As Christians, every one of us is called to share our faith with others. This isn’t a responsibility left to professionals such as a preacher or an evangelist. If you consider yourself a follower of Christ, you are called to share this not only with other Christians but also with nonbelievers.
While this doesn’t require a degree or certificate from a university, you need to be both knowledgeable and confident with your faith. This is easily demonstrated through the way you communicate. If you can’t be convincing with what you believe in, why would anyone else want what you’re describing? I think this is an area where too many of us struggle today.
Sure, we know Jesus is our only means of salvation. Without what He was able to accomplish through the cross, it would be impossible for us to spend eternity in the presence of God. We know enough of the Bible to share a verse or two with a friend. Still, are we familiar enough with God’s Word to discuss how our faith shapes our lives?
Again, I need to drive this fact home. Sharing our faith isn’t a hobby or something we do when it’s convenient. If you believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, your faith is something you share with others. You have been rescued to become part of the rescue party. Too many of us have grown comfortable sitting on the sidelines and watching others do God’s work. Simply watching the news or looking at social media demonstrates the evil that happens when not enough of us are involved.
If we are going to improve with this, we have to have faith that demonstrates the power of God. This requires confidence in Him, a boldness of who He is, and obedience to what He’s said. I fail with that last part daily. Each of us does. Still, being obedient to God and His commandments has to be a priority. This doesn’t mean we’re perfect. It means the goal of every day is to improve from the day before.
Read: Have You Been Avoiding Jesus?
As the father of a five-year-old little girl, both developing and sharing my faith is becoming much more important in my life. This is the one and the only thing I can do that has the ability to affect the eternity of generations of my family. As hard as it may be to understand, as someone who writes and speaks about the Bible professionally, it’s much easier to share my faith with a complete stranger than it is my little girl. Maybe that says a lot about me and shows I’m doing something completely wrong.
Still, I wanted to share some things I’ve worked on to develop a faith worth sharing. Before digging in, I want to share a verse that I think should be the foundation of what we believe as Christians.
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17
What Faith in Jesus Looks Like
As followers of Jesus, I think this verse sums up perfectly what our faith is to look like. Jesus is before all things in life. He gets the priority with our schedule. Prayer shouldn’t be a few words we mumble before falling asleep. Our discussion with God should be the most significant conversation of our day, every day. Spending time devoted to Jesus either in prayer or with our nose in a Bible isn’t something we only do when it’s convenient. It’s the daily event we schedule everything else around.
In this verse, St. Paul says Jesus is before all things. That word “all” is pretty inclusive. Jesus comes first in everything we do from our scheduling to our finances. This is a topic too many of us want to shy away from. Jesus is the Lord of our lives, but our checking account is none of His business. I’m pretty sure that the three-letter word “all” includes our money. This is the one area that will demonstrate more than anything that you believe about Jesus Christ.
Our bedroom is another area we like to tell Jesus is none of His business. Again, I’m pretty sure this area is included in the word “all.” I’ll be honest and say it. Until a few years ago, this is an area where I completely failed. I was more concerned with Jesus’ forgiveness and mercy than being obedient to Him. Our schedule, checking account, and sex life. These are three areas where Jesus has to be before ALL things if we want to develop a faith worth sharing.
Continuing to Grow
The moment something stops growing, it slowly begins withering away. This is especially true when it comes to our faith. Becoming more like Christ isn’t an event. It’s a lifelong process. We have to be going out of our way to make sure our faith is always growing. Sure, some days will be much more fruitful than others. Still, this has to be a priority in our life, especially if Jesus is going to be before all things.
One of the key factors with this is making sure we have someone guiding and teaching us. Yes, we have to be spending personal time with our Bibles. That being said, one of God’s favorite ways of interacting with us is through His people. If you’re the most intelligent person you know, especially when it comes to the Christian faith, then you’re doing this all wrong.
Discipleship and personal mentoring need to be a part of this growth. Church attendance and personal study are a great place to begin, but that’s exactly what they are. A starting point. We have to have others more mature in their faith pouring into our lives. Just as importantly, we need to be working with others newer to following Jesus than we are. By becoming a part of this triangular circle, our faith will develop into more than we’ve ever imagined it to be. It will become something worth sharing with others.
Jeffrey has a degree in theology from Aidan University and is the founder of Gospel Grammar in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. His goal is to inspire others to seek a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
