Giving an answer for your Hope (Prepared?)

1 Peter 3:14-16 "14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame."


You may have read this before many times. To some who knows this might be something new. For those who have seen it... Feel free to just roll your eyes like the picture below.

Seen this, read it, known it....pfffft

So let us let scripture speak for itself. It starts off with that if you should suffer for righteousness you will be blessed. Let's pause there. Fact check me, but in Hebrew one of the many translations of blessed is Ashrei which means happy. Hence Asher means happiness. So at the start we are seeing that happy are those who suffer for righteousness. Interesting... but let's move on.

Have no fear of theeeem, nor be troubled. Other translation would say do not be frightened. Like Peter knew humanly speaking the idea of suffering is not pleasant. That by merely saying happy are you who suffer was not enough. So he adds not to fear them. By them I meant those who do not share your faith mainly. Do not fear BUUUUUT in your hearts honor Christ the LORD as holy. So we are starting to see something here. 

Always be prepared to give an answer for your hope with gentleness and respect. That is the next bit right? So I asked a few people are they prepared? Majority answered they have fear. What sort of fear? I asked. They listed down.

1. Fear that they do not know the answer/ fear of giving the wrong answer. 
2. Fear of offending people/ Fear that as you stand for the truth it might push people away instead of drawing them near. 

Most of the answers could be categorized into these two. And it is a legitimate fear in my humble opinion being human and all.

I CAN'T DO IT. NUUUUUUH

I will not blame any one of them. I will not hold them accountable. Nor will I judge. Hey we all struggle with this. It would be arrogant of me to think I know better as if I do not have my own sets of struggle. If there is anything the Lord has shown me, it is the fact that I am far off His mark and I try to convey that to the people around me daily.

But here comes the cool part. Peter as he writes, does not give us an option to... well... Opt out from such a fear either. Remember in the Gospel of Matthew where it says "seek first His kingdom.... Everything else will be added on to you"? Remember that? That was the goal. or in Pslams, David knew that the one thing he wants is to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. The Bible asks us to focus on God. In Deuteronomy, Moses tells the Israelites in the Shema to love the lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. On and on I could go on. 

So back to the focus here. We are living in a world where majority takes everything personally and is triggered constantly being at times like a sophisticated cry baby having really expressive words intellectually. Tolerance is out of the window. We can't purposely say things for fear of offending someone. Because guess what? Someone is gonna be offended.

Awwww there there dun anger kaaay

But here is the deal. When they gave the answers I was like so true, I feel you, I know the fear too and this is sooo coool look at what scripture says. It starts off with if you suffer for righteousness it is good. Don't fear. Do not be afraid of them. Do not be afraid of offending them. That is how it starts. As if God knows our hearts (Well he does). But maaaaan. he already addresses the first part. But set in your hearts Christ as holy. Meaning put Him first. Prioritize Him. Seek first His kingdom. Recognize who God is. Be still and know He is God. Beginning of wisdom is fearing the Lord.

Why? Because as you come to a relationship with the Father you will come to know the heart of the Father. As you learn to abide in Christ, you will be fruitful as he prunes you. And as you abide in Christ, you will grow in the fruit of the spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,... By keeping your eyes focused on Jesus, it will compel you to prepare. 

And here is the kicker. You will not offend them because you are giving your answer in gentleness and respect. Baaam! You are coming with a clear conscience understanding who you are in God. Being a child of God. You will be blameless as Paul says countless times be it in Philippians or Timothy. So that they cannot speak maliciously against you. Why? Because your character stands out. You stand firm. A clear conscience. 

"I disagree with this fella but, nothing wrong with him though" kinda feel. You get me? You follow?

I wanna shame him but I have no reason to. 

After all, when you come to know the person-hood of Christ. Know His love, we learn that His perfect love as 1 John 4 states that Perfect love drives out all fear.

Woooah

 So the questions we are left with are these.

1. Are you setting Jesus Christ as Lord in your hearts as Holy?

2. Are you preparing to give an answer for your Hope?

3. When you do give an answer is it out of gentleness and respect?

Because here is the deal in summary. When you place Jesus as number 1 in your hearts you will come to know Him. by knowing Him we learn the depth of what it means of Him being our Hope. The Hope that never fails. Abiding in Him we learn of His love and grow in spirit and character. Knowing the heart of Jesus we will then always be prepared to give an answer in gentleness and respect because of the love we have for people. All created in His image. And such a love casts out all fear. Do you see what I see? 

P.S.- there is also another reality where if they hated Jesus they would probably hate you as well. But that is of the matter of the heart already. That one requires not us but the Holy Spirit to work in them. For Jeremiah says our hearts are deecitful above all things. Desperately wicked.