continuity of 40 diverse writers:
	Moses – political leader
	Joshua – military leader
	David – shepherd 
	Solomon – king
	Amos – farmer
	Daniel – prime minister
	Matthew – tax collector
	Luke – medical doctor
	Paul – well-known Rabbi
	Peter – fisherman

Written…
	In 3 different continents:  Europe, Asia, Africa
	Most of the writers didn’t know each other
	Over a period of 1,500 years
	With no contradictions or inconsistencies

Our claims
	The Bible is true – inerrant, infallible 
	The Bible says it is God speaking

God speaking…
	“God said” or “Thus says the Lord” – 3,800 times
	Paul says it’s the “Lord’s commandments” – 1 Cor. 14:37
	Peter claims that it’s the “word of God” – 2 Peter 1:16-20
	John says to reject his teaching is to reject God – 1 John 4:6

But it’s not good enough to say…
	It’s true because the Bible says so!

The foundation of our faith is not the Bible
	It is Jesus!

Why do I believe the Bible is so important?
	Jesus took the Old Testament seriously.
		Adam & Eve – Matt. 19:4-6
		Noah – Luke 17:26-27
		Jonah – Matt. 12:40
		Daniel – Mark 13:14

Matthew 5:17-20 

When talking about the OT, is it more compelling to say…
	“The Bible says so” OR “Because Jesus believed it”

Why do I believe the Bible is so important?
	Jesus took the OT seriously.
	Eyewitnesses wrote the Gospels
	No mention of the destruction of the temple – 70 A.D.
	Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James and Paul

Let’s make it simple
	140 Characters or less

Why I believe the Bible is so important?
I believe the Bible is so important because Jesus took it seriously and Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James and Paul said so.