“Contend earnestly for the faith which was once
for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3)
One of the goals in teaching, as you already know, is to exhort your listeners with sound doctrine, explaining to them what is right. But another goal is refuting those who are wrong, those who contradict sound doctrine.
In fact, being able to do so is a requirement for pastors. Paul told Timothy:
Titus 1:7-9
“For the overseer must be…holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”
Faithfully teaching God’s Word in an expository way will go a long way in helping your listeners understand and walk in sound doctrine. But they also need help seeing the errors of those who contradict sound doctrine.
As you are aware, there are a variety of groups that offer alternative, aberrant, and even heretical views of certain Scriptures (e.g., Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Muslims, homosexuals, emerging church leaders, word of faith teachers). The wise shepherd who is concerned for the wellbeing of the flock will be on the lookout for opportunities to lovingly “refute those who contradict” sound doctrine.
For example, when he comes to a verse that affirms the deity of Christ (e.g., John 8:58, 20:28), rather than just affirming what it says, he might also take the time to refute the typical Jehovah Witness response to the verse. When teaching through a passage that is commonly attacked by critics, such as God’s command to destroy the Canaanite cities (Deut. 20:16–18; Josh. 6:21), he might spend some time responding to the critics’ objections. This is preaching apologetically. This is contending for the faith (Jude 3).
Your listeners should not be getting apologetics once or twice a year when a guest speaker is brought in. They should be getting this kind of help throughout the year.
To help you contend for the faith in the pulpit, I encourage you to keep a copy of The Big Book of Bible Difficulties (previously titled When Critics Ask) by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe on your desk. It addresses in book-by-book order, just about every passage in the Bible that the cults twist or that critics scoff at. Another helpful book is Commonly Misunderstood Bible Verses by Ron Rhodes.
This short article was excerpted from Charlie’s book
Teaching and Preaching God’s Word.
CHARLIE H. CAMPBELL
is the founder of ABR and the author of several books . . .
THEOLOGY & APOLOGETICS
• Evidence for the Bible: How Archaeology, Prophecy, and History Confirm the Word of God
• One-Minute Answers to Skeptics
• One-Minute Answers For World Religions and Cults
• One-Minute Answers About the End Times
• Evidence for God
• Evolution—Following the Evidence
• Archaeological Evidence for the Bible
• Jesus: Concise Answers to Skeptics' Objections
• If God is Loving, Why is there Evil and Suffering?
• Apologetics Quotes
• Islam: A Christian Perspective and Response
• Heaven: 10 Wonderful Truths About Our Eternal Home
• The End Times & Beyond: A Concise Chronological Overview of End-Time Bible Prophecies
• Teaching and Preaching God's Word
• Big Truths for Little Hearts
MILITARY, ESPIONAGE + ROMANCE THRILLERS
—with apologetics and the gospel woven in
• The Tehran Extraction
• Silent Night Siege
• The Spy in Dubai
• The Sky Between Us
• Saving Blake Dryden
• Mission to Mars
• Nighthawk: The Search for Everly Lark
• The Island and the Flame
• Love on the Run
• Beneath the Burning Sky
• The Spy and the Preacher
ROMANTIC COMEDIES
• Dating the President's Daughter
• Twenty Dates Later
• Twenty Dates, And I'm Doomed
For Teens/Young Adults
• Dakota Knox and the Archaeology Thief (Book 1)
• Dakota Knox: London, Love, and Terror (Book 2)
• Dakota Knox: Nightmare at the Museum (Book 3)
• Dakota Knox: Seconds to Meltdown (Book 4)
• Dakota Knox: The Spy Academy (Book 5)
• Saving Air Force One
• Staring Down Dragons
• Treachery
• Behind Enemy Lines
• The Howling Dawn
• The Spy in Waikiki
• The Da Vinci Heist (Finn Archer Adventures, Book 1)
• The Cyrus Secret (Finn Archer Adventures, Book 2)
For Middle Graders (ages 8–12)
• Hijack On Planet Draxen
• The Night Everything Changed (The Phoenix Time-Travel Chronicles, Book 1)
• The Day Hope Returned (The Phoenix Time-Travel Chronicles, Book 2)
• Saving A Pirate
For Younger Kids (ages 5–10)
• Big Truths for Little Hearts
• The Christmas Tree Thief
• Lost In The Jungle
• Dad, Does God Exist?
• Dad, Why Do We Believe the Bible?
PASTORS: WOULD YOU LIKE CHARLIE TO SPEAK AT YOUR CHURCH?
Charlie Campbell regularly speaks at churches throughout North America. If you're a pastor and would like him to speak at your church, please contact ABR here.
• Endorsements/Feedback
• Some churches where Charlie has taught
• Available topics
• Sample teaching below.