A few weeks ago my cover was blown. I was found out, discovered, a traitor. Others knew something was not quite right. So I was interrogated and questioned. I was asked, "Are you for us or against us?" Now was my moment of truth. I could no longer hide the truth. My friend from Texas now discovered the truth that he had so long suspected. I was a Saint Louis Cardinals fan.

For years I had remained a loyal supporter of the Houston Astros, but since I have lived here in Cape Girardeau, my allegiances have waned. Spending so much time in Cardinals country has taught me just how great the Cardinals fans are, and this has worn me down. I can now finally say that I am a Cardinals fan.

Of course, when you make a switch like this, there are some ramifications. For one, my old friends from Texas, who are Astros fans and even Texas Rangers’ fans, started to question me about my change. I was put on the defense, trying to justify my change in allegiance. But there are other areas in our lives where we are called upon to give a defense. Sometimes it’s to defend a sports team. Other times it is defend a preference in cars: Why we drive Ford and not Chrysler. Whatever it is, there are times when we need to give a defense.

The same is true for being a Christian – sometimes we are called upon to give a defense. Only our defense is for our faith in Jesus Christ. People may ask us at work why we believe in Jesus Christ. Or maybe someone asks us in School, why do you go to church. It is times like these that we are called to give a defense. How do we give a defense? It is sometimes hard to tell others about Jesus when we are put on the spot. One possible model we could use comes from Paul in the Book of Acts where he defends the faith on the Areopagus.

Paul was in Athens, which at the time was the intellectual capital of the world. He was in the Harvard of the Ancient world. This is where he began to preach about Jesus Christ. Some of the Athenian intellectuals heard him preaching and asked him to speak to them. The Bible states that the Athenians would often do nothing but talk about new ideas. Paul had a new idea, so he was given an opportunity to tell others about Jesus.

As we look at what he said it should be remembered that he was speaking to a non-Christian and Jewish crowd. They did not know the basics of the Jewish faith. So Paul decided to start at the beginning. He tells them about an "Unknown God" that created the heavens and the earth. The Athenians were religious people, with many different altars to gods, but did not know about the one true God. Paul tells them that we can know this "Unknown God" through the one that God appointed, which is Jesus Christ. The proof that Paul gives is that God resurrected Jesus from the dead.

It is at this point that our reading from Acts ends, but if you keep reading in the Bible you will see the results of his speech. Some sneered at him, but others became followers. Two that the Bible mentions are: Dionysius, who is a member of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris, who we know nothing about. These two, plus as the Bible says, many others became followers of Jesus because Paul was given an opportunity to defend the faith.

We may never have to defend the faith up in Athens on a hill, but there are many times in our lives where we may be called upon to defend our faith. It could be at work, school, or just when you are going about town. Just this week, I was getting my haircut and the lady who was cutting my hair found out I was a Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, so she asked me about the school. I told her about the importance of Jesus Christ being the center of our teaching. This was an opportunity I had to defend the faith. We may find such opportunities in our lives to defend the faith.

Defending the faith is not hard to do; it just requires that we tell others how important Jesus is in our lives. We don’t have to give them a small catechism lesson or try to hit all the high points of the Christian faith. Just telling how important Jesus is in our lives is usually enough at the beginning. There will be other opportunities for more education. For those brief moments when time is of the essence, just introducing them to Jesus is enough. The Holy Spirit will continue to do its work in the hearts of others.

Every time we defend the faith, much as Paul did at the Areopagus, there is always a chance that there could be a Dionysius or a Damaris listening. So be sure to take any opportunity you have to tell others about Jesus. May God bless you and your walk of faith, giving you every opportunity to tell others about Jesus. Amen.