A common fear of Bible teachers and small group leaders is being asked tough questions for which you do not have an answer. No one wants to feel embarrassed, unprepared, or unqualified. Sadly, this common fear keeps some otherwise willing and able Christians from serving as teachers and group leaders. My goal is to help you move past your fears into faithful service by communicating five ways to equip yourself for tough questions.

First, be willing to admit what you do not know. No amount of preparation or education will enable you to faithfully and accurately answer every question. Be prepared to admit what you do not know, and express a willingness to investigate and report back to the person or group. In doing so, you model both humility and perseverance.

Second, be familiar with common questions. Any Bible teacher or small group leader will, at some point, be asked common questions, such as why a good God allows evil and suffering or how we can know that Jesus actually rose from the dead. While you cannot answer all the questions, you should be prepared to answer these (and a handful of other) common questions and objections. If you need help, ask your pastor or another Christian leader to guide you toward good resources.

Third, pray for wisdom. Any teaching opportunity requires both preparation and wisdom. It requires wisdom to know how, when, and where to address a topic or answer a question. In some situations, answering a question aids your purposes as a teacher. In other situations, answering a question needlessly distracts from your purposes and the class’s attention. It requires wisdom to know what love requires in the moment, and so pray for wisdom, and seek wisdom by talking to more experienced teachers.

Fourth, know the Bible. The best defense is a good offense. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, is always your greatest asset. It’s good to read C.S. Lewis, Blaise Pascal, John Lennox, and other Christian apologists. However, there is no substitute for knowing the Word. Jesus modeled a reliance on Scripture in his own ministry as he responded to questions and objections. Referring people to the Bible itself is a practical exercise in a reliance on the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. While you may be wrong, the Bible will always be right.

Fifth, always bring the conversation back to God. Questions and objections can sometimes be diversions to personal conviction. Bringing the conversation back to God is helpful because the reasonableness of Christianity is inseparable from God’s existence and attributes, and because a personal relationship with God is necessary to accept the teaching of Christianity in a way that produces obedience. The mind will never be open if the heart remains closed.


Read More

Perspective: SBC 2023

Dr. Iorg discusses what unites the SBC in light of next week’s annual convention.

Jeff Iorg
President
Dr. Jeff Iorg is the president of Gateway Seminary. Prior to his service at the Seminary, Dr. Iorg was the Executive Director of the Northwest Baptist Convention for almost ten years. He was also the founding pastor of Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, Oregon, and has served as a pastor in Missouri and a staff pastor in Texas.

Intentionality

 The greatest problem in our world is lostness. The only solution to lostness is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jeff Iorg
President
Dr. Jeff Iorg is the president of Gateway Seminary. Prior to his service at the Seminary, Dr. Iorg was the Executive Director of the Northwest Baptist Convention for almost ten years. He was also the founding pastor of Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, Oregon, and has served as a pastor in Missouri and a staff pastor in Texas.

Listen

Lead On Podcast
June 4, 2023

“Life is Curriculum”: How Leaders Grow after Seminary

Dr. Iorg encourages leaders to continue growing after Seminary. He identifies seven ways to cultivate and work towards spiritual maturity. 

Lead On Podcast
May 28, 2023

Dealing with Angry People

There is a lot of anger in the world right now and a lot of that anger is spilling over into the church. This week Dr. Iorg discusses different ways to engage with and disciple angry people in your ministry.


Watch

Spirituality of Jonathan Edwards | JEC at Gateway Seminary

Dr. Chris Chun hosted a digital symposium with Dr. Michael Haykin and Dr. Robert Caldwell to discuss Edwards’ spirituality, devotional life and theological impact in American Christianity.

Chris Chun
Professor of Church History | Director, Jonathan Edwards Center
Dr. Chris Chun is the professor of Church History and the director of Jonathan Edwards Center at Gateway Seminary. Chris’ doctoral research at St. Andrews University was focused on the eighteenth-century Edwardsean Baptists in Britain. He also has served as president of The Evangelical Theological Society (Far West Region).

Faculty Dialogues: Dispensationalism or Not

In this episode of Faculty Dialogues, Dr. David Rathel and Dr. Paul Wegner held a live discussion on their views on dispensationalism.

David Rathel
Associate Professor of Christian Theology
Dr. Rathel is the associate professor of Chrisitian Theology at Gateway Seminary. Prior to Gateway, Dr. Rathel supplied pastoral care to churches in the United States and Scotland, served as an Adjunct Professor of Theology and Philosophy for the Baptist College of Florida, and provided teaching assistance for the University of St Andrews.

Get updates on new content!