IDEA: Christians are in a battle of ideas.TEXT: "For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 'For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him.' But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul" (Hebrews 10:36-39).

PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that ideas matter.

Do you think that most Christians regard the Christian faith as competing in a battle of ideas?

I. What other ideas are there that we compete with in the marketplace?

Marxism is primarily an idea.

Islam is basically an idea that many people are willing to die for. In its battle with America, there is no assurance that we are going to win the struggle. America no longer believes in any kind of dominant truth, and the people of Islam do.

Materialism may be the most dominant idea in the world. In both first-world and third-world countries people believe that the good life is measured by what you possess.

Christianity has a great central idea. What do you think it is?