How to Share Your Faith: The Dos and Don’ts (Part 1)
Want to make a greater impact when you share your faith? Below are some dos and don'ts that may help!
1. DO pray…and be ready.
Pray for eyes to recognize opportunities and a willing, obedient heart.
If you want to take it a step further, get a piece of paper and a pen and set a stopwatch for one minute. In that minute, jot down the name of every non-Christian you've been in contact with within the last two weeks.
Next, pray for an opportunity to share your faith with the individuals on your list. Then, wait and see if God doesn't act in response!
2. DO NOT feel pressured to "close".
Remember, you are a seed sower, not a salesperson. It's not your responsibility to "get people saved."
Simply focus on helping someone take one step closer to Jesus. That's it. God will often use a number of people in each of our lives to bring us to Himself, and in this process, He is one hundred percent sovereign. As Paul writes:
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7)
3. DO get on a first-name basis right away.
When I'm out with my ministry team and engaging in conversations with strangers to share the Gospel with them, I always do the following four things:
I introduce myself by first name, pointing to my name tag.
With a warm smile, I ask for their first name.
I repeat their name silently to myself several times to anchor it into my memory bank.
Here and there, throughout the conversation, I address them by their first name.
Did you know it has been said that a person's name is the sweetest word in the world to them? It's true: we all love hearing our name! So, what I just described is an effortless yet powerful way to appear more likable and quickly build rapport.
4. DO be respectful in your approach.
Whenever I'm having a conversation with a male, I address him as "Sir." I address women as either "Miss" or "Ma'am," depending on their age. Here are some other examples of respectful interjections:
"I know you're busy, so I'll try to be brief."
"I won't take much more of your time."
"Thanks for listening."
"Thanks for your time."
"Would it be okay if I asked you a bit of a personal question?" (Requesting permission communicates respect and helps foster a positive encounter.)
Also, if I'm approaching someone with info about my church's Sunday services, I'll always ask, "Did you get an invitation?" as opposed to, for example, "Did you get one of these?"
Who doesn't appreciate being "invited"? On the other hand, the phrase "one of these" makes it sound like what you have to offer isn't very important, making it easier for the person to decline your church card or flier.
5. DO affirm the person.
Find something you can affirm in the person's worldview and connect over this. Establish common ground before getting into what you see differently.
For example, a woman I was attempting to share the Gospel with said it was one of her life goals to make a lasting, positive impact in her local community. She had already made it clear to me that she wasn't a Christian, and I'd picked up that she had several non-biblical, new age inspired beliefs.
As we continued our discussion, I focused on those of her viewpoints that were sound and true, making it a point to affirm her in those. I told her I valued her dedication to serving others and that she was correct in that God's people are called to do good works.
Approaching it from this angle helped me build some rapport with the woman before diving into challenging subjects like sin, hell, and salvation, where I knew the two of us wouldn't see eye to eye. Having some rapport, in turn, increased the likelihood of her being willing to listen to what I had to share next, even if she disagreed.
6. DO help the person not to feel intimidated.
If the person you're sharing your faith with doesn't have the appropriate, biblical answers to the questions you're asking them about God or Jesus or how to get to heaven, it could make them feel a bit intimidated.
To put them at ease, whenever someone gives you an incorrect answer or doesn't know how to respond, try to say something along these lines:
"A lot of people see it that way."
"That's a common way to look at it."
"That's what I used to think, too."
"I know that can be a tough one to answer off the top of your head."
"I put you on the spot, I know."
"Many people find that question puzzling."
They'll appreciate the sentiment, and it’ll work wonders for your rapport-building!
L.B.
Want more tips on how to share your faith? Click HERE for the second part of this series.
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