While evangelism and missions have been a core and innate part of the Christian journey in Malaysia ever since the pioneering years, the field of apologetics is a relatively young one in our nation. Many seeds are sowed but strong foundations in many communities are still somewhat lacking.
To answer the need for this gap, a ministry was established recently with the holistic aim of combining the sharing of the Good News with the proper understanding and discipling of young believers in the true knowledge of Christ and Christianity.
Forged from the passion and necessity to engage the culture in many local Christian circles with the Gospel, Pastor Samuel Nesan and Pastor Mark Tan have founded Explain International (E.I) to facilitate a Gospel movement by equipping local churches to accurately articulate and defend the Christian faith. A core identity of Explain International is to be an evangelical ministry dedicated to explaining the hope that Christians have in Christ Jesus gently and respectfully (1 Peter 3:14–16).
The Current State of Theology
‘In a survey conducted by Ligonier Ministries on the State of Theology, it was discovered that while almost three-fourths of correspondents (73%) agree that Jesus is “the greatest being created by God” (not realising that Jesus Christ is not a created being), almost half (44%) say that He was merely a great teacher and not God,’ Explain International disclosed.
‘More than half believe that God accepts the worship of all religions and that the Holy Spirit is a force and not a personal being (58% and 55% respectively). Doubtless, the statistics given offer more discouragement than hope. There seems to be a root cause of a heavy emphasis on evangelism and outreach without proper discipleship and motivated by membership statistics. The unglamorous work of discipling new believers is largely neglected, especially in the area of discipling the mind.’
The dearth of proper discipleship has led Christians to look to church growth seminars, rallies, and music. While these are not negative in themselves, many young Christians lack discernment on how unbiblical some of these events are, particularly in cases when these seminars or rallies espouse result-driven approaches and worldly methods. In a conservative culture, many Christians are also afraid to raise questions concerning the biblical accuracy of information taught and presented in these events, with the fear that they will be treated as judgmental or divisive.
‘There is a concern that emotionalism and pragmatism have been magnified at the expense of objective truth as revealed from the Scriptures in modern-day Christendom,’ E.I expressed, ‘so much so that many Christians lack the desire or aspiration to be firmly rooted in the Word of God, which is the primary means of grace which God uses to sanctify His people (John 17:17)’.
Explain International’s Mission
With the insight and understanding of the current state of theology among new believers and even many lay Christians, Explain International is on a mission to provide the aforementioned help.
‘We want to glorify God by biblically equipping believers to explain their faith in fulfilling the Great Commission,’ they conveyed. E.I’s Mission Statement can be explained through 4 core goals and purposes:
1. To glorify God
As Christians, they seek to do everything to honor our Creator, Redeemer, and Father. Therefore, Explain International wants to glorify God first and foremost (1 Corinthians 10:31).
2. By biblically equipping believers
As a resource ministry, E.I have taken on the responsibility of equipping believers to be biblical. They believe that the disciples of Christ ought to live, think, and act according to God’s ways and commands which are revealed only through Scripture. As such, to comprehend Scripture is foundational in discipleship (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
3. To help believers articulate the Gospel
The Gospel message is central and foundational to the Christian faith. It is the means by which God saves sinners (Romans 1:16). Thus, it is to be prioritized and proclaimed (Romans 10:17). E.I aim to help believers articulate and explain this Gospel message with clarity and accuracy.
4. In fulfilling the Great Commission
As Christians, God has given us the privilege to partake in His plan to redeem a people for His glory. This is a privilege that comes with heavy responsibilities and eternal consequences. The passage in Matthew 28:18–20 cannot be more clear, in that the Lord Jesus has all power and authority given to Him, He is with His people, and that the Great Commission is a command and not a suggestion. We are called to obey His command. Explain International exists to help Christians on the journey towards this great mandate.
Reaching Out Strategically
Explain International’s ministry spans across a wide-ranging field and avenue. The organisation utilises five main channels to fulfill its mission:
1. Social Media
Including YouTube live streams, videos, podcasts, and interviews.
2. Speaking Invitations
Invitations to speak in schools, Christian Fellowship Gatherings in Universities, Local Churches, Dialogues, and even Debates.
3. Explain Conferences/Seminars
Including conferences at the national level where a list of messages or talks will be given for a particular theme e.g. Biblical Sexuality, Canon of the Bible, etc.
4. Seminary Lectures & Programs
Seminaries such as Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary, Seminari Theologi Malaysia, and Logos Academy have partnered with Explain International to host Lectures and Programmes that teach: Great Commission Apologetics, Biblical Koine Greek, etc.
5. Apprenticeship Programs
Explain International welcomes believers to join them in apprenticeship programs where they will be exposed to our working culture and application of convictions.
Five Guiding Core Values
Explain International’s main work is in helping local churches fulfill their mission by integrating apologetics into the discipleship process. In pursuit of the above objectives, the ministry holds uncompromisingly to these five core values:
1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Explain International seeks to center its apologetics on articulating and defending the Gospel. There are topics within Christendom that are important but are not of first importance (1 Corinthians 15:1–4). The focus at Explain International is to answer objections that are directly an affront to biblical Christianity.
2. The Holy Scriptures
Explain International believes that defending the Faith should begin with the Holy Scriptures themselves. A careful exposition of Christian doctrine is foundational to articulating the Faith, and this ensures that believers are representing the faith accurately and without compromise.
3. The Local Church
The context of Explain International’s work is in and through the local church. They believe that every believer should be involved in apologetics and desire to make it a normal part of the discipleship process.
4. Scholarship
Though Explain International’s desire is to make apologetics as accessible as possible, they strive to be thorough in their research and accurate in their presentation. Explain International aims to foster a culture of intellectual honesty — a passion for chasing the truth no matter where it leads.
5. Healthy Conversations
Explain International seeks to have conversations that reflect our shared belief in the Imago Dei. Every person is created in the image of God, and regardless of their beliefs, they deserve dignity and respect. They endeavour to reflect this respect not just in demeanor and kindness, but in how they engage with arguments and objections to the Christian Faith.
Memorable Past Events
Throughout its years of ministry, Explain International has participated in many events. One such event was a memorable debate that took place in 2018 between the Malaysian Atheists & Secular Humanists (MASH) & Explain International (then called Explain Apologetics). It was hosted by the First Baptist Church (Subang Jaya) on June 10 of that year. Navin Innasi and Willie Poh represented MASH while Pastor Mark Tan and Samuel Nesan represented Explain International. The debate was moderated by Dr. Philips Koh and was emceed by Ross Stephenson with more than 500 people in attendance.
Besides local shores, Explain International has also been active in other nations. One such memorable event was a Theology Lab conducted in Clayton, Melbourne, through the invitation of Regeneration Monash, a local church there. In the Theology Lab, Explain International’s co-founder Pr Samuel Nesan gave a talk as well as teaching on the Canon of the Bible. Among the topics he covered were on how we got the 66 books of the Bible and the authority of Scripture.
Explain International is a somewhat young ministry but they are already doing much important work within a crucial gap in Christian communities both local and abroad, foremost by helping churches and Christians build a solid and secure foundation in their faith and belief in Jesus Christ and Christianity.
To find out more about Explain International’s ministry, please visit their website at https://explaininternational.com/ and Facebook page at They also maintain a YouTube ( ) and Spotify channel (spoti.fi/3EJRX48), as well as an Instagram account ().
LinkTree: linktr.ee/explainapologetics
All pictures kindly contributed by Explain International.
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