Sermon Info
Summary
As Christ-followers we are all called to engage in evangelism - sharing our faith. Most of the time, we don’t really know what to say. We hear the problems of people around, and we know Jesus is the answer, but we are hesitant to talk about our faith. This is natural, and especially in the world we live in today. But, people need the Lord! Jesus is the One who has changed our life, and He is the Hope of the world. The Bible calls us to “always be prepared... to give the reason for the hope you have.” Let’s prepare and pray for God to open doors for us to have spiritual conversations with our family, friends, co-workers, and more. Someone engaged with us spiritually, so let’s be people who are willing to share the Good News of Jesus with others.
Content
Letting Go of the Fear of Failure
"You've failed."
Ouch. Words that no one ever wants to hear. Failure hurts, it stings, and it usually sits with you for a while. Unfortunately, failure can also keep us from trying again or attempting something that may be uncomfortable or hard.
This can happen when we try to share our faith, too. We try talking about Jesus with a friend or coworker, and they respond in a negative way. We begin sharing a story of God's work in our lives, and we fumble through the whole conversation. We finally build up the nerve to share our faith with someone, only to decide at the last minute against it.
The beauty of failing when we share our faith is this: God does not expect perfection from us. He simply calls us to engage in spiritual conversations – and His Holy Spirit will do the rest. Thankfully, there are also helpful hints and tools to sharing our faith with others, too. So, be a part of this Sunday's service, as we learn more about evangelism and growing in sharing our faith.
What the Bible Says about Evangelism
Nowhere in God’s Word does it say that our faith should be kept to ourselves. Rather, it tells us, Then Jesus came to them and 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 I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) We are called to go and share our faith – with those in our everyday lives and even with those across the globe! If we believe what God’s Word says, that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again, then that means we have the duty as believers to tell others about Christ.
With that, we also are to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15b). Gospel literally means “good news,” and when we have good news, we want to share it with others! There are different strategies that we can use to share, including things like the Roman Road, the Cross Illustration, the Bridge Diagram, and more. When we use these tools, we’re able to share what God’s Word says and evangelize with those who need to hear about Jesus.
What It’s Really All About
Though failure is scary and sharing the Gospel can be daunting, when we share Jesus, we simply cannot mess up. Because, ultimately, it’s not about us at all. It’s all about Jesus, and He does all the work in salvation. God is the one who changes lives and hearts. We plant the seeds when we do the work of evangelism, but God works the miracle of bringing people to a saving knowledge of who He is.
When we think about the people who invested in our lives and who cared enough about us to share the Gospel with us, then that should spur us on to share about our faith with the non-believers in our lives. And it starts on our knees, praying for those who don’t know Jesus, praying for the boldness and strength from Jesus to share with them, and praying for doors to opened for us have those conversations.
Failure cannot define us or keep us from sharing. We will choose to engage.
