How can, “ a Follower of Jesus” be Prepared to Defend their Faith?

How can, “ a Follower of Jesus” be Prepared to Defend their Faith?  

Or, even a better question: will they defend their faith?

Are you ashamed of the Gospel?

Do you avoid conversations about your faith in front of certain people?

Do you fear persecution due to your relationship with Jesus?

If you answered yes to any of these questions join the club. For many years I had this fear about letting others know I was a follower of Jesus. I feared rejection by these same people who I had spent many years hanging out with and living a life style that was by all Godly standards worldly and self-serving. But at some point in time, as my faith began to mature, so did my conviction to live a life that honored God. I am also thankful that I have a wife that continuously prayed that I would begin to apply God’s Word to my life.  So when I did and began to share and live out my faith, the circle of friends I used to hang with began to change.  This happened because some of my friends did not want to accept the person I had become.  I did not reject them but they rejected me. Sad but true, some people not only reject the Gospel but also those who claim to have been saved by Jesus. I also noticed that some of my relationships began to slowly drift away. In my case, I had lost some friends, but graciously, God led me to an extended Church family where I felt loved and cared for. 

Sharing ones Christian faith can be difficult yet followers of Jesus must actively pursue God’s commission to share the Good News.  People’s lives are at stake and what is shared can motivate others to investigate the hope followers of Jesus have.  Christians have the privilege of letting others know that there is still hope in a fallen and broken world. 

I first heard the word “Apologetics” on Christian radio. I believe I heard it on Hank Hannegraaff’s radio show called “The Bible Answer Man”. At first I thought it was a strange sounding Christian word that meant we somehow apologize for our faith. But I was wrong, there is a much different meaning to this word and I am truly glad that we don’t have to apologize for believing that Jesus is the way, and the truth and the life.

The word "Apologetics" is derived from the Greek word "Apologia," which means to make a defense. Apologetics is a branch of theology

(The study of religion) that deals with the defense of Christian doctrine

and proofs of Christianity.

Apologetics covers many areas including:

·        Who Jesus is.

·        The reliability of the Bible.

·        Refuting cults.

·        Biblical evidences in history, archeology and science.

·        Answering objections, etc.

In short, Christian Apologetics, attempts to:

(1) Present a rational basis for the Christian faith  

(2) Defend the faith against objections

(3) Attack the alleged flaws of other worldviews.

We are called by God to give an Apologia, a defense for what we believe:  

1 Peter 3:15 NIV
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

How does a follower of Jesus prepare? How should they go about defending their faith?

Understand that biblical knowledge, faith and action will work together in a Christian’s defense of their beliefs. One must read, study and actively pray for Godly perspective on how to share the Good News with those living with Bad News, brokenness and spiritual depravity.  As they model the life of a follower of Jesus, people will see that they are actually living out the things they espouse to. They have a story to tell that reveals what Christ has done in their life. They also should be an example of Christ’s transforming power not hypocrisy. Good Christian counsel and mentorship is also important in spiritual growth and defending their faith.

Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;  to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true

righteousness and holiness.

1 Thessalonians 1:6 NIV 
You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

Challenge:

When there is opportunity to share your story with others you should not be ashamed of who you are.  You should speak about your faith openly (with gentleness and respect) and identify with Christ, your Lord and

Savior.

Romans 1:16 NIV
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes

When Christian’s are asked for proof that there is a God, they should be able to defend what they believe.  It is very important that they invest time in knowing what the Bible says as well as offer bits of proof that show only a loving God could have created all things as opposed to things happening by natural causes. This is also an area where the Holy Spirit will remind them of the things you have been taught.

Luke 21:14-15 NIV
But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.  For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

Luke 12:11-12 NIV
"When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say,  for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."

John 14:26 NIV 
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Acts 1:8 NIV 
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

What are followers of Jesus up against?

Today Christians are going to have to battle the idea of “Naturalism” that has permeated our society and is now the major teaching and goal of our education system here in America.

Naturalism:

·        Is a theory denying that an event or object has a supernatural significance, or the doctrine that scientific laws are adequate to account for all phenomena.

·        Is the view that the universe exists as a self-contained whole and that it is self-directing. Naturalism thus denies that there is any supernatural element affecting the natural world. Classic naturalists had high views of science and rationality as capable of discovering absolute truth.

·        Contrasted with "supernaturalism," naturalists insist that the universe is a "closed system," (ex.) there is no God who intervenes in the universe and in human affairs. Naturalists presuppose

"evolution," and believe that science is the only way to come to an understanding of truth.

·        The doctrine that all reality comes under the “laws of Nature.”

Many people don’t believe in the Bible because they don’t feel it can hold its own weight when it comes to science. Actually, what is recorded in the Bible often corroborates what we know already about science and predates the recent discovery of many of the things we understand today.

Sad truth:

People don’t read the Bible so they don’t know how the Bible is the historical and scientific record of our known universe.

OK, let’s get a little controversial. Many people believe in Evolution as fact instead of theory. Even though it is called the “Theory of Evolution” most schools teach it as though it is fact. 

Example 1:

The Bible says that God created everything according to its kind (Genesis 1). Well, that's what science shows us. We can't find fossils that show a transition from species to species because there aren't any. Science shows adaptation within species or relatively minor changes in the composition of a species' gene pool with time (micro-evolution), but not an evolutionary transition from one species to another (macro-evolution). This agrees with the Bible.

Example 2:

Some people find it absurd that the entire human race might have come from just two people (Adam and Eve). From a biblical perspective, all humans are descendants of one man and one woman—Adam and Eve

(Read: 1 Corinthians 15:45; Genesis 3:20). Thus, if the Bible’s history is accurate, biologically, only one race of human beings exists. Modern observational science confirms that this is the case.

When the Human Genome Project was completed in 2000, scientists announced that they had put together a draft of the entire sequence of the human genome and “the researchers had unanimously declared, there is only one race—the human race.” The report also stated: “But the more closely that researchers examine the human genome—the complement of genetic material encased in the heart of almost every cell

of the body—the more most of them are convinced that the standard labels used to distinguish people by ‘race’ have little or no biological meaning.”

These are just a couple of examples but there is so much more. One thing we all should remember: Creationists and Evolutionists, Christians and non-Christians all have the same evidence—the same facts. Think about it: we all have the same earth, the same fossil layers, the same animals and plants, the same stars—the facts are all the same. 

The difference is in the way we all interpret the facts. And why do we

interpret facts differently? Because we start with different presuppositions. These are things that are assumed to be true, without being able to prove them. These then become the basis for other conclusions. All reasoning is based on presuppositions (also called axioms). This becomes especially relevant when dealing with past events.

As a follower of Jesus one can be assured that their beliefs are going to be challenged and their faith is going to be tested. This however, can be a good thing for developing their character and strengthening their faith.

James 1:2-4 NIV
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking

anything.

The reason why Christians should be able to offer proof of their beliefs is mainly because people will offer their own evidence on why they should not believe in God and creation.  The going trend in our culture today is to promote “Atheism”: The belief that God does not exist.  Or, if there is a God, this God is unknowing or somehow removed from a daily and personal interaction with mankind. Another premise is that all religions have equal value in truth: all roads lead to heaven.  If Christians don’t defend their faith many people will never be challenged to investigate their own belief systems.  Instead of followers of Jesus being challenged all the time, they should challenge others to investigate what they believe.  They can offer proof in Science, Archeology, the Historical record, and the empirical evidence that Jesus can change a person’s heart.  To me this is sometimes the greatest proof they have: a changed heart as a result of the power of the Holy Spirit.

There is also another challenge Christians will face. They have to realize that as followers of Jesus they will experience spiritual battles and their enemy (Satan) will continuously to try to discredit God, Christian character and integrity along with the mission of the Church. The first thing Satan will do is distract followers of Jesus from being in relationship with God. Then he will try to confuse the way they think and the way they are able to discern. Then he will tempt them to sin. If the enemy can gain a foothold in a Christian’s life, their integrity and character will suffer along with their effectiveness to fulfill God’s plan and purpose for their lives. So followers of Jesus must be on our guard because their enemy Satan, is out to destroy them. They must continue to stand firm in their faith.

1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the

same kind of sufferings.

Standing firm means Followers of Jesus also must submit themselves to God.

The Bible explains it this way:

James 4:7-10 NIV
 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Grieve, mourn and wail. Change

your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Personally, submitting to God’s will does have a profound effect on me. My attitude and heart begin to change because I have chosen to live God-centered as opposed to self-centered. In essence, I have chosen to die to self. Jesus says that dying to one’s self-interest has a great benefit. This kind of heart attitude is what Jesus truly desires from His followers:

Matthew 16:24-25 New Living Translation (NLT)

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

This kind of obedience truly pleases God and reflects Godly character.

1 John 2:5-6 NIV
But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Obedience requires that we share our faith.

Matthew 28:18-20 New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

It is God’s will for followers of Jesus to share the Gospel and to know how to defend the faith that they are sharing.  One can only defend the Gospel by understanding the real truth found in the Bible. 

Challenge:

Begin to read and study the Bible with a purpose. 

For the sake of yourself and your children; for the sake of your extended family and friends; for the sake of your Church family; and for the sake of the lost; defend your faith; share the hope you have. It comes down to being a matter of life or death.

Just Sayin…………………..Dave