Marks of Maturity: 7 Encouragements about Sharing Your Faith
Marks of Maturity: 7 Encouragements about Sharing Your Faith
This past Sunday, we focused on the sixth mark of maturity: Bearing Witness to the Gospel.You can listen to the sermon here. This week, I’d like to share seven brief encouragements related to sharing Christ with others.
1. Be Aware of the Need. Kearney is a predominantly Christian city with churches everywhere. This is a great blessing, but it can also blind us to the fact that many around us do not know Jesus. Furthermore, Christians might assume a sort of default universalism. We may tell ourselves, “My neighbors are pretty good people. They believe in God.” However, this is not the same as knowing Christ. Apart from knowing Jesus, we have no confidence or promise beyond this life.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you had compassion upon the crowds because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Open up my eyes to see people with the same compassion. Amen.
2. Pray for Opportunities. Prayer makes us aware of what’s happening around us. When we take time to pray for our family, neighbors, coworkers, and friends, and then also ask the Spirit to open doors to share Christ with them, we’ll be more likely to see these opportunities and act on them. Remember that God is already working in the lives of those around you. The Ethiopian convert in Acts 8 was already reading the prophet Isaiah when Philip approached his chariot. God was already working in his life. Likewise, when we share the gospel, we are just participating in the work that God is already doing.
Prayer: Father, just as Your Spirit led Philip to share the gospel with the Ethiopian man, bring me into opportunities to share the good news of Your Son with others. Amen.
3. Slow Down. It’s hard to see opportunities when we’re in a hurry. When we live in a constant state of hurried coming and going, we don’t have space for the unhurried conversation with a neighbor or acquaintance. Evangelism takes time. Bearing witness to Christ requires us to slow down and notice people and needs around us.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, in the days of Your earthly ministry, You were not in a hurry. You took time to commune with Your Father and minister to people in need. Help me to slow down and walk at the unhurried pace of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
4. Listen Well. One of the sad realities of our modern culture is that many people are lonely and isolated. In our isolation, there are few people who are close enough and care enough to patiently listen. One of the best ways we can share Christ with others is to talk less and listen more. When we patiently listen to people and ask them questions about their joys and struggles, we gradually earn the right to be heard, and in this case, fewer words do more than many. This act of listening is not manipulative—just a means (listening) to an end (conversion). Rather, such listening is an act of love that honors another’s humanity, much like Christ laying down His life and giving us salvation honors another’s humanity.
Prayer: Father, thank you for listening to me when I pray. Help me to listen to others as they share their joys and struggles. Let my listening be a reminder of Your love and care. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
5. Live Well. “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12). We all know that actions speak louder than words. The way we live can either strengthen or undermine the credibility of the gospel. When our faith becomes lukewarm, the culture looks at the church and sees a reflection of itself. Does posting that political statement on social media really advance the gospel? Probably not. Does your grumpiness at the barista who got your coffee order wrong advance the gospel? Certainly not. Let’s remember that people are watching, and they often judge the value of the Christian faith by how we live our lives.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You came into this world as a servant. Help me to live a life of humility and service to others, so that when others see me, they see a reflection of You, and are drawn to Your goodness. Amen.
6. Focus on People, Not Results. People typically don’t like to be evangelized. Exerting too much pressure can make the gospel feel like a sales pitch. While we are called to be prayerful and intentional about sharing the gospel, we also recognize that only the Holy Spirit can work faith in hearts. Knowing this allows us to focus more on people rather than the results.
Prayer: Father, help me to trust the Spirit’s work in the lives of those around me. I trust that my prayers, words, and actions are just a small part of what You are already doing. Let Your will be done. In Jesus’ name, amen.
7. You Don’t Need to Have All the Answers. You don’t need a theology degree to share Your faith. I cannot emphasize this enough. If someone asks you a question that you don’t know the answer to, just admit you don’t know. We are always called to grow in our knowledge of Christ and in our ability to give an answer to those who ask about our hope (1 Peter 3:15-16), but if we wait until we have all the answers, we’ll never take any risks and share our faith with others. Furthermore, unless the person we’re talking to is aggressive and combative, most people will respect your honesty when you say, “That’s a great question. I’m not sure, but I’ll definitely give that some more thought.”
Prayer: Lord, help me to grow in my knowledge of Christ. But also help me to use what I know right now to lead others to You. I trust that what I know right now is more than enough for You to work with. Amen.
Friends, you are proclaimers of the gospel! May the Lord help you to see and embrace the opportunities around you!
