Study and Be Ready

1 Peter 3:15

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:

I remember when I came to the Lord with the full understanding of his saving grace in my life.  It was a wonderful feeling.  I was filled with happiness and wonder.  I saw the world in a whole new way and everything was like new.  I went outside and a fresh snow was falling covering everything in a pure and clean whiteness that matched the way I felt inside.  My sins had been forgiven and I had been covered in clean whiteness.

In the time shortly after I told my friends what had happened.  I wanted to share my experience.  I wanted them to feel like I did.  I really could not explain it other than to express what I felt.  This was all fine and dandy…. for me.  My friends seemed to have their reservation about it.  They kind of doubted it was anything that was permanent.  Over time I lost many of those friends as I was no longer like them.  We did not share the same passions anymore and we drifted apart.

Circumstances as they were; I did not dive right into a church and church life.  Life started getting rough and I found myself on tough times.  It was as these times were going on that  I began to have to face some tough questions. I would be asked how could I believe in Jesus who did not seem to be taking very good care of me?  How could a good God let me down so badly?  Sometimes I wondered myself.  So, how else do you find the answers?  I studied. I learned.  I listened to good teachers on radio and TV who matched what I was reading in the Bible.  Then, as I found the answers, I was able to share what the bible says on those tough questions.

Eventually, as promised, I came out of the darkest times and was restored to where I had been and was placed back where I was, back with the old crowd in the home town.  Now, when I was asked about my beliefs, I was no longer giving answers in terms of emotions, but could relate real life experience with the scriptures, and give answers that met them where they were and could understand.  My faith had grown from emotional infancy.  

 

Over time I got involved in ministry.  As a leader of a youth group I was finding that the youth had some very tough questions; questions that were not being very well addressed by the church where I was working.  I knew where to go to find the answers though, to the good book.  Even though I might not have had an immediate answer, I could find it.  Strangely enough, this got me into trouble with the church.  I was out of line, going off the theme.  I had to answer why I was doing that. I was ready and gave an answer, but they did not seem to like it.  We soon after parted ways.

I found myself at another ministry.  This ministry was very evangelistic in nature.  Not the denominational type, but one that was seeking to save lost souls.  It is amazing the kinds of questions that strangers and acquaintances can come up with.  There were some that stumped me, but I had gained enough know how that I could, on the spot, look things up in the bible to try and answer those hard questions.  The Holy Spirit would bring up passages in my mind that I had read.  

When the internet first came out, I was all over that.  I am kind of a techie so I instantly gravitated towards it.  I began to go to religious groups and found myself delving into the world of apologetics.  Let me tell you, there are some smart and knowledgeable unbelievers out there.  I instantly saw that I had my hands full having to study out supposed contradictions in the bible, claims of inaccuracy of the Bible, false histories about the church and the bible, claims of how science had disproven the bible.  I had my hands full with some really tough questions that really had me digging deep into the bible, and into history, science, sociology, psychology, archaeology, and all sorts of things.  It’s funny because after over 20 years of debating scripture, unbelievers still come up with the same refutations.  You end up answering the same argument over and over again, basically repackaged with the latest new discovery and information.

Another thing I began finding out in apologetic too is that many believers hold different beliefs about the bible, or rather some interpretation based loosely on the Bible.  There are whole controversies surrounding how one should live and act as a believer.  There are many doctrines out there that if you were not studied up on the bible, they would sound like they make sense or are true about the bible when in fact they are not true.  So, not only are you dealing with unbelieving scoffers, but you are also dealing with many different ideas that are so called Christian that you have to answer to also.

Now I tell this all to you for a reason.  The reason is stated in the opening verse.  We need to always be ready to give an answer for what we believe.  This may require you to do as in another verse, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15).  Eventually the emotion of being a new Christian fades away and we are left to deal intellectually with our faith and contend with others concerning it.  If you are not in your word, studying it, you can be easily led astray.

We must remember that we must be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  (I Peter 5:8).   You don’t think that he is seeking to devour those who he already has do you?  No.  He is seeking believers that he can confuse and lead away.  All of these complex questions and arguments don’t just arise in a vacuum.   You have an adversary who is seeking to neutralize you from service to the Lord.  This is why we have to study and be ready. 

The bottom line is this, through all of this, we are supposed to be about winning souls for God, bringing people to the foot of the cross, and sharing with them the arisen Lord Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.  The enemy does not want this and will either try and confuse you and lead you astray and/or neutralize your effectiveness in sharing the gospel.    To stand strong against this and to be effective; studying and being ready is an imperative.