Sharing Your Faith--101

You don’t actually have to raise your hand, but at least think about this.  How many of you are afraid to share your faith?  Is it because you don’t know what to say.  Or maybe you’re sharing the Gospel, but nothing is happening; people aren’t committing their lives to Christ.  Is it possible you are doing something wrong?

You need to understand that we cannot open someone’s heart to the truth of the Gospel—but the Holy Spirit can.  The Apostle Paul wasn’t persuasive, but God used him because he depended on the Holy Spirit to guide him. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)  God guided many others in the Bible as well—like Moses, who at first asked God to get someone else to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land, or Jonah, who didn’t think the wicked Ninevites deserved God’s mercy and tried to run the other way.

Remember, God does not call the equipped; He equips the called—and as Christians, we are all called to share what Christ has done.  Some of Jesus’ last words on earth were, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations...” (Matthew 28:19)  Sharing your faith isn’t just a suggestion, it’s a command.  And God is with us when we obey Him.

One of the best ways to share your faith is to live a godly life.  Jesus called us to, “...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)  Non-Christians often look at Christians as hypocritical because we say one thing, but do another.  Show those close to you that you care—spend time with them, help meet their needs, and offer to listen when they have problems.  You might not have all the answers, but they can’t deny the reality of what Christ has done in your life.  If you find this difficult, is it possible God is speaking to you about your own need to walk more closely with Him every day?

Another important part of sharing your faith is to pray for those you interact with each day.  If you can’t think of anyone who isn’t a Christian, pray for God to place someone in your life who needs Him.  Also, make a habit of reading the Bible, praying and going to church.  These things shouldn’t be done just for the sake of doing them, but to help you grow in your own faith.  Being passionate about Christ will help others see that there’s something different about you, and they will want to know what it is. You can also reflect Christ through kind words, patience, a gentle temperament, choosing to love even difficult people, carefully monitoring what you watch or listen to, and treating others with respect.

At the same time, we must do more than live godly lives. People need to hear the Gospel—to hear that God loves them, that Christ died for them and that they can have eternal life. The Apostle Paul tells us that, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:13-14)  

Here are 4 simple steps to help you share the Gospel:   

1) Tell them about God's plan. 

God loves you and wants you to experience the peace and life He offers.  The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  He has a plan for you.  

2) Explain that we are separated from God.   
Being at peace with God is not automatic. By nature, we are all separated from Him.  The Bible says, “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...” (Romans 3:23)  God is holy, but we are human and do not measure up to His perfect standard.  We are sinful, and “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)   

3) Talk about God's solution--the cross.  
God’s love bridges the gap of separation between you and Him.  When Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the grave, He paid the penalty for your sins.  The Bible says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)  

4) Our response is to receive Christ. 

You cross the bridge into God’s family when you accept Christ’s free gift of salvation.  The Bible says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God...” (John 1:12)  Romans 10:13 says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”   

Now, here’s a prayer you can pray to receive Christ:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I trust and follow you as my Lord and Savior. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In your name I pray, Amen.”

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I'd like to share with you 5 things that Gary Cobb, a Billy Graham Evangelistic Association staff member who helps train others to share their faith, wants you to remember:

1. Understand that your own life is a great part of your witness.  
If my relationship with Christ isn’t vital, then I really don’t have a lot to share.  People not only listen to your words, they look at your life.  We still fail and aren’t always a good example, so our only hope is to come to God and surrender to Him.  It’s nothing that we can do.  It’s God’s work. 

2. Realize that we earn the right to be heard by sincerely listening to others.  
Everyone has a story.  You can’t just blunder into a situation and callously share without listening.  The Bible says that Jesus was a friend of sinners.  That’s our example—to be a friend, to listen to people, see where they are, and then take them where they need to go. 

3. Recognize that people are looking for a cure.  
When you go to the doctor, you don’t say, “I have cancer.”  Instead, you describe your symptoms.  That’s where most people live.  They only see symptoms.  “I’m lonely. I’m suffering from a broken relationship.  I’m stressed.  There’s darkness within me that I don’t know what to do with.”  How do we share Christ with someone who is overwhelmed with their symptoms? We know the ultimate cure. It’s Jesus Christ.  Jesus didn’t die for their symptoms.  He died for their sins.  Yet, people don’t wake up in the morning and think, “You know, I need to accept Jesus.” They wake up with the symptoms, and so as people who are attempting to rescue those who are lost, we need to start with their symptoms, show them the disease (sin), and take them to the ultimate cure (Jesus). 

4. Keep it simple.  
The Gospel is already simple.  Christ died for our sins.  He was buried.  He rose again.  We need to turn away from the things that are wrong in our lives, and accept what Jesus did on the cross for us and receive Him as Lord.  Don’t complicate it.  So many times we throw in things like our denomination or other doctrines or we use religious terms that a lot of people don’t understand.  We end up confusing them and creating barriers.  Explain the Gospel in a way that people can understand.  

5. Stress the love of God. 
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   It starts with love, and that’s where we need to start.  Ultimately, we have to explain that we’re all sinners and have violated God’s standards, and, because of that, there is a judgment.  “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)  But don’t start with that. People know they’ve done a lot of wrong things, but they first need to hear that God is still open to forgiving them.

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