Our Community Group (CG) is such an awesome, eclectic, open, loving mixture of people from all walks of life and various levels in their walks with the Lord. This last week as we started through a summer event of the “Tough Question Series” a question came up….ok dialogue that included old and young earth, John Calvin, Joseph Arminius, Noah’s Ark, and even (some of my old Sunday School students will remember) if Adam and Eve had belly buttons.

While we started this night (within the first five minutes) with the basis of our night and future nights being 1 Peter 3:15:

[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,
(1 Peter 3:15 ESV)

but 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, yet with gentleness and reverence;
(1 Peter 3:15 NASB)

We reviewed a few versions of this text (some that are not accounted for here) for the purpose of seeing and tying word and word usage together. The first keys here are: Sanctify, Hearts, Honor, Christ, always ready!!! That is a huge amount unto itself to unpack and should not be overlooked nor taken lightly. For this sake we will not be exhaustive but I would strongly encourage a deeper study of this text. The basis we used was that the “apologetic” is from the Greek “apologia” ~ to give or prepare a defense, think trial attorney. Now before you start going all “if it don’t fit, you must acquit” continue reading and be sure not to miss the “gentleness, reverence, respect, and in some versions love.”

I asked the question of the group:

“What, if anything do you know about God today that is fundamentally different…what in your walk today is fundamentally different? Meaning, what revelation has occurred for you in your relationship with the Father that may be vastly different than before? How has it changed your walk? Would you share it with us?

What I love about this group is that (I think everyone that night had an example of what they now know as different about God); then, a woman in the group asked the question: free will and Salvation…(for you theologians this is not where John and Joseph mentioned above came in) - but this was a real question. She continued...

“If God wants everyone to be saved, why aren’t they? I was always raised to believe that I could choose God.”

Stop the press….our group focus just changed at that moment, but maintained the intent of the 1 Peter Scripture.

Everyone turn to John 6:41-51 and we focused on the words of Jesus Himself, this is right on the heels of Him saying

(37) “All the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

This is a great picture of God’s Sovereign Will, now we pick up the rest of John 6.

[41] So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” [42] They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” [43] Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. [44] No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him (helkuo in Greek, “draws” or “to draw “means: to pull or drag, (this is key) requiring force because of the inertia of the object being dragged. Imagine you are in a sack big enough for you to stand and someone is dragging you while you are running as hard as you can the other way…remember that you are an enemy of His at this point (ref Eph 2:4 here). And I will raise him up on the last day. [45] It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—
(John 6:41-45 ESV)

This is why it is so important to ask that question, have that dialogue, engage the members of your groups, and ultimately pray that God Himself ordains the situation, the safety, the openness of the group to ask those questions…it is absolutely all Him and all glory to and for Him.

Jesus,
Thank you so much for Your love, the Grace of Your love for the passion of the heart of those that love you and follow you. I pray that you would ignite our hearts with a fire that our focus would engulf us and do what fire does…moves forward!!!
In Jesus precious name, Amen…

Adrian “AG” Green