1.
VOLUME 01 ISSUE 02________ _________________________________APRIL 2017

2.
Q: Isn’t Jesus’ death
and resurrection based on older myths?
A: This question is as old as the teachings of the Apostles themselves. Peter’s answer was
concise, “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power
and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16)
There are no longer any credible scholars who believe the life, death and resurrection of
Jesus is based on any myth. There are tele-scientists who enjoy the ratings boost of making
controversial statements, but they’re about as credible as televangelists. No science practitioner or cable TV host can provide any
type of evidence that links Jesus to any such myth. They all like to sound haughty and all-knowing, but they never produce facts.
Author C. S. Lewis was once persuaded of the myth-Christ link until he spent time researching each. What he concluded that not
one single mythological “god” had any written record that supported the life, death, resurrection and post-resurrection events that
both Biblical and historical writings record about Jesus. None of the mythological characters have any verifiable evidence to say they
ever existed, whereas there are volumes of writings about Jesus and those who his life touched. Much of the time, the places
referenced in myths, if any, have no archaeological evidence of having existed.
Let me ask you: Have you read any books about Horus, Attis, Krishna, Dionysis, Mithras, or any other mythological god? Have you
read the Bible? If you will, I believe you’ll agree with so many others, Jesus cannot be based on the myths.
Deliverance from Temptation
Repeatedly Jesus emphasized the
eternal importance that we live as
overcomers. I know so-called “Word
of Faith” preachers have distorted the
scope of the challenge, so let’s set one
thing straight now. The one and only
thing all believers are to overcome is
sin.
No temptation has overtaken you but
such as is common to man; and God is
faithful, who will not allow you to be
tempted beyond what you are able,
but with the temptation will provide
the way of escape also, so that you
will be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians
10:13)
We are fond of making this verse a
statement on overcoming difficult
times, but the truth is Paul is talking
about the temptation to yield to sin,
to choose the path of worldliness over
the path of righteousness.
OVERCOMING SIN IN OUR LIVES
Paul told us via his letter to the church
at Rome, that sin can only be
overcome through humble dedication
to God and His Word. In Romans
12:1-2 Paul tells us, “Therefore I urge
you, brethren, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies a living and
holy sacrifice, acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service of
worship.
2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you
may prove what the will of God is, that which is good
and acceptable and perfect.”
You can see Paul is talking about much more than not
talking like the world or getting wrapped up in worldly
pursuits. Those really are outgrowths or results of
overcoming sin. Let’s be clear though, you have no hope of
overcoming sin. God has, however, made a way of
escaping it. Yes, yes, through Jesus Christ, but what does
that mean for us? Paul also said, “It is God who is at work
in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure”
(Philippians 2:13). This too is much more than doing good
deeds. The whole Bible is about overcoming sin, and Paul
repeatedly explains that God
has provided a way whereby
we can live as overcomers.
Initially we must accept the
sacrificial atonement Jesus
made for us. As a part of that
we receive the baptism of the
Holy Spirit as our coach and
helper in achieving sinless lives
(It may help to consider the
Spirit as “the Spirit of
Holiness”.)
Still we are not ready to live
righteous lives. Our initial
acceptance of salvation is only
the start. Next we must learn
to be humble before God and
mankind. This indeed requires
some sacrifice on our part.
As we learn to walk humbly, we
must retrain our mind – change
our thinking. I’m always
amazed at new believers who
think they already know so
much about serving God. Paul
is telling us to forget what we
think we know and become
disciples, or learners. This
combination of actions is the
only “works” that will
transform us into overcomers.

3.
The Death of JesusAmong other places, perhaps
the most notable denial of the
death and resurrection of Christ
is found in the Muslim’s
“Koran”, written some 600
years after the events they are
commenting on. In fact
Muslims have a shrine erected
in Kashmir where they claim
Jesus died.
In the early 1800’s, some
tried to explain away the
resurrection by suggesting that
Jesus merely fainted, or that he
had taken a drug to make him
appear to be dead. His
resurrection then would be a
simple resuscitation. Some say
this is why Pilate seemed
surprised at how quickly Jesus
had died.
In the mid-60’s came “The
Passover Plot” suggesting it was
only the unanticipated stabbing
of Jesus by the Roman soldier
that foiled Jesus’ complicated
scheme.
In the 80’s it was “Holy
Blood, Holy Grail” that
conjectured that Pilate had
been bribed to allow Jesus to
be taken down from the cross
before He died. The authors
confession here applies to the
others, “We could not – and
still cannot – prove the
accuracy of our conclusion”
Like an urban myth, the
swoon theory continues to
flourish. But what does the
evidence really establish?
Alexander Metherell, M.D.,
PH.D. is one of many scholars
who have examined this from a
medical and scientific
standpoint. He is board
certified in diagnosis by the
American Board of Radiology, is
a consultant to the National
Heart Lung, and Blood Institute
and the National Institutes of
Health of Bethesda, Maryland.
He’s a former research
scientist, professor and author
of five scientific books as well
as articles for everything from
Aerospace Medicine to
Scientific American.
Dr. Metherell concluded that
Jesus most certainly died for
these reasons:
1. The torture before the
crucifixion
2. The brutal beating (leaving Him
unrecognizable)
3. Six hours hanging by spikes
driven through His wrists and
feet.
4. Slow suffocation
5. The spear through the side
We know Jesus was so brutally beaten
and tortured they had to get someone to
carry His cross to Golgotha. Appealing to
history and medicine, to archaeology and
even Roman military rules, Metherell
had closed every loophole: Jesus could
not have come down from the cross
alive.
So badly was Jesus injured, the
amazing thing is that anyone could
possibly question His death.
ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION
This newsletter is an expression of my heart for evangelism. I have developed a good many thoughts that are outside the traditional
religious box, but are 100% in the Bible. These range from old wives’-tales that are still quoted as Bible, to the tough questions skeptics ask
that most Christians won’t answer.
Each month I share information I’ve found to be useful in my own labors for the Kingdom in the hope that someone else may find a
beneficial nugget.
I’ve been serving God for more than 50 years doing everything in His Church from janitorial work, to nursery coordinator, youth pastor to
assistant pastor to pastor.
I have studied Biblical Greek for the last 35 years, but I promise, I will refrain from using it as much as possible since most people have not
studied Greek. Rather than using an unknown word I’ll try to remember to simply put a notation to its location in a Strong’s Concordance.
If you don’t own one, you can find good online versions, like the Lexiconic Search at blueletterbible.org/search
If you have a question, email it to me at pastor@churchonthenet.com
Also, more information can be found at churchonthenet.com or my own studies at dlwyer.com

4.
“Tactics” is a book written by
Greg Koukl. Greg demonstrates
how to get in the driver’s seat,
keeping any conversation moving
with thoughtful, artful diplomacy.
You’ll learn how to maneuver
comfortably and graciously
through the minefields, stop
challengers in their tracks, turn
the tables and—most
importantly—get people thinking
about Jesus. Soon, your
conversations will look more like
diplomacy than D-Day.
Drawing on extensive experience
defending Christianity in the
public square, Koukl shows you
how to:
- Initiate conversations
effortlessly
- Present the truth clearly,
cleverly, and persuasively
- Graciously and effectively
expose faulty thinking
- Skillfully manage the details of
dialogue
- Maintain an engaging, disarming
style even under attack
Tactics provides the game plan
for communicating the
compelling truth about
Christianity with confidence and
grace.
http://cotn.in/tacticsbook
Being prepared to make a defense of the
hope you have within you.
(1st
Peter 3:15)
For some this may be a controversial statement,
so let’s think about it for a moment. To
understand the truth of the Bible accurately, our
mental faculties must be intact and we must use
them as God intended. We demonstrate this fact
every time we disagree on an interpretation of a
biblical passage and then give reasons why our
view is better than another’s. Simply put, we
argue for our point of view, and if we argue well,
we separate wheat from chaff, truth from error.
Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all
your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark
12:30). Loving God with the mind is not a passive
process. It is not enough to have sentimental
religious thoughts. Rather, it involves coming to
conclusions about God and his world based on
revelation, observation, and careful reflection.
Some believers take any opposition as hostility.
With some, it’s virtually impossible to take
exception to a cherished view or a respected
teacher without being labeled malicious. This is a
dangerous attitude for the church because the
minute one is labeled mean-spirited simply for
raising an opposing view, debate is silenced. If
we disqualify legitimate discussion we
compromise our ability to know the truth.
Of course these disagreements should never be
malicious or permitted to fall into a rut. I’ve always
maintained that you can make your point once, then
twice for clarification, but three times makes vain
argument and the conversation is in danger of
becoming sinful and useless.
Beware when rhetoric becomes a substitute for
substance. You always know that a person has a
weak position when he tries to accomplish with the
clever use of words what argument alone cannot do.
Thee should never be confrontation, defensiveness
or discomfort. If the discussion does not flow easily
and naturally, it’s time to move on.
These three skills — knowledge, an accurately
informed mind; wisdom, an artful method; and
character, an attractive manner — play a part in
every effective involvement with a nonbeliever.
One more thing I’d like to note. One of the Greek
words translated “word” in the Bible is logos. John
said, “In the beginning was the Word.. and the Word
was God.. All things came into being through Him
(John 1:1-3). That word logos is the root for logic.
In today’s words, all things came into being through
logic!
“THE MIND, NOT THE BIBLE, IS THE VERY
FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE GOD HAS GIVEN
US AGAINST ERROR”
Church on the Net Today
APRIL 2017 Vol.1 Issue 02
Edited by: D.L. Wyer
Published by: ChurchOnTheNet.com Ministries and D.L. Wyer Evangelism (dlwyer.com)
Church on the Net Today is published monthly by Church on the Net Ministries, 11 Erman Drive, Sod, WV 25564.
Digital subscriptions are available free of charge by subscribing at cotn.in/subscribe.
-Gregory Kohkl