Introduction
How to share Christ Confidently
In the title of the booklet “How to share CHRIST Confidently.” The key word here is to have confidence in one’s own ability. But the confidence that you need really comes through practicing how to witness, asking the Holy Spirit (Romans 1:16) to lead you to the right person. Remember the Holy Spirit is inside of you and will help you become a better witness according to I Corinthians 6:19-20. And through your effort in studying the word of God concerning evangelism you will gain confidence. Since Jesus brought you with His blood, "You are not your own…” I Corinthians 6:20. Paul encourages his son in the Lord in II Timothy 4:5, “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” Doing the work of an Evangelist is called for all those who are in ministry whether you have that Spiritual Gift or not, there is a need in the Body of Christ the Church to do the work of an evangelist ( Isaiah 52:7). These notes and thoughts are designed to help you develop your gifts and to overcome your anxieties concerning sharing your faith.
The Devil doesn’t want you to share your faith or tell people about the forgiveness of sins. Since Satan is a condemned creature, he will be judged, (John 16:11). So the Devil wants God’s creation to be under God’s wrath and to experience the same type of condemnation that he will experience on Judgement Day. But our job as Evangelist is to speak the Good News about God’s Love and Forgiveness, (John 3:18). II Timothy 4:5, “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” This verse really speaks to the understanding of your duties and goals for servicing.
The hardest part about Witnessing is to do it, that is the Work of an Evangelist is listening to the Holy Spirit. We can learn how to witness, we can speak the truth in love, whether it is natural or spontaneous. If you train yourself on what to say, learn some scriptures that deal with evangelism and rely on the Holy Spirit to guild in what to say you will build confidence. Your personal goal should be to make disciples of someone, to learn these verses, and make them a part of your life in Christ to share the forgiveness of sin without fear read Matthew 28:19. Pray that God will give you the Power, Strength, and the Opportunity to share your Christian faith.
Chapter 1
DESENSITIZATION
Dealing with Our Fear of Witnessing
There is a need for every Christian to conquer your fear. According to II Timothy 1:7, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” This is a verse that we need to memorize and keep it close to our hearts.
A. The Fear That Silence
Fear can cause a person to freeze up and not produce anything. This relates to the Battle for the Mind. And this is a spiritual battle that causes us to either sink or swim.
Since we know that from the scripture that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life…John 14:6.
Another verse that can help feel more adequate is found in Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
This is a great verse to memorize. You can always learn to quote this verse, or to fill in some small talk while witnessing . You can also use this verse to show the person you are talking to them about the Gospel and why you are engaged in Evangelism for your Church.
Luke 12:12 is another key verse that will help conquer your fears, anxiety, and feelings of inadequacies. Listen to Luke 12:12. “...For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” Jesus here expresses the importance of the Holy Spirit’s role in Evangelism.
We are charged as Christians to bring the Good News of the Gospel according (Romans 10:14b,15b). The metaphor here is that we (the Christian) are bring the forgiveness of sin and to show forth the Mercy, Grace and the Love of God in Christ Jesus.
B. Counteracting Fear
Since we know that God has not given us a spirit according to (II Tim. 1:7). But we need to rely On the Power of the Holy Spirit. If I’m speaking the word of Truth, the Gospel, the massage of Salvation, I can conquer my fear.
There is a need to pray for boldness and for the power of the Holy Spirit to fall upon you. We find in Acts 4:31, “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. after they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
Note: The characteristic here in Acts 4:31, Prayer, The Meeting Place was Shaken, People were filled with the Holy Spirit, which gave the people Boldness.
There was an animated picture online and Jesus holding up a sign saying, “I Died For You. Share My Love.” This is one of those motivating factors or phrases for serving the Lord and doing Evangelism.
God has LOVED you, and chosen you for saving faith. So when you preach, share, or teach the Gospel the Holy Spirit will put people under a deep conviction, according to I Thessalonians 1:4-5. The Key to conquering fear is to pray to the Holy Spirit in a continuous way. This will give you the ability to have confidence in what you are saying.
Romans 10:14-15, Paul instructs the Romans that they need people to share the Good News so that people can hear that they are forgiven, and that we as Believers have beautiful feet because we share with others the Gospel. Please Compare (Isaiah 52:7). If people don’t hear that they need forgiveness how will they know?
Do Not Take Your Fears Too Seriously
There is an Acronym that applies here as we seek to cast out F.E.A.R. in our lives. False, Evidence, Appearing, Real. This is what we call in theology Spiritual Warfare.
Note: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” II Kings 19:35-36- This Divine fear that causes the enemy to go on the run. Both Physically and Spiritually.
The Holy Spirit Helps the Believer
a) Guild- Leads and shows the right path (John 16:13) b) Empower- Gives you courage to live for God ( Acts 1:8) c) Intercede- Pray for you when you can’t (Romans 8: 26) d) Teach- Helps you to understand God’s Will and Word (John 14:26) e) Sustain Keeps you steady in life’s storms (Isaiah 11:2) f) Convicts- Reveals wrong to lead to Repentance (John 16:8) g) Strengthen- Gives Power in weakness (Ephesians 3:16) h) Comfort- Provides Peace in times of trouble (John 14:16)
b) The Apostles Paul says, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” II Cor.12:9 Note: Getting Confidence, Competency, Conciliation, and Comfort when you share your faith. Read II Corinthians 3:4-6.
This is another verse that relies on the Power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can give you Strength. A parallel scripture is found in II Corinthians 12:9, “Therefore I will boast all all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
c) “I can do all things through Him(Christ) who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 We can Examine Fears & not let our Fears Desensitizes Us
Staying on point and target will help you focus on witnessing to friend, or a family member about the Love, Mercy, and Goodness of God in Christ Jesus.
1) The Holy Spirit will teach you- John 14:26
2) God uses Human Being to spread the Gospel- II Corinthians 4:7
3) Being faithful and people believe their message- Acts 4:3-4
4) When you witness know that the Lord is with- Joshua 1:9
5) This is a good Law and Gospel scripture-Galatians 3:13-14
6) Presenting the Gospel and believing it produces faith- Romans10:17
7) The Holy Spirit is Greater than the fear of the devil- I John 4:4
8) Good scripture about God’s Love- I John 4:18-19
Practice
*When you think about sharing your faith for our Lord and desiring to extend His Kingdom, and relying on the To Help in these areas. (1) So as you analyze your strength and weaknesses evaluate your fears and depend upon the Holy Spirit for strength, confidence, and power, Acts 1:8; 4:31. The two scriptures from Acts are key in your understanding of witnessing and evangelism.
Chapter 2
Motivation
Your motivation for witnessings, evangelism, and doing Christian Service comes from your understanding of the Gospel. The Gospel is the Birth, Life, Baptism, Teaching, Suffering, Death and Burial, Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every aspect of Jesus’ life is a part of your faith and saving in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The charge for ministry is found in II Timothy 4:5. There is a need for all Christians to serve, not just in being a good witness. But doing the work of an evangelist by sharing your faith.
Growing Our Desire to Witness
The First Step in in growing your desire to serve the Lord is pray, then Witness to others and confidence comes from the Boldness of the Holy Spirit. Hopefully by learning more about what God requires and how you can learn about what God says concerning witnessing. 1) False Teaching should be a concern and a motivator
Read I John 4:2-4
2) The Spirit of God will teach you about God coming in the Flesh-incarnational theology.
3) Most cults or Deviant Teachings don’t believe in Christmas vs.3.
4) Can the Holy Spirit give you Power to overcome the world? vs.4
God Instills the Motivation to Share
Listen to Paul’s motivation concerning the Hebrew People who have rejected Christ and how he wished that he was cursed so that the Israelites could be saved. Romans 9:1-5; 10:1.
A. Should you be praying to the Father to help you in your motivation? John 6:44;
B. You pray that the Holy Spirit brings the person you are witnessing to be under conviction. John 16:8
God-centered motivation
Understanding the Gospel is about responding to God’s Love, and when we understand God’s motivation for All of Human Kind. Remember God Loves us first, I John 4:19.
God uses people to proclaim the Gospel and to show people that God Loves them through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The more you know about God, His mission and purpose, you will begin to focus on your gifts and talents for service. (II Corinthians 5:14).
God has called us out of Satan’s Darkness so that we can bring people into God’s marvelous light (I Peter 2:9).
People-oriented motivation
As Believers in Jesus Christ we can not forget that we are commanded to go out into the world. But Evangelism and Missionary work may not be our cup of tea. So the challenge is always to pray, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you the way and lead you to the right people. Every Christian is challenged to be a living witness for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Again all Christians should desire to show others the Love and to share the Gospel even though we may not feel like it, (II Timothy 4:5). The motivation for witnessing comes from your understanding of the Gospel and the Love of God in Christ Jesus. Jesus said in John 13:34, “A new command I give you; Love one another. As I have Loves you, so you must Love one another.” This scripture teaches us that we Love one another with a God like Love but Loving God motivates us to want to share, help, obey and serve God.
Self-fulfilling motivation
Proverbs 11:30, “The fruits of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.”
Note: I need to ask the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit to give the joy of the Lord for the delight of winning souls.
The motivation again comes from your understanding of God’s Great Commission, His Plan of salvation for the world and your response to obeying God’s word to save souls as in Proverbs 11:30. So let’s examine these terms or metaphors: fruits of righteousness that comes through faith in God which comes from the Tree of Life is what God is providing which is salvation and righteousness in Him.
More Motivating Scriptures
Romans 15:15-17- Paul was given the grace of God to minister to the Gentiles. II Corinthians 2:14- Are spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of Jesus Christ? II Corinthians 5:20- You are Christ Ambassadors making God appeal through us. Ephesians 3:8-9- Can preach Christ and make it plain to others.
I Timothy 1:15-16- The purpose of the Gospel to save sinners.
Christian maturity consists of moving from lower to higher motivation It is my desire that we begin to conquer our fears and learn both the reference and scriptures that can make us better Christians and to have the confidence that all Believers can have in Christ Jesus. We can have success by desire to learn and to speak the words of life as Peter challenged us in (John 8:68). So since Jesus speaks the truth, listening to Him and what He has said shows us the way of eternal life.
Note: Practice and the Practical
When God speaks to you about someone in your family, a friend, a neighbor, or just some you would like to come to the knowledge of truth and become a Christian.
(1)Pray (2) for a specific person (3) ask God for wisdom when to share (4) along with Holy Ghost Boldness and Strength.