How do we, as Christians, become prepared to defend our faith? The deeper we dive into our relationships with Christ, the more we learn about Him, His life, and the history of Christianity. We start to embody who He is.
There eventually will come a time when we are questioned why we believe what we believe. We’ll get to share what we’ve learned about Him and invite them into communion with God by sharing the hope and love that Jesus Christ offers us each day.
This can be daunting for a youth worker, let alone a teen, to sit and defend the case for Christianity. So, how can we prepare our students to feel empowered to do so? How can we guide them in what to say and eliminate that feeling of inadequacy? I want to lay out a few steps that J. Warner Wallace talks about in this article regarding how to prepare to present your case to others.
- Are the people we want to tell about God even curious about it? Are they curious about what we believe or open to hearing about how Jesus has changed your life? Or are they wanting just to sit and have an argument and not hear what you have to say? Check your audience first. This may help guide you in how you present what you want to say, or maybe they’re not ready to hear what you have to say quite yet. Continue to pray about having these conversations with your people.
- Meet people where they’re at. This point rolls in from the first point. Listen to the Holy Spirit’s directing in what areas you want to share about Christ right away. Maybe the person you’re talking to is talking about an identity problem and is focusing on what other people think of them. This could be an opportunity to talk about how God sees us whole and keeps His promises. Grasp on to where your people are at and move in a direction that is parallel to them. Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in your conversations.
- Do some digging into why we believe what we believe. Call on other resources to dive into specific topics. Seek out a mentor. Dig into evidence that supports your beliefs so that you can stand behind what you believe. But also know what non-believers are saying to understand the other side of the conversation as well. “If our beliefs are true, every other view of the world will possess some logical fallacy we can find and expose, even as we make the case for our own position.” -Wallace. This will help you make a well-rounded case when you are faced with defending your faith. *Remember, it’s not that we are trying to convince other people about God, but rather we are inviting them into communion with God and getting to share the radical love and grace God offers us!
- Speak with love and grace. Remember who you are representing, Jesus Christ. He is light, grace, and kindness. Many people have been hurt by Christians or see them as hypocrites. We want to approach these situations, like every situation, exuding the love of Jesus Christ.
Teaching our students to defend their faith will further empower them to spread the Good News, sending them out in confidence and ready to change the world. Ultimately, God will do the work. He’s already been working in that person, we just need to be obedient to say yes to be His hands and feet.
Becca Ebenhoch
Director of Soul Exercises