Don't Hold Back from Sharing Christ
We know as Christians that God has called us to share Christ with others.
In the words of Billy Graham, "suppose I discovered a chemical that, when taken, would make you radiant and happy, give meaning to your life, and assure you of immortal life thereafter. Then suppose I should decide to keep that secret to myself. What would you say about me? Wouldn't you say, 'Billy, you're a criminal'? Well, I have discovered a secret and I'm happy to share it with you ...resolve right now to allow God to wipe your slate clean, by confessing your sins and asking Christ to give you a brand-new start!"
We've been given the greatest gift in the world! Jesus is the thing that makes us say in the worst trials and hardships that we are extremely blessed beyond imagination. What is this wonderful thing called the love of God in Christ.
Multitudes of Scriptures call us to this lifestyle of compassion for those who do not yet know Christ. There is most likely no doubt of this in the minds of anyone who intently studies God's Word.
The concern I have is the fear of turning a non-Christian off from God by being cheesy or annoying in my witness. This is what held me from sharing Christ with many people over the past few years. I believe I caught this "fear sickness" in college.
However, God has promised to bless His Word - it will not return void.
We are different when we as Christians share our religion, for we carry the power of the Holy Spirit and the unending power of God's Word as we share.
Paul shares in Acts about the mystery and glory of Christ. Often his message was taken terribly by those he shared it with, and some he preached to got so enraged that he was stoned, beaten, imprisioned, threatened and whipped!
When is the last time you were beaten for sharing Christ?
I believe God is trying to tell us that success in evangelism is not how people respond, but simply in obeying God's call to do it.
It frustrates me when preachers condemn street witnessing and other types of sharing Christ! Why? One of my friends got saved because some "crazy" kids street witnessed to him at the Mall of America! I agree that friendship evangelism is the most effective style of witnessing overall, however I don't believe that every non-Christian around the world has a great Christian "friend" who's regularly praying for their souls. Thus, if all we do is friendship evangelism, the Church will surely and slowly shrink.
I also believe that certain people will only respond to Christ through certain styles of evangelism.
How about street preaching? A. W. Tozer, someone who's impacted Christendom greatly, came to Christ through a street preacher. This should be enough to speak for itself.
Bottom line here, have the heart to care about non Christians, and be led by the Spirit of God and you'll do great!
