I am always thankful for the ministry of apologetics that God has given to me. The year 2019 contained some great experiences and blessings for me in that ministry. Let’s take a look at a few of those experiences.
· Mark Riser – Apologist social media. In July, 2019, I took the major step of abandoning Facebook and making an independent blog the base for my apologetics ministry. This has had the added effect of reducing my FB time significantly in 2019, which I regard as a positive personal move. I am still “learning the ropes” of blogging, but I believe I am on the right track. The “Cruel World” series reached part 15 in December, dealing with a contentious issue for the church through lens of the special and general revelation.
· Brookwood Baptist Church. I believe in the local church and had the privilege of serving at Brookwood Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. I continue to lead an off-campus Life Group, serve as a deacon, and teach. In 2019, Bruce Hennigan and I taught a seven-week apologetics class to adults called “Defending the Faith.” We taught, on average 40-50 people per week over seven Wednesday evenings. I was also able to speak several times in 2019 in our Wednesday Prayer Meeting. The most unique experience in 2019 was serving as chairman of the Discipleship Pastor Search Committee for Brookwood. After months of meetings with six fellow church members and our pastor, a (literal) mountain of resumes and daily prayer, we found God’s man for this vital leadership position. Our Discipleship Pastor has been on the field for five months and is experiencing results.
· Shreveport Reasons To Believe. As President of the Shreveport Chapter, I have been responsible for the strategic and educational direction of our group. In August, we began a series based on Kenneth Samples’ book, Classic Christian Thinkers in our monthly meetings. I spoke on Athanasius and his work on the Incarnation of Christ and His deity against the Arian heresy.
I continue to pray that God will use me as an apologist and that those who view my work whether in person or over the internet will grow closer to Him as a result of it as we earnestly “contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all” (Jude 3, HCSB).
Next week, I will share with you some of my goals for 2020.
Mark Riser - Apologist 