Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Are there times when we are afraid to share our faith in Christ because we do not know what to say? Perhaps we are sharing the Gospel but people are not turning their lives to Christ. I often face such a situation when trying to share Christ to my regular lunch friends. We should remember that we cannot open someone’s heart to the truth of the Gospel—but God can, by His Spirit and I am therefore still trusting God to do this for my lunch friends. In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, the Apostle Paul wasn’t eloquent, but God used him because he depended on the Holy Spirit to guide him. 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. God does not call the equipped; He equips the called—and as Christians, we are all called to share what Christ has done. From the verse Matthew 28:19-20 as stated above, sharing our faith isn’t just a suggestion, it’s a command. And God is with us when we obey Him.
Below are some ways we can do to help us to share our faith in Jesus Christ:
1) Make a point to live godly lives
Do what we preach. Show to those close to us that we care—spend time with them, help meet their needs and offer to listen when they have problems. We might not be able to answer all of their questions, but they cannot deny the reality of what Christ has done in our lives.
2) Pray for the lost
Pray for those non-believers that we interact with. If we cannot find someone to share the gospel, pray for God to place people in our lives who need Him.
3) Walk closely with God
Make a habit of reading the Bible, praying and going to church. These things should not be done for attention or for the sake of doing them, but to help us grow in our own faith. Being passionate about Christ will help others see that there’s something different about us and they will want to know what it is. We can also reflect Christ through kind words, patience, a gentle temperament, choosing to love even difficult people, carefully monitoring what we watch or listen to, and treating others with respect.
4) Remember that people need to hear the Gospel
People need to hear that God loves them, Christ died for them and that they can have eternal life. Romans 10:13-14 (NIV) says, “…“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?”
To start sharing the Gospel, you may wish to use the resource found on the website: http://peacewithgod.net
Taken & adapted from: https://billygraham.org/story/sharing-your-faith-101/
Brother Justin Leo Deng Yong
