Evangelism can be intimidating, discouraging, and even hated at times—but the love of Christ compels us to keep sharing the truth with others.
March 25, 2024
From The Word on the Street.
The fear we feel when it comes to sharing our faith is very real, even though it’s irrational. If we were going to be burned at the stake for being a Christian, or thrown to hungry lions, then our fear would make sense. But it’s nevertheless very real and it can paralyze us if we listen to it. So how can we just ignore it?
Imagine you see a four-year-old child fall into an icy swimming pool. I’m sure that you would ignore any thought of the cold water and immediately dive in, because you are thinking of something infinitely more important than your comfort: the life of a human being. That’s the mentality you and I must have with evangelism. We need to forget about how our flesh feels and instead think about what awaits people if they die in their sins.
Here is something else to think about. How would you and I describe the character of a person who could stand at the edge of the pool and let the child drown because the water was too cold? Then we need to apply that name to ourselves, if we let fear hinder us from speaking to the lost. Do you remember how Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was struck dumb because he didn’t believe God’s promise? The angel said to him, “But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time” (Luke 1:20).
“We need to forget about how our flesh feels and instead think about what awaits people if they die in their sins.”
Perhaps you and I can identify with Zacharias. It’s our lack of faith in God that causes us to be struck dumb when it comes to sharing our faith. If we fully trusted God, we wouldn’t hesitate to open our mouths. If we find ourselves in that position, we should do what Zacharias did when he wanted to say something. He called for a “writing tablet” and used the written word.
If you and I are too timid to witness or preach, then we should use the written word by giving out gospel tracts. It’s better to do that than do nothing. But then let that give you the confidence to speak to one person, then perhaps to a few gathered around you… and eventually to a crowd in an open-air setting.
Experts tell us that most deaths from skydiving happen because of “human error,” insinuating that careful skydivers will be okay. In reality, one jumper in every 100,000 fall to their deaths. Instead, if you are bored with life and want an adrenaline rush, try open-air preaching. It’s more dangerous than skydiving (see Acts 7:57–60), arguably more scary, and infinitely more productive. And if your life is taken from you while you are preaching, at least your death will not be from human error. Rather, it will be by divine permission.
I have a friend who works for the US Customs Department. He’s about 6’3″, has a deep voice, and looks like how you’d imagine a federal agent to look. He flies jets that chase drug runners. Tough guy. Yet he said, “I have been skydiving, scuba diving, and drag racing, have ridden motorcycles and flown jets and helicopters, but by far the scariest thing I ever did was to get up on a soapbox and preach the gospel. But as soon as I stepped off that box I couldn’t wait to get up and preach again.” I know exactly what he meant.
“If you and I are too timid to witness or preach, then we should use the written word by giving out gospel tracts.”
The second day I preached in Christchurch I was more nervous than the first. This is probably because after preaching once I had eased my restless conscience. I could then say to that nagging voice, “I did it, now back off.” So the second time I didn’t have the provocation of my conscience; it was simply a matter of my will. Would I preach because I cared about people, or was it all about getting rid of guilt? Day after day I had that same feeling that had me visiting the restroom multiple times each morning before I rode my bike the mile or so from my leather shop to The Square. This went on for about three months. Finally, after preaching that many times I was still nervous, but it became more under control.
However, even after thousands of times, it remains a matter of discipline. It is a matter of setting my face like flint and ignoring negative thoughts, fears, tiredness, and other things that want to take priority. When I get texts today asking if I will be preaching open air at Huntington Beach, I usually reply, “Is the pope a sinner?” Of course I will be open-air preaching, God willing—and I know He is.
We are soldiers in the most real of wars. No soldier fights on his own whims. I dare to say that few want to enter the heat of battle, but they go because they are not their own. They go because they’ve been instructed to go. That’s the essence of soldiering. So as you enter the battlefield, keep in mind that courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the conquering of it.
If we really care for the lost, each of us must learn to push aside the fear of man and replace it with a healthy fear of God. How could we not obey Almighty God when He has commanded us to speak to the lost?
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7.
Overcoming Fear When Sharing Your Faith