An odd little story in 1 Samuel 5 talks about an encounter between the God of Israel and the god of the Philistines, Dagon. In this story, God shows his utter superiority over the false God, and we learn some important lessons along the way.

One of the earmarks of a genuine surrender to Jesus is a changed life. A saved person lives differently than he or she did in the past. That life is marked by holiness.

Paul prayed for God to open doors for ministry and taught about living a life of love and holiness.

When Paul's ministry and motives were being attacked, the perfect defense was to point out the way he lived his life. The people of Thessalonica knew Paul's character and actions; therefore, they knew the accusations were not credible.

In part four of our series, "Answering Our Culture," we dive deeper into the reasons why we can trust the Bible.