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Author: David Markopoulos | Living Education

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Mr. Kenneth Frank, a longtime minister and faculty member for both Living University and Living Education, presented a forum message to this year’s students. In his message, Mr. Frank illustrated important elements of Jesus’ message that helped confirm the authority of the Old Testament.

A Theme of Mercy

Jesus did not come to destroy the law, but to magnify it. Matthew 22:36-38 records the first and great commandment, which is to love the Lord with all our hearts. The second great commandment, like it, is to love our neighbor as ourselves. These themes are consistent across the Old and New Testaments, and it was something Jesus emphasized in order to contextualize the Old Covenant rather than replace it. His mission was not to undermine the Old Testament, but to fulfill it.

Rather than a picture of a harsh, lawgiving God of whom we can only gain understanding through the Old Testament, we get the full picture contextualized by Jesus Christ’s message. The story of David taking bread when he had need for his men is not an example of a rigid breaking of the law, but an allowance for a need—the same mercy we see exemplified in Christ. Hosea 6:6 states: “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” We clearly see this principle reflected and magnified in Jesus Christ, whose mind and character are consistent and reinforced across the entire Bible.

Examples of History

Jesus Christ was also the One who directly inspired those Scriptures to be written, so they should not be discounted so quickly. There are several key instances of Jesus Christ confirming the validity of the Old Testament—and if Christ treated those stories as Scripture, we should too.

In Matthew 12:40, for instance, Jesus staked His entire ministry on the story of Jonah: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” While the notion of Jonah surviving three days and nights in a fish’s belly seems laughable to skeptics, Jesus clearly believed that it happened, and staked His entire credibility on it.

Jesus also referenced prophecies as if they carried weight and were applicable directly to Him. In Matthew 26:31, He quoted the prophecy given in Zechariah 13:7: “I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered” —pointing to His own death and the subsequent scattering of His disciples. In so doing, Jesus was confirming that this prophecy was directly applicable to Him.

The Lord and His Lord

One important Scripture that shows a link between the Old and New Testaments is Psalm 110. In it, David writes that “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’” This passage reflects a conversation between the Father and the Son, and Jesus quoted it in Matthew 22:43-45, asking rhetorically: “If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” It is clear that the Individual in question is not David’s Son, but God’s, and this distinction—and its later reference by Christ—is a critical point.

Every Word is Holy

Matthew 4:4 states that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Jesus Christ believed in and vocally backed the authenticity of the Old Testament, and while skeptics may throw out the Old in favor of the New, or vice versa, it is undeniable that these two accounts confirm and complement each other in an important way. We should be thankful to God for inspiring these words and for using His servants for His purposes. The authenticity and divine inspiration of the Bible is something none of us can take for granted.

David Markopoulos is a Living Education alumnus from the 2023-2025 school years. Originally hailing from Chicago, he currently works for the Living Education program.

Author: David Markopoulos | Living Education

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Mr. Tyler Wayne, who serves as Executive Administrative Assistant for the Church Administration Department, addressed the Living Education students in a recent forum. Based on the book Extreme Ownership: How US Navy Seals Lead and Win by author Jocko Willink, Mr. Wayne began his talk by telling the students an uncomfortable truth: it’s your fault.

It’s Your Fault—No, Really, it is

While tongue-in-cheek, this simple sentence is also an important principle. Mr. Wayne argued that extreme ownership means you have a part to play in everything that happens in your life—in other words, when something doesn’t go right, there is always something that you can do about it. You have a part to play in these situations, whether by how you got yourself into it, or how you react. You can’t control everything in life, but you can control yourself. 

You Can’t Control Everything

There are many things you don’t appear to control in life. We all interact with or have teachers, assignments, bosses, coworkers, friends, and romantic interests—all these people and factors are variables that are outside our control. The people around us have minds of their own—our workloads get out of hand, our bosses can be demanding, and we can have conflict with our friends. How should we react when there’s conflict, or things don’t go our way?

Mr. Wayne offered a formula for taking ownership of these kinds of situations:

1. “I’m sorry—it’s my fault”

Recognizing your involvement in a problem and be humble enough to apologize for it.

2. Say What You’re Sorry For

You must identify and acknowledge the portion of the problem that is your fault.

3. What Am I Going to Do To Make Sure This Doesn’t Happen Again?

You must be able to offer a sincere and realistic solution to solve the problem and resolve the conflict.

4. Believe What You’re Saying!

In order for these steps to work, you need to be sincere. Not only will others identify a lack of sincerity, but the problem will inevitably continue unless you are committed to doing your part.

Real Applications

Mr. Wayne encouraged the students to practice these steps, and reminded them that they are more than pleasantries—having an attitude of extreme ownership means putting in the work. 

When your team misses a deadline, don’t blame someone else (Bob in accounting didn’t get us the report on time). Instead, acknowledge your part, and offer a solution (I failed to communicate; next time, I’m going to give us enough time and communicate with Bob face-to-face). 

If you’re frustrated by your parents’ rules (My parents won’t let me stay out late tonight), don’t get reactionary. Instead, try to understand their side of it. (I know you’re looking out for me and I respect your decision; in the future, I’m going to try to be more responsible so you’ll trust me in situations like this more). In situations like these, you may not always fix the issue simply by taking ownership, but part of developing character means that we should learn to do it anyway.

Practice Extreme Ownership

Part of developing godly character means learning to take accountability for our actions, owning up to our mistakes, and even stepping up when it isn’t our fault—but it is our responsibility to deal with the aftermath. There are a myriad of real-world situations that we will have to deal with throughout our lives, and the sooner we learn the principle of extreme ownership, the more equipped we will be to handle difficult situations and life’s problems with grace and integrity.

David Markopoulos is a Living Education alumnus from the 2023-2025 school years. Originally hailing from Chicago, he currently works for the Living Education program.

In a recent forum message, evangelist Mr. Wallace Smith, Director of Media Operations for the Church, addressed this year’s Living Education students by referencing a message he delivered just a few weeks before. In that forum, Mr. Smith presented the important question of establishing one’s personal worldview through the framework of the Bible. You can read his forum in article format here.

This week, however, Mr. Smith addressed one important pillar of our worldview as Christians that can be challenging to defend at times. Many scholars dismiss the possibility that Jesus Christ could have been resurrected. Since they refuse to believe that the Bible was inspired by God, it can seem difficult to construct a convincing argument for the truth of the resurrection. It’s also an important question to ask ourselves: unless we already believe the Bible is divinely inspired, how can we be expected to believe that the historical figure of Jesus is the Son of God? Mr. Smith acknowledged this question, and asserted that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is indeed provable from a historical perspective.

An Empty Faith?

Mr. Smith referenced 1 Corinthians 15:14-17, stating: “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty… For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile.” We can clearly see from Paul’s language that great emphasis should be placed on Christ’s resurrection—it was not just a ceremonial event, but perhaps the most monumental occurrence in history. Everything in the plan of God led up to that point, and Christ’s resurrection serves as the foundation for everything we believe. If Christ was not resurrected, Paul argues, then everything we believe is meaningless. Since proving Christ’s resurrection is so important, it is crucial that we are personally convicted of its reality, and we need to make sure any argument in favor of it is completely airtight.

A Book of History

Contrary to the opinions of some scholars, the Bible itself is still a credible historical document. While many disagree with the idea that it was divinely inspired, many critics agree that it is a solid book of history. Numerous elements of the Bible have been corroborated by archaeological discoveries and other contemporary literary accounts. 

In particular, the New Testament itself is a shining example of an intact historical text. There are consistent uncoordinated details found between the many books that corroborate the accounts of other authors, as well as personal details and unique perspectives that are completely inconsistent with forgeries or propaganda. The Gospel writer Luke is one of the most detailed and proficient historians of whom we know, and the credibility of his and others’ works are beyond reproach. Proving our argument that Christ’s resurrection actually happened means accepting the reality that the Bible can be counted on as an accurate historical document.

What History Says about Jesus

Few educated people claim Jesus Christ didn’t exist—historians almost unanimously accept that He was a real person. History acknowledges the following about Jesus, so we can start by reviewing the facts:

1. Jesus was a Jewish preacher in the first century AD.
2. Part of His message did include the idea of a kingdom to be set up.
3. Many people were convinced He performed miracles.
4. He apparently claimed to be the Son of God, or a Messianic figure from the line of David.
5. He was crucified by the Romans.
6. He was buried in the tomb of a wealthy man named Joseph of Arimathea.

Historians agree on these points, and none of these facts require faith in the Scriptures.

Historians also agree almost universally on the following points:

1. Jesus’ tomb was found empty shortly after He was executed.
2. Jesus’ disciples were convinced that He appeared to them alive and well.
3. His disciples traveled far and wide spreading this account to the point of martyrdom.

The Tomb Was Empty

While many reject the Biblical explanation, historians do agree that Jesus’ tomb was mysteriously empty after His burial. It has been a mystery to most for around 2,000 years. However, when we analyze the evidence, we find that the historical facts confirm what we already know in the Bible.

First century Jewish leaders openly acknowledged the fact that the tomb was empty. The Sanhedrin—the governing Jewish authority at the time—did not hide this fact, and were puzzled by it. Furthermore, despite the claims that He had been resurrected, they could not produce a body to refute the claim. Matthew 28:11-15 shows a key point: they did not attempt to cover up the empty tomb, they instead tried to come up with a story to explain why it could be empty at all.

One interesting point further confirming the story is the fact that the accounts state the tomb was found by women. In the first century, the testimony of women was not considered credible in court. In fact, had the story been falsely-circulated propaganda, it would have severely harmed the credibility of the story to include this point. The Gospel writers did not shy away from reality and gave credit where it was due, even if it was a potentially damaging thing to include.

The Faith of the Disciples

Another important thing to consider is this: the disciples were completely and utterly convinced He had been resurrected. 

1 Corinthians 15:3-7 states: “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas [Peter], then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.” Paul, writing this many years after the resurrection occurred, makes an extraordinarily bold claim: the risen Christ was seen by, in total, well over 514 people, and he cites the fact that many of them are still alive and can corroborate his story. Paul and the other apostles were completely sure they had seen a risen Jesus Christ and were willing to stake their claim on it. In fact, James, Jesus’ brother, was not originally a believer in Christ’s divinity, but was so convinced that he changed his mind.

This is important. It shows that the apostles were not spreading propaganda for no reason—they were absolutely convinced of what they had seen. Some scholars propose mass delusion or hallucinations— practically impossible explanations for such a widely-accepted and boldly stated case.

Some also claim that the disciples themselves had perpetrated an elaborate hoax, or that Christ had faked His own death. However, neither of these explanations hold up: the disciples could have easily been proven wrong by the Sanhedrin, and they would never have gone to the lengths they did throughout the rest of their lives to spread Christ’s message—many of them were brutally martyred for what they said. It would have been a logistical nightmare to attempt to pull off a heist of that caliber. And it is difficult to believe Christ could have faked His own death—His execution was performed by professional torturers in a public setting, and it would have been difficult for a frail, injured man to escape that tomb and appear unharmed to over 500 individuals.

The Verdict

There are no easy arguments against those three points: Christ’s tomb was mysteriously found empty, His disciples were sincerely convinced they had seen Him, and they were so certain of it that nothing could make them recant it. The only explanation that has no holes in it is the one we find in Scripture: Jesus Christ died and rose again. Angels rolled away the stone, and He appeared to the disciples. God’s word provides the most reasonable explanation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the mystery of His empty tomb.

David Markopoulos is a Living Education alumnus from the 2023-2025 school years. Originally hailing from Chicago, he currently works for the Living Education program.