Putting Faith into Words (1 Peter 3:13-16)

"Does Anybody Hear Her" written by Mark Hall

She is running ... a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying ... but the canyon's ever widening in the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find ...
She's another two years older, and she's three more steps behind

Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she's going down today?
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?

She is yearning ... for shelter and affection that she never found at home
She is searching ... for a hero to ride in, to ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming, and he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason, and she gives herself away

If judgement looms under every steeple, if lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter, and we never even met her

Putting Faith into Words (1 Peter 3:13-16)

1. The Biblical Obligation (1 Peter 3:15b - 16a)

“Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). What a challenge! Let’s have a good look at this verse to see what it is expecting of us.

· “... an accounting for the hope ...” – Those of us who have received Jesus as their Saviour and Lord and are seeking to follow him every day, should carry with us a “hope” that is beyond or surpasses what would normally be possible and expected through the rigours of daily human life. This “hope” is based on our personal experience of Jesus, and the forgiveness, new life, peace, purpose and eternal promises that he has brought into our lives. And this should show out ... like switching on a bright light in a dark room! And this should bring us questions ... questions that deserve answers. People will want a reason, they will want to know why and how we seem to be coping despite living in the same complex environment that they do. The context of this verse and the passage we have read from 1 Peter, involves the suffering and severe trials being encountered by the early believers for being on the cause of Jesus. So certainly this verse is about explaining the source of our “hope” that shines out in the midst of great difficulty. This is a hope that should be very attractive, even though it might be a little difficult to understand.

· “... that is in you” – And as this verse concludes, we see that this is not just a passing or inconsistent “hope”, but rather a “hope” that has thoroughly become a part of us ... it is “in” us ... part of who we are now! So we are very liable to get questions, because we consistently are able to express “hope”, even in the worst of situations. You might think this is unreal, too high a standard, ‘pie in the sky’ type stuff ... we couldn’t really live that well!?! Well, I’m sorry to tell you that this is exactly what we are called to be when we receive Jesus = a credible witness to the reality of Jesus. The cross of suffering on which Jesus died, lest we waste it, is to so thoroughly transform us that we are obviously and publicly on a new journey of “hope” (with Jesus as our guide).

· “Always be ready ...” – And as this verse commences, giving an account or testimony of the “hope” within us is not just to be given at our convenience, but rather whenever and wherever it is called upon and needed. We always have to be ready with our story of faith. As Larry Richards puts it, we should be ready to explain our positive outlook to those who are shocked that we haven’t yet crumbled.

· “... to make your defense to anyone” – And as the verse continues, we also cannot be selective about who we share our story with ... our witness to the “hope” contained in Jesus should be available for everyone we come into contact with. So, yes; this is a very impacting scripture ... possibly easy just to read past quickly, but once we slow it down, the depth of this verse really hits us!

· “... who demands from you” – The use of the word translated “demands” is interesting, for we would usually and rightly be resistant to “demands” made upon us in aggressive and persistent ways. Yet the use of this word tends to suggest the seriousness of people’s need, especially when they start to detect a way out for themselves ... a way out of the drudgery or slavery or addiction they find themselves in. Some people will really want to know ... it may not appear that way at times ... but it’s better and more healthy for us to be positive about people’s openness to the gospel message.

However when the request for our testimony comes, the bible here goes on to say that we should share with “gentleness” and “reverence”. I would suggest that this “gentleness” means that we come from a base position of humility, acknowledging that we too are only human and fallible ... ‘there but by the grace of God I go’ ... it’s just that we have had the opportunity to open our lives to God (and we have gained much from that); whereas, increasingly so, many have not had that advantage. Being “gentle” may also mean progressing with little ‘stepping-stones’ over time, and being patient while God prepares for the next little development. We shouldn’t push too hard or force our own will on anyone; only move at the pace the other person is able to go at. We should also factor in the possibility that God is also raising up other people of faith to share with this same person (and thus it all doesn’t depend on us).

This “reverence” would indicate a level of ‘courtesy’ and ‘respect’ for the person we’re speaking with including the background they come from; and also a proper ‘honouring’ of God ... not misrepresenting the nature of God in any way. We also shouldn’t put our little ‘hobby-horses’ up as if they are just as important as Jesus himself, for such ‘hobby-horses’ are more likely to form barriers to faith than be attractive. Little doctrinal issues can wait for later. We should not get side-tracked from an emphasis on a personal relationship with Jesus.

Are we all meant to be witnesses?? Are all Jesus followers meant to be witnesses?? Yes!! Are we not then doing a disservice to so many, if we don’t take this seriously. [I have a whole list of barriers or roadblocks that people put up against receiving our witness e.g. the fear of losing control, or being let down by the church in the past (and the antidotes to such reservations) which I’ll produce if anyone would find them helpful.]

2. Ways of Telling our Story

(i) Knowing our particular story well ... rehearsing it, writing it out, reflecting upon it, and considering how it would be likely to help others. Know where we have come from, and seeing how what we have experienced would also help people with similar backgrounds or in similar situations. Understand when and how God has answered our prayers, and be confident about those times when God has made an impact and undoubtedly moved in our lives – either to change circumstances, break down barriers, offer guidance or bring healing. Also we should be able to connect our story with the gospel story, showing how our journey connects with what Jesus has done.

Our typical testimony would include a description of what our life and attitudes were like without God; how we came to realise that we needed God; the circumstances surrounding our acceptance of Jesus, and how Jesus has changed our life ever since.

We should reflect often on how the gospel we have received is truly good news; and how the relationship we have with Jesus really is good news! This will allow our excitement to grow, and become obvious, and a major part of who we are. The better news the gospel of Jesus is to us, the more attractive it will be to others. Our joy, peace and hope then become ‘an alternative vision of life’ for those who are struggling. In reflecting often on our testimony, it should become more natural and easier to share it.

(ii) Beginning by listening a whole lot more than talking, so that we can deduce where the other person is at in life. This is much more preferable than spouting a lot of pre-prepared doctrines or set formulas that may completely miss the mark, and worse, turn the person right off. A lot of people we share with these days will have absolutely no background in Christianity and therefore no framework through which to understand complex biblical concepts. If we listen well, we can find some good points of connection between the other person’s experiences and our journey. Then we have the chance to build a relationship built on common understanding.

By listening well, we’ll know where our story connects with their story. For example ... as we have experienced God’s forgiveness, our story is relevant to the person burdened heavily by guilt; as we have benefitted by an ongoing friendship with Jesus, our story is helpful to the person who is dreadfully lonely. Whatever the need, Jesus is the answer, but we need to make the points of connection (whereby the answer fits the particular person’s problem area).

Eventually the depth of such sharing will lead to the possibility of faith. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become so dear to us” (1 Thess. 2:8). This reminds us again of the honesty, the integrity, and the heart of love and concern that must sit behind our witness to Jesus. We shouldn’t try to argue anyone toward faith – it hardly ever works; but rather share our life with them, and let faith gradually take root. Faith is not so much taught, but caught!!

(iii) By really truly caring – why did the early disciples create such a stir and make such an impact? It is because, as a result of their experience of Jesus and relationship with Jesus, they really cared about the welfare of their community, especially the needy (the poor, the sick, and the bereaved). They made sure that these, no matter whether they were a part of the house churches or not, were looked after. In this way, their testimony about Jesus was credible. Of course, as we have already said, helping others isn’t restricted to those we may deem respectable or deserving, because Jesus took the extreme position of teaching us to actively love our enemies.

[In preparation for this message I read a story about a woman who had the opportunity to avenge the brutal killing of her brother when the killer was admitted badly ill to the hospital in which the woman was a nurse, but chose rather to nurse him back to health.]

So we need to continually remind ourselves about the value of all individual souls – the people we encounter in daily life are not irrelevant passers-by. In some cases their behaviour may disturb us, but it may have good effect for us to suspend judgement and withhold criticism. Having said this though, sometimes it will be in the other person’s best interests for us to speak the truth in love.

(iv) Responding to a ‘Why’ question ... when we can get one asked! “Why” questions should come out of our behaviour, attitudes and priorities, which will be sufficiently different to the usual (sufficiently ‘counter-cultural’) as to beg enquiry. “Why” questions will most likely come when we help or serve others self-sacrificially in ways that would be unexpected. A “why” question may allow us to respond with details about why we act as we do, and our reasons for following Jesus, thus sharing the centre of what drives us in life. This would of course involve pointing to a loving and compassionate God as the source of our inclination to care for others (a God who has love for all, and a desire to reach out with this love to each and every person).

Here’s another thought ... a generous and unexpectedly gracious response to a particularly unkind action or remark (directed at us), may even induce a “why” question and open a path to witnessing. If no-one is asking us “why” questions, then we would have to do some evaluation of ourselves.

3. Making It Happen (1 Peter 3:14-15a)

Returning to the text in conclusion – in verse 14 we read that we should not fear what other people fear. There are various ways of interpreting this. I guess there is much to “fear” in life ... for the Christian community of Peter’s time – it was mainly persecution; for us it would be illness, loneliness, failure, poverty, violence or death. Here we need to exhibit a faith that, while acknowledging we can still suffer the pressure of such things, ultimately God will be constantly with us and also save us. “I will be with you always, said Jesus, “to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20). Another way of looking at this then is to not be giving allegiance to what most others do, but rather give allegiance to God.

Also, people around us tend to “fear” being exposed for who they really are, and tend to not want people to get too close to their core beliefs (lest they be ridiculed). We on the other hand should be open and proactively honest about who and what we stand for, not giving in to any sort of self-imposed feelings of intimidation against sharing our faith. This also means that we do not give allegiance to those (negative and worthless) things that others easily seem to do. And, it is those who are prepared to reveal themselves as works in progress (weaknesses and all) who are most likely to be helpful resources to others, much more so than those who pretend to have it all together (and thus are far more inaccessible).

That all sounds tough does it not!?! The way forward into this sort of confident space is in the words that follow: “but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord”. That is where all this ‘putting faith into words’ starts. This simply means making Jesus the centre of everything in our lives, unifying our being under one “Lord”. Our lives are so thoroughly given over to Jesus that sharing our faith in action and in words begins to happen naturally!! All our human defenses break down, and nothing makes us more happy than sharing our personal knowledge of Jesus with our friends.

However, this will not happen while our heart is divided between Jesus and a whole lot of other desires, causing inconsistencies and ineffectiveness. Our mind and heart can so easily be distracted by worldly pursuits, the pressure of certain circumstances, and the opinions of people that we should really analyse more biblically. This is why, here in this letter, Peter points out the need to place Jesus in the centre, before he goes on to talk about our witness. Our witness can only be strong, as Jesus is allowed to thoroughly live his resurrected life through us! We sing “Jesus, be the centre” and then live this out. Amen!

Pastor Warren reflects ...

In my reading recently I came upon this comment. “How can we claim Christian success unless our hearts are calm and quiet? Thomas Kelly, the eminent Quaker philosopher, said that inside each person there should be a quiet centre that nothing can disturb. The great Christian mystics continually talked of the throne of God, which is in the innermost part of our heart, where no storm, tribulation, or temptation can disturb.”

Now, I want a heart like that, where God has set up a throne, which no storm nor temptation can disturb! I want a peace like that!! This is not to say that we would never be touched by life’s storms or feel the pressure of evil, quite the opposite. This means that when tough and troubling times come, as they inevitably do, that we will be so settled in our connection with God, that we will not be unduly rocked or rattled. We will have the strong sense that no matter how hard it gets, God will hold us firm in his loving care, keeping our lives on track and within God’s will.

This takes my mind to Paul’s words in his letter to the Philippians (4:6-7), concerning gaining God’s peace through committing our concerns to prayer rather than continuing to worry about them. Whenever we find ourselves worrying, we should pray! And when we pray we should remind ourselves of those many things we have learnt along the journey – that God is loving and faithful to us, that God has our best interests at heart, that God is listening to our every word (even to our wordless groans of pain), that God is drawing alongside us (and meeting us in our place of need), that God is already working in the circumstances that we are praying about, and that an answer to our prayers is close. All this mental affirmation will tend to take away the worry; we are still concerned (for we care very much), but the outcome is in hand.

We can pray concerning all our needs, but, as Paul reminds us, we pray in thankfulness, for we know the right answer is coming, even if this is not the answer we expect or think we want. This thankful context to our prayers gains us new perspective, whereby we discover what we think were needs may have only been ‘wants’ or desires that really would not have been in our best interests. Such an assurance as this of course depends upon maintaining and developing the quality of our relationship with God. Such an assurance and awareness of God’s presence and care in our lives doesn’t just happen, but we have to steadily work at it (as I have already described).

But truly we can gain a peace that nothing can ultimately disturb, because we know for sure that God is on our side cheering for us! God doesn’t have to decide whether to support Collingwood or Carlton or the Western Bulldogs, because naturally he supports everyone. But we have to choose to hear and respond to such cheering on our behalf, and, inspired by such support, start to kick a few goals. And when the opposition tackles us, we don’t drop the ball, but have gained enough strength to shrug it off, and keep running forward.

One of those things that happen when we have God’s peace at the centre of our being, or the sense of God on the throne of our lives, is that we become far more intent on keeping peaceful relationships with the other people in our lives; we live out our peace within into our external relationships. As Paul put it in his letter to the Romans (12:18): “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone” (NLT). What would this mean in the cut and thrust of our daily lives? Probably quite a lot for each of us – but certainly it would mean holding our tongue in check at times, being willing to forgive, and helping those who have given us reason (humanly speaking) to do the opposite.

So I pray that I can gain the sort of peace in the centre of my being that will never be rocked or rattled despite the trials that come, the sort of peace within, maintained by prayer, that also makes a positive difference in the lives of those I encounter. Rev Warren Hodge (October 2010).

What is Baptism and why do we do it? (Matthew 28:16-20)

Undergoing baptism is a sign of being a committed follower of Jesus. Baptism is an outward witness to the community that a person is standing up and standing out as a follower of Jesus. Baptism in its imagery represents the death of a person’s old life and the beginning of a new life. When a person goes under the water, this represents the drowning death and burial of the way one used to live (and who one used to serve). Then as the person comes up out of the water, this represents the entering of a new life in solidarity with the resurrected Jesus. This also signifies the purification of a life (given back to God).

Here is a demonstration that the death and resurrection of Jesus has been applied in a personal way to a particular human’s life. We are saying that ... “Yes” – Jesus’ death on the cross was for me, and I too am being raised into new life! We are saying that ... “I am heading out on a new track now”. I belong to God, and am united with Christ Jesus in his body. Baptism is thus also seen as an initiation toward full involvement in church community (Christ’s body on earth), as one publically aligns themselves with a cause as other like-minded people have already done. This leads to a common and shared discipleship.

Even though our baptism can be so memorable, the act of baptism itself actually has no magic attached to it, nor is effective in itself – it rather points to something else (that has [or should have] already happened). Whereas it might provide a bit of a physical wash, baptism is representative of something that has already happened spiritually, i.e. accepting the gift of forgiveness offered from the cross, and receiving Jesus as one’s personal Saviour and Lord – the one to be followed from this day on. Baptism is a physical and public demonstration of this spiritual and internal change.

Thus baptism follows on from committing one’s life to Jesus. In the book of Acts (in the Bible), it seems that new converts to ‘the Jesus way’ were baptised quickly, and why not with all the enthusiasm surrounding this! But I think it’s alright today to spend a little time in preparation before baptism to make sure one fully understands what they are undertaking. However it would be a misconception to try to wait until one was good enough, because with this mindset, that may never happen. Baptism is usually a very early stage in a long process of growth.

Now I’ll mention a bit of the biblical background for baptism. Leviticus in the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) has various references to people washing or bathing in water for spiritual purposes – cleansing or ministry. Then in the New Testament, (just before Jesus came on the scene) John the Baptist adopted such a practice in the sense of a one-off baptism, so that people could have a physical way of expressing or demonstrating their repentance and desire to change (following the actual confession of their sins). John the Baptist called on people to leave their selfish and evil ways and turn back to God; then invited people to witness to this reality by entering the waters of baptism. This was all in preparation for the one who would follow, and not just offer forgiveness, but life transformation as well.

When Jesus arrived on the scene, he actually wanted to be baptised by John. John, already knowing the real identity of Jesus, understandably resisted this – for what would Jesus have to repent of!?! Yet Jesus wanted to be baptised to complete his total identification with humanity, he would stand here in service of the sinner, like he would later do again on the cross. Jesus here would also provide an example of the ultimate need of baptism to confirm that an active relationship with God exists. Such being the case is confirmed by the entry of the Holy Spirit into the scene of Jesus’ baptism.

The person who commits themselves to Jesus (as confirmed in baptism) will then walk through life in the presence and power of God’s Holy Spirit (bearing fruit worthy of their repentance). In Matthew 28, in Jesus’ closing remarks on earth, Jesus charges his disciples with the responsibility of baptising those who become ‘Jesus followers’. And this is exactly what the disciples did. Following Peter’s preaching on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), many thousands received the good news and were baptised. We read of more wonderful baptisms in Acts 8; and can also read there the well known incident of Philip baptising the Ethiopian eunuch following that person’s coming to faith.

As commitment to Jesus is a voluntary step of the mature mind, then baptism needs to also be a conscious decision taken by the person who is to be baptised. Arguing this way means, with the greatest respect to other traditions, that the baptism of babies does not make a lot of sense! The baptism of children, as practiced by other Christian churches, may at times genuinely represent in the parents a desire to bring up a child in the Christian tradition, however it bears no relation to the biblical record of baptism (showing as it does that baptism follows personal commitment to Jesus).

So infant baptism must draw on different or broader thinking! The proponents of infant baptism would see this in terms of the sharing of a broader community faith with the child being baptised, this faith being something that the child can grow into, and indeed would be more likely to grow into because of the formalised support of the church. The advocates of infant baptism would argue that faith is really more about what God does than what we can do, so therefore baptism is more the setting forth of a pattern of life whereby faith is known to be available whenever called upon.

One can understand how we would want to pre-empt the decision a young person should make for themselves later by organising a premature baptism for them. But would this not tend to build spiritual apathy, rather than understanding the urgent need to discover God for oneself. In some circles, the prevalent thought is that baptism is necessary to protect a child from hell if he or she dies in infancy, but this of course is a nonsense (as each child is born and lives under God’s blessing until they consciously rebel).

As we have said, in the bible, baptism follows a personal decision to follow Jesus. Infant baptism pre-empts a person’s own freewill to decide, by seeking to impose a particular style of faith on them. Therefore Baptists (and other denominations like Churches of Christ and Pentecostals) only baptise ‘believers’ ... hence the term “believers’ baptism”. Yet, as infant baptism has been practiced since the 3rd century, it is still a very common Christian practice, and must be respected for what each individual family and church community brings to it. Also there is often a journey towards confirmation that is taken (as the second part of a baptism process), which is far more connected to the necessary personal response to Jesus. So where such a confirmation of an earlier baptism has taken place, this could be seen to be like the biblical intent of baptism.

We’ll have a look at a clip from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. What was wrong with this baptism??? One good thing was the possibility of an adult being baptised. However the reasons for this baptism were all wrong. As beautiful as this ceremony may have been, especially with the love expressed for his intended bride, this did not reflect baptism in a biblical way. It was for the sake of a marriage, not a faith commitment. It was to do with accepting a national culture, rather than a spiritual regeneration.

As we gather around texts like Matthew 28:16-20, we need to acknowledge our role in society. We should be inviting and welcoming a wide range of people into our worshipping community, and to be doing so without pressure or implied expectations; and let us continue to do that. Yet to be true to who we are meant to be, we need to also present the gospel message of accepting Jesus and being baptised. We want to help people reach their potential and not miss out on all that God has for them. We want to help people to jump off the fence and find their fullness in God.

Baptism helps people make definitive decisions about their lives and what direction that are going to take – and that’s why we do baptism! Baptism is such a powerful symbol of commitment to a bigger bolder better story, in a world where people want to narrow the boundary lines around their own individual desires – which left unchallenged only leads to social dislocation and personal disappointment. Following Jesus through baptism leads to a shared and purposeful journey toward eternity.