SHARING YOUR FAITH EFFECTIVELY

 There are so many ways to share your faith with others. Whether you use a “Roman Road,” “Four Spiritual Laws,” “Steps to Peace with God,” the new “Faith” outline, or some other “plan,” you can always share your testimony. That is unique to you. No matter how “chicken-hearted” you feel, being a witness requires one thing: sharing what you know. On a Peru mission trip, we watched our interpreter share his faith in a matter of minutes to many who came on our bus or van. Learn to share your testimony in just a few minutes. It may be all the time you have. Here are some suggestions to help you write out your own testimony:

 

1.      Describe in a few short sentences what life was like before you met Jesus.

2.      What were the events that led you to accept Him as your Lord and Savior?

3.      Describe your experience briefly.

4.      What has life been like since that time?

Write it out and practice your testimony until you can share it in five minutes or less.

When sharing with another person how they, too, can come to know Christ, consider using one or more of these questions:

Are you interested in spiritual things?

Has anything like that ever happened to you?

In your opinion, what do you think it takes for a persona to get to heaven?

If you died tonight, do you know you would go to heaven?

Has there ever been a time when you personally asked the Lord Jesus to come into your heart and life?

May I share with you how you can come to know Jesus personally?

Whether you use a written tract or your open Bible, these are some possible Scriptures for you to use and even memorize (in any translation- These are from the NIV):

 Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

 Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

 Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

 Romans 10:9-10 – “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

 John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

 John 1:12 – “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

 Luke 13:3 – “I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

 Hebrews 11:6 - “And without faith it is impossible to please God; because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

 Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God—not of works, so that no one can boast.”

If you have time, you may be able to weave Scripture into your testimony. I often do this because it parallels my testimony so much.

Here is my testimony in a nutshell:

 I was raised in a Christian home in the United States. My father was pastor of a church, and my parents took me to church from the time I was born. However, when I was eight years old, I realized that something was missing in my life. I discovered that just going to church and having Christian parents would not fill the holes in my life.

 One day in a Vacation Bible School in my church, my father showed a very powerful picture that helped me to find the missing pieces in my life. He took a white cloth and explained that when God first made man, he was perfect and pure, like that white cloth. Then my father dipped the cloth into a special chemical solution, and the cloth turned black. He said man sinned by disobeying God and by choosing instead what man wanted. Then my father took the black cloth and dipped it into another chemical solution. This time the cloth turned red. He said God loved the whole world so much that He sent His own son, Jesus, to die on a cross for our sin and disobedience. The red color represented Jesus’ blood. Again, my father dipped the cloth into another chemical solution and it turned white again. He said when we ask Jesus to come into our hearts and to forgive our sin, we are made whole and perfect again in His sight. And not only that, we would get to live forever with Him in heaven when we die.

 That day I did find what was missing—it was Jesus Christ. So I asked Jesus to come into my heart, to forgive my own sin, and to help me live for Him all my life. He gave me a love for the His Word, the Bible, and He became my Heavenly Father and my Faithful Friend. He put peace and a song in my heart that nothing could take away, even in times of great difficulty. My greatest joy in life now is to know God more deeply and to show others how to know Him, too. I wake up each day, realizing that if all I had was Jesus, it would be enough.

Worried about opportunities? Think about a fruit tree. How does it bear fruit? It doesn’t sit and fume and fuss and strain, “I must bear fruit. I must bear fruit!” No, it just draws nourishment from being fed: if the tree is watered, fed, and fertilized properly, and if the branch bearing the fruit is attached to the vine (or tree), the tree will bear fruit as a natural consequence. (John 15) He is the Vine; we are the branches. We bear fruit by abiding in the Vine. From that Vine will come the love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, patience—and all the other qualities that reflect Jesus in our lives.  

The best witnessing opportunities often come as we form friendships, love others, work patiently, live Godly, act with kindness, speak boldly but gently, and ask God to open the doors He wants open, whispering to Him often, “Here am I, Lord. Send me.” God is a unique God, and He has many ways to draw people to Himself. What a privilege that He chooses to let us help bear the beautiful message of good news to others!