How To Share Jesus With Fear

What keeps the majority of Christians silent when it comes to sharing Jesus with others?

Fear of rejection

Fear of not knowing what to say

Fear of what people might think of me

Fear of the potential problems that might arise if I stand boldly for Jesus

When I was in third grade, I had to get up in front of the whole school and quote Patrick Henry’s, “Give me liberty or give me death!” I was so nervous because I kept thinking of everything that could go wrong.

What if I forget what to say?

What if people think I didn’t do good?

What will people think of my costume?

With my heart beating out of my chest, I was able to say my line without too many problems. I’m thankful that I went ahead and got the job done, though I was a bit fearful.

If fear of others is the number one reason we don’t share our faith in Christ, how can that obstacle be overcome?

1 – Realize You Are Normal

There is a statement that goes around that says, “95% of all Christians have never led another person to faith in Jesus Christ.”

Honestly, I would go on record as saying, “100% of Christians have never led another person to faith in Jesus Christ.”

What do I mean by that? The Holy Spirit is the real soul winner. We have the privilege of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone, but only the Holy Spirit can bring someone out of spiritual death to new life in Christ.

You never fail when you witness. The only failure is being disobedient to God as He gives you opportunity to share. God is not going to disown and reject you because you failed to maximize that opportunity to share.

You never fail if someone turns down Christ. Don’t take it too personally if they turn down Jesus. It’s Him they are rejecting, not you.

Jesus preached the good news and He is God. Still, not everyone received His message.

John 1:12 - He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

Just because some didn’t receive Him, didn’t stop Him from proclaiming the good news.

It’s normal to have some fear when it comes to sharing your faith in Christ with others. However, none of us get an excuse card from God saying, “Because my child is fearful, they are excused from sharing my great news of salvation with their family and friends.”

1 Peter 3:14 – Do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled.

John 14:1 - Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

You are normal if you get a little apprehensive when it comes to sharing your faith. Remember, that’s just part of it. You begin to overcome that fear by obeying God and believing His truth.

2 Timothy 1:8 - do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.

When I was in seminary, my evangelism professor stood before our class and shared his success in witnessing and reaching the lost for Christ. He shared story after story of winning sinners to the Savior. He said there was a time when he led people to Christ for sixty days in a row! I was amazed!!

Then he said, “I want each of you to find a partner and you are going to go door to door downtown New Orleans and you are going to win people to Christ.”

Do you know what my immediate response was? Not faith. Not an, “I’m with your professor.” But, I responded with initial fear. I was thinking, “God, this man is crazy. He expects us to go downtown New Orleans and share Jesus. I’m going to die my first semester at New Orleans.”

Looking back, I’m glad he called us to go and share our faith with the people of New Orleans. Going like this made me pray more, learn the Scriptures better, affirm my faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, develop relationships with people I’d never met before, and to learn to love people better regardless of their faith.

Do I struggle with fear in sharing my faith in Jesus Christ to this day? Yes. I probably always will a little. However, I’m not going to let my fear stop me from obeying God. We can seek the Lord and He will always help us overcome fear as we trust in Him.

2 – Keep Your Eyes On Jesus

3:15 – sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.

Steve McVey says, “When people are opposing you (maybe they’re making life difficult for you), it’s easy to begin feeling intimidated and tongue-tied. But don’t focus on them. Keep your inner eyes on Jesus Christ and entrust yourself to Him, knowing that He is Lord over the situation you face. He will guide you, and when opportunity presents itself, you can share the reasons for your faith in the proper spirit. We don’t have to make Him Lord. We simply remember and rest in His Lordship.”