I have been told by many people that they have “never seen anyone come to Christ because of apologetics.”  This is an amazing statement to me, because virtually every person I have ever lead to Christ has come to Christ because of apologetics.  For a long time I had a hard time with this statement.  I couldn’t figure out what people who made this statement were thinking.  Why did people come to Christ if it had nothing to do with reason?  Now I know people have all kinds of different reasons for believing things.  Sometimes people believe things because their parents believed them, they are looking for approval, logic, etc…  I wonder if peoples definition of apologetics is too narrow.  Let’s define apologetics as giving reason for ones beliefs.  It seems this is exactly what Peter had in mind when he wrote, “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; ¹⁶ yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”

It seems to me that when we are witnessing we are giving testimony to the story of God and Man.  We are in essence telling people why we believe in Jesus.  Isn’t this apologetics?  Apologetics doesn’t mean arguing, spewing facts, appealing to archeology, or being obnoxious.  When apologetics is done well it sounds a lot like a normal conversation.  Asking questions, talking about what Jesus did, why we need to be saved, and when it is helpful providing useful information for someone who is contemplating making a decision are all forms of apologetics.  In the process of sharing the gospel I have answered all kinds of questions giving reason for what I believe.  Once while sharing the gospel, the person I was talking to expressed to me that they had asked all kinds of people about the problem of evil and had never had a satisfactory answer.  After spending some time in conversation answering that question he told me that his question had been satisfied.  Though he didn’t accept Christ that day, one objection was removed and maybe the next person will lead him to Christ.  Apologetics when rightly understood and practiced is not arguing or debating, it is giving reason to why a person should trust Christ.

Students need to learn apologetics as part of the Christian story, not as an add on to the gospel or a separate track.  When we share the gospel we should be reminding people that Jesus was a real guy, who really died on the cross and rose again.  Paul believed this was pretty important (1 Cor 15).  Just as my parents continually spoke truth to me when it came to eating vegetables, so we must continually speak truth about who Jesus is, what He did, and what He will some day do for those who believe.  In essence that is apologetics.

Who am I?

“Who am I?”  This is the question virtually every teen asks themselves.  Identity is important in more ways than most could imagine.  It isn’t just about a sense of self worth, it is much more.  Students gather into groups based on ethnicity, dress, activities, and all kinds of other things in an attempt to fulfill their need for an identity.  Everyone wants to belong, they desire a purpose for their own existence or at least a group of people to exist with.  Growing up my mom used a phrase with me, it was “guilty by association.”  The principal is simple, you are who you hang out with.  This certainly has limits, but lets think about this.  We tend to act like those we are around.  When I travel to the south after a few days I start talking slower, saying “ya all,” and if I am there long enough I might even develop a little bit of an accent.  This is especially true for teenagers.  They want desperately to be accepted, to belong!!

When it comes to identity, it can be one of the biggest obstacles a person faces in sharing their faith, it can also be their sources of strength.  Let me explain.  Who we are, and who we identify with isn’t just about self –esteem, it spills over to how we behave and what we believe.  This is exactly why Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”  The point was clearly not hate, but identity.  Jesus knew that a person who found their identity somewhere else would not allow him to be the most influential person in their life.

Think about being in tenth grade.  You go to school and you find yourself surrounded by others who love _____________ like you do.  They believe in God, but they certainly don’t practice their faith or they believe in a different god.  You attend youth group and your youth pastor, or leader tells you that you need to tell others about Jesus.  You begin to get excited, but then he says, “let’s start with your friends at school.”  When you think about it, when we ask many students to share their faith, we are asking them to abandoned their identity.  If they share their faith they might be ostracized by the very people that give them their identity.  It is in circumstances like this that identity can be a huge obstacle for evangelism.

This is why it is so important to develop a place where students feel like they belong, a place where they find their identity outside of school, a place where believing Jesus and telling others about Jesus is celebrated.  If this is the case and a student begins to find their identity at church and, most importantly, in Christ, their identity becomes their strength.  Making a decision to follow Christ is not only about heaven and hell, it is about finding our understanding of who we are and who we were created to be in the God we serve.

Fear of rejection is a symptom of false identity.  A closer look at 2 Corinthians 5 helps us to see this:

Versus 1-10

These verses are filled with what is commonly called eternal perspective.  Our earthly bodies or tents (as Paul calls them) are not permanent.  Ultimately our identity should be based on our relationship to Christ.  One day we will lose these bodies and get new ones, and when we do we will be with Jesus.  That is the day we should look forward to.  Until that day comes, we must realize the purpose we were created for, to please God.

Versus 11-15

Because our identity is found in our citizenship in heaven, our eternal bodies, our never ending, glorified tents given to us by God, our lives are to be lived for Jesus because it is in Jesus that we also died.

Versus 16-21

Though we died in Christ, we were also raised with Him, made new creations, and given the ministry of reconciliation; that is reconciling people to God.

So in this passage seems to be a logical order, first we realize that this life is temporary, then we begin to understand that our focus need to be long term, eternal, then we are free to do the ministry given to us in Christ.  So where is identity in this?  It’s all over.  Our identity is in the eternal not the temporal, rejection on earth is not important because we find love and acceptance in the eternal.

Helping Students think through this

Have students read verse 1-10 and ask these questions:

• What is death?  What happens to us when we die?
• One hundred years from now, when we are all no longer among the living, what will be our relationship to our friends?
• If we wer to say that our life here on earth in some ways prepares us for eternity future, what should we be doing with this life?

Have students read verses 11-15

• If we were to think of death as a doorway between what is temporary and what is eternal how should we live now?
• Considering that this life is temporary, and that the next life is eternal, where should we find our identity?  Which life should be more important?

Have students read verses 16-21

• What one thing stops you from telling your friends about Jesus?  Is it rejection?
• Should we find our identity and self worth in our friends or in Jesus?    Why do you think Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”?
• What friend are you going to try and have a conversation about Jesus with this week?

Perhaps you read the quote of Spurgeon and you began to be defensive in your own mind.  I know I did.  I love to preach the gospel!!  Jesus death on the cross and His resurrection are the center piece of all of scripture.  Yet in youth ministry we get sidetracked by how many of our kids smoke pot, have sex, or do other things that are not approved of.  While it is true that these things do not honor God, it is also true that without a commitment to Jesus there is no spiritual reason for any person to avoid such behavior.

Love is one of those words that brings all kinds of different thoughts to mind.  Sometimes I begin to think about Beau Jo’s Pizza and how much I love it.  Other times I think about my wife and kids, they are amazing!!  I also think about the ultimate message of love found not in what Jesus said, but in what he did.  Too many people look for words of love when they should be looking for deeds of love.  What Jesus did in coming to earth, dying, and then going to Father to be our mediator (Hebrews 9, Phil. 2) is what defines true love.  How could we as ministers of the gospel not preach of such love?

Ephesians 4 speaks of the calling which God has placed on people’s life.  I am not gifted like Billy Graham, and I will likely never see thousands come to Jesus they way he did, Spurgeon did, or many of today’s evangelists.  I do not believe I have that gift, certainly not in that measure.  On the other hand the most loving thing I can do is tell people of the love of Jesus.

What if I was faithful in telling others of the love of Jesus and never saw anyone come to saving faith?  Then I would be a faithful worker whom God has gifted to other things besides preach.  Being called to the ministry is not about putting out a good effort; it is about whether you are designed to do God’s work in that specific context.  It is about whether you would bring more honor to god by doing something else.  How should we measure our calling in this area?  Here are a couple of thoughts:

• If a person is called, they must be able to clearly and effectively present the gospel.
• If a person is called they should understand the purpose of preaching is spiritual.  Though there are times to deal with drugs, sex, and rock n roll in a message, those should be dealt with as an application of a spiritual and biblical truth, not as the primary purpose of a message.
• If a person is called they will see people come to Christ as a result of their ministry.  I don’t know how many, and it would be presumptuous of me to throw out a number.  It may not be every time they preach and it may not be every other, but it should be noticeable and regular.
• If a person is called they should have a desire and even a passion to see people come to Jesus.

What if you are not called?  If you are not called, figure out what God has gifted you for and go do that whether it is in or out of the church.