Like Noah
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart 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." (1 Peter 3:14-15)
You know like how we always focus on the being prepared to answer doubts and stuff like that? When i read these verses again today it suddenly struck me that holiness is a prerequisite for the person giving a response for the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. Setting our hearts apart for Christ our Lord is major part of the preparation. The single greatest obstacle to the impact of the gospel has not been its inability to provide answers, but the failure on our part to live it out.
I read somewhere that the Irish evangelist Gypsy Smith once said, "There are five Gospels: Matthew Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian, and some people will never read the first four." In other words he is saying that the gospel is often first seen before it is heard. The way one's life is lived out will determine the impact upon the skeptic. Too many skeptics see the quality of one's life and firmly believe that it is all theory, bearing no supernatural component.
"Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." It was clear to me that this is talking about the fear of Man. This reminded me of Noah. Imagine when Noah first started out building the ark, when he started collecting tools and timber. His neighbors probably thought he had decided to build a new house or something like that. Perhaps Noah was happy for them to think that way. It would be much easier not to correct their assumption, not to have to explain what a flood was and why his family was going to need a large boat to escape one and worse still, having to have to explain that animals were coming too.
Well, he probably did that but when as his construction gets bigger and more obvious (esp. when he starts coating it with pitch), people is bound to take notice. Then at that point of time he's is faced with the same choice we as God fearing Christians face everyday. He is being faced with a decision to come up with a plausible story or telling the truth and looking like a fool.
I remembered what Jeanie always said to her cell kids that "if Christ is so big in your life, he should be sticking out." For me, i do have a problem when it comes to this. I really want to grow and do things for the glory of God but at the same time i struggle with it as i don't want my faith to become big and noticeable. When people who are expecting me to be earning big bucks ask me where I am working, i struggle with telling them what i was doing. Many times when i struggle i always wonder about the strength of my faith. I guess in the eyes of the world, living a life that is radically countercultural is as difficult to understand as building an ark miles away from water.
Noah could have made his situation easier by only half-heartedly fulfilling the command of God. He could have as easily built a smaller ark, one that would be less noticeable. But Noah feared his creator more than he feared men, even to the point that he was willing to be considered a fool by those around him. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "By faith Noah, when warned of things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith" (Hebrews 11:7).
You know like how alot of us Christians call attention to our lifestyle and worldview, boasting of our righteous choices (not saying that it’s wrong) but in Noah's case, he didn't need to do this. The ark spoke for itself. His obedience to God proclaimed his faith louder than his words could have. And the same can be true of us.
Do we talk about resurrection but not living out its power in our lives? Before we try to answer what people ask, let us live our lives in direct obedience to God. Obedience is better then sacrifices.
You know like how we always focus on the being prepared to answer doubts and stuff like that? When i read these verses again today it suddenly struck me that holiness is a prerequisite for the person giving a response for the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. Setting our hearts apart for Christ our Lord is major part of the preparation. The single greatest obstacle to the impact of the gospel has not been its inability to provide answers, but the failure on our part to live it out.
I read somewhere that the Irish evangelist Gypsy Smith once said, "There are five Gospels: Matthew Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian, and some people will never read the first four." In other words he is saying that the gospel is often first seen before it is heard. The way one's life is lived out will determine the impact upon the skeptic. Too many skeptics see the quality of one's life and firmly believe that it is all theory, bearing no supernatural component.
"Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." It was clear to me that this is talking about the fear of Man. This reminded me of Noah. Imagine when Noah first started out building the ark, when he started collecting tools and timber. His neighbors probably thought he had decided to build a new house or something like that. Perhaps Noah was happy for them to think that way. It would be much easier not to correct their assumption, not to have to explain what a flood was and why his family was going to need a large boat to escape one and worse still, having to have to explain that animals were coming too.
Well, he probably did that but when as his construction gets bigger and more obvious (esp. when he starts coating it with pitch), people is bound to take notice. Then at that point of time he's is faced with the same choice we as God fearing Christians face everyday. He is being faced with a decision to come up with a plausible story or telling the truth and looking like a fool.
I remembered what Jeanie always said to her cell kids that "if Christ is so big in your life, he should be sticking out." For me, i do have a problem when it comes to this. I really want to grow and do things for the glory of God but at the same time i struggle with it as i don't want my faith to become big and noticeable. When people who are expecting me to be earning big bucks ask me where I am working, i struggle with telling them what i was doing. Many times when i struggle i always wonder about the strength of my faith. I guess in the eyes of the world, living a life that is radically countercultural is as difficult to understand as building an ark miles away from water.
Noah could have made his situation easier by only half-heartedly fulfilling the command of God. He could have as easily built a smaller ark, one that would be less noticeable. But Noah feared his creator more than he feared men, even to the point that he was willing to be considered a fool by those around him. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "By faith Noah, when warned of things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith" (Hebrews 11:7).
You know like how alot of us Christians call attention to our lifestyle and worldview, boasting of our righteous choices (not saying that it’s wrong) but in Noah's case, he didn't need to do this. The ark spoke for itself. His obedience to God proclaimed his faith louder than his words could have. And the same can be true of us.
Do we talk about resurrection but not living out its power in our lives? Before we try to answer what people ask, let us live our lives in direct obedience to God. Obedience is better then sacrifices.
posted by matt at 12:53 AM
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