The C.A.S.T.
The C.A.S.T.
Defending Faith in a Changing Culture: Grace, Truth, and Relational Evangelism
How can we effectively uphold our faith amidst today's ever-shifting cultural landscape? Discover how to navigate these complex waters with grace and wisdom in our latest episode, where we kick off season three with a compelling discussion on defending Christian values.
Join us as we explore the essence of defending our faith through love and truth, focusing on what we stand for rather than against. Drawing from Ephesians 6, we unpack the true nature of spiritual battles and the importance of approaching others with gentleness and knowledge, just as Jesus did with Zacchaeus. Understand the necessity of living out your faith to have meaningful and compassionate conversations, even with those who may not recognize their need for guidance.
Finally, we delve into the varying methods of evangelism, weighing the effectiveness of confrontational street preaching against relational, one-on-one interactions. Encouraged by Ephesians 4:1 and Isaiah 6:8, we highlight the power of a Christ-centered life that naturally attracts others to inquire about our joy and peace. Overcome the fear of not having all the answers and focus on the true essence of faith. Trey wraps up this enriching discussion with a prayer, expressing gratitude and excitement for the journey ahead. Don't miss out on this enlightening conversation as we grow in our ability to articulate and uphold our beliefs in today's culture.
Welcome to the cast Cast. We're back for season three. This is episode two. Thank you so much for tuning in. I'm Jarrett. I'm Garth.
Speaker 2:I'm.
Speaker 1:Mike and I'm Trey and last episode if you've not checked it out, we encourage you to go. Listen to it Kind of give a life update on where everybody's at, what's been going on, why we took a break, and then we just talked about balance. I talked about prioritizing our faith in the busyness of everyday life, but today is going to be a little deeper and we're going to jump right in here in just a second. This is going to be a two-part episode, so this will be part one and then tune in next week for part two, but what we want to talk about today is defending your faith in the current culture. Before we jump into this though I do believe, especially for this episode we need to pray before we get into this, because I believe it is going to be very good and we just want God to lead this conversation. So, garth, if you don't mind, open us up for prayer.
Speaker 3:Father, thank you for this time together. Bless our listeners. May the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart be pleasing in your sight, our Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Let us unpack this subject with love so that it would encourage our listeners to follow you.
Speaker 1:Lord, we pray these things in Jesus' name, amen, amen. So as we get into this, we all know the current climate and culture that we live in is rapidly evolving very quickly, probably quicker than it ever has before. If you look at where it was when we started the cast two years ago, it's very different now than it was even then. When I think about when I was in high school and what the kids in high school go through now, it is night and day different. The things that kids are exposed to in middle school I didn't even really hear of until I was like graduating high school, going to college, and it's really sad to see where and how far that our culture and society has went. But it's also not surprising with the way that things have happened. So the goal for this episode is to look at this through a lens as a believer, as a Christian living in the world but not being of the world. And how do we navigate these waters? What stance do we take on things? How do we handle certain situations this can be very divisive certain situations. This can be very divisive. This can be very upsetting for some people with how certain things are handled, but I do believe it is something that has to be addressed. I do believe that it is rapidly changing and I mean, the things we talk about on this episode could be totally different in a year from now.
Speaker 1:I do believe it all starts in prayer and seeking guidance from God. We all know what is going on with the culture. We don't have to come onto this podcast and we don't have to break down every single thing that is jacked up with society. I think that's where a lot of believers get it wrong. They harp on the thing. So much of what we know what's going on. Evil is already brought to light. We don't have to bring that to light.
Speaker 1:So from my point of view, in my perspective, I don't really want to harp on the shift in the culture. I don't really want to harp on what's going on, because everybody knows, everybody that's listening. We don't have to highlight each individual area of just the craziness of it. But the first thing I want to talk about is the defending our faith part. Right, because as believers we are held to a higher standard. We are called to defend our faith. Scripture makes it very, very clear. So when we look at these things, let's just talk about you know, when you hear defending your faith. When you hear that phrase, what does that?
Speaker 4:mean to you. The first thing I think of is a scripture that says be ready in season and out Right, there's no downtime. Like you're a Christian, you hold God's banner. Like you got to be ready to defend the faith. That's the first thing that comes to my mind. So I think, knowing what your faith is. When you say you're a Christian, what does that mean? What do I believe? What is our faith? What are the foundations, what are the non-negotiables of being a believer and you'd be? I mean, I think it's kind of shocking how many people who claim Christ and claim to be believers don't have the foundations in order to defend it.
Speaker 3:I think, as Americans, we're really naive. Like you just went to Mozambique, you know, so you got to see what it looks like outside of America. But most of the world the Christians are persecuted, and we're not persecuted yet, but they have to walk that out. They, they have to defend their faith personally. You know, they are opposed every day, like uh I read a saying that I think it was like russia or china, but like they consider the sun coming up in the morning the same as their. Their persecution it's coming every day.
Speaker 1:I know, like China for sure.
Speaker 1:The underground church and everything they go through. People are so coddled and sheltered in America, like in the American church, and we're guilty of it for sure. I mean, we all like even myself like we are aiding into that, you know, because of what we do, of how we I'm not saying we, but just the American church in general of how you know, hey, it's such a routine thing and you know, we talked a little bit about pickleball last week and I've got to meet a lot of different people in playing pickleball and it's amazing the people that you come across and it's a very social sport and you start talking to people and then they, hey, what do you do? And I don't shy away from them. I know some people will be like, oh, they don't want to tell them they're in ministry or things like that. I'm the opposite. I don't shy away from them. I say I'm in ministry, I'm an associate pastor at Valley Church, and they're like, oh, okay.
Speaker 1:And you kind of get one or two because I wear a cross necklace and a lot of people, hey, man, I love your necklace. So that opens up the conversation. So you get one or two responses from that. One is like oh okay, I've never heard of that church. Where is it? We start talking about church, or two. You get the other like, oh, that's awesome. They start asking a little more questions. But you can see like hey, I've been playing with them a little bit, they've been saying some you know language, it's not great. And but then as soon as they found out, oh yeah, you're in ministry, their language cleans up. It's amazing how that happens. And or if they do slip up and say something like, oh, I'm so sorry.
Speaker 3:They apologize to you.
Speaker 1:Sorry, pastor what I realized is, through that is here in Roanoke, so many people and like where we play pickleball a lot of times is really close to the church. They've never heard of our church and we sit here and we're like, oh yeah, we're a good size church, we're really reaching, you know, people in the Roanoke Valley and I'm like man, we're less than a mile from where our church is and there are tons of people that are like, oh, I've never heard of that church. And then you talk about where you go. Well, I don't really go to church.
Speaker 1:I think we miss out on the mission field here, and it's true for every listener of the cities that you're in. There's more people in your immediate areas that are unchurched, that are unbelievers, than we realize, and I know it doesn't really go to defending your faith, but it leads up to that that if you get out in your communities, that you're going to start having to defend your faith in areas. Oh yeah, Because there's going to be people that are atheists, there's going to be people that are agnostics. There's going to be people that come against you when you start talking about Jesus.
Speaker 2:But I think when I hear the word defend and a lot of times we think I know I do like I got it you know I got to get honestly bold but I got to get mean and aggressive, but that's not defending. You think of fighting words, right?
Speaker 2:And it's just like, and I and I think that's that is a big issue, that that we, um, as Christians have like, wait a minute, hold on. Like, because even Jesus says wait a minute, hold on. They hated me first, you know, turn the other cheek. And uh, and I remember getting into discussion with somebody like well it was. And I said, well, scripture makes it clear man, like, like, like, dude, like you're going, you're going to be persecuted there, like you're supposed to turn the other cheek and I and how hard is that for us and our flesh to rise up to say wait a minute, you hit me, I'm going to hit you back, but I think we get defending wrong.
Speaker 4:Because in a hostile environment.
Speaker 2:You don't want to escalate somebody else that's even more that may not understand, Because I truly do believe that the love of Christ will still shine through. I mean, I know that he's still sitting on the throne through, like I still.
Speaker 4:I mean, I know that he's still sitting on the throne yeah, the the thing that I think that the church, especially in america, has gotten wrong in regards to defending the faith is we are so quick to tell you what we're against. We will not tell you what we're for right, that we're going to tell you that we're against this, we're against this. This is wrong.
Speaker 3:That you know and it is we go legalistic, real right, but we but zero to legalistic when you're sitting there pointing your finger at somebody right, telling them that they're wrong.
Speaker 4:I'm not saying that we can't do that. We should, but it has to be done from a place of gentleness.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and a place of gentleness but here you said something that that, like, just sparked a thought, and this probably has nothing to do with our episode, but you said that we're so quick to say what we're against but what we're not for.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 2:I think sometimes we don't know what we're for.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because we're ignorant, we don't read the Bible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because you've got some churches out here that are— oh, they care about what we're against. Yeah, or that don't practice exactly what Scripture says and the people in those congregations, they have no idea what the Bible says.
Speaker 1:They're not even to the milk, yet much less the meat. When I hear this phrase, defending your faith, I immediately go to Ephesians 6.
Speaker 3:Oh, the armor of God.
Speaker 1:Yep. But in verse 12 it says For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Remember God, yep. But in verse 12, it says for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, right. That right there means that when we come up against people, that we have to defend our faith. We're not fighting against that person. And I think that's where people get it so wrong as believers, because that's when our flesh rises up and we want to argue with that person, person because we want to defend our faith. But we're not defending our faith in a way that we're attacking that person.
Speaker 1:That's what Paul says. Because then he says but we're against the cosmic powers over the present darkness, against the spiritual forces of the evil in the heavenly places. So we're not fighting the person of the evil in the heavenly places, so we're not fighting the person, but we're fighting the spiritual side of things. But it does manifest through those people, and I think that that's where we have to toe that line very carefully. And it's not them that we're defending against, it's their ideologies, it's their thoughts, it's their actions, it's those things that are ruling them and causing them to say and do the things they're doing hey, we love you, but the things that you're allowing to control your life. That's what's against the word of God and that's where we're defending our faith.
Speaker 2:And to that again, I think that a lot of times we take on a spirit of offense and we need to say hold on, they're not attacking me, they're attacking like some of the things that I may believe in. But let's have a conversation, and I would say you need to like. So here's a couple things. One, like Trey, you said you know, know your faith, right. And then two, live out your faith. And I would say that if you know your faith and you're walking it out, those conversations should be a whole lot easier.
Speaker 1:So let's go deeper down that road. When we talk about hey, we got to know and we've talked about part of our podcast is about our calling. So let's discuss the concept of a Christian's calling to defend the faith, because there's some people that run from it. I know a lot of people that have come like it's because they feel that they don't know the word enough. Or, to what Trey said, they don't know enough of what they believe to defend it, so they just run from it. So, as a believer, what is our Christian calling? To defend the faith? What does that look like?
Speaker 3:One of my favorite illustrations. Jesus says if anyone asks for you to walk with them one mile, you go with them two. Well, in the Chosen they did the scene where Jesus and the disciples are walking down the path and they run into these Roman soldiers and they're like you know, by Roman law a Roman soldier could ask you to carry his equipment for one mile. Well, so they load up and carry all their stuff and they walk a mile. And they get there and the and Jesus is like no, let's just go, let's go another mile. And the disciples are like you know, they're smoked man, they're tired. But uh, I think it's andrew's the one that's laughing and he goes. If anyone would ask to walk one mile, walk with them too. But that's the thing. Like you, go the extra mile to show them the difference that's in you. You know that christ is in you and that's what it really looks like. You know that humility, that love, that sacrifice. You know that's what it's all about.
Speaker 4:I think about the story of Zacchaeus, because when Jesus came across Zacchaeus, the first thing that he did wasn't like to point at him you're a thief, you're a cheat like you're a horrible person. He went and sat with him in his house. He ate with him, he spent time with the sinner and before Zacchaeus was able to change, he had to know the love of Jesus first. Right, and if we are not presenting God's love in our interactions with the lost, they don't mean. Why, would they respond Right.
Speaker 2:And the other thing is the lost doesn't know they're lost, right, correct, and so if we go and so I don't want to say you got to tiptoe around it, but just be genuine and have a decent conversation with the person and even if they are sinning and you don't like, you don't have to call out their sin.
Speaker 1:You just have to love on them and show them like hey, wait a minute.
Speaker 2:Life is a lot better than what you're doing, but but to that point there does come a point in time where just loving on them, sure, and that's where.
Speaker 1:Because you said that because they're sinning, right, they, they don't know anything different, correct? So at some point the truth absolutely has to be introduced so that they know.
Speaker 2:But not like man and I may burn some like. Some people may get upset with me. One of my biggest struggles is the evangelists that stand on the corner and scream and saying you're sin, you're sin Like. Does it work? Sure, I'm not dismissing. If that's what God's called you to do, do that ministry. I personally think that I know Jesus was relational and I think, if that's what God's called you to do, do that ministry. I personally think that I know Jesus was relational and I think that that's how we need to be, because you can win a lot more people with honey than you can with how's that saying Vinegar Water and vinegar?
Speaker 2:So I just think that that's my personal opinion.
Speaker 1:No, I think that's good. And when we talk about calling, I want us to share two scriptures real quick, one from the New Testament, one from the Old Testament. Ephesians 4.1 says I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. And we all have been called. When you're a believer in Christ, you have all been called, and we're not called to sit back and be passive, but we're called to be in the trenches. We're called to proclaim the gospel. We all do that in a different sense.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no one's above it.
Speaker 1:Right, and some people are going to do it in a way that's strictly one-on-one and there is nothing wrong with that and they will reach people in ways greater than people that are going to be on a platform reaching to the multitudes, because that person, that's one-on-one, that's receiving that one-on-one, may not receive that in a larger group setting. And so, yeah, there's a need for all of it. And then I was reminded of Isaiah 6, 8. It says Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying Whom?
Speaker 1:shall I send and who will go for us? And I said here I am send me.
Speaker 3:If you're looking around, who's going to do it? It's you, but If you're looking around.
Speaker 1:who's going to do it? It's you. But I mean to me, when we talk about the American church and we go back to Isaiah, I feel it's like, hey, that's the question that God's saying right now is who am I going to send, who's going to go out for us? But I feel like there's not many people that say, hey, here I am, send me. They're not volunteering themselves they don't have their their hands raised.
Speaker 1:They're not, you know. So we've got to change that. As believers, uh, we've got to get more comfortable, and it really is like, like I get it, you know, when you don't, because I've been the same way. When you don't have all the answers, it's hard, like when you feel, oh, somebody's gonna ask me a question and I don't know the answer to so it's easier for me to shrink back and say, okay, garth, I'm going to let you handle this one, because I don't feel comfortable. God doesn't care about our comfort, he cares about people going to heaven, right?
Speaker 3:He wants, the creator wants to be with his creation.
Speaker 2:I think sometimes we get wrapped up in some of this the, the stuff that doesn't matter, like, like how do I come like?
Speaker 4:what do I look like? How do I come across?
Speaker 2:yeah, and and like, like things that we think sometimes. I think some of the things that we think they're a big deal, they're really not a big deal, like in in god's eyes. Like, like you know, does it, does it matter? You know the color of the carpet, you know, or does it matter? Like you know the color of the carpet, you know, or does it matter? Like no it doesn't matter. Like we're reaching people, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think, though, that I mean I don't know if the color of the carpet matters when it comes to defending our faith.
Speaker 4:But I'm just, I'll use that as an example, he's talking about the American church and how we get wrapped up in those little things.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the worldly superficial things, not like the deep things of God. Yeah, the faith.
Speaker 1:So when we look at the defending our faith. I think the greatest roadblocks for some people is the lack of knowledge or the lack of comfort. What else do you guys see?
Speaker 3:You have got to live your life in such a way that it drives someone insane to know why you're like that. And I've had I don't know how many people come up to me and ask me if I could cut trees and be as happy as you are, man, I'll cut trees right now and I'll tell them it ain't the trees, you know, it ain't the barbecue, it ain't the, it ain't none of that man. All that stuff could fall away tomorrow and I would be perfectly happy as a whatever's really happy, you know, because my I am rooted in Jesus Christ man, and I'm sold out. That's it.
Speaker 1:Everything else can go. Nothing else, guys.
Speaker 4:I'm trying to reflect back on what you asked. Can you ask that again?
Speaker 1:Just talking about the roadblocks of defending our faith.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we know it's the lack of knowledge and fear and stuff like that. I do think that people feel like they have to be some type of scholar on some level to defend the gospel, and I think that's a misconception. I think you've got to know your faith, but you don't have to know the ins and outs. Let me tell you something true. No one does.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because they just use that stuff as excuses.
Speaker 4:Like, if I knew more, I would teach Brother you ain't never going to know enough, Right, and I feel like the people who we consider to know the most, like professors and things like that.
Speaker 2:I mean they are sitting, I'm not going to say all of them, but like, most of those guys aren't even and they're going to talk over an unbeliever's head. And I think, like, like, I'm just reminded, like my grandfather I think I've shared it before, but he always said don't, don't talk about politics and religion, you know, and that's just to make sure that you that and he said, he says that, he said it to me because he did, he didn't want to offend anybody, he didn't want to go down any road. But I think that we get too scared, that we think we're going to offend somebody or that we will be offended and like, have casual conversations, it's you know what. So I find it easy to say, hey, well, why do you? Why do you believe that? Or why, why do you act that way? What's what's going? Like and and, but not as a condescending way, but just asking the why. That opens up a lot Like, hey, tell me your story, right, right.
Speaker 2:People love talking about themselves.
Speaker 4:But I also think we've got to get comfortable with the fact that the gospel in and of itself is offensive. It looks at a person and tells you that you are insufficient without Jesus Christ. That's hard for some people to stomach, oh for sure. And it steps on their toes Right. That's hard for some people to stomach, oh for sure.
Speaker 1:And it sticks on their toes. But I think also, too, the thing that we've got to get right is that we're not the one that's changing the person.
Speaker 4:It's not our job to save them.
Speaker 1:Right. It's our job to bring them to a point, to hear the truth and let the Holy Spirit do the work and convict them.
Speaker 3:And when you have people that start feeling a certain way, you realize it's conviction working on them, and when they get that conviction and when they come to you with it, you don't judge them, you just encourage them and you try to walk them through that process, and does that mean it's going to be received?
Speaker 2:And it comes down to knowing what the Bible says. Like, hey, I'm breaking it down. Like well, listen, I know you might be stricken, but let's see what Scripture says. What does God say about that? Yep, it's not me, it's.
Speaker 3:God, Don't kill the messenger and don't co-sign on their poor excuses. Like I just can't do it.
Speaker 2:No, you hold them accountable, you can do it.
Speaker 3:This is how you do it, and that's why.
Speaker 2:And not being afraid to walk with that person.
Speaker 1:Correct, because it does come down to relationship. You've got to show up for that person and if we are going to be like Christ and we've talked about that being in Christ is a relationship then it's hard to say, hey, you've got to have this relationship with Jesus and he wants to have this relationship with you. But if you don't model a relationship with them the way that Christ is intending a relationship to look, then how are they going to learn? And I mean it does boil down to discipleship. When you have somebody, it takes time, it takes sacrifice and I mean we could go down that. That's a whole other road, but that truly is what it is. So let's do this. Let's hit pause on where we're at for this point, because where we'll go from here is going to be a little bit deeper. In talking about some of the things that we have to defend our faith against and how we go to that.
Speaker 1:I want to close with one scripture that we will then open up our part two of this with the same scripture, because I do believe that it kind of hinges on everything that we've talked about. In James 1, verses 19 and 20, it says my dear brothers and sisters, take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. And when we're talking about defending our faith and we talk about that we're not fighting against flesh and blood and we are faced with opposition. When we are faced with conflict, human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. And if we're going to win and witness to these people, we have to have that righteousness that God desires. So this scripture alone tells me that we have to be quick to listen and slow to speak to these people, slow to become angry, because we need the righteousness of God to be flowing and oozing out of us, to have a chance to defend the faith in a way that is honoring and pleasing to the Lord, and defend the faith in a way that people will hear it, receive it and respond to it.
Speaker 1:So we're going to hit pause right here on this discussion Next week. Tune back in as we gear up for something a little bit deeper. This was just the appetizer, this was just the beginning, as we talk about defending your faith. In our current culture, we need this. We have to grow in this and become the best believers that we can when it comes to defending our faith. So that is all for this episode. I'm going to ask Trey to close us in prayer and we will see you guys next week.
Speaker 4:Father we thank you, Lord, for another opportunity to come together. God, we just ask that the discussion that we had was pleasing to you and God, that it will benefit those who are listening. God, we just ask that you keep us safe until we come back again next time. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
