Volume 11 Week 41 October
9, 2005
A Simple Guide
For Witness!
Here's A Handful Of Ideas For Sharing Your Faith In A Simple Way!
"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (I Peter 3:15).
Are you prepared? Most Christians struggle with finding the words to express what a difference it makes in their life to know Jesus Christ. There's a simple outline that I've been taught that I've taught others for years. Keep this as a handy reference, and see if learning this simple outline might help you to share with others, in your own words, what faith in Christ means to you!
Getting Started!
To get the conversation started, we used to ask people if they were certain of eternal life in heaven. These days people don't think about eternity as much as they used to, but most all people have a desire to live a good and decent life. And most people have a great respect for Jesus, even if they think of him as nothing more than a fine teacher and wise counselor.
So often it's helpful to get the conversation going by asking, "Do you consider yourself to be a Christian?" Listen carefully to the response. it will help you understand questions your friend may have about the faith and clarifications you can give. Then, it's important to ask, "In your view, how does a person become a Christian?"
There are really only two answers. One either becomes a Christian by trusting God's free gift of faith and life in Christ, or one becomes a Christian by the things we do, like church attendance, prayer, living a decent life according to the Sermon on the mount, etc. When your friend affirms that it's only by faith in Christ, rejoice! And then review the basics of the faith that follow here.
If your friend shares a works righteousness answer, begin with the good news!
Grace!
Many find that it is best to start with that message that is absolutely unique to Christianity and is found in no other religion ever invented by humankind. The teaching of God's free gift of grace, his undeserved and unearned kindness and love is why we can know that Christianity is the only true religion. You could never make this up!
The parables of the kingdom we've studied recently teach this plainly: God gives the gift of life. He is the "wealthy landowner" or the "king" Jesus told us about. He throws open the gates and gives the gift of life and salvation from free.
When witnessing to others, this shocking, amazing truth of God's plan for all people is the place to begin, because it is so different from anything we would think or anything taught in other faiths. A good Bible text is Ephesians 2:8-9.
A simply, handy way to remember this is to use your thumb as a reminder of a hitchhiker thumbing a ride. They paid neither for gas nor the car, but got a ride simply because someone in the goodness of their heart had mercy and pulled over.
Us!
Here's where a good dose of reality comes in. Jesus was a master at communicating the law of God in just the doses needed. The law of God points out our desperate situation, that "we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 would be a good Bible text to share.
The best way to impress this upon your friend is to share your own examples. Tell why it is that you meet God at his altar weekly to confess your sins. Give real, daily examples if you can. Gently guide your friend to see that we've all said and thought and done those things that leave us separated from God and unable to bridge the gap between us and him. the pointer finger, next to your thumb, that points and condemns, can be a good reminder of this second part of the Christian witness.
God!
The middle finger is your next reminder. The biggest of all the fingers, it reminds us of God's greatness and glory, his majesty and perfection. We call this holiness. God is perfect and cannot allow anyone or anything into his presence that would compromise his holiness. This is the justice of God. It is plainly taught in Romans 3:25-26.
But God's primary nature is love and mercy. His heart's desire is that we would somehow become holy and pure, morally perfect in every way. 2 Timothy 2:4 teaches that God, "wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
So how could that happen? This leads us to the sharing of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and why we need a salvation that only God made man could provide.
Christ!
The just and holy God provided what we never could, a payment for our sins. God could not just turn his back and ignore our rebellion. Satisfaction had to be made.
Satisfaction meant that someone would have to keep God's will, his law, perfectly. Only someone who was himself perfect in every way could do so, so God sent his Son to take our place. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that our high priest, the one who offered himself as a sacrifice, "has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin."
And the Son of God, perfect in every way, had to become a human being, one like us, in order to fulfill God's law in his perfect, sinless human life, and also to take our place and suffer the wrath of God in our stead. And that's what Jesus did. "The word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). That dual nature, that Jesus is God and man, is what qualifies him and him alone to be the Savior of the world.
And he did save us, by offering his life on the cross for us, enduring the punishment of all our sins, being separated from God so we would never have to be. The ring finger, where we express our deepest love for another by the wearing of a ring, reminds us of Christ's love.
So, how does a person become a Christian?
Faith!
Faith is the gift that God works in us so that we can believe in Jesus and receive eternal life (John 3:16). We use the pinky finger as a reminder, because no matter how seemingly small and weak faith is, all who believe that it is true that Christ died for them, have received the gift of eternal life.
We never ask someone to "give their life to Jesus," for that would be impossible to do. It's like putting a requirement on us for our salvation. We simply ask, "Has the Lord shown you today that Christ Jesus died for you, too, and that salvation is yours?" God gives the faith. We simply welcome it and celebrate it with joy!
I hope you will remember this simple outline, grace, us, God, Christ, faith and the simple reminders, thumb, pointer, middle, ring and pinky. And I hope you will pray for opportunities to share, and for wisdom and courage to take advantage of the opportunities God gives! May the Lord of love bless your witness to others this week!