1. What is A Christian Apologetic?
2. The greatest evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the presence of the Holy Spirit in believers empowering them to love as HE loved. Becoming a living incarnation of the love of God in Christ.
3. Have we been this?
4. What can we do to be this?
15 But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy--acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect. 16 And see to it that your conscience is entirely clear, so that every time you are slandered or falsely accused, those who attack or disparage your good behavior in Christ will be shamed [by their own words]. – [1Pe 3:15-16 AMP]
II. The greatest evidence that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and is at the right hand of the Father is that the Holy Spirit has now come to empower and live in HIS disciples. The greatest evidence that the Holy Spirit is empowering and living in us is not miracles that we perform but the fruit of unconditional sacrificial love which is the fruit that HE produces in us.
34 "I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one another. 35 "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another." – [Jhn 13:34-35 AMP]
20 "I do not pray for these alone [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for [all] those who [will ever] believe and trust in Me through their message, 21 that they all may be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe [without any doubt] that You sent Me. – [Jhn 17:20-21 AMP]
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery]. 14 "You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven. – [Mat 5:13-16 AMP]
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR (fellow man) and hate your enemy.' 44 "But I say to you, love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. 46 "For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? 47 "And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God's blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? 48 "You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect. – [Mat 5:43-48 AMP]
36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 And Jesus replied to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].' 40 "The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments." – [Mat 22:36-40 AMP]
27 "But I say to you who hear [Me and pay attention to My words]: Love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, [make it a practice to] do good to those who hate you, ... 35 "But love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; for your reward will be great (rich, abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High; because He Himself is kind and gracious and good to the ungrateful and the wicked. – [Luk 6:27, 35 AMP]
22 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites. 25 If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage--our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit]. – [Gal 5:22-25 AMP]
1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love [for others growing out of God's love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction]. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy [and speak a new message from God to the people], and understand all mysteries, and [possess] all knowledge; and if I have all [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love [reaching out to others], I am nothing. 3 If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it does me no good at all. ... 13 And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God's love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love. – [1Co 13:1-3, 13 AMP]
III. Has the visible Christian church been loving?
A. Sometimes
1. Christians caring for the sick in cities with plague in the early church.
2. Christians establishing hospitals for free health care for the Roman Empire.
3. Giving to those in need through the local church, Salvation army, Samaritan Purse, and many other groups.
4. Those Christians that worked to end slavery and other social evils such as William Wiberforce.
B. But many times we have failed to be loving or act loving to others because we are not bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
1. We have promoted social evils such as slavery and other social evils in the “name of Christ”. (See the movie Amazing Grace)
2. Many have experiences things “in church” that have not expressed love or respect.
“After several years in ministry with my husband, I began to have a two-part problem with my belief in God. First, it appeared that many of the people I encountered in the church were not upholding the truths they professed. They would say the ugliest, meanest things I had ever personally heard. I was stunned and began to question if there were any real believers in God. I even began to wonder if I was a real believer. Second, I didn’t understand Christianity well enough to handle the depth of the human experience. So when I began to question why I believed in God, I had no personal resources from which to draw. I call this two-part problem a perfect storm for doubt. I had emotional doubt that fueled intellectual doubt.” - By Mary Jo Sharp - https://outreachmagazine.com/features/5629-why-the-final-apologetic-still-matters.html
A. How are you doing in your closest relationship in bearing the fruit of love consistently?
B. What would your closest family and friends say about how much love they see pouring out of YOUR relationship with God through the Holy Spirit?
IV. What can we do?
“Without true Christians loving one another, Christ says the world cannot be expected to listen, even when we give proper answers. Let us be careful, indeed, to spend a lifetime studying to give honest answers. For years the orthodox, evangelical church has done very poorly. So it is well to spend time learning to answer the questions of men who are about us. But after we have done our best to communicate to a lost world, still we must never forget that the final apologetic which Jesus gives is the observable love of true Christians for true Christians.”
Francis Schaeffer, The Mark of a Christian
Two-Fold approach to giving an answer
1. Give honest answers to honest questions about the faith. Speaking the truth in love.
15 But speaking the truth in love [in all things--both our speech and our lives expressing His truth], let us grow up in all things into Him [following His example] who is the Head--Christ. – [Eph 4:15 AMP]
2. Substantially experience a true spirituality in our lives that is producing in us the fruit of an unconditional and sacrificial Christ like love by focusing on HIS unconditional and sacrificial love for us.
Not will power, but gospel power is the key.
Love is produced by a vision of the love of God not just an act of the will.
1 See what an incredible quality of love the Father has shown to us, that we would [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, we are [even here and] now children of God, and it is not yet made clear what we will be [after His coming]. We know that when He comes and is revealed, we will [as His children] be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is [in all His glory]. 3 And everyone who has this hope [confidently placed] in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (holy, undefiled, guiltless). – [1Jo 3:1-3 AMP]
47 "Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." – [Luk 7:47 AMP]
LORD Jesus, let me see YOU more clearly, that I may love YOU more dearly, and follow YOU more nearly, day by day
To love well is to live well!
Recommended readings: Francis Schaefer – The Mark of a Christian