I find I keep coming back to a verse in 1 Peter 3.15. It reminds us that, if we are truly the Lord’s people, we will ‘always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with grace and gentleness’.
In previous columns I have suggested that we need to keep a balance between Paul’s instruction to ‘teach the word’ and Peter’s words to ‘care for the flock’. I was once approached by a young person, who bemoaned the fact that his youth leaders never seemed to answer his questions. He had benefited from his leader’s teaching and he was sure he was cared for but his problem was that he could never seem to engage with his leaders and talk.
Opportunity to ask
There are dangers that once we have given our talk (important as that is) we think the job is done. There is a growing trend in adult ministry for the need to explain to people with little or no Christian background what the gospel is really about and also how people need to re-think all they do once they have become a Christian. For our young people living in a world of secular values, they must be given opportunities to ask questions about their lifestyle and their understanding of truth.
