Hello everyone! Today I want to call you all out on something, myself included. Let me get right to the point. As Christians, we often don’t live as boldly as we should. Being bold in this day and age as a believer is far from easy, but if you look back in history, it never has been. There will always be people who condemn you for believing in and following Jesus. The stakes have not been high recently, but they will be. In our culture, most of us do not see or experience persecution for our beliefs. But brothers and sisters across the world are brutally slain every day for standing up and refusing to denounce the name of Christ. Would you be prepared for such a life to move to our culture? Many of us would say no, I would even say I am thoroughly unprepared and inexperienced. But this is not the life we are called to live.
“But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness [though it is not certain that you will], you are still blessed [happy, to be admired and favoured by God]. Do not be afraid of their intimidation threats, nor be troubled or disturbed [by their opposition].” - 1 Peter 3:14 AMP.
There is a time and place to be bold, and there’s a time and place to remain quiet. Let me explain. When you are in a situation where your faith is being attacked, and you know your attacker is wrong, be bold! Stand up to that person and explain where you come from. Now, the situation I would say to remain quiet (for a brief time until you are more prepared) is if someone is using words or terms you genuinely do not understand. You get that feeling that they aren’t speaking in accordance with the gospel, but you know you have no knowledge of what they are discussing. In this situation, it’s best to remain quiet until you can either understand the person and what they’re saying, (ask them to simplify if possible) or to walk away, go home, and study. Look into the Word, ask a pastor or someone you trust to study this with you.
In my personal experience, I have been in a situation where someone was talking to me and presenting all these weird, wordy ideas, and it was done in such a way that I did not understand what was going on. So, I went to my pastor and some trusted friends and family and asked them to help me through that. Afterward, I felt so much more confident in knowing what to fight for, I was able to combat the lies. When I said there’s a time to be quiet, this is what I mean. If you’re confused, if the person talking to you is using confusing language, don’t say anything that you aren’t sure of. This is the snare many non-believers like to trap us in. Don’t try to combat it without understanding it, this will often catch you in a place where you say something you’ll regret. But don’t back down from the fight completely. Some things will come to you, and the Spirit of God will help you, that’s what He’s here for.
Consider the encouragement given by Paul: “for I know [with confidence] that this will turn out for my deliverance and spiritual well-being, through your prayers and the [superabundant] supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ [which upholds me]. It is my own eager expectation and hope, that [looking toward the future] I will not disgrace myself nor be ashamed in anything, but that with courage and the utmost freedom of speech, even now as always, Christ will be magnified and exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” -Philippians 1:19-20 AMP.
In order to prevent these awkward and uncomfortable situations, use your time wisely and study the Bible, talk to someone who has experience in confronting lies about the faith. Prepare yourself. The best way to go about this is by firstly, reading your Bible daily. Pray about things. Pray for boldness and wisdom. Don’t shy away from things, but be zealous. Read some of the great authors and pastors, see what they have to say about things, but always back it up with scripture. If someone makes a claim about Christianity, find somewhere in the Bible that supports their statement, don’t take everything from a pastor or theologian for granted. There are many false speakers in the world who will sound great at first, but if you look deeply into what they're teaching, you will find that it is not in accordance with Scripture.
Take my word for it that these types of situations will arise, and you will be confronted with them sooner than you think. Whether it be a false doctrine or persecution. Make yourself aware of false doctrines, know how to scripturally combat them, be prepared for defending your faith. Don’t live quietly, live by the Spirit, and live boldly. Take your examples from Jesus Christ himself, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, and John the apostles. But remember not to do this for your personal gain by being viewed as wise or competent in theology, do it for the glory of God. “He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease.” -John 3:30 AMP.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them down below! If you want to know what books or authors to read to prepare yourself (aside from Scripture which is infallible), I plan to post a list of recommendations in the upcoming weeks.
“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” - 1 Corinthians 10:31.
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