Sometimes it is difficult to know what to say to someone who has not yet accepted Jesus. It feels like sharing religion is intrusive and it is easier to take a live and let live attitude.
The problem with this is that by letting someone walk away without hearing about salvation is not letting them live, it is letting them die. Without the saving power of Jesus in their lives, people will not experience eternal life.
Sharing is easy once you start. Of course, you have to pick the appropriate time and place. Shoving religion in anyone’s face is a sure way to turn them off. They can be so offended that they won’t see the truth of what you speak.
Sometimes, all you need to do is mention that you are a Christian and the people around you will scatter. They don’t want to hear what you have to say. That’s okay. You can’t force the story of Jesus on any one. It’s up to the Holy Spirit to give them the desire to hear more.
But if you hold back because you don’t know what to say, just tell them your story about how you came to know Jesus. It will be the most compelling story you can tell to anyone. No one can say that you just don’t understand. That you misinterpreted the facts of a situation. It is your life and your story.
I know how hard it can be. When I first became a Christian, I tried to share my faith. I didn’t know much really about it. The other person was interested and starting asking questions that I didn’t know the answer to. I wrapped up with discussion quickly and said I would find someone who knew more to talk to him. I did do that and I don’t know what happened beyond that because I never checked back.
For almost fifteen years thereafter, I didn’t share my faith with anyone else. I was afraid that questions again would surface and that I wouldn’t have answers to give. Certainly circumstances came up when I felt the draw to share but I pushed those feelings aside and kept my story to myself.
I now realize how selfish I was all that time. I had an answer that people were waiting to hear and kept it hidden away. It’s kind of like being in a burning building. You know the way out but it seems no one else does. You could just head on out and save yourself and leave everyone else to die in the blaze.
The other choice is to make yourself heard above the noise, above the fear and the panic that is happening. You would shout, “I have the answer that will let us all escape from this disaster. Follow me and I will show you the way.”
I would hope that most of us would chose to share the way to safety. That we would not want others to die without trying to help. It is exactly the same with sharing the love and saving power of Christ.
The people around you are in the midst of a dying world. Things are starting to come unglued. They are looking for a way to be safe in a world that seems to have gone mad.
If you look at the news on a regular basis, you will see the hate mongering from all sides. Sometimes, you want to identify with one group or other. But the truth is that as a Christian, there is only one group you can belong to. You are a child of God and part of the body of Christ. Nothing else can approach that in importance.
We are told to be in the world but not of the world. That means we have to live in the midst of the chaos. However, we are not to join in the fray. No politics, no social issue, no cause should ever come before Jesus.
Remember, too, that Jesus told us to love one another. Especially those who despitefully use us. It’s easy to love someone who loves you right back. But to love someone who is intent on hurting you and destroying your life is not easy. But it is what we are supposed to do.
So, if the opportunity comes up and you feel the leading of the Holy Spirit, you should share that you are a Christian. Sometimes, people are amazed at how calm we are in the middle of turmoil. Telling them why can lead them to more questions.
Then again, maybe it won’t. It isn’t your job to save anyone. All you can do is make sure that they know that there is a way. They may ask questions or not. You may simply have planted a seed. Let God do the watering and watch for the growth. You will have done everything that you really can do.
Seizing the moment is important but there are times when you must follow the rules. If it is not allowed in your workplace to discuss such matters, respect that and know that God knows that as well.
Once I was willing to share my faith again, I would sometimes ask a co-worker out for lunch or dinner if I was feeling led by the Holy Spirit. While the time out was definitely social, if the opportunity came up, I would take it.
Most of my co-workers knew my history and wondered why I was still happy and at peace with my life. It was very difficult to do this after my son passed away, but I knew that it was that time or never.
When he became ill, the first thing I asked him was if he knew Jesus. He was shocked that I didn’t already know. I admit I was not living the Christian life well but such a catastrophic illness brought my priorities straight. Once he told me he was saved, I then asked my other two children. Once I knew that they knew Jesus, I was able to relax.
I knew that no matter what happened, it would only happen in this life. Someday, we would all be together again. It is something that I think about often. Sadly, there has been enough loss in our family, that there will one day be a big reunion. We will then be brothers and sisters and live with Christ forever.
The peace that I have from that knowledge is something that I want everyone I know to share. I want those I don’t know to have the same peace. My desire, like God’s, is that everyone will be saved.
Because of that experience, I am now brave enough to talk to people. Quite often, when someone comments on my life, my response is that I am at peace because I am a Christ-follower. You would be surprised at how many people then ask for more information.
In a day of easy access to knowledge and information (via the internet), one might think that everyone would already know the story of Jesus. That isn’t the case. So many people, and not just those in third-world countries, have never heard the truth of the Gospel.
They don’t know that God sent his Son. That the Son was also God. Jesus came here to die for us, to give us a way to undue the death sentence we have because of our sins. He came to defeat Satan, sin and the grave. He lived a sinless life so that he could be the perfect sacrifice. He took on the sins of each of us upon the cross. He took our place. It is his sinless blood that was shed that day to provide us a cover and a cleansing of our sin. On judgement day, God will only see the sinless blood and will not condemn us for our sins.
He then rose on the third day after defeating death and sin. In doing so, he also gave us the way to eternal life. He promised we would be with him forever and that he was going to prepare a special home for us where we will be together forever.
Before he left us, after raising from the dead, he told us what he wanted his followers to do. He told us that we were to spread the good news of salvation, which is known as the Gospel, over the entire world.
So, the next time that God leads you to speak to someone, remember what Jesus told you to do. By sharing the love of Jesus, you are doing what you were told to do. Some people will try to argue to tell you what is wrong with your religion. Don’t give in and argue or somehow try to convince them on the basis of your intellect and knowledge.
Just tell them your story. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to do that. You should be reading your Bible daily (even just a verse or two.) That way you will have the knowledge in your head and the Holy Spirit can make use of it.
If you are a member of a church or a group of Christians, and someone asks questions you cannot answer, don’t leave it at that. Tell them you will either find the answer or find someone who can answer it for them.
With practice, you will be surprised at how easy it becomes. While some people turn and walk away, many more are willing to at least listen. Even just asking someone if they would like to go to church with you and maybe have a brunch or lunch after can be a way of sharing. When people see and feel the love of God in a spirit-filled church, they will be astonished and may want to experience it more.
This turned into quite a long letter. Not really surprising for anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis. It was a long way to say, follow Jesus’ last commandment. Spread the Gospel to the world. That is the extent of the job he set before us. Everything else is secondary to this.
It’s taken a long time for me to understand this and this blog is one of the ways that I share. I’m pretty much housebound but opportunities still arise to tell others and even invite them to the church that I attend (watching the sermons streamed live.) I follow the prompting of God because I’ve seen firsthand what happens when I ignore it.
I want others to have the same peace that I have. I want them to feel the same love from God that I feel. I hope you have the same desire to share the redemptive power and love of Jesus as well.
Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.”