Family Ministry Moments - February 2024
The modern world assumes many things that are contrary to the Bible. The world assumes that God does not exist. The world assumes evolution is a fact. The world assumes the Bible is just another book full of errors. They assume Jesus was just a man whose miraculous powers were greatly exaggerated by His followers. These are not only
assumptions by the culture we live in but they are also common objections to the Christian faith. People use these “facts” as a reason why they will not become Christians.
This is not a new problem. From the first day of Jesus' resurrection, people have sought to discredit Christianity. This has been a problem for the church for the past 2,000 years, which is why Christians have had to develop a defense of our faith. This is commonly referred to as apologetics. The word apologetics comes from the Greek word “apologia” which means to give a defense of something, in this case, we are presenting a defense of Christianity. This is what Peter is highlighting in 1 Peter 3:15, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” This is the goal of apologetics.
On Sunday nights during Student Gathering, Alex and I have begun a new series. It is based on the book by Alex McFarland, The 10 Most Common Objections to Christianity. This book tackles all the questions I mentioned in the first paragraph and more. We felt it was important for our students to begin to think critically about their faith. We want them to understand why they believe what they believe. We also wanted to challenge any that might have bought into the world's lies. Students can also use this information as they reach out to their friends.
One of the major reasons I wanted to do this series was to get students to start thinking and to ask questions. When I was a teenager there was an unspoken rule in church that you don’t ask certain questions. I think it is important to ask all kinds of questions, especially ones about faith. Our God is big, and He is not afraid of our questions. This is the reason He has given us His Word. We can study the Bible and find answers to all of life's big questions. God tells us in Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
God’s word is the first place we should look when seeking to answer questions, but we should not discount things like science and the natural world. It is no surprise that God designed the universe to point to His glory. If you examine the intricacies of the world, you can’t help but see a grand design that points to the grand designer! We have given the students so many examples to help them answer questions like, “Does God Exist?” and “Did God create the universe in seven days?”. One great resource that we have pointed the students to is Answers in Genesis (answersingenesis.org). Ken Hamm has developed a robust website full of apologetic science. Science and faith do not stand opposed as the world would have you believe. Science confirms a great and glorious creator God.
My challenge is don’t be afraid to ask questions! Ask questions then seek the answers first in God’s word and then in trusted Christian resources. Don’t just take the word of anyone about what you believe. Do your own research and study. You must develop a robust theology so that you can give a defense. We must all be ready!
“…if Satan can't take away our faith, he might be able to intimidate us to such a degree that we are paralyzed, that we are not quite as bold as we were before. And so, not everybody is called to be a professional apologist, but we are all called to study apologetic issues and to see that there are reasons for the hope that is within us.”
R.C. Sproul - Ligonier.org