Peter’s New Testament letters are addressed not to a small group of believers in a particular location at a particular time or with a particular gift. They’re written to all of Christ’s followers. So when the letter says, “Always be ready…” (1 Peter 3:15), his words apply to you and me—and here’s why.
Peter knew both the desperate need for and the unique thrill of participation in spreading the good news of who Christ is and what He has done for us. Peter also recognized that people need good reasons to believe this message is really true. What I’ve learned from experience and observation is that becoming ready to give reasons can and will open a door to one miraculously orchestrated encounter after another.
In this year’s newsletters, you’ll see a series of examples to support my bold claim. Ultimately, I’d like you to be able to experience one of these amazing stories of your own. Here is an account from a member of RTB’s Austin, TX Chapter.
Hot Tub Evangelism – Hal Phelps
During a recent family trip to a resort in Central Texas, I overheard three men talking about Christianity as they relaxed in a large hot tub. The older of the three presented the gospel to the two twenty-somethings. They listened but could not accept the message because of their belief that humanity arose through Darwinian evolution––for which the older man was unable to offer an acceptable response.
I asked if I could join them in the hot tub, and, after a 25-minute discussion about features of the fossil record as well as the difficulty of a naturalistic explanation for life’s origin, the young men agreed that the evidence for creation actually seems much stronger than for evolution. The four of us then joined in prayer as the two young men accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Praise God! Later, the older man expressed that what I had shared was “powerful stuff.” As it turns out, he is the minister of evangelism for a very large church. God brought us together at just the opportune time in, of all places, a hot tub!
As conflict over the relationship between science and Genesis continues, scholars keep proposing new approaches to resolve it. Yet most, if not all, these...
