By Carla Collier
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16
The final “spoke” in the spiritual wheel*, as we continue our series on health, is faith sharing. How comfortable are you with sharing your faith in Christ with others? The word “gospel” literally means “good news” and truly the news that we can be forgiven, have peace and purpose in this world and eternal life in heaven, — that is Good News!
My husband has a friend who was on the famous flight that landed in the Hudson River. As you recall, the plane engines failed and Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger landed the plane in the river saving the lives of every person on board the flight, in what the governor called “the miracle on the Hudson.” This friend has since become a close personal friend of Capt. Sullenberger. He knows that this event could have ended his life and he is so deeply moved and grateful that if you visit with him very long his conversation inevitably turns to recounting the story of the day his life was saved.
This story reminds me that as a Christian I have been saved. Is this kind of gratitude evident in my life and conversations? In fact, how much more have we been saved: not just in this life, but for eternity; not just to continue our same existence, but to be adopted sons and daughters of the King; not just a salvation for one small group of people, but one that is available to everyone; not by a savior who was also saving himself, but One who willingly died — giving up His own life to save us.
You may be thinking, “I want to share my faith but I don’t know when or how.” Here are some practical steps:
- Start with prayer. Pray that God would begin preparing the hearts of some specific people in your life that do not know the Lord (this is a work only He can do). Pray that God would bring opportunities to share your faith and that He will give you the words and the boldness to share.
- Be prepared. Think through your own personal testimony, write it out, practice sharing it. Practice sharing the gospel. Our pastor shared an easy way to remember the key points to cover in sharing God’s plan of salvation: ~God, Man, Christ, Response~.
God-Tell about who God is and how He created the world as a perfect home for us, tell about his character–Holy, Kind, Loving, Gracious, Merciful, etc.
Man-Explain that although man was created good, he consciously rebelled against God bringing sin and evil into the world. The result is that we are all sinners and eternally separated from God. (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23)
Christ-In His love and mercy, God chose to send His own perfect Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to teach us and show us how to live and then to die in our place on the cross. (John 3:16) Jesus did not stay in the grave, He arose from the grave — conquering sin and death.
Response-Jesus offers the free gift of salvation to everyone who believes in Him and receives Him as their Savior and Lord. (Romans 8:1, Romans 10:9)
- Be obedient. We are supposed to let our light shine in this world, not hide it under a basket! We need to be obedient to share and trust Him with the results; remember, some plant the seed, and some water, but the Lord gives the harvest.
I want to share with you my “prayer partner” Rachel’s story about how she shared her faith with her neighbor, leading her to the Lord. Months later that neighbor was able to lead her own husband to the Lord as he lay dying of cancer.
“As I think about leading my neighbor to the Lord, it’s always hard to figure out when it began. I’ve always heard words like “relational evangelism” or “earning the right to be heard.” On paper, I knew what that meant, but fleshing it out seemed hazy.
My husband and I try to always seek the Lord for His direction in our lives. When a move into a new house was on the horizon, we began to pray. Seeking His peace, we were led to a wonderful house in a wonderful neighborhood. The relationship with my neighbor began the very first time we even looked at the house. As a believer, I’m always searching to find other believers to “do life” with; so from May (when we moved in) through December (when God began to reveal the work HE was doing in her heart) you could say that was when the sharing of my faith was happening. As we visited and got to know each other, I openly and candidly shared about all that God had done and was doing in my life and in my heart.
The first time an obvious trial came into her life (or platform, as I like to call them), I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to pray for her right then and there. Obediently, I prayed out loud with her for her situation. The fact that she allowed me to pray with her revealed that in the past months, in building a relationship, I had “earned the right to be heard.” Those buzz words that I had been taught about sharing my faith began to have flesh on them.
An opportunity for us to move to Colorado arose. After MUCH prayer, we decided to stay. It was at that point I knew God was doing a great work. In fact, I even said out loud: “If God has us stay here just for this one neighbor to be saved, it is ALL worth it.” You see, we had longed for an opportunity to move back to CO. With God’s peace and a readiness to do HIS work, I hunkered down with the roots of a relationship that HE began the day we arrived at this home.
So, when March 8th came around with my neighbor’s next trial (platform for God to work), I sensed the Holy Spirit revealing so much more to me in that moment. My doorbell rang and there she stood, with a longing in her face. The most amazing reality in all of life as a believer, is to actually be a part of watching the Holy Spirit’s pursuit of a life — quickening that person by His transforming power from death to Life. All I had to do was ask if she was ready to receive Jesus as her Savior and commit her life to Him. He did the rest.
We prayed together right then and there on my couch. When she walked out the same door in which she had entered just moments before, she was a different person. Her life had been transformed. The relationship continues. Now, on to discipleship!” Rachel
We have completed the “Spiritual Wheel”. So, how does your wheel look as you consider the four spokes we have discussed this past month: Meditating on the Bible, Prayer, Fellowship in a Community of Believers, and Faith Sharing. Are you healthy in each of these areas or is your wheel “flat” in one or more of these spiritual disciplines? I encourage you to set goals this year to grow stronger in each of these areas “so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:10
We would love to hear your story of sharing your faith!
Next month we will look at the “Emotional Wheel” as we continue on in our series. To read previous articles in this series look in the Spiritual Growth category.
*I would like to thank and give credit to the Ministries of Jesus (MOJ) Clinic, a ministry of Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond, OK, for the “Wheels of Health” idea and illustration, which is based on the book God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Person by Walt Larimore, M.D.© (www.DrWalt.com ).
