facts behind my faith

So I recently got the chance to get together with my dearest friends from high school. We had a blast catching up on our current lives and sharing a bunch of laughs. I love those girls so much!  It was pretty awesome because we somehow got on the topic of faith for quite some time. The conversation actually lasted for at least an hour, so we talked about a lot of things. As I shared about our need for Jesus, His gift of salvation, and His transforming power in my life, a lot of questions came up. Questions about the validity of the Bible. Questions about why Christianity is any "better" than any other religion. Questions about the existance of Heaven and Hell. LOTS of questions. And I appreciate so much that these came up. I gave the best answers I could in that moment, but at the end of the conversation, I realized I have SO MUCH to learn. 

If I want to truly stand for Jesus, shouldn't I have the facts and evidence behind exactly what I stand for? Giving general answers to questions about faith isn't going to have the same impact as a clear-cut response.  Although it is not about convincing people to accept Christ as their savior, having the facts can only help to lead them in that direction.  I'm not saying that I think God demands that we all be distinguished scholars on the history of the Bible and Christianity, and so forth.  But I do think that working to know such details is just one more way to serve and glorify Him.  And for some, I believe it might be a necessity in order to be better prepared for carrying out His will. What do you think?  So yea, for me personally, I feel that although the relationship with Christ is the most important factor, knowing the facts is a very useful tool in furthering that relationship and sharing about it with others. I want to have cut and dry evidence behind why I am confident that the Bible is true and breathed by God.  I want to have valid proof that eternity exists beyond our 80+ years on earth.  I want to have reasons why faith can't be relative -- Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." --  I wanna be able to prove that unmistakably.  I have spent the last several days taking this personal challenge very seriously, and I am loving all that I have learned.


Peter's encouragment in 1 Peter motivates me in this area ... "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" (1 Peter 3:15).  I know many are familiar with that verse, but in reality, how often are we truly ready to give the reason for the hope we have? ... the reason that demonstrates that it isn't this so called "blind" faith. 

I am encouraged right now to keep searching for how I can grow in my faith and be used by God, and this is just one of the ways that I feel He has laid on my heart.  I encourage you to search out some ways, as well.  Once I have better sorted through the things that I am learning through my studies, I intend to share some of it with you.  Like I said, I believe that knowing these things and having evidence for what we believe, not only serves to better prepare us for sharing about Christ with others, but it can only help us grow stronger in our own walk with Him.  What do you think?

K thanks for reading.  Grace and peace♥