Faith ConversationsSýnishorn

Most of us don’t have to worry about being killed for our faith, like those who first received Peter’s letter, but having conversations about our hope in Jesus can still be nerve-racking.

Peter tells us to be ready. We can think about this in two ways: being intellectual ready and being emotionally ready. First, if we aren’t sure what our hope in Jesus is we won’t have much to say. We can always benefit from more reflection on the gospel, but if we don’t feel able to give a clear explanation of it, we need to set aside some time for that. You could look for a gospel tract as a framework you can learn and build on, find a friend to talk it through with, or try writing bullet points.

Secondly, we need to be emotionally ready. The early Christians suffered because of their allegiance to Jesus. Even if they lived godly lives, being a visible benefit to their local areas, they might still suffer for doing good, simply because their first loyalty was to Jesus instead of Caesar. They wanted to please God, not men. For those of us who aren’t risking our lives or welfare, we are afraid to talk about Jesus because we want to be liked. We don’t want to be rejected because of our belief in Jesus.

The only way we will be emotionally ready to have conversations about Jesus is if we are confident of the love and acceptance that we crave. If we look for it in the people around us, the fear of rejection will be overwhelming. If we have found it in our heavenly Father through Jesus, we can ready ourselves to sacrifice the world’s admiration, and even our lives if we must.

Peter also talks about answering people with gentleness and respect. Our hope in Jesus might alienate some people, but there is no need to guarantee hostility by being disrespectful or rude. We’ll look a little at one way we can show gentleness and respect through listening well and asking questions tomorrow. Today, think about getting ready. Do you need to study or practise explaining why Jesus is good news? Do you need to be reassured of God’s love for you? Or do you need to steel yourself and be willing to make sacrifices?