Would you agree that sharing your Christian faith can be nerve-racking? Would you also agree that a major part of being a born-again follower of Jesus is to evangelize to the lost with the gospel of hope?
The Lord beckons us to fulfill the great commission when he said, “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 that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matt. 28:19-20).”
In this article, I want to encourage you to share the gospel with confidence so that you don’t have to be anxious. That’s why I have provided four practical steps that I believe will equip you to share your faith for the glory of God. Let’s get started!
1. Share your personal testimony.
That’s right! People love stories. They enjoy hearing about personal experiences that have made a huge difference in one’s life. Believe me, whether they accept Jesus or not, your personal testimony is a powerful tool for sharing your faith.
The reason I love personal testimonies is because it’s a true story that has happened to you. You are the sole eyewitness and are therefore naturally inclined to share it with a passionate fervor that no one else can compete with.
Moreover, because your own testimony is memorable, you will be less inclined to be anxious or forgetful while sharing it with a friend, co-worker, or even a stranger. Also, if the person trusts and knows you well, your testimony can build credibility for that unbeliever to take a leap of faith into the Christian worldview.
2. Memorize bible verses that focus on the gospel message.
As I said before, your personal testimony is an incredible way to share your faith with others. However, a skeptic may not get all the details of what the gospel is or how to respond to it. That’s why it’s also important to have key bible verses memorized so you can clearly teach how someone can be saved.
A few years ago–when I was a pastor in Indiana, I followed an evangelistic organization called Time to Revive. They had a simple and effective way to focus on 5 gospel truths: Sin, death, love, faith, and life. Each of these truths were color-coded inside a Bible that they would hand out to people as they shared the gospel.
For instance, yellow was sin from Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The black represented death from Romans 6;23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The red color represented love from Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The blue stood for faith from Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Finally, the green color symbolized life from Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
After sharing the key verses of the gospel, we would ask the following question: “Is there anything or anyone keeping you from accepting the free gift of life in Jesus today? If they were ready to accept Jesus, we would go through the sinner’s prayer.
“Lord, I know I am a sinner, but I thank you for Your Son, Jesus, who died on the cross for my sin and rose on the third day so that my sins could be forgiven and I can be with you forever. Thank you for loving me. I am ready to follow you and give my life to you. Please help me along the way and allow me to know You better each day. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
Concluding this prayer, we would follow the commands from Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
3. Extend help to a person in need.
I am sure you are familiar with this phrase: “Action speaks louder than words.” This is a common saying today, but has it’s roots from the 13th century church father, St. Francis of Assisi, who made this powerful statement: “Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”
As Jesus walked the earth, he didn’t just preach repentance and faith. He also healed the lame, gave eyesight to the blind, and cared for widows and orphans who were in distress. This is the pure and undefiled religion Scripture teaches about. Therefore, when we help others in need, they see the love of Christ and are compelled to follow him.
Moreover, Jesus told us that faith without works is useless. The book of James says that even the demons believe and tremble (Jam. 2:19). It’s not about whether you believe or not. Instead, it’s applying your faith to action. It’s not just being a hearer of the word, but a doer of God’s commandments.
God told us to love our enemies. Are you doing that? The Lord said we are to be peacemakers. Is this on your to-do list? Jesus told us to bring healing to the orphans and widows in distress. Are you accomplishing his plan? Are you extending your hand to those who are underprivileged and vulnerable? I hope so!
4. Get involved with your local government–standing up for policies that will influence the culture for Christ.
You may be scratching your head thinking, “Did he really just include politics as one of the four steps for sharing our faith?” Yes, I did. I know politics can be a sensitive subject and we tend to run as far away from it, but believers must get involved. At the same time, believers must not find their identity in politics. Let me share with you a few Bible verses that tell us why politics are crucial for sharing the Christian worldview.
Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor (1 Peter 2:13-17).”
God calls us to be subject to the governing authorities. He encourages us to honor the emperor while fearing the Lord and taking care of our church family. This verse proves that when we live as servants for God, we will make a cultural impact in our world.
Currently, the political landscape is not super friendly towards the Christian worldview. There are future policymaking decisions that are antithetical to what the gospel teaches. However, despite this, we must continue sharing the love of Jesus. It’s vital to honor our authorities and be respectful, even while we disagree.
Listen, the reason why I included politics as a practical step for sharing our faith is because many of us try to find our identity there. Our identity is not in whether we are Republican or Democrat. Our identity is not in conservativism vs. liberalism. Instead, our identity is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to share the love of God to all of the world.
Conclusion
In this article, I described four practical steps for sharing your faith–through personal testimony, memorizing Bible verses focused on the gospel message, extending help to a person in need, and getting involved in politics that will influence the culture for Christ.
As I stated earlier, our personal testimony is a powerful tool because it’s an experience no can deny. When your life is transformed by the grace of God, people can’t reject that. I personally believe a changed life can only be explained by a miracle, and that miracle is our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Secondly, I included memorizing Bible verses that focus on the gospel message as a practical way to share your faith. When you decide to go witnessing to people, it’s beneficial to have a rubric or outline of the gospel message that is organized and easy to follow. Then at the end of explaining the gospel truth, it’s important to ask this question so a decision can be made: “Is there anything or anyone keeping you from accepting the free gift of life in Jesus today?”
Thirdly, I mentioned extending help to a person in need as an integral part of sharing the Christian faith. Scripture makes it clear that faith without good works is futile. Therefore, when believers extend help to people in need–such as orphans, widows, the poor, and outcast, we are expressing genuine faith by our works. The ministry of Jesus was all about integrating faith with good deeds.
Finally, and most shockingly, our faith is shared when we get involved with politics and local government. In biblical times, there were two unhealthy extremes: The Essenes who ostracized themselves from public life and the Pharisees who worshipped Rome. We must take a middle position.
As Christians, we can’t exclude ourselves from the world. We need to be in the world but not of the world. Think about Daniel’s life. He lived in Babylon, graciously served the pagan King Nebuchadnezzar, yet refused to worship idols that would oppose His God. We can learn greatly from David’s role, as an influencer in a heathen culture and a man of integrity.
On the other hand, we can’t be like the Pharisees who compromised their faith for fear of losing their influence or power in public life. As believers in Jesus, we are to pray for our government, hope for their success, but never bow to the idols they serve. Our hearts are only to bow to King Jesus.
If it means being persecuted for righteousness sake, so be it. But remember, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall inherit the earth.” Throughout it all, we are to love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us. Amen? Amen!
Article Written by Chad A. Damitz
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