The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Come and See Captain John Kirschman of The Salvation Army When I was training to be a Salvation Army Officer in Toronto we had to take a certain amount of required courses. Many of these courses were theological in nature; that is the study of God and the Bible. One thing that surprised me though was that there was no course offered in apologetics. (This is the ability to adequately present an argument in support of your faith.) When I inquired as to the reason for this I was told that you couldn't argue someone into faith in Jesus Christ. I have found this to be quite true in my own experience. People can argue about the validity of the Word of God, they can argue about the existence of God, about different denominations and different religions and really to no avail. The greatest and most convincing argument we have has nothing to do with the above at all. It is the reality of our experience of Jesus Christ. We find evidence of this in the first chapter of the gospel according to John. Philip tells his friend Nathanael that they have found the Messiah Jesus. Nathanael asks, "Can any good thing come from Nazareth?" Philip doesn't argue with him, he simply says, "Come and see." (John 1:45-46) He is simply saying to his friend Nathanael, come and experience Him for yourself. Nathanael takes Philip up on this challenge and after his own experience of Jesus he says, "You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!" (John 1:49) People cannot argue with personal experience. God doesn't want to be intellectually known, He wants to be personally experienced. In my own life I noticed that I did not experience a personal relationship with Jesus in the bar, or out partying with my friends, or working in logging and mining camps. I didn't experience Him by listening to the popular songs of the day, I didn't notice Him at the movies, or out fishing, or playing a variety of sports. I had to go where He was at work. I had to hang around with those who knew Him. When I had my own personal experience of Jesus Christ, any and all arguments that I may have had to the contrary faded into nothingness. I could say with Nathanael, "You are the Son of God, the King of my life now!" I won't debate the issue with you. I'll say with Philip, "Come and see."
