For quite a long time I have been interested in apologetics. Apologetics is a written or verbal defense of something. In my case, it has been a defense of the Christian faith. Anyone who looks over my various blog articles will quickly sense that this is a running theme of mine.
My interest in apologetics has served me well in my ministry in the jail and prison systems. Oftentimes I encounter people who do not believe in God, or who are withholding their belief because they have unanswered questions. Being able to listen to their doubts and questions has been very challenging, and, I hope to think that over the years I have been able to answer the many questions that have been raised. It has been extremely rewarding for me to help remove some of these stumbling blocks from before those who are genuinely seeking truth.
Although I believe that I can offer a very good argument for a reasonable belief in Jesus, it is important to note that Christianity offers more than just a good “argument.” One of the unique features of the Christian faith is that it is about a God who desires to interact with humans on a personal level. In other words, the Christian faith is not something that is merely understood on an intellectual plain- it can be experienced. For many, this may well be the most convincing argument of all. It is something that I like to refer to as “my final argument.”
Often, as I have engaged those who stand as uncommitted to the faith, I end my argument in a manner like this:
“…. but I don’t believe in Jesus solely based upon intellectual reasons. That is because the God of the Bible is a Personal, Living Being who desires to be known in a personal way. He is not some Being living far off in a distant galaxy, watching you and me in a disinterested kind of way. Rather, I believe that He is a loving Person, who wants you to know and experience Him. How God will make that known to you is not something that I can predict. However, I believe so strongly about this aspect of His character that I can lay out this challenge: invite Him to make Himself known to you. Ask God to ‘show up’ in your life. If He does not make His presence known to you in a tangible way, then you should disregard faith altogether. However, if God does indeed ‘show up,’ then you will have to make a very important decision about what you will do with what has been shown to you. I would not suggest taking this challenge lightly as it may have a very lasting affect on your life.”
Of all of the apologetical arguments I have offered, this one still seems to create the biggest impact.
Peace,
dane
John,
If you haven’t already, I would immediately apologize to your friend for the hurt that happened. Obviously, you didn’t intend to bring this about, but it happened anyway.
You asked how God’s glory can shine through? This is something that I can’t answer because I don’t know how God can or will shine through in this particular situation. However, I know that He will. Just keep the faith. Keep your focus, and trust that He will do what brings Him the most glory – even in situations where he have failed.