How to Share Your Faith

The above Comic Strip is what some of us might think is Evangelism! Here at Radical Riders there is NO BIBLE THUMPING ALLOWED!! For those of us that do not have the Gift of Evangelism, How do we Begin to Share our Faith? The bible tells us about a guy who was an evangelist, named Philip. We are going to take our lead from his example. There are four guidelines to follow when talking with others about Christ: go to where they are, hang out with them, start a conversation, and read between the lines. Check out Philip as he starts a conversation with a servant of the queen of Ethiopia.
Read the story of their encounter in Acts 8.

ACTS 8:26-40

1. GO WHERE THEY ARE

Matthew 28 tells us to go into the entire world and tell everyone the message of Jesus Christ. The bible does not say to stay at home and wait for someone to come to you. The bible does not say to sit in your church pew and wait for someone to sit next to you, and then if they ask you about Jesus ONLY then should you tell them. Go to where they are, which means to meet people where they are at: work, school, gas station, Skate Park, ski area, grocery store, sports competition, church, etc. As we read about Philip in Acts 8, look closely at verses 26-27, did Philip stay where he was or did he go?

VERSE 26-27

Philip was sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and He told him where to go. Philip obeyed God’s leading and God provided an opportunity to tell someone about Him. If we sit back and wait for people to come to us, then we are going against the direct command Jesus gave us.

2. HANG OUT

OK, we are out the door going to where the people are at, to hit them with the gospel. Now what? What do we do when we get there? The next step in evangelism is to hang out with others and look for an opportunity to talk. Radical Riders puts this into action during the winter months on the slopes of Colorado ski areas. We have a chair lift ministry where we stand in the singles line and get on a chair with total strangers. The first few minutes of the ride we are just hanging out with everyone and enjoying the ride. What do you think the reaction would be if we jumped on the chair lift and said, “You all are going to hell and only Jesus Christ can save you”? The result might be us getting pushed off the chair lift while riding up the mountain!! That is why it is important to just hang out and wait for God to provide the opportunity to start the conversation. Philip did just that in verses 29-30. Read about the opportunity that God gave Philip and how just hanging out provided Philip with the open door he needed to start talking with the servant.

VERSE 29

Philip walked along beside the carriage waiting for God to open the door to share. So many times we are afraid to share our faith. We think we might be asked a question that we do not know the answer to, or maybe people will laugh at us. We need to trust that God knows what He is doing, and He will give us the words to share our faith.

3. START A CONVERSATION

Once God provides an opportunity to start a conversation, it is up to us to walk through that open door and say something. During our chair lift ministry I am continually blown away at how God opens the door to start a conversation. Sometimes I just sit and say nothing, and then out of the blue someone will ask me a question like “What brings you to the slopes today?” I just smile at how God opens the door for me to share my faith. Philip did the same thing and waited for God to get the conversation started. Read verse 30-33 and see what God did.

VERSE 30-33

Philip got the conversation started with asking a question, “Do you understand what you are reading?” Asking a question is one of the most effective ways to get things rolling. Questions help steer the conversation towards the truth.

4. READ BETWEEN THE LINES

Once the conversation is started the best way to lead others to the truth is by reading between the lines of their answers. For example, we might ask the question like, “Do you know of a good church around here?” Their answer will determine your next leading question. Reading between the lines means listening to what they are not saying. Check out how Philip read between the lines of his conversation with the queen’s servant.

VERSE 34-38

Reading between the lines means that we have to listen to what our unbelieving friend is saying. Pay attention to everything they are saying or not saying. The key to evangelism is being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and letting Him give us the words to say. We should ask leading questions that cause our friends to think about Christ and help them draw their own conclusions. We never want to force feed the bible to someone. The unbelieving world needs Christ and it is our responsibility to show them that He meets all their needs.

5. ASK LEADING QUESTIONS

No one likes to be told what to do, nor do we want to hear we were wrong. Most of us like the draw our own conclusion regarding numerous topics. So why would that be any different when discussing religion or God. Doing the work of an evangelist means leading people to the truth, not shoving it down their throat. Listen to the answers given and then come up with another question which will lead them to think and move them further to the truth. Here is an example of a statement made by a non Christian: “I think that I should stop smoking because my little brother is trying to follow in my footsteps”. What would be a great leading question for this person?

Leading someone to the truth is better than telling them what is right. The Holy Spirit will give us the questions we need to show them the truth. During this week’s radical challenge we will have many opportunities to practice asking leading questions. Try to complete as many scenarios as possible. The more practice you have the more confident you will be in God’s help. No fear just love for those around us.