We live in a time when in North America fewer people identify as Christians. We have the stats to prove it. But people aren’t simply becoming apathetic, many are becoming increasingly hostile and antagonistic towards faith. Do you know what to say when someone challenges you? Jesus experienced challenges and confrontations on multiple occasions. This sermon explores two such challenges in Mark 2:18-28. We look not only at what he said, but his pattern of response. This continues to be instructive for us today. In Ephesians 6 the Scriptures are referred to as the “sword of the Spirit.” With that in mind, William Gurnall wrote: “The sword of the Spirit in another person’s hand will not defend you.”