Sermon Info
Summary
We have this call to share our faith, but many times we simply don’t know how. We know God wants us to, but how are we supposed to present the Good News to our children, our friends, our neighbors, and others? What do we say? First, we share God’s story by using the Bible and specific verses. Next, we share our story. We tell others what God has done in our lives. Sharing our faith does not have to be intimidating, but it can be so exciting and freeing, as God allows us to step into that holy moment and inform others of His great love. Aren’t you glad someone shared Jesus with you? Now, let’s intentionally share God’s love with others.
Content
From Head to Heart
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
—Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Many of us may feel unqualified because there always seems to be another question about our faith that we cannot answer. But that does not disqualify us at all, friends! Our God wants us to know Him. Yet, He does not first call us into study, but into relationship.
When Jesus called His disciples, He did not call the most knowledgeable scholars of Scripture. Instead, He came to laypeople and tradesmen, calling out, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men!”
The Pharisees knew much about God, but that didn’t mean they knew God. Jesus never turned someone who came to Him in faith away because they couldn’t answer a riddle. Following Christ, our great Teacher, doesn’t require a pre-requisite or a lofty entrance exam score. He is not a God of esoteric knowledge. He says, “Come as you are.”
This is not to say that study of Scripture, and learning about God’s big story for humanity are not important. Seeking Godly knowledge and wisdom is a sign of our devotion to Him, and it reflects our love of His Word and His Truth. Our minds are a resource God has given us, and like all resources, we should steward it and use it for good.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
— Romans 12:2
What we must remember is that our knowledge is not what saves us. Jesus saves. Our study is not the ends, but the means of the real mission: to be sanctified and to bring others to the Lord.
Informing Takes Place in Relationship
Think of the wisest person you know. Perhaps it's a spiritual mentor of yours, or a pastor, or a parent. Now, ask yourself, would you know them as smart, wise, or knowledgeable if they never spoke about things that matter?
True, people can reveal their wisdom through their actions, but in broad strokes, it would be difficult to communicate truth to one another if we never tried! This is why boldness, urgency, and intentionality are so important in evangelism.
By the grace of God, we have Good News to share. But if we let it sit in our own hearts, and never get the message from ourselves to our neighbors, then what good is our knowledge of God to them? It takes two to teach, so we need to invite others into our sphere of influence.
At the center of God’s plan for our evangelism is our relationships. We will experience much less difficulty in sharing the Gospel when we know our audience. We can expect softer and more open hearts from unbelievers who know we care about them. The love of God sounds far more believable to someone when they’ve personally seen it pouring out from our lives.
This is why each one of us has a truly unique opportunity to reach the people around us: no one has the same relationship with someone else that you do. Not only that, but no one has the same relationship with God that you do. God has created us differently, each with our own stories of shortcomings, blessings, hard times, and miracles. He knows that heart change takes more than head knowledge.
Inform As You Go
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
— Deuteronomy 6:6-9
We study for tests, generally, in a rather formal way. We’ll sit down with a textbook, we’ll take notes, and we’ll drill flashcards until we are confident we “know them by heart.”
But when God tells us to put His commandments on our hearts, His advice for how we ought to study looks a little different. It’s more than memorization: we’re supposed to live in His ways. They should be on our minds and in our conversations throughout all our day! We don’t study and then put the book away — we engrave them into our door frames so they’re on our minds as much as possible!
We don’t need to tell others all of Biblical history in one go. We don’t need to witness to everything God has done in our lives in a single conversation. Instead, we can reveal these things slowly but consistently, engraving them into our everyday interactions. What we say, then, will be what unbelievers see.
SUPPORTING RESOURCES:
Testimonies // The Woodfords' Story
Jesus: Life Changing Conversations // Part 2: The Disciples // T. Lusk
