“How do you identify?”
If we are being honest, some in our society struggle with identity. Some individuals are confused about their identity. Two terms can be used to identify my identity.
Christian and apologist.
I would like to report to you on the year 2023 and my ministry activities.
Mark Riser – Apologist blog. This is my primary ministry and outreach outlet. Seventy-five people subscribe to Mark Riser – Apologist and I am extremely thankful for them. Some of the most interesting posts on my blog have been my review of Dr. Brant Pitre’s The Case for Jesus, the critique of “The Abortion Imaginary,” “Dreaming of Empire,” and “A Baptism in the Family.”
Brookwood Baptist Church. I continue to serve in several capacities at my home church. I am serving as a small group leader. This year we completed a study using J. Warner Wallace’s book Person of Interest. We also began an intensive study in the book of Ephesians. I continue to serve as a deacon and on the Deacon Leadership Board. I joined the Greeting ministry in our church and served before our second service greeting our members and guests as they entered our worship facility.
Shreveport Reasons To Believe. As President of our chapter, I have been responsible for selecting the educational content for our meetings. We have completed a year-long study in our monthly meetings of Hugh Ross’s book Navigating Genesis. Bruce Hennigan and I led two outreach events, “Investigation Resurrection” and “Adversary: Know Your Enemy” which were well-received. Our chapter membership is increasing and we are seeing new people each month.
Discipleship. Two passages of Scripture have worked to shape my thinking in 2023. The Psalmist wrote,
“The fool says in his heart, ‘God does not exist.’” (Psalm 14:1, HCSB).
The word for “fool” does not mean someone who is mentally deficient, but one who acts as a practical atheist. This fool acts as though God has no claim on his life and does not recognize God as the one true sovereign of the universe. The question for me is do I recognize God during my day or is He someone that I remember as I do my devotional reading or pray during lunchtime? I want to be someone who recognizes God at each moment that I live and each action that I take.
A second passage comes from Deuteronomy which contains Moses’s admonition to the people before they entered the Promised Land. He says,
“You must follow the Lord your God and fear Him. You must keep His commands and listen to His voice; you must worship Him and remain faithful to Him” (Deuteronomy 13:4, HCSB).
God has been incredibly faithful to me. He met my needs, forgiven my sins, and answered my prayers. God has blessed me beyond my ability to comprehend. The question to me is always, how is my faithfulness? Am I faithful to Him in following Him?
My prayer for 2023 was that I recognize Him each moment and be faithful to Him as I identify as a Christian and an apologist.
Next week I’ll share with you some of my goals for 2024.
Mark Riser - Apologist 