Most Christians know that they should share the Gospel with others, but actually doing it is another matter. Too often our fears, lack of confidence, and excuses win and we do nothing. How can we overcome our fears and actually be the witnesses that we are called to be?
When it comes to fear of engaging people with the Gospel, I’ve been there. I remember being invited to help with an outreach for the first time as a student at Florida State University. In this case, we were supposed to pass out some flyers for an outreach event and try to engage in some meaningful Gospel-oriented conversation with whoever accepted the flyers and was willing to talk.
There were so many people that I just let walk on by that day. There were so many moments when I continued to give in to fear. As we walked around the campus, I was terrified on the inside. I tried to hide the way I was feeling, but I could almost visualize each person refusing to take a flyer or, even worse, taking the flyer and throwing it back in my face (that didn’t happen). We had the outreach event later that week and I’m not even sure that any of the people I invited that day came. Nevertheless, I think it was still a personal victory. Here are a few of the reasons why.
I Showed Up
I could have stayed in my dorm room that afternoon, but I didn’t. I not only said I would help with the outreach, I actually showed up. This was a huge step for me at that time. I took action. I didn’t allow fear to keep me silent and passive any longer. I engaged people through inviting them to an outreach and had some meaningful conversations. If I remember correctly, I think I even shared my testimony a couple times that day.
I Prayed Through
Prayer is hugely important but, let’s be honest, sometimes we can use prayer as an excuse for procrastination or straight up disobedience to God. “I’ll pray about it” can become a passive-aggressive, religious way of just saying “no.” What I did in this instance wasn’t just to pray about it. I prayed through it. I prayed as I was walking across campus engaging others with the Gospel. I walked through my fears by faith. I was praying, while obeying.[shareable text=”Sometimes we can use prayer as an excuse for procrastination.”]Prayer is hugely important but, let’s be honest, sometimes we can use prayer as an excuse for procrastination or straight up disobedience to God.[/shareable]
I Got a Little Braver
This small victory of passing out flyers and talking to a few people about Christ—a baby-step really—helped me to grow in confidence and boldness. Doing the right thing by faith, stepping out and engaging others with the Gospel, was still hard the next time, but it got a little easier. The whole experience had changed me. I was more brave and confident than I was before. I still don’t think of myself as a great evangelist, but sometimes I’m amazed when I think about how far I’ve come.