Sow and scatter the seeds of the Gospel
Through the sessions Jonathan Sarfati taught today, I Peter 3:15-17 continually rolled through my mind: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”
Not because of the challenge to “be ready to give an answer”, but because of the phrase “with meekness and fear.” I grew up in a church which grounded its people in the Word of God. As youth we went to some conferences, had retreats and met weekly in what we called ‘rap sessions” where questions were the agenda. We were to bring questions and together look for the answers in Scripture, to grow in our faith and become firmly grounded. And we did!
Unfortunately, at the same time I based how I felt about myself on winning everything. I was highly competitive no matter the arena, whether that was a team sport, tic-tac-toe or a verbal questioning of what I believed. I was ready to give an answer, but there was little or no “meekness or fear.” While I would defend the authority of Scripture and what it taught, I failed in defending the honor and character of God in the manner in which I approached the conversation and the other participants.
I want people to know and own what the Bible teaches for themselves; in other words, I want them grounded and growing in the truths of Scripture. Not for the sake of winning debates or tearing apart another person, but instead for approaching another as a creation of God and highly valued by God. I want people to sow and scatter the seeds of the Gospel, not stomp the seeds into the face of another person.
Peter is clear that we are not to fear others, but to revere God in any encounter about our faith. We need to walk about not “crowing about our exploits” but praying for the life and soul of another. In fact, Peter says in verse 17, “For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” Most of us in the church today are not ready to suffer, even for doing good and in a godly manner. May God use teachings like today not to arm us for battle, but to undergird us with truth to stand for God, even if it costs us.
If you were not with us today, the sessions are available at https://www.youtube.com/user/murdockbaptistchurch.
Pressing on…
Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor
