Why do you believe that?

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.

Always be prepared to give an answer

to everyone who asks you to give reason

for the hope that you have.

But do this with gentleness and respect."

1 Peter 3:15

Answering the question "Why do you believe that?"

Is one of the hardest questions that you can answer to someone,

or to answer to yourself.

I honestly never thought about it to the extent that I should have,

and should someone have asked me 

"Why do you believe that?"

"Why do you believe in Jesus Christ?"

"Why do you believe that your Truth is The Truth?"

I would have given the answer that I have always been told,

"...because that is what the Bible says..."
which doesn't always fly when people don't believe the Bible to be the Word of God.

What would you say??

Now I know there are a ton of people

who have way better answers than that,

and I know there are a ton of people

who would say just that.

So it is our turn, as Christians, to really learn "Why do you believe that?"

and this isn't really something that can be taught,

it is something you have to figure out yourself.

Because your answer will most definitely be different than mine,

and no two people will have the same answer.

But that's OK. 

There is no wrong answer.

Now y'all are wondering,

"Uh... this isn't about life in Puerto Rico or Optometry School... what gives?"

Well, my wonderful new church family Christian Community Church
 hosted Mary Jo Sharp - a Christian Apologist - this past weekend

for an amazing conference where I learned so much about how to 

talk to others about their faith, my faith, and how to be understanding and gentle.

She is the author of many books, including "Why do you believe that?"

which is a study on Apologetics and learning to defend your faith.

How do you do that?

You have to be able to know what you believe and where it stemmed from,

something I am trying to get a firm grasp on right now.

But it is also more than that,

it is being respectful to others who have different beliefs,

and knowing how to ask them questions, listen to them, and be able to respond

so that we can engage others about God,
and help others to understand both our beliefs, and their own.

This is deep, I know..

Sorry No, I'm not, because this is so important,

And something I have never been exposed to in my twenty-one years in church!

What are we doing, y'all?

We are not teaching our new generations to seek why they believe what they believe!
And honestly, we are most often not giving them
 very good resources or experiences in the church.

And it is time to do that.

There are apologetics books for

children,

adolescents,

young adults,

men,

women,

The list goes on for every walk of life.

To get started on learning more about Apologetics, 

start out reading Mary Jo Sharp's blog at

www.confidentchristianity.blogspot.com

In Sunday School, we just finished her study

"Why do you believe that?"

And right now, I'm reading her book

"Defending Your Faith"
...My copy may or may not be autographed... :P

I encourage you to look into this 

so we can all show the world God's love and mercy,

in a gentle and respectful manner.

Other good resources:
Children:
The What is God like? series by William Lane Craig
Purchase complete series here
Young Adults/Students:
www.ratiochristi.org
Everyone:
Ravi Zacharias @ www.rzim.org/blog/
J.P. Moreland @ www.jpmoreland.com/jps-blog-2/
www.bethinking.org

By the way, y'all, Mary Jo Sharp lives in Texas,

so maybe you can do her study,

and bring her to have an Apologetics Conference at YOUR church.

MSG* version:
"Through thick and thin,
keep your hearts at attention,
in adoration before Christ, your Master.
Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks
why you're living the way you are,
and always with the utmost courtesy."
1 Peter 3:15

*no chinese food included