Sharing is caring!

*This post contains affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase through these links. You can read our disclosure policy here. Thanks for your support of this ministry!*

 

Do you worry that someone is going to ask you a question about your Christian faith and you won’t know the answer?

 

Perhaps you avoid interacting with a person just because you know they have beliefs that differ so greatly from your own? And you know that if they find out you are a Christian, they will want to talk about why you believe that “crazy theory of a theistic being?”

 

Maybe you have sat through a class with an intelligent sounding professor who clearly was tearing down everything about the Christian faith while you felt helpless to know how to address her respectfully?

 

Maybe you are just not comfortable with the amount of knowledge that you have as a younger Christian? Older Christians seem better prepared so you lean on them to be there in case any hard questions get thrown your way.

 

Be Ready In Season

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2

You will have times when you do feel more prepared to share your faith with confidence. However, those times seem to be few and far between for most of us.

Let’s be honest, most of the times when these challenging conversations come up, we are just not expecting them! They tend to catch us off guard.

Be Ready Out of Season

Now if you are like me and much of the Christian population in America today, you probably would fall more into the category of being “out of season.”

In fact, the very idea of sharing your faith or answering questions about Christianity causes you to break out in a cold sweat. There is a good chance that you would do anything to avoid starting a conversation about your faith with an unbeliever because you know you aren’t prepared for that!

Trust me when I say you are not alone in those feelings.

 

Steps To Share Your Christian Faith When You Aren’t Prepared

Okay, so we know it is important to share our Christian faith even when we aren’t prepared for that conversation. Here are some practical steps to try the next time we are blindsided by questions about our faith.

Pray For The Holy Spirit’s Help

Take a deep breath. Say a silent prayer before opening your mouth to respond. Ask the Holy Spirit to only let you say what He wants to be said.

God has given us the Helper to guide us in times just such as these.

Send a quick prayer for God to be at work in this conversation you are currently facing.

Ask Good Questions

Don’t instantly go on the defensive trying to answer a challenge given you. Instead, kindly work to rephrase the question being presented you. Seek for clarification before you attempt to give any answer. (Besides, you don’t want to be answering a question they didn’t even ask!)

For instance, say someone asks you, “Why is the God of the Old Testament so mean?”

In response, try asking about what has brought them to the conclusion that the God of the Old Testament is mean. Discover what acts in particular that He committed that appear mean. Draw them into a dialogue about their position.

First, this will help you to truly understand their question better. Do they not understand why God tested Abraham by having him almost sacrifice Isaac? Maybe they don’t like the fact that Israel swept through many cities killing all who lived there. Perhaps they are shocked by how God could allow for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Or there is a chance they are just saying this because someone else told them God was mean in the Old Testament!

Second, this will allow you more time to discern what answer you will need to give them. Once you have heard more from them about their position, you will likely know more what they are struggling with and what needs to be addressed in your answer.

If you want to work on the art of asking good questions, I definitely recommend that you check out Questioning Evangelism and Tactics. These two books have given me so much confidence in these challenging faith conversations that spring up out of the blue!

Realize It Is Okay To Not Know Answers

Seriously, not many of us are studied theological majors who have had years of our lives dedicated to studying the hard questions about the Bible. So don’t be shocked if you get a question that you don’t know the answer to.

Please don’t lie or try to bluff your way through an answer!

Be straightforward. Let them know that you don’t know an answer to that question. See if there is a way you can find out that answer so that you can get back in touch with them at another time. Some will agree to this. Some will shrug and walk away.

Take these questions and use them as learning experiences. Often you will find that similar questions sneak up in the conversations you have with unbelievers. Learn from each hard question you get asked. It is definitely okay to learn along with the unbeliever who is asking the hard questions!

Be Humble and Gentle In Your Answers

No one enjoys a conversation with a Know-It-All. And everyone loves to believe that they know it all! 🙂

Seek to address the person’s questions and concerns with grace, humbleness, and gentleness. Perhaps some of those asking questions will not respond in kind but remember you are to be Christ’s light. Keep your tone and attitude respectful.

Remember it can be hard to hear Truth, especially God’s Truth that they are sinners in need of a Savior!

Be mindful of the fact that you need God’s grace just as much as the person you are sharing your faith with. Speak with them in a manner that you would like to be spoken to. Share the Truth but do so with all the love God has given you.

Set Up A Time To Talk Later

Okay, I realize that this one won’t always work. Sometimes you are just in a quick moment with a stranger at the airport or something. However, if the scenario works, offer to set up a time that works for both of you to meet. Ask them to bring questions they have so you can discuss these important topics at length.

I know this is scary but if someone is genuinely curious and searching, they will be intrigued by the offer to actually bring questions up in a detailed fashion.

Best of all, you now have time to gather your thoughts and do some long-term preparation. Perhaps you can even find a Christian friend who would be willing to help you prepare.

Follow Up With Prayer

Pray for the individual after your conversation has ended.

Whether you were confident in your answers or not, God can and will use a faithful witness to help reach out to those who are lost. Pray that the Holy Spirit takes whatever humble words you managed to get out and that He will use those words to convict.

 

Your Turn

If a Christian is honest, there is always something they will wish they had said better after a conversation about their Christian faith. When it comes to something as important as talking about our faith, we want to do this well.

However, we must remember that it is God who causes change in a person’s heart, not us. Be faithful to do your part but don’t burden yourself with doing the work that only God can do!

 

Have you ever felt unprepared for a conversation about your Christian faith?

What has helped you navigate through a challenging conversation?

How have you prepared yourself for future conversations God might call you to have?

Share your thoughts and stories below in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Sharing is caring!