Years ago, I was door-knocking with a team of preaching students walking through Kentucky’s rural area. Door after door, people were either not home or not receptive to hearing the message we were equipped to share. After very few results, one fellow on my team communicated frustration. He questioned, “Why are we even walking door to door wasting our energy on these people who are not receptive and are shutting the doors in our faces?” Another student turned and said, “We do this to provide HOPE.” While we HOPE for someone to be home, or we HOPE for receptive hearts. The message we bring literally to their front door is a message of HOPE.

We have a HOPE that is within us that needs to be told, and we need to be ready to share it (1 Peter 3:15).

“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the HOPE that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”:

We turn to this passage on numerous occasions if we want to talk about defending the gospel. But let me encourage you not to get too comfortable with that thought. The gospel is powerful enough that it does not need to be defended as if it can’t stand on its own. The gospel will go on with or without you. The gospel is that powerful (Romans 1:16).

However, what this passage does tell me is that there are times that someone might ask me about my HOPE. For that, I can and should speak up with gentleness and respect to provide an answer for why I live the way I do. If someone asked you why do you have HOPE, what would you say? How would you respond?

If someone was to ask me why I do what I do, I need to be prepared to say because I have HOPE.

Why do we spend hours studying, training, learning how to present the gospel to people who may or may not want to hear it? Or so easily be offended by what you have to say?

Today, we have a problem with being too easily offended. It’s sad that sin doesn’t offend us anymore… however, being corrected does. I HOPE that we will reverse that.

Let’s stop being offended by someone helping us get out of sin. Stop being offended when someone tells you you are wrong or that you must be baptized to be saved. Be thankful that someone had HOPE within themselves that we might respond to their message and the call to believe, repent, confess, and be immersed into Christ.

So why do we evangelize even when they might not want to hear the message?

Well, because:

Evangelism = HOPE

Here is the answer to the question of why:
There is HOPE within me that I HOPE I can share with you to give you HOPE that you can share with someone else who needs HOPE.

I love you, and I HOPE you love me.

Alex