Adopted By God

Share Jesus Without Fear By William Fay Do you want to share Jesus without fear? Perhaps the thought of sharing your faith in Jesus Christ causes feelings of fear and guilt in your heart. We need to look no further than the first book of the New Testament to see that we are commanded to share God's good news with others. Matthew 28:19-20 says, "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." However, God did not intend for this command to give you feelings of inadequacy. Instead, this command illustrates God's desire to include us in His wonderful plan to redeem mankind.

Would you like to know the secret to fearlessly sharing your faith in Jesus Christ? Sadly, there is no special trick, but it is comforting to know that God hears your prayers, and He is faithful to grant you anything according to His will. Since God desires to see everyone come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Peter 3:9), you can confidently ask Him to provide opportunities to share your faith. Praying for God to guide your Christian witnessing encounters allows you to rely on His supernatural power rather than your own ability. He will remove your fear of witnessing.
Share Jesus Without Fear - The Questions
If you want to share Jesus without fear, how do you get started? Starting a discussion about spirituality is often the biggest barrier to sharing your faith in Jesus Christ. Do you wonder how to approach the subject in the midst of everyday conversation? You can make this a much easier task by using the simple technique of asking your friend questions about his beliefs. This technique usually has two benefits. First, your friend may be more obliged to listen to your beliefs once you have listened to his. Second, and more important, this technique allows you to know what is going on in your friend's life so that you can better minister to him.

Here are a few questions that can move the conversation from a secular topic to a spiritual topic. The questions act as a funnel to introduce the Gospel.

• Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs?
• To you, who is Jesus?
• Do you think there is a heaven or a hell?
• If you died tonight, where would you go?
• By the way, if what you were believing is not true, would you want to know?

These five questions, asked in the order listed above, can move a conversation from the secular to the spiritual. And if your friend answers "yes" to the final question, you will have the privilege of sharing your faith with your friend.
Share Jesus Without Fear - Let God's Word Speak
You can share Jesus without fear! Rather than recite an elaborate presentation, simply open your Bible and let God's Word speak for itself. For this to work, you will need a Bible (preferably a small one because small Bibles tend to be less intimidating to non-christians), and a few salvation passages to share. Some passages that serve this purpose are listed below:

• "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
• "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
• "In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again'" (John 3:3).
• "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'" (John 14:6).
• "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame'" (Romans 10:9).
• "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again" (2 Corinthians 5:15).
• "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20).

Invite your friend to read a verse aloud and then have him explain the verse to you. Take him through all the verses listed above. If your friend interprets a passage incorrectly, don't argue or offer your interpretation, but politely ask him to read it again, and then explain it a second time. Misinterpretation should not be much of a problem if you use the Bible verses listed above.

Even if your friend mentions that he doesn't believe in or agree with the Bible, it is best not to argue. You can state that you simply want him to understand what the Bible says about eternity. Isn't it wonderful to know that it's not our responsibility to convict? Conviction is God's job. All we can do is share. Once we have shared, we have done God's will. Witnessing for Christ is a no-lose activity.

What has worked the best for my friends and I is to actually mark all of these verses in a little new testament and carry it with us at all times. We have even made a tract using these techniques. By putting everything on a little tract it is easy to see how to lead one through the steps and remember the questions to ask.

This is just another tool to put in your toolbox as you work for the Lord.