THE LIFE LESSON OF OWNING YOUR FAITH
Tyler Ellis
SCRIPTURE READINGS & JOURNAL QUESTIONS
1. WHAT IS FAITH? Faith is not meant to be a blind leap in the dark. While it may not
consist of 100% certainty, good faith is supported by evidence that paves the way to trust
by clearing away intellectual obstacles. In your journal, entitle a page, “What Is Faith?”
Write out Hebrews 11:1 in the King James Version (www.biblegateway.com). Make two
columns: (1) “Things I Trust In Everyday Life;” and (2) “Why I Trust Them.” Record what
comes to mind.
2. EVERYONE HAS FAITH. Just as each one of us exercises faith in everyday life, we also
put our faith in a certain worldview that shapes who we are; how we live; and how we
make sense of the world. Why is faith inescapable? What questions can you think of that
every worldview has to account for?
3. HAND-ME-DOWN FAITH. Our spiritual beliefs are very much influenced by parents,
guardians, peers, media and culture. Because many beliefs contradict each other, they
can’t all be true. How do you respond to the possibility of being wrong? READ: 1
Thessalonians 5:21. Why is it important to critically examine what you’ve taken for
granted?
4. GOOD FAITH IS NOT COERCED. Some people’s faith is based on submission to a religious
leader or organization – past or present. This is when beliefs are forcefully imposed and
sometimes even accompanied by threats of relational, financial, or even physical
repercussions should the individual choose not to comply. What negative affects can such
faith have on a person?
5. DOUBT IS NATURAL. READ: Mark 9:14-29. Rewrite verse 24 in your own words and direct
it to God as a prayer. How can faith be compared to graduating from one level of education
to the next? How does doubt have the potential to be the best thing that ever happened to
you?
6. PRESENT BELIEFS. In your journal, entitle two pages, “Faith Inventory.” List the
following eight subjects with space to write beneath each one: (1) The Source of Life; (2)
The Nature of God; (3) Explanation of Evil & Suffering; (4) Comparison of World Religions;
(5) The Authenticity of The Bible; (6) The Identity of Jesus; (7) The Means of Eternal Peace;
and (8) The Afterlife. Then make five columns: (1) My Present Beliefs; (2) My Level of
Confidence; (3) My Level of Effort; (4) Implications If I’m Right; and (5) Implications If I’m
Wrong. Finally, write in your answers. (For columns 2 & 3, rate yourself on a scale of 0 to
100).
7. WHERE DO WE COME FROM? Since something cannot come from nothing; therefore, if
something exists, something has always existed. Either the world has always existed (i.e.,
eternal matter) or something outside the world has always existed which created the world
(i.e., an eternal mind; a.k.a., God). In your journal, entitle a page, “Where Do We Come
From?” Make two columns: (1) Eternal Matter; and (2) Eternal Mind. Begin writing down
reasons people give for their belief in one explanation or the other.
8. IF GOD EXISTS… Hypothetically, how do you feel about meeting God face to face on the
“Day of Judgment”? (For example: are you ready & confident or insecure & terrified).
Again, hypothetically, if you were to stand before God, on what basis do you believe God
would or would not accept you into the eternal place He’s prepared for His people?
9. OBSTACLES & HANG-UPS. Finish this sentence: “The greatest challenges in my search
for truth have been…” (For example: intellectual doubts, lifestyle issues, corruption within
organized religion, hypocrisy of religious people, personal hurts, pride, fear, etc.). Expound
on the reasons why. What would it take for these challenges to be satisfactorily resolved
for you?
10. PICTURE OF GOD. What difference does it make how we view God? What comes to
mind when you think about God? What is your view of God based on? What would we need
in order to gain an accurate understanding of what God is truly like? READ: John 14:9, and
rewrite Jesus’ claim in your own words.
11. WHERE’S YOUR HEART? What would it say about a person, if, hypothetically, every
reason they gave for not following God could be resolved, but they were still unwilling to
follow His leadership at all cost? How do you see this attitude expressed in Matthew 28:115.
12. TRUTH & RELATIVISM. Relativism is the belief that there is no absolute truth, but that
each sincere person is entitled to their own truth that works for them. What attractive
implications would motivate a person to embrace relativism? What problematic
implications can you think of if relativism is true?
13. THE ROLE OF INTUITION. We all have hunches, gut feelings, and an inward sense of
moral intuition that we ought to pay attention to. These can be helpful, like a warning
light, influencing what and whom we trust. Still, choosing your faith wisely requires that
subjective feelings be tested against objective criteria. READ: Jeremiah 17:9. When have
your feelings failed you? Why are feelings an imperfect guide - inadequate to serve as the
source of ultimate truth?
14. MYSTICAL ENCOUNTERS. God sometimes uses direct ways to communicate to us.
However, it is common for people to mistake their feelings for spiritual realities or
misidentify evil entities as being good ones from God when they are not. Since deception is
a possibility, we ought to pause before interpreting an unexplainable experience as an
indicator of truth. READ: Galatians 1:6-9 and 1 John 4:1-3. How does the Bible instruct us
to evaluate such experiences?
15. FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE. Real knowledge is acquired through logic, experience and the
senses. We cannot argue against them without using them. In fact, these are the very
means by which our society’s justice system examines evidence and draws conclusions
confident enough to send guilty people to prison for life. Reasonable faith follows the
evidence wherever it leads, though it requires a commitment that takes you further than
the evidence alone can carry you. READ: Jeremiah 29:13. According to the Bible, what
promise does God make to those who seek Him with all of their hearts? What does it look
like for you to do this?
16. WORLDVIEW IMPLICATIONS. Every worldview inescapably offers an explanation for
life’s biggest questions. In fact, even no explanation is an explanation. (A good filter to
test worldview claims by is to ask questions like: What evidence exists for it or against it?
Does the belief possess intellectual integrity? If everyone on earth lived consistently with
this belief, what would the world look like? Does the belief satisfy your search for purpose
and hope?) In your journal, start by applying these questions to the atheistic worldview.
17. THE CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW. According to the Christian worldview, God created the
world to have a family, including angels and humans. Beginning with the angel, Lucifer,
free will was used to rebel against God’s right to rule. Our first parents, Adam and Eve,
joined this rebellion, followed by the rest of humanity. As a result, we are cursed,
deserving death and condemnation. In love, God promised a Messiah to save us from sin,
defeat Satan, and restore His original plan. Historically, Jesus of Nazareth claimed to be
this Messiah. He lived a sinless life, and, through his death on a cross, appeased God’s
justice on our behalf. Jesus’ claims were proven trustworthy by fulfilling Messianic
prophecy, performing miracles, and rising from the dead. These facts were confirmed by
eyewitnesses who died as martyrs for their faith. Today, we can be reconciled to God
through Jesus the same way people two thousand years ago first were. READ: Acts 2. What
was the first message preached after Jesus’ resurrection and how did thousands of people
respond?
18. EXAMINE YOURSELF. READ: 2 Corinthians 13:5 and Titus 3:3-8. While every major
religion agrees that there is a basic moral standard everyone has fallen short of, they
disagree on what can be done about it. Christianity, however, is the only faith in which
eternal peace with God is based, not on the merits of imperfect people, but upon the
merits of a perfect individual, in whom dwells the fullness of God’s deity. According to
your answer to Question #8, have you trusted in Jesus’ merits or your own? According to
your answer to Question #17, have you responded to Jesus in the same manner the first
converts did? If you answered “no” to either of these questions, what would you say is
holding you back?
19. CHOOSING A PATHWAY. Every fact that supports the claims of a particular worldview
is like an arrow sign pointing down a specific path and away from all other paths. To argue
against the Christian worldview has a dual task: (1) to refute the reasons pointing in its
direction; and (2) to offer compelling reasons that point in a different direction. READ:
John 6:66-69. How did Peter’s response to Jesus’ question illustrate that there is no neutral
position?
20. ALL OR NOTHING. Authentic faith is not merely theoretical, intellectual positions that
have no bearing on our lives. Our faith should influence every area of our lives, including
our moral lifestyle, relationships, occupation, decisions and ambitions, the use of time and
money, as well as the risks we take. You know you own faith when you understand the risks
and go forward anyway. READ: Luke 9:23-26 and Luke 14:25-34 and rewrite Jesus’
teachings in your own words.
OWNING YOUR FAITH-RELATED PROJECTS
Choose at least one project from each of the following categories:
INTERVIEWS
(Suggestions: advice, lessons, struggles, mistakes, needs, goals, etc.)
[ ] Someone Who Has Owned Their Faith
[ ] Someone Whose Experienced Persecution For Their Faith
[ ] A Spiritual Leader
[ ] An Atheist, Agnostic or Person of A Religion You’re Not Familiar With
EXPERIMENTS
[ ] Find a Church (or Campus Ministry) to Fellowship With For One Month
[ ] Volunteer With A Church Ministry or Go on A Mission Trip
[ ] Contact A Christian Minister for An Investigative Faith Study
[ ] Start Reading The Bible (find the Bible on iTunes; purchase The Journey: The Study
Bible For Spiritual Seekers)
RESEARCH PROJECTS
[ ] Christian Martyrs & The Persecuted Church
[ ] Famous Converts To Christianity (C.S. Lewis, Ravi Zacharias, Josh McDowell, Lee
Strobel, Charles Colson, etc.).
REFLECTION
[ ] Fast & Pray (take a break from something that consumes your time: TV, movies, video
games, internet, and use that time for prayer, possibly outside in creation)
[ ] Expression (write a song, poem, blog, or create a collage relating to Owning Your
Faith)
[ ] Scripture Memorization (stick post-it notes of related passages in prominent places)
[ ] Start a Related Music Playlist (see Recommended Music on pamphlet)
[ ] Read a Related Book (see Recommended Books on pamphlet)
[ ] Watch & Discuss a Related Movie (see Recommended Movies on pamphlet)
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
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The Journey: The Study Bible For Spiritual Seekers (NIV)
Finding Faith, Brian McLaren
Choosing Your Faith, Mark Mittelberg
Letters From A Skeptic, Gregory Boyd
Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
The Case For A Creator, Lee Strobel
The Case For Christ, Lee Strobel
The Case For Faith, Lee Strobel
Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharias
Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers
Hell’s Best Kept Secret, Ray Comfort
The Journey, Os Guinness
Jesus Freaks, dcTalk
How Good Is Good Enough?, Andy Stanley
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Own Your Faith, Mark Tabb
God’s Outrageous Claims (chapter 7), Lee Strobel
Take The Risk (chapters 10 & 11), Ben Carson
Lifeviews, R.C. Sproul
RECOMMENDED MOVIES
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To Save A Life
Luther
Amazing Grace
Fireproof
End of the Spear
The Gospel of John
The Truth Project (Focus on The Family)
The Case For A Creator (Lee Strobel)
The Case For Christ (Lee Strobel)
True U, Does God Exist? (Focus on The Family)
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (Ben Stein)
RECOMMENDED MUSIC
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Getting Into You, Reliant K
Strayed, Church of Rhythm
These Things Take Time, Sanctus Real
What Faith Can Do, Kutless
God-Shaped Hole, Plumb
Let That Be Enough, Switchfoot
What If, Nicole Nordeman
CONTRIBUTORS
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Adam Wilson
Kristen O’Connor
John Straubinger
Dana McNally
Jennifer Ellis
Tyler Ellis