Be Ready

(Sorry for the misspelling on the whiteboard)

I was surprised I got pushback from a class one Sunday while teaching about St. Stephen’s martyrdom. I came to the part where some Jews debated Stephen, but “None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.” (Acts 6:9-10) To my surprise, several people disagreed with what Stephen did!

That was the first time I encountered “Christians” who openly disagreed with God’s Word. I explained that Peter wrote that we should always be prepared to “make a defense” to anyone asking us why we have hope. But we are to do it “with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

There was an encounter when Jesus challenged the Pharisees to make the right choice. He said, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But the Pharisees wouldn’t answer Him! So, he healed a man in front of them all! (Luke 14:3-4)

As believers in Jesus, we must not be ashamed of the Good News about Christ. “It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16). We should practice being vocal about our faith and ready to make a defense of the truth of Jesus our Savior.

We live for Jesus; that’s what matters!