SHARE YOUR FAITH
Jesus giving the Great Commission to his disciples. Image from Free Bible Images.
The Great Commission to Christians.
God wants you to share your Christian faith with others. In Jesus’ famous “Great Commission,” Jesus instructed his disciples to “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“ (Matthew 28:19-19 NLT). Jesus also told them, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NLT). Jesus’ commission to his disciples also applies to Christians today. But most Christians are very hesitant to share their faith because in current day society we are told not to discuss the divisive issues of religion and politics with others. In addition, many Christians don’t know how to share their faith in an authentic and respectful manner.
Live an authentic Christian life and tell them about Jesus.
Some Christians think that they don’t need to share their faith because if they just live an authentic Christian life, people will naturally be drawn to them and become Christians. Certainly, God wants Christians to live their lives in an authentic and attractive manner to let your “light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NIV). But at some point, you have to actually use words to explain what true Christianity is and how to become a Christian. As the apostle Paul challenged: “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” (Romans 10:14 NLT). There are various methods/styles to share your faith. Two excellent books on methods/styles and tactics to share your faith in an effective, non-divisive, and natural authentic manner are Greg Koukl’s, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, 10th Anniversary Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2019) and Mark Mittelberg’s, Discover Your Natural Style for Sharing Jesus with Others (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021).
The ask questions method/style.
Before you can start talking to someone about spiritual matters and Christianity, you need to earn the right and permission to do so. A great way to start to shift conversations to spiritual matters is to ask spiritual questions. Jesus was the master of asking people spiritual questions like he did when he met the Samaritan women at the well (John 4:7-26). He started the conversation by asking her to give him a drink of water and then transitioned into explaining to her how he could give her the God’s gift of living water so that she could have eternal life and never spiritually thirst again. During the course of their conversation, they also discussed her broken family life and spiritual background as a Samaritan. Although Jesus already knew all about her, he took time to engage with her to get her to discuss her background and then transitioned into spiritual matters. You can follow Jesus’ example and ask spiritual questions to start spiritual conversations.
Questions to start a spiritual conversation. The following are sample questions to start a spiritual conversation.
Do you believe in God? If not, why? If so, what do you think God is like?
If you could ask God any question and you knew God would answer, what would you ask?
What happens to your soul after you die? If you were to die today, do you think you would go to heaven? Why?
What is your religious background? What were the positives and negatives of your religious background experience? How involved are you now compared to the past? Why? What do you think about attending church today?
What are your impressions of Christians that you know? Positive or negative?
What is your understanding of what it means to be a Christian?
What do you think Jesus has to do with God?
What do you think is humanity’s biggest problem? What’s your philosophy of life? How does your philosophy of life address humanity’s biggest problem?
If you had to describe your spiritual journey on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 having no interest, 10 being a spiritual giant, and 5 being luke-warm to spirituality, what number would you choose for yourself and why?
After you ask one or more of these spiritual questions, observe how the other person is responding. If the other person is open to discussing spiritual matters, continue the spiritual conversation and ask more questions. If the person is not open, then shift the conversation back to another subject. These questions will help you draw out the person to discuss what the person believes. Follow-up questions communicate your interest in the person and promote further understanding. The questions will also earn you the right to explain what your opinions and beliefs are on these spiritual matters after you discuss the other person’s opinions and beliefs.
Questions to clarify the other person’s beliefs. Asking carefully selected questions is the key to productively getting the people to clearly state their beliefs and their reasons for their beliefs. Asking questions is a friendly way to engage people, advance the conversation, and keep the pressure off you. You can use some form of the following are three questions to advance the conversation with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).
What do you mean by that? This question encourages the person to clarify the person’s belief so you don’t misunderstand or mispresent the belief. It also forces the person to think more carefully the about what the person’s belief precisely means.
How did you come to that conclusion? When a person state’s the person’s beliefs, the person should be able to give reasons for the belief. The person who states the belief bears the burden of proof to back up the belief. Many times people believe things without knowing why they believe.
Have you ever considered? After you have gotten the other person to state their belief and how they came to the conclusion of their belief, you can state your belief and supporting reasons in the form of the question, “Have you ever considered [state your belief and supporting reasons for your belief]”. Then wait for the person to respond. Keep in mind that your main goal in any spiritual conversation is to give the person something to think about (As Gregory Koukl says, “Put a stone in their shoe”) to help them advance on their spiritual journey. You don’t have to convert everyone to Christianity during your first spiritual conversation.
Gregory Koukl, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, 10th Anniversary Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2019), 65-86, 96-114.
Be ready with an answer method/style.
The apostle Peter wonderfully explained that the key to sharing your faith (evangelism or the process of communicating the message of salvation to unbelievers) is the balance between God’s part and your part: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV). First, you must remember that to set apart in your heart Jesus Christ as Lord means Jesus is your spiritual leader and in control of your life. You can trust Jesus to show you how, when, and where to share your faith. When sharing your faith, it is helpful to pray to God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to open opportunities for you to share your faith, open the heart and mind of the person you are talking to, and to help you open your mouth to share your faith.
Second, Peter stressed that you need to: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” You need to prepare yourself to be ready to answer questions and explain what you believe about Christianity and why you believe it. One of the missions of Clear & Convincing Christianity is to help Christians clearly explain their Christian faith in a convincing rational manner. Another word for a rational defense of the Christian faith is “apologetics”.
Third, Peter instructs that you need to share your faith “with gentleness and respect.” In other words, you should be polite and share your faith with a sensitive, tactful, and winsome spirit that is not overbearing like you are attempting to “shove your religion down someone’s throat.” Similarly, the apostle Paul encouraged the Colossians to “[b]e wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:5-6 NIV). If the person is not responsive or is hostile, remember that you cannot make someone grow spiritually. It is “only God, who makes things grow” spiritually (1 Corinthians 3:5-9 NIV). Also, remember that sharing your faith is a process. Therefore, you should do your part to share your faith, and leave the spiritual results to God.
Methods/styles that fit your personality.
Few Christians are naturally comfortable sharing their faith because they wrestle with internal fears, a lack of preparation, and the sense that reaching out to others might force them to act like someone they are not. You can find a way to talk about Jesus that fits your personality, makes you feel confident, and has a spiritual impact on others. In Contagious Faith, Mark Mittelberg introduces different approaches to sharing your faith and helps you determine which of them fit best with your unique personality and style, which he calls “contagious faith styles”:
Friendship-Building
Selfless-Serving
Story-Sharing
Reason-Giving
Truth-Telling
Invite-Giving
Friendship-Building
Friendship builders are involved in “extending hospitality to others.” Instead of being “cause-driven or issue-oriented,” friendship builders are “relationship-oriented, with their natural focus being on individuals and their needs.” The other character traits of friendship builders are conversational, compassionate, and sensitive. A biblical example of a friendship builder is Matthew/Levi, the tax collector, when he held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and large crowd of his tax collector friends and others were eating with them (Luke 5:27-31). The main spiritual caution for friendship builders is that they need to be aware that they may value friendship over sharing the truth about their Christian faith.
Selfless-Serving
Selfless servers are “naturally attuned to the needs of the people around them, and they find delight in meeting those needs.” Selfless servers and friendship builders are similar in that both address peoples’ needs, but the emphasis is different. Friendship builders focus on the relationships with people, while selfless servers emphasize the service needs of people. The other character traits of selfless servers are patience, show love through action more than words, and attach value to even menial tasks. A biblical example of a selfless server is Jesus’ disciple Dorcas/Tabitha who was always doing good and helping the poor. She died, but Peter prayed and resurrected her in the name of Jesus and many people believed in Jesus (Acts 9:32-43). The main spiritual caution for selfless servers is that although service to others is a great witness, at some point they need to use words to share their Christian faith and tell others that Christ is the motivation for their acts of service (Romans 10:14).
Story-Sharing.
Story sharers are “skilled (or can become skilled) at articulating the details of their experiences with God and his grace.” They share their Christian testimony or story with others and how God has impacted their lives. They share what their life was before they placed their faith in Christ, the events that lead them to accept Christ, and how their life has changed since they accepted Christ. The other character traits of story tellers are clear communicator, impacted by the account of how God reached them, and they see a connection between their experience and that of other people’s. A biblical example of a story sharer is the Samaritan women at the well who shared her story of how she met Jesus the Messiah and how he told her everything she did, and many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus (John 4:39-42). The main spiritual caution for story sharers is that they need to first listen to the person they are talking to in order to hear enough of that person’s life before they can relate their story to that person’s life, and then share their story.
Reason-Giving.
Reason givers take a more intellectual approach to sharing and defending their faith. “[W]hen [they] interact with others, [they] are generally more concerned about what they think and why they think it, than about how they feel about things.” Reason givers are passionate about apologetics, which involves providing a rational defense of the Christian faith. The other character traits of reason givers are analytical, logical, inquisitive, and like to debate. A biblical example of a reason giver is the apostle Paul. Many times Paul reasoned with people as to why they should accept Christ, and he also defended his Christian faith (Acts 17:1-4, 11-12, 16-34). The main spiritual caution for reason givers is that they should avoid becoming argumentative and getting stuck on academic issues, arguments, and evidence. They need to give the reason for their hope in Christ with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).
Truth-Telling.
Truth tellers are “bold, confident, and direct. They’re effective at getting to the point and bringing truth to bear in a variety of situations.” Some truth tellers can take a confrontational approach to sharing their faith like the fire-and-brimstone street/open-air/soapbox preachers. But truth tellers are also everyday people who tell you the whole truth, even the hard truth, at the moment you most need to hear truth. The other character traits of truth tellers are they skip small talk, get right to the point, and have strong opinions and convictions. A biblical example of a truth teller is the apostle Peter when he addressed the Jewish crowd in Jerusalem and told them that they crucified Jesus, but that God rose Jesus to life and made him both Lord and Messiah. They needed to repent, believe that Jesus would forgive their sins, and get baptized (Acts 2:14-41). The main spiritual caution for truth tellers is they should be sure to seek God’s wisdom so that they could be appropriately sensitive, tactful, respectful, and speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
Invite-Giving.
Invite givers look for Christian speaker outreach events as opportunities to invite and bring people to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. They also regularly invite people to church, a Bible study small group, or their home. The other character traits of invite givers are hospitable, persuasive, and enjoy meeting new people. A biblical example of an invite giver is Andrew, Peter’s brother, who heard what John the Baptist said about Jesus, and then he met Jesus. Thereafter, the first thing Andrew did was to find Peter and tell him they found Jesus the Messiah and brought Peter to Jesus (John 1:35-42). The main spiritual caution for invite givers is they should not let others do all the talking for them. They need to be able to tell others about how their Christian faith impacted their lives and answer questions about Christianity.
Some Christians have more than one style of sharing their faith. For example, the apostle Paul shared his story or testimony about how before he accepted Christ, he persecuted Christians, then Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus, thereafter he proclaimed and defended Christ to Jews and Gentiles (Acts 8:1-3, 9:1-31). It is exciting to realize that God can use your unique personality and style to share your Christian faith to spiritually impact the lives of others for eternity.
Mark Mittelberg, Discover Your Natural Style for Sharing Jesus with Others (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021).