Always Be Ready!
How to Use This Lesson
This lesson is designed to be completed alongside the teaching video, but you may choose how you engage with it. It is self-paced—you can pause to reflect or take notes at anytime. Here are the three ways to participate in this lesson:
You can:
- Watch first, then read. Follow along with the video walkthrough as the instructor highlights and explains the curriculum, then scroll back through the written lesson to review or take notes.
- Read first, then watch. Read the lesson at your own pace, then watch the video for clarification, emphasis, and practical application.
- Pause and reflect as prompted. At certain points, you will be invited to pause the video for up to five minutes to reflect or write brief responses. These pauses are intentional and especially useful in group settings.
Let’s Begin!
Step 1—Realize “Always Be Prepared” Is Not Optional
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
1 Peter 3:15
This is the primary verse Christians will refer to when talking about the importance of apologetics as a pre-cursor to evangelism. Providing a “defense” or giving an “answer” for one’s hope is rooted in the Greek word apologia, which conveys the idea of presenting and defending a case much like a lawyer would in a courtroom. From this term we get the English word apologetics, referring to the disciplined defense of the Christian faith. Significantly, Peter does not restrict this responsibility to pastors or professional apologists. Rather, he assumes that every follower of Christ should be prepared to explain the reason for the hope they have when the opportunity arises.
The word “prepared” means ready. The Greek term hetoimos is the same word Jesus used in Luke 12:40 when He said, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” This idea of readiness in 1 Peter 3:15 carries significant weight, especially since Peter adds the word “always,” underscoring a continual posture of urgency.
There is no question that in a world shaped by competing worldviews such as relativism, atheism, agnosticism, and naturalism, honoring Christ in our hearts and obeying His command to be “always ready” for witnessing opportunities will require both intentional commitment and time. Your decision to take this class is an important step in that direction, and this lesson is designed to encourage you while also providing practical resources that will help you feel more confident, equipped, and prepared to share your faith.
Step 2—Identify Obstacles To Readiness
The words in 1 Peter 3:15 — always, prepared, and anyone — make it clear that this is not a passive or casual readiness that requires no time, effort, or honest assessment of where we are weak in sharing our faith. While this calling may feel daunting, the vast array of high-quality resources available today to help Christians be prepared for virtually any evangelistic or apologetic situation is remarkable—and, quite frankly, a providential gift from God to assist us in our desire to honor Christ by being ready. At the bottom of this lesson, you will find links to outstanding free resources from many gifted pastors and apologists, all specifically designed to help equip and strengthen us on our journey toward faithful and confident witness.
Sixty-five percent of Christians polled report that they do not feel ready for most opportunities to share their faith. Nearly half (44%) say that fear keeps them from sharing, while 37% identify not feeling equipped as their greatest barrier to witnessing. Additionally, 66% of Christians admit that they do not know any methods for telling others about Jesus. The best starting point towards “always being prepared” is to identify our own personal barriers that keep us from confidently sharing our faith in today’s diverse social climate.
By identifying our theological, personality, or emotional weaknesses, we not only begin to see where to focus our energy, but we can also access appropriate resources and develop a personal plan to grow in those areas, so that we become more confident, faithful, and effective in sharing our faith. Below is a Reflection Exercise to help you identify your weakness and the resource link provided at end of lesson will have resources broken into the most common categories Christians identify as barriers such as fear, lack of training, doctrinal insufficiency, or lack of strategy.
By identifying our theological, personality, or emotional weaknesses, we not only begin to see where to focus our energy, but we can also access appropriate resources and develop a personal plan to grow in those areas, so that we become more confident, faithful, and effective in sharing our faith. Below you will find a Reflection Exercise Chart designed to help you identify your primary areas of weakness. In addition, the resource links provided at the end of this lesson are organized around the most common barriers Christians face—such as fear, lack of training, doctrinal insufficiency, or lack of strategy—so you can easily find targeted help for your specific needs.
Below is a Reflection Exercise Chart designed to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. Take sufficient time to prayerfully reflect on each question, and honestly rate each area as Strong, Adequate, or Weak. This may be one of the most important and strategic steps any believer can take toward growing in faithful, effective witness. In Part 2 of this lesson, we will recommend and provide resources to help strengthen any areas that need to be built up. You can do this—if you are willing to be transparent and teachable, you can be assured that God will meet you and help you as you seek to honor Him by being prepared to share your faith.
Reflection Exercise—Pause Video
Identifying Barriers to Sharing Your Faith
| Area of Reflection | Survey Question |
|---|---|
| Fear & Emotional Barriers | What, if anything, do you fear most about sharing your faith (e.g., rejection, conflict, not knowing what to say, damaging a relationship)? |
| Training & Confidence | Do you feel you have received adequate training in how to share your faith? Why or why not? |
| Skills Assessment | What specific skills do you wish you had more confidence in (e.g., starting conversations, explaining the Gospel, answering objections)? |
| Doctrinal Understanding | Do you feel confident explaining the core truths of the Gospel (sin, salvation, grace, Jesus’ death and resurrection)? |
| Theological Hesitations | Are there any theological questions or topics that make you hesitant to share your faith? |
| Strategy & Approach | Do you currently have a personal strategy for sharing your faith? If yes, briefly describe it. |
| Apathy and Disobedience | If no, what kind of approach do you think would fit your personality best? |
| Greatest Barrier | What do you think is your greatest barrier to sharing your faith right now (fear, knowledge, strategy, personality, busyness, etc.)? |
Resume Video
Step 3— Fully Commit To Becoming Prepared
Yes—In order to be prepared for anyone at anytime to ask about why you believe like you do will take commitment.
Yes—The task of becoming prepared for such contingincies will take time and energy
Yes—God will help and bless abundantly someone who is fully committed to such a process!
What does it mean to be ready?
In the context of American culture, readiness first requires knowing what we believe and why we believe it, and being able to explain both clearly in simple terms. But readiness goes further than self-understanding. Because we live in a deeply pluralistic society, we regularly encounter people shaped by very different worldviews. If we are going to obey the command to be prepared, we must also understand—at least at a basic level—what others believe and how those beliefs differ from Christianity.
The word defend is important here. If being “always ready” merely meant telling others about the hope within us, preparation would be far easier. Explaining our hope is one thing; thoughtfully responding to objections, questions, and competing truth claims is another. Faithful preparation therefore includes familiarity with the major worldviews we are most likely to meet in everyday American life.
Major Worldviews a Christian Is Most Likely to Encounter (U.S. Context)
| Religion / Worldview | Approx. % of U.S. Population | Belief in a Nutshell |
|---|---|---|
| Religiously Unaffiliated / Uncertain /Agnostic | 25–30% | No defined religious belief; often unsure God can be known or personally relevant. |
| Secular Naturalism / Atheism | 4–7% | Reality is purely material; God and miracles do not exist. |
| Popular Spirituality (“Higher Power” / Moralistic Therapeutic Deism) | 15–20% | God exists to help people be happy but does not authoritatively define truth or morality. |
| Catholicism | 20% | Christ plus Church authority and sacraments mediate grace and salvation. |
| Mormonism (LDS) | 1–2% | Different Godhead; additional scriptures; salvation involves exaltation and ordinances. |
| Jehovah’s Witnesses | 1% | Jesus is created (Michael the archangel); denial of Trinity; salvation tied to Watchtower teaching. |
| Islam | 1% | One God; Jesus is prophet not divine; Qur’an is final revelation. |
| Judaism | 2% | One covenant God; Hebrew Scriptures authoritative; Messiah not yet come. |
This chart reflects the worldviews present in virtually every community across the continental United States—the people we encounter at work, school, recreational activities, or everyday places like barbershops and salons. These are the individuals to whom we should be able to communicate the basic claims of Christianity, share our personal experience within the faith, and be prepared to respond to competing truth claims.
One reason many Christians report that they “don’t feel ready” for witnessing opportunities is the sheer variety of beliefs surrounding them. When so many different perspectives exist, it can seem overwhelming to think about being prepared to respond to them all—especially while managing the responsibilities of normal life.
But readiness is not unattainable. With intentional effort, steady practice, and the right tools, believers can grow in confidence and clarity. Preparation does require diligence, yet it is far more manageable than it first appears, and the resources available today make becoming ready both realistic and achievable.
Who ever said “Loving The Lord With All Our Mind, Soul and Strength” was going to be easy?
It is remarkable how gifted and capable the people in our churches are. Among them are business leaders, entrepreneurs, doctors, nurses, and musicians. Yet the tradesmen—plumbers, mechanics, carpenters, and others—are just as impressive, possessing skills that required years of training, discipline, and intentional practice to master.
What makes the statistic that sixty-five percent of believers “feel unprepared” to share their faith especially discouraging is that it includes these very same accomplished individuals. For one reason or another, many who have successfully learned demanding professions come to believe that learning to communicate their faith clearly in different situations is somehow more difficult than the complex knowledge and training they have already undertaken—even the continuing education required by their work each year. The issue, then, is not ability but commitment.
When the New Testament speaks about readiness, it describes believers as ambassadors, ministers of reconciliation, and a royal priesthood. These are not titles for a select few—they define the calling of every Christian. No believer is excluded; in Christ we are “called” to these roles. We certainly have jobs, families, responsibilities, and hobbies, yet—like missionaries entering a foreign field—we are meant to use these very settings as platforms for our ambassadorship. An ambassador must be prepared. A minister must understand the message he carries. A priest must be trained to serve faithfully. Preparation, therefore, is not optional; it is part of the vocation itself.
The Missionary Calling Of Every Believer
| Scripture Address | Full Text (ESV) |
|---|---|
| 2 Corinthians 5:20 | “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” |
| 2 Corinthians 5:18–19 | “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” |
| 1 Peter 2:9 | “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” |
| Matthew 5:14–16 | “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” |
| 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.” |
| Matthew 28:19–20 | “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” |
How missionaries prepare for a specific field
Before a missionary ever boards a plane, preparation usually takes place in several intentional layers:
1) Message mastery (the Gospel)
They must understand the core message they carry — clearly, accurately, and simply — so they can communicate it without confusion or contradiction.
2) Cultural understanding
They study the beliefs, values, fears, and assumptions of the people they are going to live among. Not to win arguments, but to avoid unnecessary barriers and speak meaningfully.
3) Learning the dominant worldviews of the region
They familiarize themselves with the primary belief systems they will encounter so they can explain Christianity in ways that address real convictions, not imaginary ones.
4) Anticipating objections
They prepare for predictable misunderstandings and challenges they will repeatedly encounter in that particular setting.
5) Practical skill development
They practice conversations, role-play interactions, and learn how to adapt explanations to children, skeptics, religious people, and the indifferent.
6) Personal spiritual formation
They cultivate humility, patience, and love so the message is carried with the right posture, not just the right content.
A missionary may spend one to three years preparing before entering the field, often while still working a full-time job. They may attend classes, training and receive guidance from a mission board but there isn’t a dedicated missionary school they attend. As part of their “calling” they solicit training, guidance, resources and accountability.
1 Peter 3:15 gives a similar universal calling to every Christian—one that includes the same elements of preparation missionaries pursue before entering the field. The good news is that many excellent organizations have devoted themselves to equipping believers and have developed training resources that help prepare you for a wide range of witnessing situations without requiring a seminary degree.
In the next lesson, “How to Become Prepared,” we will show you how to access targeted training and resources designed to meet you right where you are in your journey toward greater readiness and confidence.
Reflection Exercise
When you hear the call to “always be prepared” (1 Peter 3:15), what part of preparation feels most lacking in your life right now — knowledge, confidence, clarity, or opportunity?
In what everyday settings (workplace, family, hobbies, online interactions) do you most often encounter questions or attitudes that challenge your faith?
How might intentional training change the way you currently think about sharing your faith — from intimidating to purposeful?
What specific step could you take this week to move from wanting to be prepared toward actively becoming prepared?
Lesson Three Summary
In this lesson we’ve learned that the command to “always be prepared” carries real weight, and that obedience will require a commitment of time and energy. We’ve also seen that there are ample resources available to help us grow in readiness without neglecting our responsibilities to work, family, or daily life.
When you are ready, continue to Lesson Four: “How to Become Prepared,” where you will learn how to develop a personal plan for becoming equipped and how to access the resources needed to carry it out.