Christian apologetics is one of my passions. I enjoy engaging with unbelievers; having conversations, offering, and defending the gospel drives me. I’m also passionate about seeing more of the body share in this passion. I remember what feels like a short time ago, stumbling across my first theological debate and being completely blown away by the skill and clarity possessed by both interlocutors. How did they know so much and think so well on their feet? The cross-examination was wildly entertaining to me. (By the way, I know, I’m a Nerd. I’ve long made peace with this fact.)
At this time in my Christian Walk, I was full of passion and love for God, but not much else. My knowledge of both God and His word was very slim. I knew that Jesus had saved me, and others needed to know about Him as well. It took my first attempt to evangelize a neighbor to realize that I needed to know much more than just John 3:16 to share the gospel effectively.
I couldn’t have been more than seventeen or eighteen at the time. I approached a neighbor as he had just parked in his driveway. I attempted to share Christ with him, only to be confronted by a barrage of questions and assertions that were entirely outside of my realm of experience. I left there more confused about the gospel than I had ever been before. I had the passion but lacked the knowledge.
Upon reflection, I identified five habits integral to my growth in this area. I can guarantee that employing one or more of these strategies will significantly enhance your ability to evangelize and prepare to defend the gospel.
Regular Time in the Word
This first one is a no-brainer. We cannot defend God if we don’t know about Him, and the adage is true: “You only know as much about God as you do about His word.” There is no substitute for spending time in God’s presence in prayer and personal time in His word. I recommend two separate times for the believer who wishes to grow exponentially in their knowledge of the Word.
Devotional Reading
Your devotional time is where you grow in your relationship with God. This macro-level reading is where the majority of my sanctification happens. I’m taking in the word and noting what the Holy Spirit reveals to me, but not much else.
Study Time
My in-depth study time is when I break out the resources and “dig in” to the word. This is a micro-level study, where I explore, follow cross-references, utilize exegesis tools, and the like. Here, adopting a study system such as the inductive method or verse mapping is useful.
Practice your Elevator Pitch
Wait, what’s an elevator pitch? This term refers to a brief, pre-prepared introduction of oneself, commonly used in business circles. It’s concise and clear, and the idea is that one could give a complete introduction on a short elevator ride.
In our context, this is a testimony. Our testimonies tend to be neglected in apologetic circles because they’re subjective and anecdotal, which is precisely why one should prepare a good presentation of them. When defending the gospel, we like to use theological argumentation, historical facts, and proof texts from scripture—all necessary evidence—but the one thing that people cannot argue is your testimony.
A captivating testimony accompanied by the evidence above can be compelling and just the type of message that God can use to soften a heart after the conversation has ended.
Keeping a Book in Your Hands
This one took me a while to develop. I didn’t grow up as an avid reader, but I slowly developed a love for it. Now, I inhale books on myriad topics related to apologetics and other necessary disciplines. I encourage you to read the following areas.
Systematic Theology
I plan on diving into this in much more depth soon. Discovering systematic theology completely changed my understanding of the word of God. These books are immensely helpful in learning what the Bible teaches on a subject and where to find it. Whether you read one cover to cover or utilize it as a reference tool, I highly recommend everyone who aspires to evangelize own at least one.
Topical Studies
Whether you’re learning about growing in holiness or trying to learn how
to defend the Trinity, the book you’ll be reading is a topical study. Immensely helpful in aiding particular skills or teaching particular biblical concepts.
Church History
Many believers often overlook this one. Reading a survey of the history of the Christian church will bring such a depth of perspective to not only your life, but you will feel such a connection with the apologist of yesteryear. Not to mention that heresies are rarely new. A simple lay-level survey will transform your ability to identify and combat heresy. Many are available, but my favorite is “Church History in Plain Language” by Bruce Shelley. It is easy to understand, and the chapters are relatively short. If you can find 10-15 minutes daily, you can have a bird’s-eye view of church history in a few short months.
Take Notes
I highly recommend being a note-taker. Early on, I began this practice, and it has paid off.. I was the person who always carried a notebook. There’s something about writing down notes that helps me commit something to memory. Whether sermon notes from my weekly worship service or jotting something I heard in a podcast, I would have notes everywhere.
For this area, I recommend utilizing a note-taking system. I originally used a bullet journal to organize all my random thoughts and study notes. Still, the issue would arise, and I wouldn’t know where to find them after some time. I now take my notes digitally more often than not. I utilize a system called a second brain, created by Tiago Forte.
This system revolutionized my notes because I can access them on all my searchable devices. I store book notes, sermon notes, language-learning materials, and everything else here. If you’ve ever been in a conversation, struggling to remember a verse or a date, and Google isn’t helping, you will thank yourself for Apple Notes. (Or whatever the Android equivalent is, and yes, shade intended…lol)
Memorize Scripture
Like the first on the list, this final habit is also a staple practice. “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Ps 119:11, ESV) Nothing has changed, not just my evangelism, but my life, like committing the word of God to memory. There is no substitution for it. When needed, the only way to have the right scripture is to “hide it in your heart.” In all honesty, proof texting from a book or a device doesn’t hold the same weight in a conversation as quoting it from memory. It will help you navigate those conversations more easily and, more importantly, transform your mind.
I cannot promise that you will become the next Dr. James White or Dr. Michael Brown if you adopt these habits and faithfully maintain them. I can say that they will change your life and equip you to evangelize with ease and defend the gospel with skill and conviction.
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