Not Everyone Has Questions?

Scott Weckerly

A few years ago I was sharing with my good friend Jim (not his real name) about my desire to share and teach the truthfulness and dependability of God’s Word.  One of my main desires is to share with others Biblical answers to their questions to strengthen their faith and save them years of searching and wondering.  I was shocked when Jim replied, “Well, I don’t have any questions.”  “None?”  “Nope.”  Was he kidding?  No.  Was he being prideful or arrogant?  No, he just honestly didn’t have any questions.  At least, none that he was aware of at the time.

Then this past spring, Jim announced that he was going to talk to one of his employers about some un-Biblical themes that were being presented, supported, and pushed at work, and Jim was convinced that he could not participate in things that violated his Biblical convictions.  Jim knew that he would likely lose that job because of it, but knew he had to do what was right.  Jim called a meeting, kindly presented his position, they had a nice exchange, and a few weeks later Jim was informed that he would be replaced on that job.

When Jim was telling me about this situation, he said that our conversation several years before was the catalyst for this decision.  While Jim didn’t have any ‘traditional’ questions when we spoke then, he later realized that he didn’t have a solid answer for many current topics.  As his work situation developed, Jim realized that he didn’t really know if he was for or against the new work situation.  Was it Biblical to support it or not?  This was a question he didn’t even know he had!  He had never taken the time to search out the Biblical position, and he set out to make sure he made a Biblical decision (2 Cor. 10:5).

When most of us think of apologetics, we think of things like, is the Bible true?, has science proved the Bible wrong?, did Jesus really rise from the dead?, etc.  But modern social challenges (abortion, gay marriage, racism, transgenderism, assisted suicide, etc) also fall into the apologetics category, because they are all subjects for which we should have a Biblical response.  Have we brought “every thought into the captivity of Christ”?  (2 Cor. 10:5)**.  Can we effectively share God’s truth in everyday conversations about current news with friends and co-workers with conviction? (Jude :3).  Can we do it without making everyone hate us? (1 Peter 3:15,16).   Jim hit a home run in his situation; he honored God by seeking and trusting His Word, he effectively presented his position with respect, so much so that they even asked him to stay on and help train his replacement (which he agreed to do in a limited capacity).  His apologetic was a strong evangelistic statement, and he offered to discuss it further with anyone that was willing.

**(In response to a current social discussion during a Bible study years ago, my wife had a friend state, “Gee, I hope the Bible doesn’t disagree with what I believe about that.”  When my wife suggested they could do a study to find out what the Bible said about the subject, she declined.  Her friend didn’t want to know what the Bible said, because she didn’t want to (potentially) change her thinking in that area!).

We all need to know what we believe, why we believe it, and be able to effectively communicate our beliefs to others.  We may not have “traditional” apologetic questions, but we all have to deal with the questions the world throws our way with a Biblical response; and there seem to be more new ones every day!  The ‘apologetic method’ honors God (1 Peter 3:15), strengthens our Biblical Worldview (2 Tim. 3:16-17), and makes our evangelism even more powerful (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

 

Favorite Surprise

Scott Weckerly

One of my favorite surprise questions was while teaching a group of high school students.  While discussing Genesis 1 and 2, out of the blue one student asked, “Since Eve was created from Adam’s rib, does that mean they had the same DNA?”   “Good question!”  I replied.  “What do you think?”  “Well, they would have to, right?”  was the agreed reply.  “Do you think it was exactly the same, or did God make a few changes?”   Pause for thinking, then “Oh, yeah, ’cause Eve was a girl, so they couldn’t be exactly the same.”  “Right, God would have made the necessary changes from male to female, and I bet she was cuter than Adam, too, don’t you?”  “Yeah, I hope so!”  We then continued on by discussing the vast amount of genetic information needed to end up with all of the different people groups (NOT different races), because there is only one race–the human race.  It was a very fun and memorable conversation.

Always Ready

Scott Weckerly

Had a conversation with Fred (not his real name) the other day, and he revealed that though he was raised in a Christian home and went to a Baptist church, he was not a Christian.  He told me that when he was 8 he heard the account of Christ driving the money changers from the temple, and he thought that was a sinful thing for Christ to do because Christ was supposed to love everyone.

So, Fred asked some people about it, and he ended up talking to the pastor of the church.

The pastor simply told him, “It was OK because they were bad people”.  Fred did not consider this an adequate answer, and that point was the beginning of him rejecting Christianity.

If the pastor knew about Fred’s response to this situation, I’m sure he would be the first to admit he could (and should) have done better.  He would be heart broken to know that his inadequate answer was a major part of Fred’s rejection of Christ.

We all know that questions can come ‘out of the blue’ at any time, ESPECIALLY from children!  😊 If you are teaching a class, try to anticipate the questions that may come up, and then prepare some answers ahead of time.  And don’t be afraid to take the time to go a little deeper with individuals, even if you need to do it after the class is over.  Always encourage questions, because they are healthy and show a level of thought engagement in the discussion.

We can’t always anticipate every question, and I’ve been surprised countless times.  When I run into something unexpected, whether teaching a class or sharing the gospel, I always respond with honesty.  “You know, I’ve never thought about that.  Would you be willing to research it with me?”  We have so many great online sources for quick answers, such as CARM.org, Creation.com, gotquestions.org and many, many others.  Just google the question to find quick answers, and then you can study deeper when you have more time.  I am never satisfied until the questioner is satisfied, lest I create another Fred.