The second reason we know that Jesus Christ was resurrected is by the spiritual descendants of those who witnessed it. Peter, John, and the other apostles, including Paul, were witnesses of Christ’s resurrection and were the first generation of Christians (1 Cor. 15:4-8). This first generation told the next generation, and the next generation told the succeeding generation until the report reached us today. Our spiritual forefathers can be traced back to the first generation. In China everyone believes that there was a person named Confucius, not only because of the written history but also because of his descendants who are living in China today. These descendants can trace their genealogy back to their forefather Confucius. We Christians can also trace our genealogy back to Peter and John, the first generation of Christians.
The third reason we know that Jesus Christ was resurrected is by the effect of His resurrection on human society. Christianity is the product of His resurrection. The whole earth being under a calendar which is based upon the birth of Jesus Christ is also a strong evidence of Christ’s resurrection. This indicates that Jesus is Lord of all.
When a person asks a question which is too vague and too broad, we should try to solidify or compress his question into a manageable form. Otherwise, their question is like a kite without a string which soars out of control. The best thing to do in such cases is to open up to some specific verses. By opening up some specific verses, you pin him down. Then you are able to speak a definite word to him, and he is able to ask a definite question. By this definite conversation, you can guide him into the reality of Christ being life to us. You may direct a certain one to read John 6:35. After he reads, you may say, “This is the Lord Jesus’ word. We all believe in Him. This word spoken by the Lord Himself tells us that He is life, even the bread of life. Now we can eat Him. To eat Him means to enjoy Him, to take Him in.” He then may ask how to eat and enjoy Christ. You can tell him that to enjoy Christ, to eat Christ, is just to pray to Him. Then help him to pray. This will surely help him.
Because people may have a lot of religious knowledge, it is best to avoid any discussion of doctrines. Lead them to some solid verses, and stress their content again and again. This will take away any ground for arguments because the verses are the words of the Lord Jesus Himself. This will shorten your discussion very much.
The best way to conduct a gospel dialogue is with one person at a time. You should direct your speaking primarily to one person. Therefore, when you are with a group, you must learn to be keen and alert. Whenever someone speaks, you should discern what kind of person he is, and where he is coming from. By their speaking, you should be able to discern who among them is the one to whom you should address your speaking. In a group of four or five people, we should direct our speaking to one person; otherwise, our time will be wasted by trying to take care of too many in one conversation. Interruptions are sent by the Devil to waste time and annul the gospel dialogue. Eventually, due to these interruptions, there is little result.
In visiting people, an important principle is always to take the opportunity to impart some word of the Bible into them regardless of the length of the conversation or the nature of the conversation. This imparting of the word is an injection. We may come and go, but the verses will remain with people for a long time. It may be that the person will not allow the word to work very much at first. But after twenty years, the verses will still be there working on him. Therefore, we should not allow our time with people to be in vain. We should give them an injection of the word. For this reason, we must be very familiar with the Bible, especially the New Testament, so that we can select some golden verses to use at any time without the need of a lot of consideration.
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