Say What You Mean: Defending the Faith

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" 1Peter 3:15

Why should we share and defend the faith? 
Well the obvious answer is because the Lord commands it: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." -Mark 16:15  Most Christians know we are commanded to share and defend the faith so why do so many neglect to do so?

Are you comfortable with questions like these?
 ~What about all the horrible things done in Jesus’ name?
 ~If there is a God, why is there so much suffering?
 ~Why are Christians so intolerant?
 ~Doesn’t the Bible contradict scientific evidence?

What gets in the way of us sharing our faith?

~Anti Christian bias by the media and others
~Fear of violating "Separation of Church and State"
~Lack of understanding of how the Bible is relevant in today’s world
~Fear of being labled "intolerant"
~Lack of understanding of how science fits in with God’s Word
~Fear of losing friends or a job or of getting a lower grade in college
~Not being comfortable or confident enough
~Lack of understanding of how to go about answering the world’s questions
 

Other reasons to learn how to share and defend the faith: 
~World needs the next generation to stand up and speak out before too many more freedoms are lost to Christians
~We should know God’s Word but also how science and history coexist quite nicely
~Vital we prepare our children so they are not influenced by the misconceptions of the secular world
~Up to 80% Christian kids will come out of university saying they are no longer born again.
~Misinformation about Christianity abounds in the secular world: laws, academia, news media, and workplace
~The Lord warns us about not speaking in effectively and in grace, "A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle." -Proverbs 18:19
~And the Lord tells us what we can accomplish when we do, “He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend." -Proverbs 22:11 

Why do most apologetics courses fall short?
~God didn’t make Cookie-Cutter People so a one-size-fits-all approach reaches few unbelivers.
~If people are approached the wrong way, not only will they not accept the Lord, but they will build a wall between themselves and God which includes anyone who would speak to them again about the Lord, the Bible, Salvation or Jesus!
~They most often teach you what to say, but fail to instruct you on how to say it or why these questions are often asked
~They often teach you to open with scripture or statement that doesn’t reflect the concerns of the listener and so they tune you out, or worse, get angry!
~They don’t always teach you how to answer the most common questions and misconceptions
 

This eStudy is the only one I know of that includes not just what to say but how to say it!  God didn’t make cookie cutter people and there is no one size fits all approach to sharing the faith. Folks have questions and misconceptions that need to be addressed on an individual basis.  Paul knew this and he talks about how important it was for him to approach people a way that would be most effective in allowing him to save as many souls as possible: 1 Corinthians 9:19-27 (KJV)
 

"For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

This requires communication skill and even more skill is required today than in years past! Why?  Because the world is even more secular and much more intolerant of Jesus!
 

One of the recent stories that came across my desk for my Defending the Faith Review newsletter was about an Atheist (Penn of Penn and Teller) who asked why Christians wouldn't share their faith with him if they really believed his eternal soul was at risk.  It makes perfect sense.  If we really believe that Jesus is Lord, that He commands us to share the Good News with others so their eternal soul is not lost in the Lake of Fire...why would we NOT follow?
 

This year, let's resolve to do just that!  Let's make a renewed commitment to read God's Word, to listen to His leading for our lives and to share His love and His free gift of salvation with others.  Make this year the Christian year of action.  Let's all take action to walk the walk and not just pay lip service to what we should be doing as Children of God.
 

What benefits of the Say What You Mean: Defending the Faith eStudy?
~Strengthen your own faith because you find the resources to answer these common questions of science, etc.
~Help prevent our teens from falling away from the faith by influences of the secular world and anti Christian professors, co workers and neighbors
~Teach you not just what to answer, but how to articulate it to the different people who typically ask these questions
~Train you to share in grace and with respect for more effective mission work right here in our own country where faith is decaying
~Research links to fabulous online resources conveniently embedded within the text for easy research
~Designed for jr/sr high-adults
~18 weeks (one semester) of instruction
~FUN and easy to use in just 1-2 hours per week!
~No waiting for delivery!
~No shipping costs

~Free Sample Lesson

What people are saying about Say What You Mean: Defending the Faith:

"This is such a needed class and I can see how easily both boys are learning some of the ways to respond (and ways not to respond) to some of the common things people say. I can see how they are understanding their faith in new, deeper ways and making their faith their own. This class has also helped to facilitate discussion in our family around the dinner table. You have a way of presenting things in a straight forward way that is so understandable.Thank you JoJo" -Marcie, Homeschooling mom of two

Defending the Christian faith is not just something the Lord commands each of us to do in order to share our faith with others.  It's a necessity if we want to raise Godly children in an ever increasingly secular world!