How to Share Your Faith: The Dos and Don’ts (Part 2)
This is the second segment of my three-part series on how to share your faith. If you missed the first part, click HERE.
7. DO tend to specific, practical needs.
Listen as the person relates about his or her situation and ask yourself how you can make their life a little easier or their day a little brighter. Do they need a ride somewhere? A few bucks for a meal? A counselor referral? A link to a job site?
One of the most powerful ways you and I can be instruments of God's love is by assisting someone with their practical needs!
"Let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth," says 1 John 3:18.
8. DO NOT get upset.
Don't show frustration or annoyance. Don't get offended. As the adage goes, "You can never argue anyone into the kingdom of God."
It's also true that "You may win the battle yet lose the war." In other words, you may successfully prove your point, but if you do it in such a way that it turns the person off to the Gospel, you won't win his or her soul for Jesus.
If the individual you're sharing your faith with says something you disagree with (unless it's a blatantly heretical statement, which I believe should be politely dealt with head-on), respond along these lines:
"That's interesting."
"Is that right? I didn't know that."
"I'll have to look into that."
"Well, thank you for sharing that."
Don't make a big deal about your disagreement. Simply navigate the conversation back to the Gospel message.
9. DO be humble.
We can have all the knowledge in the world, but if we come across as arrogant, people will close their ears to what we have to say. "If [we] have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge…but do not have love, [we are] nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:2).
On the flip side, if unbelievers see us as humble, chances are they'll be attracted to the Jesus that we represent.
Here's a nice, humble response you can use when you don't know the answer to someone's question: "[First Name], I'm not one hundred percent sure about that, but it's a great question, and I want to give you a thoughtful response. So let me look into it and get back to you, okay?"
Your humility will make you appear so much more likable than if you tried to fake an answer. Additionally, you're creating an opportunity to meet with the person again to continue your dialogue!
10. DO Keep it simple and stay on track.
Any time you share your faith with someone, focus on the main message of the Gospel and avoid controversial issues (e.g., young earth creationism, speaking in tongues, Calvinism vs. Arminianism, women in church leadership).
The basic Gospel message is challenging enough for a person to wrap their head around. If other non-essential issues don't come up, don't bring them up! Should someone introduce a topic that isn't relevant to your discussion, do your best to steer the conversation back on track.
I remember a recent exchange with a gentleman who had a ton of questions. "What will happen to the earth in the end?" he pressed me. "Will only a select number of people go to heaven? What about those who've never had a chance to hear about Jesus? Will they go to purgatory?"
A part of me badly wanted to tackle each of those fascinating topics…I almost went down the rabbit trail. But then I caught myself.
I commended my new friend for his inquisitiveness and then said, "We're always going to have questions. Once we've got one answered, another one will pop up. But we start with receiving Jesus as our personal Savior and reading the Bible. Our questions will get answered along the way."
11. DO NOT use a lot of Christianese (spiritual lingo).
"Christianese" is jargon that you and I, as Christians, are familiar with but which makes zero sense to those outside the church community. (Only tell an unbeliever they need to be "washed in the blood of the Lamb" if you want them to think you are a kook!)
Here's a small assortment of Christianese words: repentance, redemption, sanctification, predestination, resurrection, election, backslidden, born again, spirit-filled, in the flesh/fleshly, conversion, salvation, the Lord's table, communion, fellowship, quiet time, the Word, worship, devotion, eternal damnation, eternal security, spiritual warfare.
We Christians are so used to these terms it may not occur to us that they sound weird to nonbelievers. But when we use our terminology rather than theirs, we confuse people and are not relatable.
Think of a subject you don't know well. (For me, it could be classic American cars, flag football, computer programming, ice sculpting, martial arts, Los Angeles' environmental laws… it's a long list!) Then, imagine someone using specialized jargon to engage you in a conversation about this subject.
They would instantly lose you, right?!
This is why, when sharing your faith, it's always best to use the everyday vernacular of the people you're interacting with.
12. DO use tracts.
I'm a big fan of Christian tracts! Tracts clarify and reinforce what you communicate verbally and fill in what you skipped or didn't explain in enough detail. Tracts can save the day if you get interrupted or you, for some other reason, didn't get to share the Gospel in its entirety.
Have you ever heard the saying, "Repetition is the mother of all learning"? It has also been stated (accurately or not) that it, on average, takes seven times for a person to hear the Gospel before he or she will respond. Whichever way you look at it, your Christian tract is an additional exposure to the Truth! Trust that God will use it!
L.B.
Ready for a few final dos and don'ts? Click HERE for the third and last segment of "How to Share Your Faith."
Do you have questions about how to share your faith? Any tips or insights of your own? Please use the comments section below!
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