Always Be Ready

     I absolutely hate pop quizzes, don't you?  It is so much more comfortable to take a test when you are confident that you have studied a topic.   My kids are the same.  I have the fun privilege of being both their mom and their teacher, so I do utilize pop quizzes sometimes to check up on their study habits.  If they have studied, the pop quiz is not a problem.  I can tell when they have mastered the content and accomplished the goal of a lesson.  If they haven't, we go back over it until mastery is achieved.  

    As Christians, are we prepared for the "pop quizzes" that will be thrown at us?  We live in a world in which everyone demands "proof" of something.  Those who have answers that are logical and well-grounded have much more credibility than those answers that are obviously unprepared and without a solid basis for their defense.  That credibility is crucial if we want to be used to share the gospel of Jesus. 

    Peter, in I Peter 3:15, was writing to persecuted Christians. He was encouraging them to not only have faith, but a solid understanding of Who and what that faith was based on.  Here are his words:

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

I Peter 3:15, ESV

    Making a defense is very much like a lawyer, who studies all of his evidence and is prepared in the courtroom to back up his position from every angle.  I am not a lawyer, but from what little I have heard and seen, it is usually a matter of which witness fails the "pop quiz" -- or the barrage of questions that will be hurled at them --  that determines the final verdict.  

    Peter is encouraging those believers who were under intense scrutiny to be prepared to answer the questions that were inevitably going to be coming. This verse is instructive for us, just as it was for those Christians many years ago.  We need to be prepared to defend our faith in Jesus.  It may or may not be a hostile environment in which we are asked questions about the source of our peace and joy.  It may not be a direct question about Jesus, but a question about why we live differently.  Are you prepared to give an answer?  

    I know that I am not always ready for any question.  However, I can reach for the source, my Bible.  It is important to know our Bibles well enough that we know what area of the Bible to turn to when we have questions.  This comes with familiarity.  You just have to spend time reading it.  Filling our minds with Scripture, memorizing it, writing it, listening to it in musical form, and studying it is the only way to prepare ourselves for the "pop quiz" that the devil is waiting to throw at us.  

    Another help that I have found is catechism.  There are a few different ones out there.  A catechism is a simple list of questions and answers dealing with the basic doctrines of our faith. This method has been used by many more liturgical denominations for hundreds of years to instill core doctrines in the minds of their children.  There are Protestant catechisms that will assist in learning the essential doctrines of who God is, who we are, why we were created, and the need for Jesus to come to earth to save us.   It has been very useful in helping me understand and fill in gaps in my studies.  I have been using the New City catechism because they have a handy app that allows me to read over them on-the-go.  It also links each answer to the Scripture that it is based on.  This is simply a tool and not a substitute for studying the Word for yourself!  As you study more for yourself, you may even find some small areas in which you disagree with the catechism answers.  The goal is to study, and be able to defend what and why we believe. 

   I pray that you are strengthened in your faith today and that you may always be ready to stand for Jesus!

💓 Heather Sparks💓