Have you ever introduced even one person to the Lord?
Would you like to?
By asking the second question, I know that I am assuming that many have not, but I believe would like to. I can say that one of the greatest joys of my life and ministry has been introducing people of all ages to Jesus Christ.
Here is another question – if I could show you a way that you, with confidence, could lead people to Christ, would you be interested? I am going to assume you would be.
I believe the number one reason more Christians do not try to share their faith and influence others to Christ is FEAR. This happens to be Satan’s greatest weapon. Unbelievers tend to raise a number of questions and we are afraid we won’t be able to answer them and then we will look foolish and be embarrassed.
I am reading a book that I recently received from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. It was written by Ray Comfort and the title is, “Faith is for Weak People.” It is a book on how to share your faith with confidence and it is also a book on apologetics. Ray deals with the top twenty objections to the Gospel.
I want to share several of the points Ray gives in his chapter, “Dealing with the Goliath of Fear.”
1. The Gospel is the only cure for the issues so prominent in our culture today. (At this point, I feel inclined to insert what Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”)
· The goal of the Gospel is to see people saved from the just wrath of a holy God by being clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. If we lose sight of this goal, we reduce the church to a social club of well-meaning do-gooders.
2. Knowing your God and your goal will give you the confidence to face your fear and present Jesus to others. At this point, Ray takes us to the account of David (a teenager) going out to face the Philistine giant Goliath. 1 Samuel 17:40-51. (Be sure you read.) Here, Ray shares two very important lessons:
a. When fear makes you tremble, have faith in God.
Romans 8:31 says, “… If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Romans 8:37, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”
b. You overcome some fear because of your love for Christ and for others.
1 John 4:18, “Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear …”
Ray says, “If you are afraid to share your faith, don’t pray for less fear. Pray for more love.” (Folks, love is never passive. It is always doing something.)
Question: If you saw a small child fall into a swimming pool, would you just stand there and let the child drown?
· We need to remember the eternal fate of those who do not know Christ. Jude 22-23
We find the motivation to reach the lost in our God-given conscience. Unless a person has a seared conscience, your conscience will challenge you to do the right thing — seek to reach lost people with the good news about Jesus.
3. At this point, I believe Ray would say, “when you seek to witness to someone, “take charge of the conversation.”
· Witness to their conscience, rather than their intellect. People are seldom won when we try to reach them intellectually. They begin to raise their objections.
· Rather, engage them in conversation about themselves.
(Where are you from? What do you do? etc.)
· Ask – “Do you believe there is an after-life?” Or, If heaven exists, are you going there? Are you good enough? (Many will say they think they are.)
· Use God’s moral law, the Ten Commandments to frame your next questions —
“Have you ever lied?”
“Have you ever taken something that didn’t belong to you?”
“Have you ever used God’s name in vain?”
“Have you ever looked at a woman (opposite sex) in a lustful way?”
(Note … you are appealing to his/her conscience. You are helping them to see their need for Christ.)
· Assure them you are not judging them. You are helping them to see we don’t get to heaven by being good enough. Paul, in Ephesians 2:8, wrote, “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
· At this point, you are ready to introduce them to the God who loves them, the Christ who died for them, and the Holy Spirit who wants to bless them with a brand-new life. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul wrote – “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
In closing, let me say with this world-wide pandemic, it is a prime opportunity to ask people, “Do you believe there is an after-life?” and then guide the conversation on a conscience level. God bless you as you seek to share the good news about Jesus.
For His glory,
Pastor Leonard
