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Relational Evangelism Road Trip: Overcome Your Fears with Courage!
By chris | May 15, 2008
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6b)
The road trip continues! Today I have been in Springfield, Illinois the home of honest Abe Lincoln. Taking Abe as an example of honesty, I have to be honest and say that talking about my faith with other people kinda scares me.
I know it is important to “….always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15) But sometimes I let the idea of talking about the gospel to people, even people I am close to, intimidate me.
Evangelism is a Priority
We all know that God loves the world so much He gave his Son (John 3:16). But have you spent much time thinking about the implications of that for your outreach? Think about it, God “so loved” the world, He gave his Son. You could say redeeming the people of the world is God’s top priority. If you are engaged in God’s most cherished task, wouldn’t it be natural to expect that God would back up anyone who takes evangelism seriously? Of course!
Someone once said, “stop trying to get God to bless what you are doing, instead join Him in what He is doing—it is already blessed”. Evangelism is one of God’s most blessed activities. Get close to God’s heartbeat, get a heart for evangelism. God is active and wants all men to be saved. You are not alone if you want to reach your friends, family or people at work. God wants to reach them too. He so loves them “so much, He gave his only Son”
Knowing this should give you confidence and boldness, but it won’t make you fearless. I have traveled all over the world working with missionaries, church planters, pastors and evangelists. I have never met anyone who was completely without fear of witnessing. Many of the greatest evangelists still get nervous when it comes to sharing their faith. Don’t worry if the thought of witnessing makes you nervous or afraid—you are not a spiritual weakling if you feel that way, you are normal.
So how do you become a fearless witness? Maybe you don’t. Maybe you should not even try to not be afraid. Don’t spend time beating yourself up over fear of witnessing. Instead, set a goal to become a more courageous witness. What is a courageous witness? A person who, in spite of his/her fear, witnesses to other people. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is what you do even though you are afraid. Many people find when they face their fears courageously; they become less afraid and bolder.
Don’t worry about the jitters—God is backing you up! If you feel afraid, go ahead and share with others anyway. Have faith in God, He is on your side. Have courage!
Topics: Evangelism |