3. Why don’t most Christians share their faith with unbelievers?
- Don’t know what to say – they feel uneducated, inferior, inexperienced, lack of knowledge, perhaps lack of conviction? – impartation of knowledge and understanding needed.
- Fear and unbelief – want avoid rejection, evade perceived confrontation or arguments, may be timid or introverted (pray for boldness) – impartation of faith and vision needed.
- Hardness of heart – wrong or no teaching, secular humanism, self-centeredness = lack of compassion – impartation of critical desire for action needed.
- The result of any of these justifications is outright disobedience to the Great Commission mandates (whether intentional or unintentional is irrelevant).
Recent Opinion Polls:
- Only 6% of Christians feel equipped to share their faith while only 4% of pastors feel equipped to share their faith.
- But here is the truth according to God’s word:
- 1 Corinthians 1:5-7 (NIV) – For in him you have been enriched in every way — with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge — God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.
- Revelation 12:10-12 (NKJV) – Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
- You don’t need to have a college education, a ministry degree, be a Bible scholar, or have years of experience in evangelism. (The disciples of Jesus had none of those either!)
- All you need to know is your own personal testimony – who or what were you before you met Jesus, how did you get saved, and what has He done in your life.
- No one can refute or argue with YOUR testimony – they can listen and choose to believe or not. You have done your part – now it is the Holy Spirit’s turn.
- “And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’” John 4:36-37 (NKJV)
- John 4:36-37 gives us our perspective. It says one day the sowers and the reapers will rejoice together, as they see how they partnered without even realizing it. One day we will get to heaven and meet people who thank us for sharing with them. We will say, “I don’t remember you at all.” But they will say:
- “I was the 6-year-old neighbor boy whom you brought to Vacation Bible School.”
- “I was the college buddy that was making fun of your Christianity.”
- “I was watching you at work every day, seeing how you forgave people who hurt you.”
- “I was the one who spread gossip about you at church, because really I envied you.”
- “I was the one riding on a bus with you many years ago, and you asked if you could pray for me.”
- “I was the one you shared your testimony with while we were riding on the airplane.”
- “I am from a different county. But you financially supported Oasis World Ministries to train others to share their faith.”
- The average person hears the gospel seven times before he decides to commit his life to the Lordship of Jesus. SEVEN times!
- That means it takes six people to sow the seed of the gospel before the seventh will reap the results.
- What if the sixth person gave up? What if the fourth person neglected to share? What if the second person was too busy to share? Progress stops!
- Your testimony is a seed into them – you may be the first (new information), the fourth (confirmation), or the seventh (ready to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior)!
- Here’s the point: Sometimes we will reap. Sometimes we will sow. Sometimes we till the soil and water. But the more we faithfully sow, the greater the reaping… and the greater the harvest!
- That’s why we must keep sowing. Without the sower, the reapers get nothing. We are a team, working towards the same goal – to bring in God’s Kingdom harvest!
- That’s the kingdom perspective. “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” (John 4:38).