But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV
Isn’t this what living in Christ is really all about? We know of the responsibilities to ourselves, to our own personal relationship with Christ, but we also know it doesn’t stop there.
Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 14:14-16 NIV
We are charged to continue to plant the seed of the word whenever possible, but the message doesn’t have to be deep and hard to understand. No, it can be very basic – just go back to the beginning.
Basic bible truths start in the beginning. Sometimes we simply need to go back to the very basic absolutes to plant the seeds effectively. Often, this requires us to go back to the beginning.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:1-2 NIV
Here’s where it all starts, where God and the Holy Spirit are first introduced. God then creates man, man is tempted by Satan, and sins. This sin leads to death. God then makes a promise, to send his son Jesus
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 NIV
John later explains Jesus, from the beginning.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. John 1-2 NIV
With this we know of God, his Spirit, and his Son.
Now why did God send his son into the world?
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17 NIV
Jesus, the Son of God, explains through these two bible verses, exactly why he came.
Sometimes, to plant the seed of the word, we simply need to go back to the beginning, back to the very basic truths.
In our opening passage, Peter spoke of giving an answer for the hope we have.
I submit to you that hope has a name, it is Jesus!
Love one another in his name.
Barnabas
Special thanks for this guest submission by Barnabas.