Questionable: Is Jesus God? - Lee Strobel

This week at Gateway Austin we continued a series called “Questionable: Feel Free to Ask.”

Lee Strobel, former atheist and investigative journalist who chose to follow Christ after his investigation spoke this week. You can watch or listen at www.gatewaychurch.com/podcast.

The most powerful part of his message included the story of the transformation in his family. Before Lee started his spiritual search, he struggled with anger and drinking too much. His young daughter would hide from him every time he came home. After he chose to follow Christ, his transformation was so obvious and powerful, that his entire family noticed and were transformed.

Even if you cannot watch the entire message, be sure to watch starting at the 28th minute to hear how following Jesus changed Lee and his family.

Lee shared some of the following insights:

Evidence that Jesus truly rose from the dead includes the Four E’s:

Execution
All scholars believe Jesus truly died as a result of crucifixion. Atheist scholar Gerd Ludemann said: “Jesus death as a consequence of crucifixion is indisputable.”
Early Accounts
Myths take time to develop, but the news of Christ’s resurrection spread within months. Not only do we have four gospels, but 1 Corinthians 15 gives a creed stating that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected on the third day. This creed has been dated by scholars to just a few years after the death of Jesus.
Empty Tomb
Nobody in the first century was claiming it was anything but empty. The authorities said that the disciples stole the body, but by doing so the disciples were setting themselves up for a life of deprivation and suffering.
Eye Witnesses
Jesus appeared to over 500 different people post-resurrection. Many myths involve “someone” who heard or who saw, but the resurrection account names names — Mary, Peter, Paul, and others who encountered Christ personally.