When I was young and I first took the Bible seriously, I felt the desire (which we all should) to share this good news with others. And as I began sharing these beautiful truths with the friends in my life, I found myself ashamed at how unprepared I was to answer some of life's heavier questions, or to give a good answer to those of other faiths who called into question certain elements of what I believe. I had friends who had suffered hardships asking, "Where was God when this was happening to me?" or "What happened to my grandma who died and wasn't a believer?" I had some Jehovah's Witness friends cherry pick certain verses to make it sound like we don't remain conscious after death and challenge me to prove otherwise. I faced questions about what happens to very young children who die, or people who die without ever having a chance to hear the gospel. My silence was deafening.
Today's verse is a coaching verse, a verse to call us to good preparedness so that we can readily answer the hard questions that will come our way as we share God's word. We must consider life from other people's viewpoints and be ready to answer the questions someone in their place might have. We should also learn the beliefs of those who follow opposing faiths, and those who follow "nearly Christian" faiths, so we can answer them as well.
Most importantly, we must make sure our answers come from God's word. It's not good enough to say, "Well, I believe..." or, "This one pastor said..." We must be able to say, "The Bible says..." to any question. And we must also pray for the humility to recognize when we don't know an answer and admit it. "I don't know, but I'll find out" is perfectly acceptable. Don't respond with a lie, blustering your way out of looking unprepared. And don't use that political tactic of turning it around into an attack on the person asking the question. Humility goes a long way in winning over the lost.
After those embarrassing first encounters I had with no answer, I took my Bible study much more seriously. I preemptively looked up answers to the questions I might get asked. I found books on apologetics (the systematic defense of the faith) and books on special topics like cults, science, sexuality, and whatever other issue I might be confronted with. I even made a little cheat sheet in the back page of my Bible to quickly turn to the appropriate verse. Finally, remember that the work we're doing isn't just to show off our intelligence and win arguments, but to save souls from the flames. Hold onto that goal when you share this good news with others.