Sharing our story (part 2)


     As I continue my thoughts on sharing our faith in our everyday lives, I’d like to build on the idea I shared last time.  If we aren’t involved in relationships with people because we genuinely care about them, our opportunity to share our faith with them and perhaps lead them to genuine faith in Jesus will likely be limited in a significant way.  Relationships are the key to everyday evangelism.  You will occasionally come across someone at just the right time and be able to jump into a full blown presentation of the gospel…and see them turn to Jesus right then and there.  Those times are rare.
     In large part, our opportunities to share our faith will come in our daily lives.  The truth is, they probably come more frequently than we realize.  Let me give you a few thoughts about taking advantage of the relationships you have built as a platform to see others join you in your worship of King Jesus.


Suggestion #2 (since #1 was last time):
Be purposeful about your desire to share your faith and to see others join you in your faith journey.  This may even mean that you’ll put together a list of those you are most burdened for.  You can share your list with your small group or with a couple of other friends and begin to pray together for those each of you have the greatest concern for.  This doesn’t mean that others don’t matter, but that for whatever reason, God has put a few people on your heart.  It is likely He is prompting you to be part of the process of reaching them for His glory.  Learn to view your friendships as potentially redemptive relationships.

Suggestion #3:
                Learn to be sensitive to where people are in their faith journey.  Some have been thinking about their spiritual well-being for some time and are curious to talk about it.  Others have no interest at all.  Some may be curious because of your lifestyle and the differences they see in you.  Others will not care.  As you pray and develop your friendships and relationships, you will begin to sense interest in some.  Don’t watch for an opening like a hungry bird watching for their prey…just watch for interest and begin to sow seeds of the gospel.

Suggestion #4:
                Think through your own faith journey and be willing to share where you’ve been, where you are and what you’re learning.  It’s part of your life; your friends will want to know about you and what makes you tick.  Your faith is a big part of that.  Don’t leave it out for fear that your friends won’t want to continue their friendship.  Do you want to build a relationship on developing trust?  Take some steps and look for opportunities to share your journey with your friend.

Suggestion #5:
                As you see that your friend is open to having you include your faith in conversation, do it.  Make it a part of your daily conversation.  Spiritual things are an important part of your life; talk about them.  When you hear something on the radio that triggers a thought about the Lord, mention it.  If you read something that really stuck with you last evening, tell them about it.  Make it a normal part of your conversation.  It’s not as hard as you might think.  If you are uncomfortable with the idea, perhaps you could ask several of your friends who are believers to join you in stepping up this part of your own conversations.  Look for things to share with each other of a spiritual nature so that you become more comfortable with making it a part of the routine of your life.

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