The need for truth is revealed in this postmodern culture that is floundering in the sea of relativity. The church needs to be equipped and passionate about meeting the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ in new and fresh ways. Christianity is about a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and our mission is to " make disciples." Understanding other worldviews is vital for the church to be messengers of the gospel.
The world is in need of understanding that God is loving, personal, holy, and eternal. Apologetics is much more than having an ability to spout out facts about other religions, but it is exegeting the culture with the truth of Christ in a way they can understand. Exegeting the culture is to inspect the claims and mindset of people of other religions/cultures in order to, "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).
Apologetics strengthens the church but if it remains only within the four walls of the church, it has lost its usefulness. What good is a church that is filled with knowledge but does not let the truth of God consume their lives where they speak of it to the lost? The need for apologetics in the local church is much needed due to the lack of biblical knowledge that is found in many congregations. The church must become equipped through training, teaching and encouragement to not only know God's Word, but understand other religions. Training must happen first in the local church but it should not be to create spiritual "eggheads" but to develop passionate people that reach skeptics with the truth of Christ.
In order for the church to continue to be relevant, apologetics must be a verb. People need Christ and the church must continue to train believers to be active in understanding and applying the gospel to people's situations. Apologetics must be more than a class taught and more into a lifestyle of pointing skeptics and those of different religions to the only way to peace with God and that is the person, Jesus Christ. Simply, the church is the launch pad for using apologetics to evangelize the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Apologetics must be a verb and not just a noun we describe a class that is taught at a local church. It is vital to be "doers" of the word and not "hearers" only. This is what is most important about being amidst the world's struggles, questions, and skepticism. It is key that people come to know the Lord from all walks of life and it is the churches chief duty to be vigilant to explain to the world the truth of Christ.
Building relationships with people can be a struggle but it is simply following Christ's call to become, "fishers of men" (Mark 1:16:18). A successful fishermen know what type of bait to use to lure the fish, in turn we are to study ways to display and explain the gospel to a hurting and lost world. It is important to view discipleship and evangelism as the same. In order to be a disciple you must follow what Chris did, and He came to "seek and save the lost." Evangelism must go hand in hand with growth in a person's life. If a person never shares the reason for the hope they have in Christ, their faith will continue to be stagnant.
To display God's redemptive plan in today's culture, the church must understand other religions in order to clearly communicate the gospel. The goal is to not just win an argument, but to reveal God's grace through effectively asking the right questions and helping a person see their need for Jesus. It is important for the church to become focused upon understanding rather than just being "puffed" up with knowledge. It is the key for people to not just have the answers, but to let it change the way they see people and interact with them on a daily basis.