When I was a boy in what we called ‘grammar school’ – we know it today as elementary school – one of the popular weekly activities was “Show and Tell.” We’d take turns bringing in favorite items from home, show them to our fellow classmates, and tell what they meant to us. They included things like favorite toys, dolls, dinosaur models, pet guinea pigs, and art projects.
I don’t know whether they still do “Show and Tell” in schools today – I haven’t had a chance to ask my grandkids – but it was always fun to see what my classmates were so excited about and hear them talk about it. The visual component added a lot to what they were telling us. Full disclosure: As a boy I was very shy, so when my turn came at showing-and-telling, I was terrified, but it was part of my growing experience.
Years ago, a non-believing friend was telling me one of the reasons he had no use for Christianity. People he worked with would be very bold and vocal in their expressions of faith, but how they conducted themselves on the job seemed to contradict the principles they espoused. My friend’s attitude was, "If that’s a Christian, I don’t want to be one.”
I know there are many valid responses to that: No one’s perfect. It’s unfair to judge Christ by the behavior of His sinful followers. We’re saved by faith, not by works. All that is true. But my friend had a point: If professed followers of Jesus basically don’t appear to act any differently than non-believers, what’s the big deal?
It is a big deal in so many ways, as I tried to explain to my friend. But even the Scriptures teach that true faith is really a show-and-tell experience. One of my favorite passages about sharing our faith with others makes this very clear:
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (1 Peter 3:15-16).
There are three important parts to this exhortation. The first is to “set apart” (other translations say, “sanctify”) Jesus in our hearts as Lord. If we’re to live effectively and fruitfully for Him, we need to make sure He’s given the highest priority in our lives.
The second part is to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who ask…the reason for the hope that you have.” Another translation puts it this way: “…always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account….” Either way, we’re speaking about our faith in response to someone else’s initiative. If they ask us to ‘give an answer,’ this implies something about our lives has prompted them to ask about what we believe. ‘Making a defense’ similarly indicates someone else has taken the offensive, perhaps asking, “What makes you so sure about what you believe?” Or, "Why are you different?"
And the third part goes back to the ‘show-and-tell’ aspect of evangelism. We’re to be keeping a “clear conscience” and demonstrating “good behavior in Christ” so that those who speak against us will have no legitimate grounds for criticism. They will see us working hard for our employers, operating honestly and with integrity, and showing true interest in and compassion for others.
Even Timothy, the apostle Paul’s young protégé, was instructed to ensure that he not only knew and understood God’s truth but also lived it out consistently. Paul urged him to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Without question we’re to be always be prepared to speak about our love for Christ and trust in Him. But as someone has wisely observed, “If your walk doesn’t equal your talk, the less said the better.”
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