Volume 2 Number 16 August 22, 2007

MarketFaith Ministries is an equipping ministry which is focused on helping Christians become more effective
in living out their faith in the midst of the increasingly diverse worldview environment of modern society.
About Today’s Article

Have you ever been in a situation where a non-believer challenged your faith and you didn’t know how to respond? Even
if you were internally confident about what you believed, you had to feel frustrated that you were not able to effectively
express why your belief is right. Unfortunately, this is not an unusual problem for Christians. You are not alone.

The good news is, it is possible to learn how to do it. You don’t have to become a religious scholar or professional Chris-
tian apologist. All you need is a basic understanding of worldview. It is not that difficult to gain that understanding. That
being said, it doesn’t happen automatically. You have to be willing to put out some effort to learn the basics. That is the
entire purpose of MarketFaith Ministries. I hope you are taking advantage of the resources on the website at
www.marketfaith.org. We are also available to answer questions or to come train the people in your church or Christian
organization. Let us know how we can help you.

If you are finding the articles and other ministry resources of MarketFaith Ministries helpful, I would also like to ask for
some help from you. We desire to extend the ministry in order to become even more effective and help even more people.
To do that, we need to expand the website and produce new resources. All of this costs money. Currently we are attempt-
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How to Overcome Feelings of Inadequacy About Your Faith

I have had the opportunity to interact with many Christians
over my lifetime. In talking to folks, I have noticed that they
tend to fall into one of three categories as it relates to the
level of confidence that they have about expressing their
faith.
First, there are those who have no basis for confidence at
all. They, typically, don’t even want the subject of faith
brought up in a conversation. They believe what they be-
lieve simply because “that is what they were taught growing
up.”
The second group are those who express confidence in
their in their faith as they talk, but it is obviously superficial.
These are the people who will boldly assert the fact of their
faith, but are unable to answer any questions that might
come up about it. They are all talk and no substance.
And finally, there are some who really do know why their
faith is the Truth. These are the people who are able to tell
you why they believe in Christ and can share how you, too,
can come to know him.
Let’s look at these three categories and evaluate them. As
you read this, be honest with yourself and determine which
one you fit into. You don’t have to tell anyone else, but it will
give you an understanding of where you need to go in order
to take yourself to the next level.
Those Who Have No Basis for Confidence
I do believe that the vast majority of Christians have per-
sonal confidence that their faith is the Truth. If they didn’t,
they would follow some other faith. That being said, that
same majority are not able to give a “reason for the hope
that is within them.” In general, people’s faith is primarily
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Contact MarketFaith Ministries

312 Anton Dr. Phone: 850-383-9756
Tallahassee, FL 32312 info@marketfaith.org Fax: 850-514-4571
http://www.marketfaith.org
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tng to raise $7000.00 to expand our reach. If you feel that you could help us out in some way, we would greatly appreciate
your support. MarketFaith Ministries is a registered non-profit Christian ministry, so your gift is tax deductible. To show
our appreciation, all who contribute during this fund raising effort will receive a free copy of our next book, Worldview Wit-
nessing, when it is released later this fall. You may send your contribution to: MarketFaith Ministries, 321 Anton Dr., Talla-
hassee, FL 32312.

God bless,
Freddy

(Overcoming Inadequacy - Continued from page 1)

based on the worldview assumptions that they were brought up with (with many of their assumptions being entirely un-
known to their conscious mind) and/or the strong emotional feelings they had from their salvation experience.

Now, those who were brought up in the Christian faith are very fortunate in that they have a faith foundation in Truth. It is
fortunate because they are in a relationship with God even though they have no clue as to why they are right. By the same
token, those who had a profound emotional experience at the point of salvation are also blessed because that experience
gives them a powerful affirmation of their faith.

But neither of these things is good enough, by themselves, to promote the kind of confidence we need in order to live our
lives effectively in a non-believing world. Both of these elements give us a means of affirming the Truth, but do not help us
understand the Truth. There are other truth claims out there and, at some point, every believer is bound to confront one of
them.

If we do not know why our own faith is the Truth, two disastrous possibilities are lurking around the corner to take us down.
The first possible disaster is that our own faith can be shaken. The second bad effect is that we will not have the ability to
give a credible witness which can help another person come to Christ. If we want to have the confidence to be personally
strong and to be able to share a witness, we have to know the why of our faith. This is where an understanding of world-
view will profoundly help us.

Those Whose Confidence Is Superficial

The second category of believer is very close to the first, but consists of people who are a bit more outspoken. As with
those in the first group, these people are not able to effectively express why they believe what they believe. It is just that
they are strongly convinced that they are right and very protective of their worldview roots. When someone confronts them
(Continued on page 3)

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with an alternative point of view, they simply bow up and stand strong, even though they are not able to articulate why
they believe what they believe. The conviction of rightness is, though, still based on the same two things that our first
group depended on. It is either a strong since of the worldview tradition passed on to them from their upbringing, or is
based on a very powerful emotional experience associated with their conversion to Christ. When people in our second
group stand up for their faith, it is a defense mechanism based primarily on emotion. They cannot bring themselves to
confront the issue on a conscious level based on knowledge because they do not have the knowledge to do so.

Those Who Really Do Know Why Their Faith Is the Truth

There is one more category of believers, and this is the one we all ought to aspire to. Unfortunately, only a small percent-
age of Christians enter this arena. But it is by their own choice and no other reason. Every Christian can learn more about
their faith if they are willing to put the time and effort into it. And with this article, I am urging you to do just that.

Here are the facts that we can build upon.

1. Something is the objective truth about the way reality is structured.
2. That objective truth is represented by our Christian faith.
3. There is very strong evidence that our faith is the Truth.
4. There is very strong evidence every other worldview is not the Truth.

Christians who get this, and are willing to put in the effort to grasp the knowledge supporting it, are in a position to have
profound confidence in their faith as they live it out in the world. Those who are not willing to put forth the effort are, by
default, stuck in one of the first two categories.

What Makes it All Work

Let’s get one thing straight. The truth is the truth whether we have the ability to communicate it from our personal store-
house of knowledge or not. So even if a person is not able to effectively give a good reason for their faith in Christ, it is
still the truth. But there are two important reasons why we should not be satisfied living life not knowing the foundation of
our faith. Those reasons are because: 1) without this knowledge we will be spiritually weak, and 2) there will be weak-
nesses in our ability to share an effective witness.

But there is one more thing that is essential for us to grasp. Knowledge alone is not sufficient. If our knowledge is me-
chanical rather than personal, we lose the joy of our salvation and we will push people away with our attitude. God is a
real person and our relationship with him was designed by him to be personal and loving. It is possible to gain all of the
right knowledge yet not operate within the realm of a personal relationship with God. We must take the extra step to inter-
act with God on a personal level.

If we truly want to have confidence in our faith, and at the same time not feel inadequate regarding our faith, we must put
the two things together – our personal relationship with God along with a conscious understanding of the hope that is
within us. This is what an understanding of worldview can do for us. With this understanding in our spiritual arsenal, we
will be effective in accomplishing the purpose God has in mind for our lives.

Coming in September – A Basic Understanding of Eastern Mysticism