Turning the tables

This paper aims to give you some basic answers to common questions. The answers given here are brief so that you can easily remember them and use them in discussion. Draw the diagrams as you explain the answer. There are a number of other books that are more comprehensive, but we want to give you bullets you can use in the battle.

Many objections and problems that are put to us drive us back into a defensive position. The New Testament commands us to give a reason for the hope that is in us, I Pet. 3: 15, but we do not want to get stuck in that defensive stance; we need to take the initiative and the offensive once again. The answers in this paper are planned to enable you to turn the tables in this way. We need to throw the burden of proof and decision back onto the hearer. The Gospel always demands decision. Questions and objections are often raised in order to avoid this challenge; they should be dealt with in a way that leads back to a positive presentation of the truths and decisiveness of the Gospel.

But a word of warning; "No one is won into the Kingdom of God by being beaten in an argument." These tools are not designed for you to demonstrate your intellectual superiority. We are out to win men, not discussions-or simply to prove to ourselves that we are right,

So, some suggestions:

-Depend on the Holy Spirit to illuminate people's minds through the Word of God. "After I share Christ with someone who has honest doubts, I give him enough evidences to answer his questions or satisfy his curiosity and then turn the conversation back to his relationship to Christ. The presentation of evidence should never be a substitute for using the Word of God." (Josh McDowell: Evidence that Demands a Verdict).

-Love the person you are talking to and assure him often that you want the best for him, (See Transferable Concepts "How to Love by Faith"). Don't let him feel you are simply out to win the argument.

-Listen carefully to what he has to say and ask yourself "Why is this question bothering him?" Be encouraging about any interest he has in moral or spiritual questions. You can say, "I am interested you said that; it shows that you have been thinking about these things." Encourage him to pray, "O God, I want to know the truth. I am trusting You to help me find it."

-Keep refocusing the discussion on Jesus Christ. People should be drawn magnetically to Him rather than bowled out intellectually by one or two fast balls from you. All good discussion comes back to Jesus Christ as the center.

-Be ready to refer back to the Four Spiritual Laws several times. Because a person has heard it once does not mean that he has grasped it. You do not have to go through all four Laws every time. Relate a particular question to a particular Law to show how that aspect of the Gospel answers that objection. People then will see both the wide range of Gospel truths and also the inner logic by which one truth leads on to another. The Gospel is a glorious unity made up of many parts.

-You will not master all the material in this paper by reading it once or twice. Study each section carefully by yourself or in a group, mastering the main points. Then, after you have discussed one of these topics in witnessing, come back again to this paper and see where you could improve your presentation. Make you own notes in the margin and see where you can improve this paper too! Don't be afraid to admit when you do not know the answer to a question. This also adds greater force to what you do know!

A fundamental principle in dealing with questions is to point out that Christian faith is based on facts. It is not a leap into the dark, or an irrational optimism, but a well thought out step based on the evidence of history and scripture focused on Jesus Christ. Challenge people to face the force of that evidence and take that step.

What about the heathen who have never heard?
All religions lead to God?
The resurrection did not really happen.
I don't believe in God.
I don't believe the Bible.
Look at the record of the Church
Religion is just a crutch for the weak
Jesus was just a great man
All the suffering in the world shows that God is not good
I have always done my best
PROBING THE WEAKNESSES
Your Unbelief could be as psychological as my Belief
It is the Non-Christian not the Christian, who is Really Running Away From Life
When You Leave God Out, Life Becomes Pointless If Your Think Logically
What Answer Do You Have For The Deep Emptiness Of People Today?
Be a Complete Person
How Solid is Your Foundation for Life?
You Don't Want to Lose Your Freedom. But the Greatest Slavery Is to Yourself
Are You a Scientist? Then be Scientific in your Approach to Christianity
The Most Perfect Man Who Ever Lived Depended on God More Than Anyone Else Has Ever Done
Man Today Has Got Himself in a Closed Box, But is not happy to Live There
Man's Separation from God Causes the World's Problems
Today's Newspapers Point to Jesus' Return