Being Prepared

So yesterday, I was cruising. Two days ago I essentially assumed control of planning and executing a family event for the soldiers and families in Jason's Company. The event is tomorrow. Yeah. So yesterday I was moving, grooving and getting things done. From 5 am until 10 pm I was working on this and I realized that, even though I was accomplishing a lot, I really wasn't prepared for just how much time it would take. I agreed to it, but still wasn't prepared when the time came.

I have found that this is something that happens a lot in Christianity. How often can we talk about how much we love Jesus or go to church, but when someone asks us why, we blank out? This used to happen to me a lot. People would ask me why I went to church and I had no real reason. It was something I had always done. Certainly I enjoyed it, but why did I actually do it? I think a huge problem in Christianity today is that many Christians don't know why they believe what they profess. It has become habitual to a point where when asked the honest question, Christians draw a blank.

You may not even be caught off guard because you don't have an answer. You could have all the reasons in the world, but the question can still stump you in the moment. Perhaps it has been this way since Christianity began, urging Peter to write, 

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander" (1 Peter 3:15-16). 

Note the always and everyone. Not sometimes to some people, but always to everyone.

So how do we do this? First of all, I would say that you need to always be building your testimony. Life experiences are a great teacher and it's something you know personally because it happened to you. So if you're confronted with the question of why you follow Jesus, talk about the impact he has made in your life. Talk about how you lived before you knew him and the change that has occurred in your life since. That can handle a lot of those questions and really make people think. However, maybe you're dealing with someone who knows all about Jesus but still doesn't buy into it. You may then be forced to turn to ethical arguments and theological truths. If I were you, I would start learning the art of Christian Apologetics. Learn to defend you faith on a personal level and also on an intellectual level and your argument will be strong.

As a side note, let me point something out. I think it is good to be prepared. It is something that has always been natural enough to me that I could've been a boy scout from a very young age. Prepare the best you can and know why you believe what you believe, but do not worry about your words. The disciples spent a lot of time with Jesus. They knew him and they had their reasons for following him down, yet Jesus still said to them, "'When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at the time what you should say'" (Luke 12:11-12). You see, we aren't left alone. 

Therefore, when someone asks you that question, say a little prayer for God to guide your words through his Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, our preparedness won't do us much good. Learn all you can, but in the moment, rest in the knowledge that God will not leave you on your own to defend him. Rather, he will send you his Holy Spirit to provide clarity and knowledge. So get out there and study up. Know with all your heart why you are a Christian and defend that belief by the power of the Holy Spirit. Do this, and watch how God moves in the questioner's life.