Have We Learned Anything?

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Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” I Peter 3:15

Every Christian I know (including myself) struggles with this verse.

Being prepared to discuss spiritual matters involves diligent study of Scripture, and we often neglect this important discipline. We’re distracted, we’re “too busy,” or we’re just plain lazy. It also helps to know how to approach a subject logically and be informed about recent discoveries.

Those of us who want to be “nice” all the time are often not prepared to speak up and “give an answer” about our faith. We freeze up, afraid we’re going to “offend” someone, as if offending is the cardinal sin of Mankind. (Whatever the world may tell you, it is not...)

Others of us fall short of gentleness and respect. We’re bold and ready at any time to speak up, whether or not the audience is ready to hear us. We fail to take into account the person’s background, where (s)he may be emotionally, or even what (s)he is interested in. Often, we forget to pray for wisdom and sensitivity, so we plow full speed ahead with our speech, forgetting that “They won’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

So, does anyone have all three of these qualities mastered? Probably not, but the person who seems to me to have come as close as anyone I know is the late Charlie Kirk.

Everyone, it seems, is talking about (ranting about, arguing about) Charlie. Whether or not I agree with absolutely everything he said (I doubt anyone does.), I do admire the way he lived out his faith in the way described in the opening verse.

*”Always being prepared” certainly involves doing one’s homework. Charlie never went to college, but he read hundreds of books and showed up prepare for an informed and intelligent discussion. He alluded to his knowledge of history, science, and statistics and used logic rather than emotional manipulation to persuade. He was ready to give a (valid) reason for the hope he had.

*He wasn’t lacking in courage to give an answer when asked about his faith; on the contrary, he went into environments where Christianity was met with disdain or downright hostility by the majority. (I wonder how many pastors would be willing to do that.) He didn’t avoid the other side, he reached out to them, engaging in civil discussion whenever allowed to do so.

*As for sharing the gospel with gentleness and respect, Charlie displayed the spiritual gift of self-control. In his Q & A sessions, most were polite in their questioning, some were rude, sarcastic, or unruly. But Charlie never (to my knowledge) lost his temper, yelled, or resorted to name calling or demonizing his opponents. He didn’t cut off, cancel, or shout down his opponents. In fact, anyone who disagreed with him was invited to the front of the line. (Kirk has been called a fascist, but I looked up the definition of “fascist,” and fascists do not give the mic to dissenters.)

The young man who shot him may or may not have had illusions of silencing him, but Charlie Kirk’s videos have gone viral. People who had never heard his name are listening to him share his beliefs, the most important being the way to God through Jesus Christ. What excites me is the number of people saying, “I’m an atheist, but today I bought my first Bible,” or “I stopped going to church years ago, but I’m going back this Sunday.” These comments are coming from all over the world. What Christian wouldn’t want to have that kind of impact?

Those of us who desire to evangelize our world can learn from watching and listening to him, whether we need more education, more heart, or more backbone.

Maybe you have criticism regarding some of the things Charlie did or didn’t say or the way he presented himself.

First, he wasn’t trying to present himself, he was trying to present Jesus.

Secondly, if you have a better way of doing it – by all means, get out and do it!

Prayer: Lord, we are so quick to judge others, whether out of irritation, pride, defensiveness, or envy. Take our eyes off the faults of others and onto You. We submit to You our own faults and thank You for forgiving us and giving us a fresh start every day. Help us to follow every good example in those who have gone before us and leave good examples for those who come after us, in Jesus’ name, amen.

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Published by seekingdivineperspective

I am a forgiven sinner and adopted child of God, seeking to see life from His perspective - as opposed to the world's flawed perspective - and living my life accordingly.

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17 thoughts on “Have We Learned Anything?”

  2. I agree with you although sometimes I don’t and he could be a bit of a button pusher not even sure how to explain it – more of a feeling, it takes one to know one that’s why I get that feeling, I just wish he had endorsed Trump as the best choice and stayed away from the temptation of politics – I think as he aged, sadly this will not happen, he would have looked at some of his partisan and MAGA statements as being too tied to a man who said things he agreed with and a faith that is so much more loving than the man that said them. I found Charlie Kirk to be loving in his approach which I believe would have actually caused issues in the future with Trump and MAGA – of course a guess but I see Charlie as more like Christ than I ever viewed him when I was only exposed to simpits on the Internet

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    1. Dave, I agree. I’m so tired of seeing those snippets, out of context, and even the opposite of what Charlie was saying. There’s even a quote being circulating of his words where he was quoting a racist before refuting everything that racist said. But that quote is being attributed to Charlie. 🤨

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  4. Annie, all kidding aside, I believe the Christian groups on college campuses would benefit from your scriptural knowledge, devout faith, and strong convictions. And, I know from previous posts, you are not timid about sharing God’s Word! 🙂

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    1. Thanks, Nancy. I have checked around for opportunities to have a table and give away free Bibles, but I haven’t, because I couldn’t find anyone to do it with me. Maybe that makes me a coward, or maybe I want to stick to the way Jesus sent His followers out in pairs.

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  5. One means I have discovered, by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, is to ask someone, “Can I respond honestly?” There is a lot of power in an invitation! In Rev. 3:20 we see Jesus “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.” Jesus is a gentleman, and we should be as well. When someone gives you permission to speak into their life they may not like hearing the Truth, but they shouldn’t get mad either.

    Good words, Annie! Keep inspiring us and sharing your divine perspectives!

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  6. Excellent post! That is a fine defense of the work of Charlie Kirk.

    We each have our own gifts, and Charlie Kirk had his. Kirk was a good speaker, quick on his feet, and smart enough to give good answers off the top of his head. He had effectively made a profession of Christian apologetics, and he demonstrated great courage in his work.

    Nevertheless, there is something critical to observe about I Peter 3:15. That verse does not task the rest of us to do what Charlie Kirk did. We don’t have to go looking for opportunities to evangelize the public with the gospel. What we need to do is this.

    When someone asks, we need to be prepared to give a personal reason for the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

    We need to actually give a personal reason for the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

    We need to give that personal reason with gentleness and respect.

    Am I suggesting that we don’t need to be prepared to be Christian apologists? No. To the extent we can we each need to read the Bible and try to understand it. In fact, when we engage in Christian fellowship, we should each be sharpening the Biblical knowledge of our fellow Christians.

    If we are doing our best to follow in the footsteps of the of Jesus Christ, then sooner or later we will be asked to explain the reason for the hope that is within us. When people are genuinely curious, that is when they are most ready to list, and it would be best if we don’t have any regrets about the answer we give when that time comes.

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    1. I agree completely, Tom. The Body of Christ has many members, each with his/her own calling. My prayer for the Church is that none of us will be running around trying to do everyone else’s ministry, and none of us will be sitting around waiting for others to do ours. Once every member is where they’re called to be, doing what they’re called to do, the Body will be complete, and the job will get done. 👍

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  8. Soooo good!!! Love what you wrote here:

    What excites me is the number of people saying, “I’m an atheist, but today I bought my first Bible,” or “I stopped going to church years ago, but I’m going back this Sunday.” These comments are coming from all over the world.

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