Next Step: Share Your Hope

1 Peter 3: 13-16

You don't have to be a biblical scholar or even good at memorizing scripture in order to talk with others about your journey in this world. Just be yourself. Having a heart for the Lord will be evident in your actions and interactions. But go ahead, pray for Him to use you as a vehicle for His words.

Provided you can be patient and don't put the cart before the horse, your Life on Mission will likely be a natural progression. Remember though, that with some, the process will be somewhat swift and with others, painfully slow, but take heart, our God is near.

Just as with any friendship, the process of connecting and getting to know one another to the point of trust is not simple. It requires sincere interest, time and love. Once connected, serving can be anything your friend needs like offering transportation, childcare, food, money, time, etc.

Upon feeling connected and having settled into a comfortable service for each of you, a time will come for you to share your story. That doesn't mean you talk all about your church and try to convince them to go with you, but conversation about YOU. The story of how you came to be so at peace. Genuine dialogue about where you came from and how you got to be where you are now. Generally when people see something they like, they want to know how to get it for themselves.

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect... 1 Peter 3:15

If you have a testimony, go ahead and share it, but be cautious to proceed with gentleness and respect. Nothing worse than an over-the-top Christian. Be sure to meet them where they are. If you don't really have a specific event or experience to share, or you feel that general and low key is best, how about something like; Well, I don't know a lot about the specifics of things like which king did what when, and there's books in the Bible I can't even pronounce, but one thing I do know is that my life has never been better since I made the decision to be a Christ follower. From there conversation will continue, perhaps not that day, but it will. You will have opportunities to expand on that if you watch for them.

What will your response be when you are asked to give a reason for the hope people see in you?

Read/Listen to 1 Peter 3:13-16