Day: January 30, 2015

I get into many discussions on religion. I guess for me my faith in Christ is the most important thing to me. Without my faith in Christ, I would never want to be here. When I listen to people who don’t believe in Christ, I want to pounce on them and share my testimony. I don’t get it! Maybe it isn’t for me to get, but it drives me batty when people say some of the things they say.

The other night my daughter and I were private chatting about sharing our faith in a way that shows people the truth about what the Bible says. She gets extremely frustrated and she gets on a roll when certain topics come up. Jessica was wondering if she is doing enough when it comes to sharing God. We both have the same thoughts when it comes to what is important. We just have different ways of sharing our testimony’s and God’s Word.

Jessica has always been an introvert. She is on fire for the Lord and she gets ticked when someone isn’t using following the teachings of the Bible. My other daughter Beckiah is also that way. She and her husband make sure that everybody knows where they stand who they stand up for. I am very proud of my daughters and their families when it comes to believing in the One True God.

As I was talking to Jessica and a few others. It became apparent that God uses the gifts He has given us to help advance the Kingdom of God. What works for me, doesn’t work for everyone. Which is OK.

When I witness to others, I try not to debate the issue. It took me a very long time to come to the realization that I can’t force someone into believing if they don’t want to. There are times that it is better to live by example and witness to others in a way that will reach them.

I have found that when we take the time to listen to those we are witnessing to, we can better understand where they are coming from. There are times that people may say they don’t believe in God and Christ and then I find out that they actually know there is a God, they may have been hurt by Christians and had unanswered prayers. Many times there’s a “why” behind the lie/lies they are embracing.

• “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:23-26, NIV).

It is important to remember in most cases like Christians and non-believers will have different views when it comes to religion. As a Christian I have a deep desire to explain the gospel and my relationship with Christ in a way they can better understand. A few years ago, I was listening to a sermon on converting others to become Christians. My job isn’t to convert them. My job is to present them with the Gospel of Christ so they can make an informed decision. For me I know that I must respect and learn about what they believe and why. If I care about my friends or family who are either atheists or are putting their faith in others rather than the on true God, I have to respect them. I do have a hard time with this issue though when it comes to family. This is something I have to pray heavily on and use some discernment.

I enjoy learning about other faiths. I live in Utah and our area is predominantly LDS (Mormon). I didn’t know much about the Mormon faith when we first moved here. Everyday, I learn something else. I have many friends that are LDS and while I’m not, I do respect them and I take the time to understand what they believe. In return my friends will also give me respect for what I believe. If they ask me why I believe something or why our church does something.  If I start getting this feeling of evil or Satan, I stay clear. If my only interest was in converting them, then I wouldn’t be a friend. Instead I have chosen to respect and offer kindness when it comes to presenting the gospel to those around me. Hell fire and brimstone isn’t a very good way to go about doing thing. It can totally freak a person out.

There are some belief systems though that I refuse to go around because they are downright evil. When it comes to Satan worshipers and evil doers, I am out of there. I just have to pray, pray and pray even harder for those people.

Also, I think we must live by example. I would hope that when people look at me, they would see first a woman who loves God and her family. If people look at me and see that Christ isn’t the center of my life, I am doing something wrong. I would also hope they see that even though I’m a sinner and far from perfect, I trust in Christ Alone. Only through Gods grace and mercy can we be free. We can’t save ourselves and my heartfelt prayer and hope is that people can see Christlike behavior in me. That would be the most awesome legacy to leave when my time on earth is done.

One of the sermons our pastor had he was mentioning on how he is shy when it comes to approaching people. That isn’t a bad thing. God uses him in ways that reach those who are also shy. Through his example those who have problems witnessing can find ways to still reach out. Even if it is by leaving tracts or praying for someone. There is no right or wrong way of witnessing and sharing the gospel, as long as you are doing things in a way that is pleasing to God.

I have never been shy in sharing, but that is they way I do things. If I had to get in front of the congregation at church and have everyone looking at me, that would be when I would retreat. I don’t feel comfortable doing that and teaching in that way is not a gift that I was given. I would never make a good pastor or church leader. It works for Pastor Ray and my daughter Jessica has a similar gift through music and teaching.

I honestly believe that God gives each of us a gift. I love music, but I realize that that is not a gift I have. Thankfully we have those who are like Pastor Ray and Jessica that are OK with getting up there and witnessing and sharing the gospel of Christ. Pastor Ray has the gift of teaching and he encourages others through prayer, music, being kind and getting to know people.

My daughter Beckiah and her husband are awesome when it comes to sharing their faith and belief in God on Facebook. They are not ashamed of the Gospel. Everyday something is posted about what it means to be a Christian. Even if a person doesn’t know them personally, they would know they are Christians because of what they share. As Christians, this is a goal that all Christians should want to attain. If they aren’t being Christ-like and those around wouldn’t know you are a Christian, maybe something needs to change.

My good friend Lisa is a hoot when it comes to witnessing. When she and I went to Arizona to see my parents. A young lady rode with us and said some of the most off the wall things about what she believed. She was very opinionated on what she believed. Lisa looked at me and put her hand on my arm, and she had a bit of a grip going on. Lisa said, “She did NOT just say what I thought she said, did she?” I had my Bible in the car and since I was driving, Lisa grabbed the Bible faster than nothing and that poor girl heard for two hours about what the Bible says happens after we die, lol. I’m sure she wanted to jump from the car, lol. I was having a hard time containing myself when Lisa got on a roll. It was pretty awesome I would have to say.

When it comes to witnessing I have no problem going door to door or sharing with strangers. Witnessing directly is what works best for me. Blogging for me has been an awesome platform. People don’t have to agree with what I post, but I find this is a great way to reach people in ways that I would never have been able to if it wasn’t for blogging.

We are commanded to share the Gospel of Christ. Of course the objective is to help people understand that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. We can’t live eternally if we don’t have a personal relationship with Christ. We can’t save people, but we can share our testimonies with those around us. Ultimately, it is their decision.

I would just like to add one last thing to this post. If you are wanting to share the Gospel, it is a good thing to know what you believe and to understand what others believe. You will find it incredibly difficult to share the Gospel if you don’t know what it says. Also, it is very helpful to share your personal testimony on how you came to believe in Christ. What happened that changed your life? You should also know where to back up your beliefs with verses in the Bible. It’s almost impossible to witness to others if you don’t understand why you believe in what and who you believe in.

There is some awesome resources out there that can help you share the gospel better. I love the book the “Contagious Christian” and “Evangelism Explosion.” Each book will teach you different methods of sharing your testimony. I prefer Contagious Christian since it builds on your own strengths and gifts. Evangelism Explosion is more of a canned response and you share the gospel in a specific way through questions and answers.  When I share my testimony and faith is God, it gives the the opportunity to clearly see how God is and has been working in my life. I would think this would be a good study topic to do at church. Not necessarily the books, but on sharing our testimony with others. I will have to talk to Pastor Ray about doing a “Share Your Faith Workshop.”

Here are some resource links to help you share the Gospel with others and to help in your walk with Christ.

• God’s Not Dead Movie– This is out on video now. It is about a young man who is forced to defend his faith in God. He is told that he has to write that God is Dead, and that is against his beliefs. So he represents God in a mock kind of trial. His professor is an atheist.
• Click Here to go to the website, “Way of the Master”.  Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort has provided some awesome resources to help those who would like to share their faith in Christ with others. The site also has study materials and videos for those who are seeking and searching for the truth.
• Do You Believe? – This is a movie that is due to come out on March 20th. If it is showing in the theaters where I live, I will for sure be seeing it.  The creators of “God’s Not Dead” comes the stirring new film that asks the question we all must answer in our lifetimes: DO YOU BELIEVE?

Plot– When a local pastor is shaken to the core by the visible faith of an old street-corner preacher, he is reminded that true belief always requires action. His response ignites a faith-fueled journey that powerfully impacts everyone it touches in ways that only God could orchestrate.