Sharing With Others: Why We Do It

By Danny Saavedra 

Over the next few days, we’re going to cover two of the most intimidating aspects of being a disciple: sharing your testimony and sharing the gospel. 

Have you ever been too uncomfortable to share the good news of how you met Christ? Maybe you were afraid you’d offend someone, or that you’d get in trouble at work or school; maybe you were worried it would strain a relationship.

If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re not alone. One of the most common reasons people don’t share the gospel, according to a Barna Research Group study, is that they don’t feel equipped. In fact, the study says only one out of every eight believers in Jesus feels adequately prepared to effectively share their faith. 

Too often Christ followers fear someone else’s eternal destiny rests on their eloquence or the compelling nature of their evangelistic efforts. If this is something you’ve struggled with, please let us put you at ease: It doesn’t depend on you!

Consider what Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthian church: “When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God….I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:1, 3-5 NIV). 

When you reflect on your own salvation, you’ll most likely note that it wasn’t someone’s preaching or testimony that changed you. It wasn’t the eloquence, the wisdom, or the persuasive words of a pastor. It was God’s Spirit that touched the depths of your soul—likely through a person—and called you to respond to Christ. 

Remember, it’s God who begins the work in us, and it’s God who carries it to completion (Philippians 1:6). We just need to focus on the simple message that Christ died for us so that we could be made right with God, and that a relationship with Jesus changes everything.

God wants to work through you to change someone’s life. He doesn’t need your strength or ability to accomplish this; He just asks for your availability. As Christ followers—people who have been redeemed, transformed, and have experienced the abundant life that Jesus gives—we should be thrilled to tell everyone about God’s love and grace. In the same way we’re excited to tell people about a new car, an amazing restaurant, or the cute thing our kid did, we should be all the more eager to tell people how we were lost, helpless, hopeless sinners who were saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. This message and the story of how He changed us should be something we can’t help but share.

Over the next two days we’re going to help you craft a concise, personal, yet profound testimony. Then we’ll teach you how to share the gospel in a simple, effective way. We hope these pointers will help you communicate your faith confidently because you’re comfortable with the message of the gospel and your own testimony, all the while relying on the Spirit to work in you and through you. 

Start thinking about both your testimony and how you share the gospel with others. When was the last time you did it? What keeps you from evangelizing more often?

Here is something to reflect on today: “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” Philippians 2:13 (NIV).