When I was kid, I used to be one of those kids - always so curious, and probably too smart for my own good. I remember that my mom would take me to the store with her whenever she’d go grocery shopping and I’d always want something. Sometimes it was candy, but I wasn’t really a candy kid. I loved my Captain Crunch though. My favorite was the peanut butter Captain Crunch. I’d eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if mom would of let me.
The problem wasn’t so much me loving and wanting Captain Crunch. The problem was that I’d always want to buy a new box of Captain Crunch, even when I didn’t need one… Usually because had at least one, sometimes 2 already back at the house waiting for me. I wasn’t greedy despite what those of you who just judged me are thinking…
My mom would of course say no in those moments and occasionally, I’d throw a short little tantrum until my mom leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Wait until we get home…” Some of y’all know what that means….
The bottom line is, I eventually learned the difference between a want and a need. And yes, Peanut Butter Captain Crunch is occasionally a need…
I share this story with you because it came back to me on a trip not to long ago out to Sacramento to visit and be a part of one of Jesus Culture's conference gatherings. The conference was cool. Worship was awesome. The JC Crew was phenomenal – love them… The stats around the number of attendees that started a new Scripture journey aimed at reconnecting them with their communities (the whole purpose of my trip) were amazing…
But for me, it was the journey home that really stuck out the most.
I preface this last bit with a bit of Scripture.
Reading in 1 Peter 3, starting at verse 13…
“Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.”
Let me tie this all together quickly for you…
The worship set at Jesus Culture's Encounter conference ended at like 11:30ish. Worship went over time and nobody said anything because it was worship. By the time I said goodbye to the JC Crew and was able to get away, after turning down multiple requests to come to the after party, it was like 12:30AM Sunday morning. Of course, I had to check in with my bride who loves Jesus Culture and stayed up all night to hear about it. So here I am, finally asleep, somewhere around 1:30/2ish. Fast forward 4 hours and I’m up and in a cab heading to the airport to catch my 8AM flight back to the east coast. In total, I got maybe 8 hours sleep the entire 2 day trip… I didn’t just want sleep, I needed it.
As I sat in the car, not even really aware of where I was, the cab driver proceeds to try and start a conversation with me. At first I’m giving one-word answers, hoping this guy gets the hint. When he asks me what I was doing out in Sacramento, I told him that I was there for a conference. He asked which, and I told him Jesus Culture… I should have seen it coming. The conversation from there turned into a series of deeper and more profound questions around my faith, what I believed, why I believed what I believed, and how I could believe it given everything else that is going on in the world – meaning that me and the larger Christian community were either to blame for much of the political drama, or too ignorant or naïve to really speak to some of the major issues of our time, or that given all the evil, how good was God really? … It’s 5AM…
After like the first 2 questions I literally remember looking at the ceiling of the cab in the back seat and saying to God – “Really? At 5 in the morning you think I’m in any state of mind to do this?” At that moment I heard this still quiet voice ask me, “if not now when? Are you not prepared?” And everything I'd been talking about with friends and other colleagues at work, everything that I’d argued about in seminary, it all suddenly took on a whole new meaning.
My point and with this I’ll end… We never know when we’re going to find ourselves in a place where we’ll be called on to defend our faith. In 1 Peter 3:15, the author writes “Always be ready to give a defense…” The original Greek word for defense here is “apologia”, the root word for what we now describe as apologetics – literally, the practice of defending our faith. However, the author continues in verse 16 to say “yet do it with gentleness and reverence.”
I could have shut that taxi driver down, thrown in my ear buds, and ironically listened to some Jesus Culture music the entire 40 minute ride back to the airport. But that wouldn’t have been being obedient. I could have broken out my apologetics training and hit the taxi driver with philosophical reasoning that shut down all of his arguments and doubts of my faith, but that wouldn’t have been gentle, respectful, and definitely would not have had any reverence in it. If I’d done either, I’d have missed out on what this taxi driver was really trying to ask me. I would have missed the question behind the question, that he’d eventually get to…
As we pulled up to the airport, and stopped in front of my gate, he said… “Thank you for entertaining my pestering. I’ve recently been thinking about going back to church even though I haven’t been in a long while. But I always struggle with why should I? Why should I go, and why would God care? When I’d think about going, I’d remember all of the reasons that pushed me away. The hypocrites in the pew next to me, the loud mouths on TV, the politicians justifying their actions with Scripture… When I think about what I’ve been through, I never felt like God really cares.” But you’ve given me something else to think about. I’d never looked at Christianity or thought about God in the way that you described. I think I’ll actually go, take a nap in my car in the church parking lot, and then get up in 2 hours and catch the early service.”
The point… It’s not about whether or not you’ve been theologically trained. It’s not about how long or short you’ve been a Christian. And it’s definitely not about how much sleep you’ve gotten. We’re called to be ready to defend our faith and to be gentle with our answers. This comes through first making sure that we are reading the Scriptures and connecting with God personally. But then, when we find ourselves in those moments, taking the time to listen to what others are actually saying to us and asking of us – to truly get to know, to listen for not what they want to hear, but what it is they need to hear.