It was a cold, crisp morning.  The snow was gently falling from the sky creating a serene, white blanket over the vast fields and countryside that are quite plentiful in southeastern Pennsylvania.  I got up that morning, like many other, and got around for work.  As I left, I grabbed my laptop case and jumped into my car.  The traffic was snarled by the weather a little bit more than I had anticipated which made me a few minutes late getting to work and also made me a little bit late to a weekly staff meeting.

These staff meetings were a weekly ritual which I seldom contributed much to.  I had been on this job for only a few months and my boss, his boss and the more senior people usually dominated the discussions in the meeting.  I tried to sneak into the meeting and tried to casually slip in a chair near the door of the conference room.  I made eye contact with my boss and he motioned for me to move to a chair up by him.  I reluctantly did so and could plainly see everyone was now aware that I was there and I was late!

My boss got up and began to talk about something when he suddenly looked at me and said that Scott is going to come up and give an in-depth overview of the project he has been working on.  I had no idea he was going to do this and while I admit my insides were churning, I tried to remain composed on the outside.  As I got up, I took a couple of deep breaths, said a quick prayer and put my presentation, such as it was, on the screen.  For the next 25 minutes, I outlined the details of my project and I was “in the zone.”  I impressed all that were in the meeting and I have no doubt that the presentation that I gave that day pushed me forward into a long and successful career that spanned 18 years with that company.

While I had no idea that I would be called upon to give that presentation that day, I was prepared.  I had a “working” presentation on my laptop that I could use and, since I had been developing this project for more than three months, I had a pretty good knowledge of the subject.  Is that not the type of preparation we should have as a Christian?  The Bible says in First 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.”

“Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.”  I can tell you from personal experience that if you live your life for Christ, people will begin asking questions.  They will want to know why you do not talk like other people, why you do not get angry and seek revenge like other people, why do you smile and seem happy even in adversity, why do you treat everyone with respect regardless of how they treat you and a host of other questions.  Are you prepared to answer those questions?  Let me tell you that you should start the same way I started my presentation; take a couple of deep breaths and say a quick prayer.

In some versions of the Bible, the word answer in the above verse is translated “defense.” The English word “apologetics” is derived from the Greek word here. A believer must understand what it is he believes and why he or she is a Christian.  He must then be able to articulate those beliefs in a thoughtful and biblical manner.  When you, as a Christian, are going through your most difficult times is when your testimony can shine its brightest.  Warren W. Wiersbe writes in his commentary, “A crisis creates the opportunity for witness when a believer behaves with faith and hope, because the unbelievers will then sit up and take notice.”

The last part of this verse in First Peter reminds us that we are to give this answer or witness in meekness and fear.  No one I know likes a know-it-all or an arrogant attitude.  We are not trying to win an argument but simply to expound upon why we believe what we believe.  Our purpose and our prayer should be that the people we are honored to be able to tell about Christ would come to know Him as their personal Savior.  Whether we are planting a seed, cultivating a seed or reaping the harvest, we should always represent our Lord Jesus Christ in a meek and respectful manner.  We already have the good news and we want as many other people to have it as possible.

I have had a lot of people come up to me over the years and ask me if I was a Christian or something of the sort.  Some of these were people I had known for a while, while others were people I did not even know their name.  Let me tell you, if you are a Christian, you can be sure people are observing you.  Some, who see you every day, may be observing you very closely.  Of course, we are never going to be perfect on this earth but we should always be striving to be living a life that is pleasing to Christ and always be prepared, ready, eager and honored to share our faith in Jesus Christ to anyone who inquires.