Good Character

This month’s devotional serves as a reflection on Wesley Huff’s interviews that were shared this past week with our group.  For those who haven’t listened to them I encourage you to go back and check them out.  In his first interview with Billy Carson, Wes had only about 24hrs advance notice of the podcast he was going to be on.  With Joe Rogan, he had a couple of day’s notice.  In each case he was able to represent Christianity with good character.  He stayed calm in the debates, he was graceful, and he didn’t overstate cases he wasn’t sure of.  To be sure, Wes is a scholar on ancient Christian texts, but he had command of his information through years of studying.  He was prepared to talk to anyone about his faith.

Wes’ circumstances should resonate with the bulk of believers.  Most of our opportunities to witness are on short notice-they pop up at work around the kitchen table or some other unforeseen circumstance.  The one constant is that these opportunities do pop up and they will continue to do so.  How we comport ourselves is of great importance in these times. 

When you talk with people about your faith you do not need to be an expert on every biblical topic or pretend to know more than you do.  It is okay to say, “I don’t know” about that, or “That is a difficult question, let me get back to you”.  Our focus need not be on disproving others claims. As Wes did, if someone makes a claim against Christianity, ask them to provide their evidence against it-you don’t have to answer their charge.  What you should arm yourself with is the simple truth of the gospel. State what you know. 1 Corinthians 15: 3-5 puts it simply:

3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with Scriptures ,4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

When you talk with people about Christ consider the following:

·      Be ready:  Look for opportunities to represent Christ; don’t be stumped by the same challenges twice

·      Be patient:  Don’t quarrel with others, listen to try and understand the other person’s question or viewpoint, then with gentleness respectfully engage those who disagree

·      Be reasonable:  Have informed convictions (not just feelings), give reasons, ask questions, and aggressively seek answers

·      Be tactical:  Adapt to each unique person and situation, maneuver with wisdom to challenge bad thinking, presenting the truth in an understandable way

·      Be clear:  Use careful language, try not to rely on Christian “lingo” or resort to empty rhetoric-speak so people can understand you

·      Be fair:  Be sympathetic and understanding to other people and acknowledge the merits of contrary views

·      Be honest:  You should be careful with the facts and not misrepresent other people’s views or overstate your case

·      Be humble:  Recognize that your viewpoints could be fallible-don’t press a point too hard

·      Be attractive:  Act with grace, kindness, and good manners-don’t dishonor Christ with your conduct

·      Be dependent:  Effectiveness requires joining your best efforts with God’s power-we serve Him and the Holy Spirit works through us to reach other people

You can see how Wesley Huff used all of these character points as he maneuvered through the interviews with Billy Carson and Joe Rogan.  As you talk with others try and use some of these points-they are hard to follow!  With practice, consistent biblical reading, and by meeting with others and talking about your faith you will learn how to talk with other people in an artful manner about Christ.  Keep talking with others, don’t give up after a tough conversation or a bad performance on your part-push forward.  You can do it!