Even when we believe in God and have confidence in His love, it can be difficult to share faith.
Image by Salvatore Vuono (FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
I’ll never forget one day years ago when my pastor asked our small congregation, “Who is willing to be available this week, to share the Gospel with someone? Raise your hands!”
I almost automatically raised my hand, yet paused to think about it more seriously. I wasn’t just answering the pastor. God would see that as a commitment on my part.
What if God actually sent someone for me to talk to? What then?
I’d been nervous in the past when trying to explain my faith to others, because I expected people to reject it with hostility. That’s what I’d done, before I found faith. I had thought Christianity was foolishness (influenced by Unitarian thinking). I’d been taught Jesus was just a man, albeit a good man.
But at age 20, I realized that to reject Christ, I had to at least know what I was rejecting. After all, what if it were true? What if God were real? Personal?
I was surprised to find that Christianity was (is) a highly intelligent and astounding faith in a real personal being. In reading the book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, I discovered that I couldn’t just believe Jesus was a good man. Jesus said he was the son of God. It was either true or he was a liar…or he was crazy. I became convinced that he didn’t lie, nor fit the profile of someone who was delusional.
That left me one choice: to not just accept truth but accountability to God. From the moment I tentatively asked Christ to take over my life, His personal impact on me has been profound and I haven’t lost that faith for 34 years!
At the time my pastor posed that question, I’d been a Christian for about nine years. But was I willing to take time to share my faith with anyone that week? I had a big trip to plan for. I wouldn’t have much time to chat with anyone. And what if my words came out wrong?
Then I realized that our trip might provide the perfect opportunity to share my faith with a stranger, if God led them to ask me for that. If it were meant to be, He would give me direction. So I raised my hand.
The day my husband and I arrived at our airport gate, we were discouraged to be assigned new, less-than-optimal seats. Yet God placed right next to me a young man who insistently, persistently asked me questions about faith. (That was even when I was ready to sleep, since it was a night flight!) He even asked me point blank: “What do you believe?” We ended up praying together over some of his concerns.
If you believe the truth of the Gospel (which means, Good News!) are you willing and available to share that? Because THAT is why we share it. Not to score any points on our behalf. It’s because when we realize freedom and joy in Christ, we desperately want others to find that hope too. We have no problems sharing with others about other great stuff–products, movies we love, athletic teams we cheer for. Why is it so hard to share faith in God when it can truly change someone’s life?
If you don’t know God, what keeps you from finding out about him? Here’s one way to get started: visit GodTest.com, to get you to thinking about a series of questions related to faith. It may also help you understand better how Jesus fits into that. A simple, yet serious exploration of faith can change your life.
Top 5 Reasons I Don’t Share My Faith
Here’s someone a bit more eloquent–Chuck Colson at a Billy Graham crusade:
© Laurie Winslow Sargent. Laurie edits Finding God Daily, and is an author/contributor and magazine article writer. She blogs for parents at ParentingByFaith.com and for writers at SellYourNonfiction.com. Join her on Twitter as @LaurieSargent.
