Berean Christian Church Bible Study

Transcription

1 Berean Christian Church Bible Study Dr Kerwin B Lee, Senior Pastor October 6, 2015 Defending Your Faith Without Fear Jude 1:3 II Timothy 1:7 reads, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (KJV) This verse reveals what God has and has not provided for his children and why believers should not be intimidated to live for Him Christians who live for the Lord should be ready at all times to share their beliefs with people from all walks of life Those who neglect to prioritize this prevent unbelievers from being saved This class is designed to share avenues that can be taken to equip believers to witness for Christ to those who present objections I The Teachings for Defending Your Faith Listed below are various doctrines of the Bible believers should understand thoroughly when 1 Believers should understand thoroughly the doctrine of when John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (KJV) 2 Believers should understand thoroughly the doctrine of the when Ephesians 1:23 The church is Christ s body and is filled with Christ who completely fills everything (CEV) 3 Believers should understand thoroughly the doctrine of when Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness (KJV) 4 Believers should understand thoroughly the doctrine of when Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him (NLT)

2 5 Believers should understand thoroughly the doctrine of when Genesis 2:21, 22 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22) And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man (KJV) 6 Believers should understand thoroughly the doctrine of when Ephesians 6:19 And pray for me, too Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike (NLT) 7 Believers should understand thoroughly the doctrine of when II Timothy 3:16, 17 The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right 17) It is God s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone (TLB) II The Techniques for Defending Your Faith Listed below are approaches believers should take when 1 Believers should seek to be when Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice (NIV) Feelings of hatred and dislike will prevent you from being effective at defending your faith Strive to love and accept people regardless of their differences and watch God use you to lead individuals to Him by being loving 2 Believers should seek to be when John 18:10, 11 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest s servant, cutting off his right ear (The servant s name was Malchus) 11) Jesus commanded Peter, Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me? (NIV) Being too pushy and militant can work more against you when seeking to defend your faith Try to take the approach of being low-key and unassertive as you pursue opportunities to explain to others that Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords

3 3 Believers should seek to be when Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (NIV) Most individuals who don t embrace Jesus as Christ already have enough turmoil going on in their life and don t need a zealous believer adding to their stress Winning people to and for the Lord is a lot like catching bees in that something sweet will usually attract them 4 Believers should seek to be when Philippians 2:3 Never act from motives of rivalry or personal vanity, but in humility think more of each other than you do of yourselves (JBP) As children of God we are already victorious by virtue of our relationship with Jesus Christ Learn to accept and respect when someone says no to your attempts without taking it as personal rejection because the real battle is between God and Satan 5 Believers should seek to be when Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger (KJV) There is never a reason to be combative when seeking to defend your faith to others The Word of God is the only tool you should use to fight off the attack from people who oppose your belief or standard of living 6 Believers should seek to be when Matthew 7:1 Do not judge others, and you will not be judged (NLT) Being overly critical and making false assumptions about people generally impedes the progress of winning people to the saving faith of Jesus One way to counteract this is to be helpful and complemental even to those whose belief system is different from yours 7 Believers should seek to be when Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves (KJV) Unbelievers should never feel in harm s way if they don t subscribe to your values or way of life They should know, whether they accept or reject our Savior, that we have the ability through Christ to be peaceful regardless of unfavorable outcomes

4 III The Territories for Defending Your Faith Listed below are different places believers should be prepared to defend their faith 1 Believers should be prepared to defend their faith in the Acts 19:8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God (NIV) 2 Believers should be prepared to defend their faith in the I Peter 3:15 Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope (CEV) 3 Believers should be prepared to defend their faith in the Acts 5:42 Every day they spent time in the temple and in one home after another They never stopped teaching and telling the good news that Jesus is the Messiah (CEV) 4 Believers should be prepared to defend their faith in Acts 19:9 But some of them became stubborn and refused to believe In front of everyone, they said bad things about the Way So Paul left these Jews and took the Lord s followers with him He went to a place where a man named Tyrannus had a school There Paul talked with people every day (ERV) 5 Believers should be prepared to defend their faith on the Acts 5:28, 29 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us 29) Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men (KJV) 6 Believers should be prepared to defend their faith in Acts 17:17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there (NIV)

5 7 Believers should be prepared to defend their faith in Acts 8:30, 31, 35 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet Do you understand what you are reading? Philip asked 31) How can I, he said, unless someone explains it to me? So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him 35) Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus (NIV) NOTES