BE PREPARED
The photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of a great forest fire. Smoke at the scene hampered him and he asked his home office to hire a plane. Arrangements were made and he was told to go at once to a nearby airport, where the plane would be waiting. When he arrived at the airport, a plane was warming up near the runway. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, "Let’s go! Let’s go!" The pilot swung the plane into the wind and they soon were in the air. "Fly over the north side of the fire," yelled the photographer, "and make three or four low level passes." "Why?" asked the pilot. "Because I’m going to take pictures, I’m a photographer and photographers take pictures!" After a pause the pilot said, "You mean you’re not the instructor?" Fact is sometimes we are so focused on having to accomplish our own agenda, our own task that we forget to stop and make sure we’re on the right plane.
I imagine most of you know about the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. One thing that I still remember about my days in the Boy Scouts is the motto. Do you know the motto of the Scouts? Their motto is, "Be Prepared." That means that a good Scout must try to be prepared to handle anything that might happen. For example, when we went on a camping trip, we had to make sure that we had all of the equipment we would need. As Christians we always need to be prepared to share our faith.
1 Pet 3:13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 15 But in your hearts set apart 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, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
We want to be contagious in our Christianity, don’t we? We want to make a difference. This morning we’re going to focus on how to live out our responsibility. Specifically, how can we take biblical truths and communicate them in a way that is both practical and compelling?
As Christians we like to talk about witnessing but we struggle to actually do it.
1. Demonstrate
1 Pet 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
The book of 1 Peter was written to a persecuted and suffering church. Peter gives instructions on how Christians should live in a world that is hostile to their presence. The problem of suffering has marked the people of God throughout the centuries, and continues today. In chapter 3, Peter gives several principles for enduring difficulties.
Verse 15 starts of with the word “but” which means that there is a contrast to what came before it. In verse 13-14 Peter says;
1 Pet 3:13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened."
Peter says here that doing good will make persecution less likely. However, we know that the life that Jesus calls us to is in opposition to the world. Even when we do good there will be times when we will still suffer. However, even if we do suffer we are still blessed.
Matthew 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
So what does it mean when Peter says “in our hearts set apart Christ as Lord.” It means that we trust Jesus, and only Jesus. It means that we have faith. Verse 14 is a quote from Isaiah;
Isaiah 8:12 … do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. 13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread
The context in Isaiah 8 describes how Ahaz, who was king of Judah, faced a crisis when the armies of Assyrian were about to attack. The kings of Israel and Syria invited Ahaz to join them in an alliance so they could oppose Assyria, but he stubbornly refused. When he turned them down, Israel and Syria began to make plans to attack Judah in addition to Assyria. Now, there are three powerful countries poised to pounce on Judah. Unbelievably, Ahaz decides to align himself with their enemy the king of Assyria because he is so afraid. He send gold from the temple as tribute to Assyria.
The prophet Isaiah warned him against this ungodly partnership and urged him to trust God for deliverance. Ultimately, God is in control and is able to save us.
Someone once defined FEAR as False Evidence Appearing Real.
Peter quotes this passage from Isaiah to remind us that when we are faced with a crisis we may be tempted to give in to our fears and make wrong decisions. The bottom line is that the fear of the Lord conquers every other kind of fear. If our relationship with God is strong, we can handle opposition and even persecution.
Peter says “In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.” Why is that important as a framework for sharing our hope? In the Old Testament they set apart certain utensils and they used them for God’s work, certain pieces of furniture, specific days and times like the Sabbath. We have looked at that before, that God commands us to set apart one day a week for worship and rest. Some of us have fine china that is “set apart” for special events. You don’t use it all the time, it is set apart for special use.
Likewise, we need to set apart Christ in our hearts as Lord. Jesus is different. He is special. He get’s final say in everything that we say and do. The first step in sharing your faith is to demonstrate the authenticity of your faith in your everyday life. Are you living for yourself or for Jesus?
To make Jesus Lord of our lives is to live totally for Him and not for ourselves. As we replace fear with obedience Christ is able to work in us and move through us. Is Jesus Lord of your life right now? Have you decided to live under His leadership in every area of your life?
Emily Post was the etiquette expert of another generation. She was once asked, “What is the correct procedure when one is invited to the White House but has a previous engagement?” She answered, “An invitation to dine at the White House is a command, and it automatically cancels every other engagement.”
One of the reasons we don’t engage in evangelism is because we know we’re not 100% committed to Christ. Spiritual seekers want to know that Christianity is not just some stale theological exercise. It is daily relationship that radically transforms a life from the inside out.
Are we ourselves fully convinced that people without Christ are lost? D.L. Moody, the famed evangelist, told this story at one of his meetings: One evening just before Christmas, a man was walking through the streets of an Eastern city. The store windows were all beautifully decorated, and he observed three little girls intensely interested in one of them. He discovered that the girl in the center was blind, and the others were trying to describe the beautiful things in the window. “Why,” they said, “there is a great big Teddy bear and a beautiful doll. Just look at that pretty pink bow!”
But the blind stood with a blank expression on her face and could not appreciate the beautiful things before her. “Now,” said Moody, “this is an illustration of the effort we Christians are making to arouse the unconverted to an interest and delight in spiritual things. The reason we can’t do so is because the sinner is spiritually blind.” Moody had scarcely concluded when a reporter was on the platform asking him where he had heard that story. “Oh,” said Moody, “I read it in one of those daily papers. I have forgotten which one.” Then the reporter said, “I’m the one who wrote the story because I was there and saw the whole thing. I see now that I’m just like that little girl, spiritually blind.” That man was converted then and there.
The first thing we’re called to do is to demonstrate an authentic Christian life by setting apart Christ as Lord in our hearts. Evangelism is primarily what we are, not what we do. As someone has said, “Evangelism is what spills over when we bump into someone.” When we’re living under the leadership of Christ, we have something that appeals to others when it spills on them.
It could be that one of the great hindrances to evangelism today is the poverty of our own experience. -- Billy Graham
2. Defend
1 Pet 3:15 ... Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
The second challenge is to defend what we believe. We see this in the middle part of verse 15. We are called to not only visualize Christianity by living it but also verbalize our faith by expressing it in a way others can understand.
Here’s how it works. As we demonstrate our faith by living under the lordship of Christ, our lives will be characterized by hope. Non-Christians will see what we have and be curious about it. Some of them will ask us about our faith. When they do, we need to be ready.
The word ALWAYS means that we are to be ready at all times, to be on a constant state of alert. E.g. Star Trek – red alert! We should have an attitude of anticipation.
An ambitious young man asked an experienced salesman for the secret of his success in selling. The salesman said, "There's no great secret, you just have to jump at every opportunity that comes along." The young man replied, "But how can I tell when an opportunity is coming?" The salesman responded, "You can't. You have to keep jumping."
We’re challenged to give an ANSWER. This is the Greek word, APOLOGIA. That doesn’t mean we should apologize for our faith, but instead it means a “verbal defense.” It was used in a courtroom when someone gave evidence or testimony in a case.
We must be prepared to give a logical, step-by-step explanation for what we believe. We are all charged with the responsibility of giving a reason for our faith. We are the witnesses, the Spirit is the prosecution.
We need to be witnesses to the faith and hope we have in Christ. All around us we see the needs. Canada is becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity.
Right now in Parliament they are debating Bill C51 which would remove section 176 from the criminal code which gives protection to pastors and church services. It would no longer prohibit people who would seek to disrupt church services or attack pastors.
A few years ago Trinity Western University started a law program. However, these law degrees are not recognized simply because of the school’s Community Covenant, in which students and faculty have to pledge to abstain from certain activities and behaviors during their studies including the viewing of pornography, the possession or use of alcohol on campus, and “sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman.”
The Liberal government has already legalized Euthanasia and assisted Suicide. The bible clearly speaks about the sanctity of human life and many see this step as an erosion from this biblical truth.
The Liberal government is working hard to legalization marijuana which even secular health professionals believe would be a huge mistake for our society.
We are seeing an increasingly militant abortion agenda pushed forward and the introduction of the free abortion pill meaning that countless other innocent babies will be killed.
The greatest and easiest defense we can give is our own testimony. While you may argue points of theology, you cannot argue with a person’s transformed life.
One of the greatest things we can offer spiritual seekers is hope because there is so little of it in the world today. Hopelessness is everywhere. When people see us living with hope, they want to know how to get it for themselves. We’re to give an answer to everyone who “asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have.” The word ASK means to “crave or desire.” People want answers. They know they don’t have hope – and they want it.
3. Disarm
1 Pet 3:15 … But do this with gentleness and respect
When we demonstrate the leadership of Christ in our lives, people will be curious and will want some answers. When they ask, we need to be ready to defend our faith. Lastly, the end of verse 15 tells us how to witness in a way that disarms people - with gentleness and respect.
We are not called to win arguments, but to make disciples. While we should be ready to defend what we believe, we should avoid being abrasive. I wish I had learned this when I was younger. I remember a discussion I had with my sister that really turned her off. I remember when Jehovah’s Witnesses came to the door and I almost attacked them with the truth.
We’re to be “GENTLE” which is translated “MEEKNESS” in some versions. It’s an inner attitude that affects the way we interact with others. Gentleness means strength under control.
2 Cor 10:1 By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you …
The word RESPECT is the same word as fear – PHOBUS. That does not mean we are afraid of people, but we are to have a sense of Holy awe every time we have the opportunity to share our faith with another person. It’s a holy moment when eternity hangs in the balance.
We have to keep ourselves from becoming cynical. The reality is that some people will reject the truth, no matter what, but we have to not allow that to keep us from sharing. Maybe you’ve heard of the busload of politicians who were driving down a country road when, all of a sudden, the bus ran off the road & crashed into a tree in an old farmer’s field. The old farmer, after seeing what happened, went over to investigate. He then proceeded to dig a hole & bury the politicians. A few days later, the local sheriff came out, saw the crashed bus & asked the old farmer where all the politicians had gone. The old farmer said he had buried them. The sheriff asked the old farmer, "The coroner wasn’t here. Are you sure they were all dead?" The old farmer replied, "Well, some of them said they weren’t, but you know how them politicians lie."
Most of our witnessing is likely to happen in the passing moments of conversation. The issue is not that we should necessarily become more aggressive about sharing our faith. It’s that we should be sensitive to the needs of the people around us, and more aware of the promptings of the Holy Spirit. To be respectful will mean that we will be more gentle to people and their pain.
When our attitude is gracious and gentle, verse 16 helps us see that those who oppose Christianity will be disarmed: “…those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” As we demonstrate Christ to people by making sure He is Lord of our lives, as we defend the reason for the hope that we have, and as we disarm people by our attitude of gentleness and respect, God will use us to clear the way for people to see the central message of the Cross of Christ. Once the barriers crumble, our friends will be more prone to hear the message in a way they can understand and embrace. Here’s how we can illustrate it:
As we wrap up this morning, let me give you three challenges that relate to demonstrating, defending, and disarming. I’ll take them in reverse order:
1. Disarm. Ask God to turn your fear of witnessing into an inner attitude of grace and gentleness toward those you know. Specifically, think of one person and determine to communicate gentleness and respect by something you say to him or her this week.
2. Defend. Practice telling your story. Write out your testimony, I encourage you to do it this week. For an outline, think about what your life was like “before” you became a Christian. Then describe “how” you became a Christian. Finally, write down how your life has changed “after” your conversion. This is part of being ready. Find a Christian and practice with him or her. Make sure to explain words and phrases that may sound archaic and mysterious.
3. Demonstrate. If you have never submitted yourself to the Lordship of Christ, I want to give you an opportunity to do so right now. Turn everything over to Him. Live only to please Him. Be satisfied with nothing less than God’s purposes and the pleasure of serving Him.
If someone where to ask you “why are you a Christian” would you be ready to answer that question today? Does God have control over your mouth? Ivan the Great was Tsar of Russia during the Fifteenth Century. He built a vast empire. As a fighting man he was courageous and brilliant.
However, Ivan was so busy waging his campaigns that he did not have a family. His friends and advisers were quite concerned. They reminded him there was no heir to the throne, and should anything happen to him the union would shatter into chaos. "You must take a wife who can bear you a son." The busy soldier statesman said he did not have the time to search for a bride, but if they would find a suitable one, he would marry her. The counsellors and advisers searched the capitals of Europe to find an appropriate wife for the Tsar. And find her, they did - the beautiful daughter of the King of Greece. She was young, brilliant, and charming and the Tsar agreed to the marriage. The King of Greece was delighted, but there had to be one condition, "He cannot marry my daughter unless he becomes a member of the Greek Orthodox Church." Ivan’s response: "I will do it!" So, a priest was dispatched to Moscow to instruct Ivan in Orthodox doctrine. Ivan was a quick student, learning the catechism quickly.
The tsar made his way to Athens accompanied by 500 of his personal palace guard. He was to be baptized into the Orthodox Church by full immersion, as was the custom of the Eastern Church. His soldiers, ever loyal, asked to be baptized also. The Patriarch of the Church assigned 500 priests to give the soldiers a one-on-one baptism crash course. The soldiers, all 500 of them, were to be immersed in one mass baptism. Crowds gathered from all over Greece. What a sight that must have been, 500 priests and 500 soldiers, a thousand people, walking into the blue Mediterranean. The priests dressed in black robes and tall black hats. The soldiers wore their battle uniforms with of all their regalia—ribbons of valour, medals of courage and their weapons of battle. Suddenly, there was a problem. The Church prohibited professional soldiers from being members; so they would have to give up their commitment to bloodshed. They could not be killers and church members.
After a hasty round of diplomacy, the problem was solved quite simply. As the words were spoken and the priests began to baptize them, each soldier reached to his side and withdrew his sword. Lifting it high overhead, every soldier was totally immersed-everything baptised except his fighting arm and sword. The ‘un-baptised’ arm is a true historical fact. How many un-baptised arms are here this morning? How many un-baptised wills are here? How many un-baptised talents? How many are there here this morning? Since Baptism, like circumcision, is an external sign of commitment to God, it calls for our lips to be baptised, our hearts to be baptised, everything about us to be baptised, submerged, covered by the work of Jesus, made alive with Christ who forgives us all our sins (2:13), thank God!
