Why Do You Follow Jesus?

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]


I once overheard two women talking as they browsed in a store. They were looking at a book I couldn’t see, but I heard one say, “I love Jesus, but I hate Christians.” “Yea, they’re terrible,” the other agreed. Had I spoken to them, I couldn’t really have disagreed. A lot of people who call themselves Christians have done and said truly awful things, which can put other Christians in a tough spot. How do we explain murders committed and wars raged supposedly in the name of Christ? What about passages in the Bible where God commands his followers to wipe out entire people groups? Do we have to be able to explain these things to follow Jesus well?

Photo Credit: Flickr User gr33n3gg, Creative Commons

At first glance, 1 Peter 3:13-16 kind of makes it seem like we do. Verse 15 reads, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” This sentence is often used as rationale for making sure we can defend our faith with memorized answers and rationale for difficult questions people ask. Of course it’s good to study the Bible and know why we believe what we believe, but Peter isn’t telling us we have to be able to explain away all the tricky passages in the Bible and perfectly respond to the big questions of life. Instead, we’re invited to give people an answer for the reason we have hope.

Our hope should not be found in perfectly crafted arguments and in winning debates; our hope should be found in God. We have hope because Jesus became a man and came to earth to die for our sins, and because the Holy Spirit dwells within us and guides our steps. We can study all of this in the gift of God’s word as it’s revealed to us in the Bible, but we do so knowing that we won’t understand it all perfectly; and ultimately, we don’t have to.

Christians will do things that seem very un-Christlike, because Christians are just humans trying to follow Jesus, and humans can never be perfect. There will be sections of the Bible we don’t fully understand, questions about why God lets certain things happen, and wondering if it’s worth it when being a Christian means we have to give up what we desire. But Peter doesn’t tell us to convert everyone we meet through our perfect arguments, because that’s not our job. Only God can do the saving.

Instead, we can tell our stories for the hope that we have. We can tell about the grace and redemption we see woven through our lives, the overwhelming love that meets us in the darkest of times. Each of us has a different story about why we follow Jesus, a unique way that God reached into our life and revealed himself for who he is. Some of us may have been following Jesus for years and need to remind ourselves of why we do as much as we need to tell others about it. Some of us may be just getting to know Jesus and are trying to figure out what a life modeled after his really looks like. Some of us may be filled with joy for how God is working in our lives and in the people around us.

Wherever we’re at, it is valuable to be able to articulate why we are Christians. Not only does it remind us of why, it helps us share about his love and goodness with others as well. Had I talked to those women I heard in the store, I would have wanted to hear their stories of why they hate Christians, but also tell them why I call myself one--and how following the Jesus they said they love has given me hope.



*Note: I originally told the story of the women in the store in the post "I Love Jesus, But I Hate You." published on my personal blog.


[Brianna DeWitt believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She writes about faith, growing up, and whatever else pops into her head on her own blog, and tweets (largely about food) at @bwitt722.]