It's A Faith Worth sharing

A Faith Worth Sharing

Something happened over the past 25 years where people began to believe that their faith in God's work of salvation was personal and private and Christians began to become more insular and less reluctant to talk about their faith. If fact, even thinking about people who didn’t believe in Christ and calling them lost was seen as inappropriate. We succumbed to the work of the enemy who will do everything possible to stop us from sharing our faith. Unless the Gospel is shared and people respond in faith they will be forever alienated from the life of God.

In normal everyday life typically a person wants to tell everyone about a gift he or she received. Yet many people treat salvation like it’s some kind of secret. They know what a wonderful thing they have but they’re reluctant to tell others.

•  Sharing is called many things. The Bible calls sharing our faith witnessing (Acts. 1:8); preaching the Good News (Mark 16:15); telling our friends what the Lord has done for us (Mark 5:19); letting our light shine (Matt. 5:15); showing others the goodness of God (1 Peter 2:9); and planting seeds. “My job was to plant the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God, not we, who made it grow” (1 Cor. 3:6).
• God’s part in sharing. God doesn’t expect us to convince, convict, or convert others. We couldn’t even if we tried.  Only God can do these things. The love of God through Christ convinces us (Rom. 8:38). The work of God through the Holy Spirit convicts us (John 16:8). The grace of God through our faith converts us (1 Cor. 3:7).
• Our part of sharing. Sharing our faith should be the most natural thing in the world, because it’s nothing more than telling someone else the story of what God has done for us.  When we talk about Jesus with one other person, or tell people about Jesus in a letter or email, or give them a book about Jesus we are sharing your faith.
•   Don’t worry. Many of us are reluctant to share our faith because we worry about what other people will say or do.  We think we may be ridiculed, or might offend someone.  Don’t worry about it. Sharing our faith isn’t about the other person saying yes, no, or maybe. It’s about God and His incredible gift to us. All He wants you and I to do is share the gift. He promises to do the rest.
• Our ultimate purpose. We exist in order to glorify God. When you and I talk to others about God, we glorify Him - whether they respond or not. For everything comes from Him; everything exists by His power and is intended for His glory (Rom. 11:36).
• God’s ultimate plan. God is the holy, dynamic, personal, loving Creator of the universe. He made us to glorify Him and to enjoy Him, but He can’t relate to us as long as our life is characterized by sin. So He made a way for us to come back to Him through Jesus. This is His ultimate plan: His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave Him great pleasure (Eph. 1:5). This is what God wants you and I to share with others.

A Navy Chaplain holding a baptism of a new believer
in the Persian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom

Will you join with me in seeking to look for those God given moments during this time of the year when many of those we know the best will be more open than ever to hearing the Gospel's good news.