"Always be ready to give an answer.." - 1 Peter 3:15 (CEV)

I remember taking a class in Christian apologetics when I was younger; the course was designed to help one make a case for Christ when confronted with detractors. 

The class taught me that speaking with any person always had to start from two primary points of view, either they had a belief in God, or they did not. Any argument for Christ has to be built upon either one of those two premises. It seems like a simplistic approach to sharing the gospel, but it taught me the art of assessment and knowing my audience and meeting them at their level. This approach has been one of the best communication tools I have gathered throughout the years. 

Studying works from amazing apologist authors like Francis Schaeffer helped me to communicate the gospel effectively. 

Paul the Apostle leaves us a classic example of practical apologetics in action as recorded in Acts 17:21-34, where he is speaking with the people of Athens and uses their religion as a means of commonality for a basis of dialogue. In using this technique, Paul was able to make a good case for the gospel of Christ and drew much interest and several converts.

Sharing the gospel with others can be a tricky proposition for some believers when they are new in the faith or have experienced shame in their lives, which stands in the way of communicating the love of Christ.

No one is exempt from the Great Commission, which is to share Christ, but if shame stands in one’s way, then it is healing that must take place first. 

I have met many shame-based people over the years, especially Christians who have been stunted in their walk with the Lord because of unresolved pain in their lives which have kept them from experiencing freedom in Christ.

Shame and especially toxic shame have reached epidemic proportions in our society today. Healing this type of shame can be difficult but not impossible; it starts with recognizing that we are damaged and then confessing it before our loving Heavenly Father, who will never shame us our cause us pain. He knows our pain intimately, for He has always been aware of our family of origin relationships, which were meant to support us and to love us unconditionally. 

Still, because of painful past experiences and unresolved conflict, the shame of our family members or others often gets passed on to us. We can put an end to the shame cycle and experience the freedom that Jesus promised us. (I would never rule out receiving Christian Counseling as a step in the right direction for anyone experiencing toxic-shame.)

“Show us your great power, Lord. You promised that you love to show mercy and kindness. And you said that you are very patient, but that you will punish everyone guilty of doing wrong—not only them but their children and grandchildren as well.” 

Numbers 14:17-18 (CEV)

This verse above is not God speaking, but Moses praying for the Children of Israel. God’s punishment Moses is speaking of in this verse is not punitive; it is the allowance for us to reap what we sow in life. 

Shame is one of the “sins” that is passed on either through ignorance or by emotional trauma. God never wants us to live in a state of shame perpetually. 

However, Shame does serve a purpose though; it is meant to be a prick to the conscience, a momentary reminder that keeps us from doing something that we know in our heart is wrong. Shame was never meant to be a place where we reside; shame can be emotionally disabling and imprison us with guilt and anger that are trapped and locked away in our conscious mind. 

This is called "compartmentalization" locking away painful memories or actions done to us that we cannot face at any given moment and hiding them in our sub-conscious mind.  Unfortunately, these compartmentalized memories do not just go away, they affect our conscious lives in tangible ways by affecting our daily interactions and relationships by denying access to the monster we have hidden in our basement. Our reactions can manifest in different ways like fear, depression, anxiety, manic highs or lows, denial, self-medication, self-gratification, binge eating, and a host of other behaviors. 

It is when we allow Christ to enter into those compartmentalized areas of our subconscious mind and bring healing and restoration to the damaged soul, that we can embrace Christ who embraces the hurt done to us. He takes the pain and the damage done to us and makes it His own. That is the action of a true redeemer who takes our damaged lives and releases beauty among the ashes of our brokenness.

 “Christ died once for our sins. An innocent person died for those who are guilty. Christ did this to bring you to God, when his body was put to death and his spirit was made alive.” 

1 Peter 3:18 (CEV)

Jesus declared that we are worthy, worthy enough to die for and be brought back into right standing with our heavenly Father, we are made free from our shame and a guilty conscience.

This isn’t because we have done anything to deserve such favor; this is all about the love of the Father expressed to us through Jesus. 

Jesus bore all of our shame upon himself to release us and free us; that’s what right standing with our heavenly Father means. We are made clean, free of the shame that binds us. 

From the verse today in 1 Peter 3, this is how we honor Christ by giving Him everything that keeps us from knowing and living in His full freedom and letting Him be the Lord of our lives. It is from that place of freedom that we have hope, a hope and a future that can be effectively communicated to others. 

It is also through life experience that we learn to surrender to Jesus everything that temps us to return to that shame-based way of life; we can live with a clear conscience knowing that we live in the love of our heavenly Father even when we are tempted to react negatively. 

His love can guide us through every temptation so that we can start living like true sons and daughters of the king, which is always living in the freedom of Christ. 

I know this is true for anyone because I was caught in a shame cycle and found the freedom in Christ that I spoke of earlier.

Be Blessed;

Stephen Barnett