Regarding the Bible, there are many people talking. After all, it is the most read book of all time! The Guinness Book of World Records estimates that publishers have printed over 5 billion copies of the Bible. It’s not just a book; it’s an experience that invites you to dive in with your heart, not just your mind. When you study the Bible for yourself, you take a personal journey that guides every area of your life.
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
Marketplace ministry exposes you to different people with various beliefs. Some of those beliefs are very convincing and some bring a sense of community and belonging. People give their life to beliefs that totally contradict the Scripture. They support religions that do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as the risen Messiah. People are free to believe what they chose and work together in the same office, on the same team.
How do you respond?
When you are face-to-face with a person who adamantly voices a belief that contradicts the Bible, what do you do?
- Do you just laugh it off and ignore the comment?
- Do you get angry and clearly voice a response?
- Do you walk away and ignore the conversation?
- Do you pull out your phone and find a Bible verse to prove the person wrong?
Before you select the best response, let’s consider two Bible passages:
“Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)
“We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” (Ephesians 4:14-16)
From the above passages, we have specific instructions to help handle our response.
1 Peter 3:15 tells us. . .
- We should always be ready to defend our faith
- We should be ready to give a response when people ask about our faith
- We should be gentle and respectful when we defend our faith
Ephesians 4:14-16 tells us. . .
- God expects us to mature spiritually
- We should not be swayed by the crafty opinions of others
- We should speak the truth lovingly
To effectively handle conversations that happen in offices, restaurants and break rooms, it’s important to know the Scriptures for yourself. The only way to be ready to defend your faith in a loving way is to know which Scripture is best to use in different situations.
People are talking
In the marketplace, it is common to hear a person make a statement that goes directly against the Scriptures. If you are in a place (lunch or hanging out after work) where the conversation is flowing toward personal beliefs, you have the freedom to chime in and express your beliefs.
One of the most effective ways to communicate your belief is to share an experience. Here is an example:
“I understand how you feel, but my experience has been different. I was looking for more in life and trying to find my purpose. When I started understanding what Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection meant, I finally got it. Now I know what happens to me when I die. I really needed to know that there is more to life than just what is happening now. That means everything to me. I don’t care what other people do or how they fake their faith. I just know what my faith has done for me.”
After you share an experience, a person is likely to respond with something like:
- Man wrote the Bible
- People in church are not reliable
- I hate organized religion
- The church hurt me
- I don’t understand why the Bible won’t let people… (sin).
That’s when knowing where to find a Bible verse becomes crucial. The Scriptures are alive. They pierce bone and marrow (Hebrews 4:12). Our opinions are important, but they don’t pack a punch like a clear Word from the Bible.
You can’t always pull out a Bible concordance to find a passage. You need to know what you are defending and what passage supports your stand. It needs to be God’s Word, not yours.
Your response should be kind, not to start an argument. Once it turns into a power struggle, you lose the benefit of the conversion. That is not the way the disciples shared their faith.
So, what is the best response? Again, it depends on the situation. You can add a gentle statement that leads to more conversation later. You can also just say, “No, that’s your belief. I see it differently.” Once you make your statement, the listener can ask for more, walk away or walk away and ask for more at a later time.
Either way, keep yourself open for a conversation and make it easy to talk. That means being understanding, nonjudgemental and not presenting yourself like a person who does not make mistakes. Life is tough and people are hurting. When they are searching for truth, it’s not the time to tell them about their shortcomings. It’s the time to show love and grace and allow God to work in their heart. Your job is to study the Bible and be ready for God to use you how He chooses.
Remember, people sometimes receive the truth one bite at a time. Be sensitive and prayerful to make sure you are communicating what God wants you to say instead of defending your own emotions or beliefs.
Back to the original question. Which one is the right response?
- Do you just laugh it off and ignore the comment?
- Do you get angry and clearly voice a response?
- Do you walk away and ignore the conversation?
- Do you pull out your Bible or phone and prove the person wrong?
It depends. There is a place and time when either response is correct. If a person makes a sarcastic comment to throw you off your goals, you might laugh it off and ignore the comment.
If a person who openly represents himself as a follower of Christ steals items from the staff kitchen and claims, “God wanted me to have it,” you would be right to get angry and voice a corrective response.
If a person who you have shared details about your faith wants to argue and prove you wrong, you might walk away and decide that you won’t be a part of the conversation (when the person is not legitimately seeking the truth).
If you hear a person say, “The Bible says money is the root of all evil,” you might find the verse on your phone and read the Scripture correctly, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Then, you should explain the difference between the two statements (love of money vs money).
Like I wrote earlier, many people are talking about the Bible, but few are sharing the truth from their own study of the Word. God invites us to draw closer to Him through the Scriptures. He takes us on a journey of discovery that affects our decisions, relationships and how we see the world. It’s an amazing journey that only happens when you open the Bible and study for yourself.
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