How Do I Share My Faith With Others?

Do you struggle to share your faith with others?

I certainly did.

I'll never forget that time in Bible college when I sent a two-page emailed letter to one of my hockey teammates, telling him how much I wanted him to become a Christian.

What made it especially awkward was that I never acknowledged it the next time we met! I let it hang, and to this day, we've never discussed it. And this ranks right up there with one of the cringiest things I've ever done.

That said, several years later, after I'd moved out of state, this buddy reached out and thanked me for my Christian influence and even graciously bought a couple of my Christian books. When he did, I was reminded of how God can use even the worst deliveries to accomplish his purposes.

The Greatest Evangelist

The greatest evangelist I can think of is the Apostle Paul, and throughout this series on Galatians, I've been reminded of Paul's incredible boldness and rigid conformity to the gospel. In Galatians 5:1, he says these words to a troubled church community: "For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery."

He's imploring his audience not to return to a works-based form of salvation and to place their total dependence in Christ. The reason Paul is so firm points back to his dramatic conversion experience, as highlighted in the Book of Acts.

In Acts 26, Paul stands before King Agrippa II and the Roman governor Festus in Caesarea. Previously arrested in Jerusalem on charges brought by Jewish religious leaders, Paul has spent two years imprisoned under Governor Felix, who left him incarcerated upon his departure.

With Festus now in office and uncertain about how to handle Paul's case—especially given its religious nuances—he consults King Agrippa during the monarch's visit. Paul is given the floor to present his defense in a grand assembly hall filled with dignitaries, military officers, and prominent citizens. Seizing the moment, he recounts his early life, dramatic conversion, and mission, aiming to persuade his influential audience of his innocence and the truth of his message.

As Ajith Fernando notes, “Paul’s speech before Agrippa provides the most comprehensive defense of his evangelistic ministry in Acts,”^[1]  and there are three parts to his defense. There is the:

• Introduction
• His life story
• And proof of the case he is trying to make

Paul is doing just as Christ commanded him to do. And when the pressure is at its highest, he stands boldly and tells of all Christ has done. 

A Three-fold Challenge

This defense of Paul says much about how we should share our faith with others. Paul knew his true audience. When both Felix and Agrippa push back on Paul’s message, Paul doesn’t back down. He doubles down. Not only does he want Agrippa to be saved, but he wants all people to know God's saving grace.

Like Paul, you will sometimes receive pushback when you share your faith with others. But rather than wilt and apologize for what you believe, be like Paul and be all the more bold. When you do this, you will often earn the respect of others—even if they disagree with you.

If you immediately shrink under the pressure and apologize for your faith, many will rightly assume you do not fully believe it. But if you double down and share your faith in boldness and kindness, others will recognize there is something different about you.

Don't know where to start? Here are three steps I challenge you to weave into your next conversation with someone who doesn't know Jesus. Tell them:

• What you were like before you met Jesus
• How Jesus changed your life
• And how you live different becuase of Jesus.

Nothing earthshattering, but I promise that simple pattern can have a significant impact—so long as you personalize it to your story and situation.

^[1]Ajith Fernando, Acts, eds. Terry C. Muck, The NIV Application Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998), 598.