If you think about it and believe it you
must also act on it!
This is not a theory. When you live and share your faith you
you become a shining light and a help to others. Taking action
means...
You are living the solution!
SHARE
IT!
Sharing Your Faith
Most of us, when we find a good thing want
to share it. This is especially true when we discover something
that brings us genuine deep joy and meaning. If you believe
in God's plan for us and have truly accepted Jesus as your personal
Lord and Savior you will want others to know this.
How you go about it may depend on your personality, where you
work and whom you encounter. Some are more outgoing than others,
but none of us should be ashamed or embarrassed to "let
our light shine" (Matthew 5:14-16). Be sure to get around
other believers. We encourage and lift each other up with fellowship.
Actions
speak louder than words
One of the things that turn off many people
is preaching to them about how they should live their lives.
Defenses go up and suddenly there is an invisible wall. How
we share our faith must take into account circumstances. You
don't (and shouldn't) water down or sugarcoat the message. Let
people know of the transforming love of God and Jesus in your
life. Show them in the way you live. Try to "reach"
instead of "preach".
I like the example in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 8:26-39).
Philip is led by the spirit to approach a foreign official from
Ethiopia who was traveling and reading from Isaiah. Philip asked
him if he understood what he was reading. The response was "how
can I understand it unless someone explains it to me?"
What a perfect opening.
God
will orchestrate opportunity
We must constantly be aware of opportunities.
God is going to put people in your path. There are so many who
are looking for answers, searching for meaning, longing for
hope. Do you ever pray that God will use you in this way, to
tell them the Good News?
I find it helpful when looking for ways to share my faith to
think about the other person's viewpoint. Are they in a receptive
state of mind? How I approach the subject may help. Honesty,
humility and confident (not arrogant) belief will ring true
with others. We are all in this together. People are going to
look more at my actions than my intentions.
Praying before any encounter is particularly important. And
effective. If God puts it on your heart to share your faith
with someone then ask for inspiration.
It may be that at some time in your life you may be called upon
to bear witness in front of others and to defend your faith.
Pray for the courage and remember what Peter and John said when
this happened to them before the council of the Sadducees (Acts
4:20), "We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things
we have seen and heard."
Can't
Give What You Don't Have
Of course, for us to be able to share our
faith we must be living in the solution. It does no real good
to proclaim God's message of love and redemption without first
believing it. We can't give away what we don't have.
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"You are the light of the world--like a city on a mountain,
glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light
under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine
for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for
all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."
