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I'm sure you've heard the news. Today we lost a giant of the Christian faith in Ravi Zacharias. When I woke up this morning and sat down with a cup of coffee that my wife made for me, I read the news that Dr. Zacharias had passed away. God has called him home to be with the Jesus Ravi had so foldly spoken of throughout his ministry. 

Like many of you, Ravi's speaking and writing has inspired me in the faith. It has taught me valuable lessons and provoked discussion and close consideration of theology. Be certain, I have read many of his books and listened to most of his podcast episodes - but there is something strange about the human mind that I was reminded of this day: We will normally forget the individual lessons or lectures somebody gives to us, but we will never forget the impression they leave upon us! 

I know this to be true because I have been on both sides of this equation. As a student I have listened to some amazing lectures from men and women much smarter than I - but if you asked me what many of them were about, or what was said, I might not remember. However I do recall their passion, life and vigour poured into those lessons. The deep desire that I learn and take their lessons to heart and most of all; their care that I grow into the person God has called me to be. That's what I remember the most. I know this to be true as well because as a teacher and pastor I have literally had congregants say they normally forget the sermon the second they leave the church building. While not exactly an uplifting comment, I know this is perfectly natural - so I remember that my impact as a pastor and Bible teacher will be remembered by my passion for the growth and vitality of others.

It is in this way I remember Dr. Ravi Zacharias. In fact there are two things in particular I think I will take away from his life and ministry.

First, his passion for the Gospel was outstanding.

If you've never heard his testimony, I highly recommend listening or reading it. God took a sceptic, full of hopelessness who was completely distraught and gave him new life. Ravi never looked back after knowing the power of the Gospel and dedicated his life and ministry to making Jesus known. In many ways, all of us within the Body of Christ should seek to emulate Ravi in that regard. Personally, my hope is that through all my work and striving in this life - Jesus would be known through it. 

Secondly, I will take away a lesson that much of my life is built on: Faith is not devoid of intellectual pursuits and foundations, but it is a marriage of Reason and Mystery.

Oftentimes I have heard people postulate, when asked to define faith, that it is the stringent belief in something without evidence or proofs. Surely in this day and age that is a commonly accepted definition of faith in an ever increasing secularized world. However, I believe that Ravi wished to propose an alternate view of faith to us. We are to see faith as believing in something (have faith in something) that is demonstrable through reason, philosophy, or empirical evidence. 

In the past I have spoken about what the word "know" is in the Bible, specifically as it pertains to the Bible's source languages Greek and Hebrew. Without diving too far into this, just know that it seems the Biblical approach to knowledge is that we understand it in a way that takes something transcendent such as God, love, meaning, value or purpose and transform it into something we can apprehend for ourselves using our intellect. Therefore the pursuit of knowledge in the confines of faith looks like a combination of wisdom and the transcendent with logic and understanding.

This has real, practical implications for all of us. Try to do some reflection here. Do you fall easier on the mysterious side of faith where you find it easier to believe in God naturally and do not need investigation? There is nothing wrong with that. In fact many giants of the faith have rested here too! But that stands to reason (pun intended) that you will experience growth if you push yourself to understand the empirical, scholarly side of faith. Likewise, I tend to the opposite side of the equation. I struggle to believe in anything I cannot see, understand or have a theory put to. In the same way I would do well to push myself to combine the mystery of faith with my reason for faith. 

While I believe that Ravi wanted us to understand that faith is not merely "blind", I think he wanted us to understand the balance of unfettered trust in the Word of God and the Ministry of Christ with the reason for believing in it all. 

As most of you know I am going back to school this September to start a theological Masters Degree. I am excited to learn more and to grow as somebody who wants to make a difference in the field of Biblical Academics. However, I will not forget, even in the midst of my studies, that faith in Jesus and the Word is just as much transcendent as it is reasonable. 

For that we thank God for his work in Ravi's life, and the lasting impact he has left behind. 

Pastor Alex