Sound bite — a brief, striking statement excerpted from an audiotape or videotape for insertion in a broadcast news story.
Teaching — show or explain to someone how to do something.
Peter tells us to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope that we have. 1 Peter 3:15.
As I go about my daily life, God expects me to not only live a life that glorifies Him but He expects me to be ready to talk to anyone who questions why I do what I do. That’s an awesome responsibility. I want to be able to rise to the occasion and speak confidently and competently about the Bible and God.
One of the main obstacles to being able to do this is my lack of knowledge. We live in a time that we learn about God by reading His word. Not just read it like we’d read a novel or a magazine but truly read His word. We must be like the Bereans who studied daily to find out whether what they were being taught was true. Acts 17:10-11 We must be like the Psalmist who loved God’s word so much that he meditated on it daily. Psalm 119:97
Another obstacle that gets in the way of following this command in 1 Peter is the short amount of time we are usually given to give this answer. So many of the conversations I find myself in are short encounters. Recently I was at a hotel in Amarillo attending a ladies’ day conference. I went to the restroom and got into a brief discussion with a hotel employ. She asked what we were talking about. She wanted to know what I had gotten out of the conference so far. She mentioned that she would love to come sit in on it. I was trying my best to answer her questions and I clumsily invited her to join us. I had about 3 minutes to get my thoughts together, answer her questions and encourage further contact with her. Then it was over.
That’s usually how it goes. Someone casually asks what I believe in something. That would be wonderful if we had 30 minutes to sit down with our Bibles in front of us but it’s usually in a parking lot as we’re heading home from some event, in the restroom when we obviously have other things on our minds, at the store or in between orchestra rehearsals or during a violin lesson. Questions like: Why do you go to church so many times a week? Why don’t you use mechanical instruments at your church? Why don’t you have a Christmas play at your church?
All these questions are good questions. Someone sees me do something they don’t understand and they ask “Why?” The Bible tells me to be ready to answer them. That is difficult to do in a sound bite. I have 3 minutes, sometimes less.
Why is this so difficult? One of the difficulties is on my side. If I don’t know the scripture well enough there is no way I can speak what needs to be said in a short concise statement that will be meaningful. I can’t half-heartedly live my life based on what others tell me the Bible says and then expect to be able to teach someone else. I must take ownership of God’s Word. I must make it a part of my life. I must hide it in my heart so even if I don’t have a Bible physically in my hand, I can recall the truths it contains.
Another reason it is so difficult is on the side of the person doing the questioning. It amazes me that in this day and age, in this country how few people have even a minimal working knowledge of the Bible. Even the basic facts are unknown to so many. This is a direct result of our society’s successful movement to silence Christians and remove the Bible from our conversation. Basic knowledge of the Bible and its contents used to be taught in our schools. It was not a shocking, offensive thing to have scripture read or a Bible story told. It was natural because many people at least understood that scripture was from God and something the children needed to be familiar with. Today, that is not so. The only contact many people have with a Bible is what the media present to us in movies or what they read on bumper stickers and t-shirts.
Without a working knowledge of the Bible, the Bible can not be used as a reference when having these sound bite discussions with others. If there is not a knowledge of what happened when Christ died on the cross, how the old law was done away with and a new law enacted, it is difficult to discuss why I do what I do. A basic foundation must be laid about Biblical authority before we can fully explain what the Bible teaches.
Another complication to these short encounters is the definition of terms. If I think one thing when I talk about baptism and the person I’m talking to thinks another thing, we end up being confused. It’s important to be aware of these differences in definitions so we can be more productive in our discussion.
What am I to do? First of all, I must study God’s word and hide it in my heart. Second, I must be aware of the lack of knowledge the person I’m talking to might have. Third, I must not assume that we both have the same definition for words we’re using. Fourth, I must try to find time or means to further the discussion.
When someone asks a question about the hope that is in me, it can be assumed they have some interest in the subject. Whether it’s to understand me better or a true desire to know more about God, it is an interest. This means that this person might possibly be willing to spend more time discussing the subject. It’s important that I don’t let that opportunity pass by. I need to encourage more discussion. It might be inviting her to my house for a Bible study or inviting her to a ladies’ Bible class. But those are not the only ways we can further the conversation. We should be willing to use technology to help keep us connected on the subject. Facebook, email, or texting can help us further a discussion that might otherwise end as soon as it started.
I get really frustrated with sound bite teaching. I feel inadequate to answer the question with enough information to satisfy the questioner’s curiosity. It is tempting at times to shut the door that was opened but that would be the coward’s way out. I must pray for wisdom and courage to face each of these encounters with confidence and love. I need to pray for the questioner after our departure and always look for an open door to be used to God’s glory.
