One of my friends was telling me recently about a great book he has been reading by Lee Strobel called ‘A Case for Christ’. Of course it is one I will have to purchase on Amazon, but the title really had me thinking of a verse I read in 1 Peter, which you are probably familiar with:
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
-1 Peter 3:15
You know, I really like Peter. He just seems like one of those guys. I can imagine he wore his heart on his sleeve, and was just very genuine, but of course had his flaws. I can imagine him as a ride-or-die type of person, but as with any of us, he was battling his own demons – self-doubt, insecurity, fear etc.
But overall, I like Peter. I can relate to him, as he just seems to be real, as in, no filter real.
When Peter admonishes the church with this verse and says be prepared to give an answer, you know that he is talking from a place of experience. This is someone who has had the strange and unique misfortune of denying Christ whilst Christ was still on Earth.
Too many Christians have been guilty (for one reason or another) of denying the risen Christ, but Peter denied Him before He even got to the cross. Now you can only imagine how that must have felt…?
So when he says be ready to give an answer, he ain’t playing. Peter knew what it was like to have faith without fervency, to have passion without power – and that was the last thing he wanted for other believers.
As Christians, we need to understand our faith. We need to be able to articulate to someone who doesn’t already know Christ.
It is not good enough to wait to invite them to church, so your Pastor can summarise your faith in a 45 mins sermon. No, you are the church, you are the message – most of the time, you are the only Bible they are going to read.
When people look at us, they should be able to read us like the first page on a KJV Bible. They should be able to read our love, our compassion, and our kindness.
So what is your response?
Get ready with one, because rest assured somebody will ask you, and when they do, what will your answer be?
Stephanie Speaks On 