A Life Worth Questioning (John Dickson on Evangelism & Good Living)
Before we can give answers about Christ, we must be asked questions. Find out how to invite more questions in this excerpt from author & pastor John Dickson's book The Best-Kept Secret of Christian Mission (eBook).
Living a Life that Stands Out
The apostle Peter's "be prepared to give an answer to everyone" sounds very much like the apostle Paul's "know how to answer everyone". It is as if the two of them got together on this issue to make sure they told their congregations the same thing: be ready and willing to answer those who do not yet believe…
[It is] worth noting that both apostles' exhortations to speak about Christ appear in the context of instructions about living godly lives. [Peter writes,]
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing. (1 Peter 3:8–9)
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Christians will not stand out in this world simply by being "nice" … |
The life out of which we are to speak [about Christ] is not simply a moralistic life. It is a life of humility, compassion, nonretaliation and so on: in other words, a life of love. Christians will not stand out in this world simply by being "nice" and "ethical", but they will if they live the life described here, the life epitomised by the Saviour himself.
The point is simple: we are to live lives worth questioning and then offer answers worth hearing.
- John Dickson
Question: What's the difference between being "nice" and living by Jesus's example?
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Learn more about The Best Kept Secretion of Christian Mission eBook
- Adam Forrest, Zondervan
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