I was in line at the post office, noticing the young man in front of me glued to his phone. He looked up and smiled at me. A few minutes later, I tapped him on the arm and said, “Here’s a great website that answers many of life’s questions. They have an app now, too, for your phone.” With just that little bit of interaction, he accepted the EveryStudent.com business card I offered.

I decided I would open the door a bit today on some of my thoughts on sharing my faith, especially as one who has a full-time Christian ministry. I’m hoping these thoughts are encouraging to all believers in Christ who find that they’re not sharing their faith with people. You may be like me, a part of the supply-line work for a large Christian ministry, and rub shoulders mostly with Christians.

You love the life and ministry God has given to you, but do you feel a tug on your heart that you were entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5: 11 – 21) and, perhaps, should be more personally involved in reaching the lost? You know that you should be ready and available to share Christ whenever He leads, but at the end of your day, you’re just glad to keep your head above water on all life’s responsibilities.

Four Hindrances for Christian Workers in Sharing Their Faith

One of my big “aha” moments was when I ran across the top four hindrances that keep Christian workers from sharing their faith.  The hindrances are, in order:

1. Busyness
2. Not knowing nonbelievers
3. Lack of know-how
4. Fear

These are exactly in reverse order for Christians in general (See The Top Four Hindrances to Sharing Your Faith).

Busyness

No surprise then that busyness is my main issue. If I don’t share my faith, even in a small way, with the nonbelievers I cross paths with when I’m shopping, eating out, or traveling, it’s because I’m focused on what I need to do that day and am unwilling to slow down for someone.

Not Knowing Nonbelievers

Whether I know nonbelievers is not a problem in my mind. If I’m willing to talk to a sales clerk, a maintenance person, or a fellow shopper, I will certainly bump into nonbelievers. Willingness, or obedience, is the key word here. (Often, I find the person may be a believer, so I encourage them to pass along whatever I’ve given them to a nonbeliever they know.) Of course, I also try to connect with my neighbors and people I see fairly regularly, not just those I meet in passing.

And, in case it matters to you, I’m an introvert; it is possible for anyone to take the initiative to talk with people.

Lack of Know-how

You might like to know how to share your faith. I have many ideas how to do that digitally on this blog (also see the NOTES).

For a Christian worker, you’ve got the know-how, but is it up-to-date? Have you embraced any digital options?

Using Digital in Real-life Situations

For both of you, I highly recommend reading The Ripple Effect by Marilyn Adamson, who started the EveryStudent.com ministry. (This eBook is free.) She explains very clearly the new paradigm in witnessing, with lots of examples and specific helpful ideas. In our twenty-first century Western culture, the people you’re trying to reach are also busy and may not want to meet you later to hear the gospel. They probably have access to the Internet and would accept a card with a link to a website that has answers to their questions. Chances are, they have already “googled” the Internet for answers. Send them to a safe place that offers them the truth.

After reading this short book, The Ripple Effect, order some free EveryStudent business cards to carry with you and hand out to people you chat with. I’ve been able to do this even when I didn’t really see an opening or connection with someone, like my experience in the post office.

Fully Digital Options for You

Follow eQuipping for eMinistry for help with sharing your faith through social media, blogs, and more. For instance, my evangelistic blog, The Sovereign, has had about 10,000 visitors annually for the past six years. I would be honored to help you with various options for you to pursue digital ministry.

Fear

Occasionally, I’ll have fear in certain situations, but in the relatively safe world I live in, fear comes from my imagination, not from anything really threatening.

For me, then, I repeatedly have to remind myself of the significance of slowing down long enough for a chat. Whatever my other plans for that day are, they don’t compare to any eternal impact I might have with someone. Secondly, I will wrestle with my willingness to obey in that moment of opportunity that the Lord gives me. I don’t always obey, but I desire to, that I might not quench the Spirit’s work in my life.

I cannot pick and choose when and to whom I share God’s Good News. Is God leading me? Am I willing to obey? How do you respond to these tugs on your heart?

NOTES:

• Download the EveryStudent.com app to share your faith from your mobile device.
• My review of The Ripple Effect.
• Learn more about sharing your faith on Cru.org.
• Portions of this post are taken verbatim from three posts on my blog, MikeandSus.org  (under the category on sharing your faith called The Sower).
• You’re invited to sign up for The Sower, if you’d like to read my stories as I encounter people and share my faith with them.
• I read about the four hindrances many years ago. Unfortunately, I cannot credit the source.
• The photo of people trying to cross Queen street in central Auckland, New Zealand, is available on Flickr from Abaconda Management Group. The photo has not been altered, other than cropped for the photo slider. The license for the photo is Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic.