“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” — 1 Peter 3:15 NIV

Christians have something that is very valuable in today’s world — HOPE. As Christians, our hope is found in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and love for all of God’s people. Peter encourages us to “always be prepared” to tell a personal story of our faith. Peter is not instructing us to give a full faith witness of transformation. He is asking us to “be prepared” to share a story when we became a little kinder, more compassionate, accepting, and/or grace-filled because we chose to learn from the lessons of Jesus.

“But do this with gentleness and respect”

The ultimate act of respect is to share a story of how we learned more about ourselves because of our faith. And to be gentle means that we trust God to use our story to open them to faith. Peter did not say, “Be prepared to tell someone how to believe but rather to share stories of hope.”

Our job is to share a story. God’s job is to share salvation.

Blessings,
Pastor Carol

See you Sunday. When you are not here, you are missed!