Sharing your faith

If you ask most Christians what the one thing they are most afraid of - it's sharing what they believe with other people. There was a time when people believed that it was the job of the Pastor to share the gospel, so most people believe that their job is done once they invite someone to church.

I have been in church meetings where people have talked about how to get new people to come to the church. It's usually revolves around having a program or doing some activity there they don't have to personally interact... because putting yourself out there is difficult and if people asked questions that you didn't know the answer to... well, that would just be embarrassing.

Besides that, the Bible draws some really hard lines about how we should live. It talks about not drinking in excess, no sex outside the bonds of marriage, not stealing... we don't want to seem judgmental. So, sometimes it's easier to just not say anything.

But... we have to remember the last thing that Jesus said before he ascended into heaven as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20 was:

 18 ... “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

It's a personal command to all of us, not just to talk to others, but to teach them...

I was at an early morning men's meeting and this guy named Bill was sharing how he came to be a Christian. He was in his late 30's and a hippy for life. He said, "the first time someone told me about the gospel I was interested in what they said, I just had one question:

"Do I have to stop smoking weed [marijuana] in order to be saved?"  

Without missing a step, the guy talking to him looked him in the eye and said... "No!" Bill admits that if this gentleman would have said yes, he would have walked away. But what this man knew was that it's not his job to try to get someone to change their lives by a set of rules. Over time, exposure to what the Bible says will bring about a change... if you truly meditate on what it says.

I saw Bill not too long ago. He's still hippy Bill. He gave up smoking anything years ago. He still had a strong faith in God because someone took the time to listen to meet him where he was.

Once you take yourself out of the equation, it's easy to talk to people about the gospel.

When I say this, I'm not bragging. Believe me, I have nothing to brag about, but I'm saying this so it will encourage you.

When I was at work yesterday, I felt guided to go to the mall, and sit there with my Bible and do some writing, because I reckoned [logizomai] if I did... God would send at least one person my way that needed to hear from Him. So, I packed my yellow notepad, pen, Bible, tablet computer and sat there writing.

When I finished writing my last sentence for the day, Rodney walked up to me, and we talked for about 30 minutes about what it means to struggle to be a Christian. He had questions... God prepared me with answers. We talked about many of the things that I've been blessed to write about over the past few days and I even read him word for word what I had written that evening. [I gave Rodney the link to this blog as well as a challenge to read all the way through the book of Ephesians from beginning to end in one setting, then read 1 chapter a day for a week. I also gave him my business card with my number. Rodney, if you're reading this... I really meant what I said! God loves you and is there to help you... that's a promise that He makes and He always keeps His word.]

I believe that if we make ourselves available God will prepare us with what we need to say in the moment.

John 3 New Living Translation (NLT)
 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.

It's a difficult struggle to be blown into situations like a leaf blowing in the wind trusting God to lead me into situations that he has prepared because first, He has prepared me for the situation through praying and studying His word, and secondly that he He has prepared the other person to be ready to listen.

I mean... could it really be that easy? Things like that don't ever happen... do they?

Acts 8:29-31
New Living Translation (NLT)
 29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”
 30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
 31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.