This is a great time to be a Christian! Not an easy time—but an exciting one. I know it doesn’t look that way. Spend a few minutes on the news and you’ll see just how lost and broken we are right now. And it’s a dangerous place to be a Christian: We’re now seen as intolerant and irrelevant. Even in this, God is calling us to be bold and strong.
Live Wisely 5
To set yourself up for success in witnessing, live a godly life.
“Walk” is code meaning to live your life in a way that is pleasing to God.
When people observe your conduct can they see Jesus in you?
You should adopt a biblical philosophy of life.
When people go through difficulties they will seek you out.
Walk in a manner worthy of the God. 1 Thes 2:12; Eph 4:1
Live wisely because people are watching you!
Make the most of every opportunity 5
You’ve got one chance at the moment what are you going to do with it?
The answer is that you should seize the day.
We all have opportunities, It’s how we spend our time that counts.
To redeem the time is to use the opportunity for Jesus.
God drops divine appointments in your lap if you will look for them.
One of the greatest ways to witness is to pray for people.
Be intentional: Look for opportunities to connect with people.
Speak Graciously 6
We should preach the gospel with our woks and our words.
Words have power to hurt and to heal; use them carefully. Prov 18:21
People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.
We Christians are supposed to be lights in a dark world
#1. Be Gracious. Let your speech always be with grace.
Your speech should bring grace, encouragement and joy.
#2. Be Genuine. Let your speech always be seasoned with salt.
Salt makes good food taste great! Mark 9:50
We should bring a wonderful godly flavor to our conversations
Salt is a preservative that retards bacterial growth. Matthew 5:13
We should bring biblical principles into that conversation.
We can build others up and defend the faith In a gracious way.
Always Be Prepared to Give an Answer 6
Living a godly and gracious life is the best foundation for the Gospel.
When the opportunity arises we must be prepared. 1 Pet 3:15
If you have spent time with people they will let you know their objections.
That sets you up in a perfect place to give an answer.
It’s okay to ask them if you can research and return with the answer.
if you know John 3:16, you know the Gospel.
Live wisely because people are watching. Live intentionally, looking for every opportunity to connect. Speak graciously and attractively. Flavor your words with goodness. And then answer thoughtfully. This is how you share your faith successfully in a world that frowns people who share their faith. If you follow these biblical principles for personal evangelism, you will surely see God use you in amazing ways.
This is a great time to be a Christian. Not an easy time—but an exciting one. I know it doesn’t look that way. Spend a few minutes on the news, and you’ll see just how lost and broken we are right now. Ours is a world full of contradiction and confusion. And it’s not a great place to be a Christian: We’re now seen by most of the world as intolerant and irrelevant.
Our culture is changing every day, leading to an endless list of new challenges and questions for the Church, but here’s the thing: God isn’t fazed by it. He’s not sitting back wondering how this “post-Christian” thing is going to play out. He’s still the same, and His plan hasn’t changed. I don’t know if you’ve checked your Bibles lately, but Matthew 16:16-19 tells us that nothing—not even the gates of hell—shall prevail against the mission and people of God.
And in a time so confusing, so transient, so difficult, God is calling us to be bold and strong—to have courage. He will accomplish His purposes. He will carry out His mission. And He is inviting us to join Him in making disciples of Jesus Christ among all tribes, tongues and nations despite the social climate. Though our world is changing, our purpose hasn’t. He has put us in this time and place with a purpose, and our world is as ripe as ever with opportunity to proclaim the good news of the Gospel. After all, it’s in the darkness, in the trenches, where the Church has always thrived the most.
So how are you doing at sharing your faith? I’ll tell you how I’m doing. I’m a little more tentative about conversations with strangers than I used to be. I wonder how in the world am I ever going to reach the multitudes of homeless, the pro-abortion protestors on the corner, and the Gay Pride parade crowd. And I’m a little gun shy about knocking on doors cold turkey. You never know who you are going to meet. It could be a new age witch or an angry atheist. It’s not the way it used to be.
Scripturally, it’s God’s plan to antagonize people with the Gospel. We don’t cast our pearls before swine. The Gospel is good news, not bad news. It is the greatest news you’ve ever heard in your life! It’s staggering! The Gospel is like a cup of cold water in the sweltering heat of the desert! It’s better than the cure for cancer! It more exciting than winning the lottery! It a greater treasure than anything this world has to offer.
It gives me eternal life! What could be better than the comfort, the hope, they joy and the happiness of a pain free, sorrow free, trouble free, and sin free eternity! This is better than Ice Cream! It’s better than winning the Super Bowl! The rewards of eternity are so staggering, that if a man were but convinced of that, he’d be changed, transformed for life! Nothing else could hold his attention because nothing even comes close to comparing to an eternity with Jesus. Everything else seems dull in comparison.
We know this, and we believe it. But the question is, how do you share your faith in a world that frowns upon people who share their faith? Colossians 4:5-6, address that issue. They are talking about sharing your faith when no one wants to listen. How is that done? I am going to give you four strategies that will do just that. Today, we are going to tell you how to share your faith when no one wants to listen.
Strategy #1
Live Wisely 5
The first thing you need to do is to set yourself up for success. You won’t be successful at winning people to Jesus if your life is a mess, If you are living in misery; If you are floating in the cesspool, why would you want to invite someone else float along side of you? So the first step of sharing your faith is to get your life right, get your joy back, and get you mojo on. Listen to what verse 5 says;
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside
Whenever the Bible tells you to “walk,” this is just a Christian term meaning to live your life in a way that is pleasing to God and an example to man. The Christian walk is our godly conduct.
The simplest way to share your faith is to live such a Christ-like way that people know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are a Christian. They observe your character, conduct and conversation and can easily see there is something very different about you.
The key here is to build relationships with people with such godly integrity that when people go through various difficulties they will naturally seek you out for comfort and advice giving you the opportunity to share your faith with them. This method of evangelism is often slow and takes quite a bit investment, time and patience. Paul said,
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God is the one who made it grow. 1 Cor. 3:6
And the way you should conduct your affairs toward those that are outsiders is with wisdom. sophia σοφίᾳ wisdom – wisdom, insight, skill, thoughtfulness. Sophia is the root of the English terms, “sophistication” and “philosophy.” You should adopt a sophisticated philosophy of life that is so biblical that makes people say, “hey, I wish I had that!” This is the best defense of the Christian against hostile accusations, and it is the best bait if you are a fisher of men.
1 Thessalonians 2:12 Walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.
The first strategy is to live wisely and set a good example because people are watching you! The second strategy is to:
Make the most of every opportunity 5
Are you aware that this opportunity, that we are sharing with each other this morning will only come around once in your lifetime? Every moment of every day, every chance meeting with a stranger, every family gathering, every event that you go to, is a once in a lifetime event that will never be replicated exactly the same way twice. You’ve got one chance at the moment that you are in, what are you going to do with it?
The answer is that you should seize the day, be present in the present, put down your cell phone, listen earnestly when people talk to you, and engage with them as though this were the last time you will ever see them. Make every moment and every person feel that important. It just could be your last, or their last. How do you want it to go? This is what verse 5 says;
Redeeming the time!
Just three words. The last word is “time.” We each have the same amount of time in a day. 24 hours. We sleep for about 8 hours, work for about 8 hours, Spend about 1 hour eating, a few hours a day doing housework or shopping, 3 hours watching TV, an hour in recreation, and an hour in bathing and personal care.
We do this every day. Eat, sleep, clean the house, watch TV, take a bath and the cycle begins again. We are spinning our lives in circles and sometimes it doesn’t seem like we are accomplishing much.
And we are busy. So busy in fact that often we don’t have time for the opportunities that come our way. In fact sometimes those opportunities come at the least inopportune times!
That’s where the word “redeeming” comes in. Redeeming the time. exagorazomenoi ἐξαγοραζόμενοι to pay the price, to ransom the captive, to rescue from loss. In other words it is to make use of your opportunities in a different way than you are used to. Instead of spinning in circles, we get off the merry go round of busyness and use the opportunities that come our way for Christ.
Now how do you find these opportunities. I find that God drops them in my lap. I call them divine appointments. Believe me, you don’t want to miss a divine appointment. Be obedient to God’s leading.
God has uniquely prepared you, but it’s up to you to Seize the moment. I have found that one of the greatest ways is whenever someone tells you a story of sickness, or family problems, or financial problems, the best thing to say is, “You know, I’m glad you told me that. Would you mind if I prayed for you and asked God to answer this prayer?”
Most people, even those not interested in Jesus, are interested in divine intervention! If there is a God, who doesn’t want the Big Guy on your side. Most people are pleased to have you pray for them. This is so easy, even a cave man can do it!
And then you should ask them, “When God answers would you let me know, please?” And you know what? I have found again and again that the Lord answers and people come back to tell you. And that gives you an opportunity to tell them why you trust the promises of God, how you have seen answers to your prayers and eternal salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The evangelist, Louis Palau says, I have never been turned down by anyone. Even the atheist president of Uruguay in South America said, “I don’t believe in God and I don’t believe in prayer, but if you want to pray for me, go ahead.” I prayed for him and his family and he was crying when I finished.[i]
Look for opportunities to connect with people. Do good works. Help people out. Invite Them to Church. Invite them to do stuff with you. It often starts with hospitality. The idea of hospitality is tied to loving and welcoming those who are considered strangers and outsiders. It’s about opening your life and your home to men and women who don’t think like you, look like you or act like you. That’s biblical hospitality. And that opens the door to friendship and to Jesus.
Make the most of every opportunity, use your time wisely, be intentional, and reflect His love to everyone around us.
The first strategy is to live wisely, the second to make use of every opportunity and the third is to:
Speak Graciously 6
The first strategy had to do with our deeds, and this one has to do with our words. We should preach the gospel with the way that we live and express it graciously with our words.
Words have power to hurt and heal; use them cautiously. Words are incredibly powerful. When people speak, many do not consider the impact their words have on other people. Proverbs 18:21 states that the power of Death and Life are in the tongue. Verse 6 says,
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt,
The old saying is ever so true: you can catch more flies with honey than you will with vinegar. And the fact of the matter is that People don’t care what you know until they know that you care, and words are a powerful way to say, “I care.”
There is so much conflict, strife and bad blood going around in our world. Everywhere you turn, someone has a cut, a cuss word or a downer to lay on you. There is too much confrontation and blame going around in our world. We Christians are supposed to be little lights that shine in a dark world. And one of the ways that we let our light shine is by the good news and encouragement that comes out of our lips!
There are two suggestions I have for you about improving your language skills.
#1. Be Gracious. Let your speech always be with grace. This is the word chariti χάριτι grace – blessing, favor, or kindness. This is the Christians gold standard for his speech. If your speech does not bring grace and joy to those who hear, you should probably retool your language skills. If people don’t respond in appreciation to the words you say, it could be that you are using your words wrongly. But if your words bring hope, delight, laughter and warmth, you are likely using your words the way God meant them to be used. Practice speaking graciously. It’s amazing how attractive that is.
#2. Be Genuine. Let your speech always be seasoned with salt. Now what does that mean? I am a salt loving guy. Salt makes good food taste great! And salt is a preservative. Salt preserves pickles, cheeses and meat. Salt reduces water content in food and retards bacterial growth.
Our first contribution to conversations should bring out a better or godly flavor to those conversations, to build others up and make a good conversation great. Our second contribution to conversation should be to bring godly preservation of biblical principles into that conversation. So in a gracious way, we can build others up as well as defend the faith.
Jesus called believers to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). Salt is an important mineral; it preserves food, brings out flavor, soothes and heals, and is necessary for life: it balances fluids in the blood and is vital for nerve and muscle function.
Jesus said to his disciples, “Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other” (Mark 9:50b). Salt can sting when rubbed into a wound (Prov. 27:6). Having an unwholesome, distasteful attitude is not becoming to the gospel of Christ; unsavory motives and attitudes do not produce words “seasoned with salt.” We should bring a wonderful Christian “flavor” to what might otherwise be an unsavory conversation. What a Christian says and how he says it ought to add value to a conversation just as salt does for food.
Speak kindly. Use your words carefully, and be a blessing to others. And for our fourth principle.
Always Be Prepared to Give an Answer 6
We’ve come a long ways in this message. We talked about living wisely, being intentional with your opportunities, and speaking graciously. Those have all been pre-evangelism. Now we get to the fourth truth, and it is this; at some point you have to pull the trigger. At some point you need to share Jesus.
It may take time working up to it with your genuine Christian living, and making use of as many opportunities as possible – getting to know them personally, and being as generous as you can with your compliments and gracious speech, but there will come a time when you get to share Jesus. And this is it. This is your opportunity. We must listen carefully so we can answer appropriately.
That you may know how you ought to answer each one.
If you have spent time living a godly life, and if you have been intentional in getting to know people, and if your speech is gracious and good, then you have laid a great foundation for the Gospel. And if you have spent time in conversation with these people, at some point they will probably let you know what their obstructions and objections to Christianity are. That sets you up in a perfect place to give an answer.
That’s why you must often lay the groundwork. Verse 6 says “that you may know” how to answer. If you don’t know their questions, you aren’t likely to be able to answer them.
Don’t Pretend to have all the Answers. It is very common for Christians to face very hard questions that challenge our beliefs. Questions like, “What about evolution?” or “What does God say homosexuality?” Sometimes, these questions can be very hard to answer, especially when you aren’t prepared beforehand. Don’t panic. It’s okay to tell your listener that you want to give an adequate answer to their question, so would them mind if you research and return with the answer. And then do your homework.
But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. And always be prepared to give a answer to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15
Find Common Ground. Know your audience as well as your material! Listen and ask good question. Be courageous. Be tactful and clear. And then share the life changing Gospel. And what should you share. Let me tell you, if you know John 3:16, you know the Gospel.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
That’s the Gospel, and any of you is smart enough to share it. God loves you! He loves you so much he sent Jesus to die for your sins. All you need to do is believe in Jesus and entrust your life to him and you will have everlasting life! You can do this!
That’s the message we have for you. Live wisely because people are watching. Live intentionally, looking for every opportunity to connect. Speak graciously and attractively. Flavor your words with goodness. And then answer thoughtfully. And this is how you share your faith successfully in a world that frowns people who share their faith.
In November of 1996, the news media covered the story of a hijacked jet with 163 passengers and 12 crew members that crashed near the Comoros Islands because it ran out of fuel. What we did not read or hear was a dramatic story of what God did in the final moments of that ill-fated flight. There was a man on board named Andrew Meekens, an elder in the International Evangelical Church of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He was on his way to a Bible conference. He was described as a reserved man, yet deeply committed in his faith. According to survivors of the crash, after the pilot announced that he would be attempting an emergency landing, Meekens, seizing the moment, stood up and quickly shared the gospel message with all on board, and invited people to respond. A surviving flight attendant said that about 20 people accepted Christ, including a fellow flight attendant who did not survive the crash.[ii]
While the opportunities God gives you to share your faith may not be as dramatic, they are just as significant to the Lord. If you follow these biblical principles for personal evangelism, like Philip from the early church, you will surely see God use you in amazing ways.
[i] https://www.palau.org/resources/share-your-faith/5-steps-to-sharing-your-faith
[ii] https://harvest.org/know-god-article/basic-principles-for-sharing-your-faith/
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