1 Peter 3:15-16 NLT – Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. [16] But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.
As a Christian we are all called to share our faith with others. Some do it from the pulpit, some online, some as missionaries, some with their family and friends, some with work mates. We all have a role to play.
I think we need to understand our call and our role. We are not all called to preach from the pulpit in church, but we all have a “pulpit” where God uses us to reach others for His Kingdom.
One key I believe is to share our faith with gentleness and respect. I think at times we can forget this, especially in the online world. I have seen too many combative videos of people “slamming” down the other person to prove a point and win the argument.
I know God calls some people to be apologists of the faith. Their role is to make a case for the faith we hold as Christians. But this above verse still applies. We need to do it with gentleness and respect. I do not think it is a good example to belittle others online or in person to make a point.
I know from experience that some people are argumentative and they want to debate you on your faith. Often in front of others. I know that is not my role. When this has happened I mostly say if you are genuinely interested we can talk quietly over a coffee, but if you just want to debate, I am not your person.
I find for me that I sow seeds of faith, let people know I am a Christian, try to be a nice person, do good deeds and be open to people asking questions. As the verse above says, “And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this with gentleness and respect”.
So, today if you are in a position to share your faith with someone else, remember first and foremost to be kind and gentle. Focus on listening carefully to their questions or objections and respond in a way that is both helpful to their faith journey and honours Jesus.