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Matthew 5:13-15
When it comes to sharing our faith, many of us have some anxiety about doing so. The idea that we have to talk to somebody about our faith is nerve wracking. Many of us want to but fear usually keeps us from doing it. Here are some of the fears that have been mentioned to me: "I am afraid I might do more harm than good." "I don't know what to say." "I may not be able to have all the answers." "I may invade someone's privacy." "I am afraid I might fail." But perhaps the most common fear, however, is that of being rejected. A recent survey by the Billy Graham Association asked, "What is your greatest hindrance in witnessing?" Fifty-one percent said it was the fear of how the other person would react! Today, we are going to deal with the anxieties and insecurities about sharing the Good News.
In our Scripture today, Jesus is saying that as the salt of the earth, and the light of the world, how we live and what we do is supposed to somehow draw those who are far from God to Jesus. God is calling all of creation home and wants to deliver the invitation through us. As incredible as what Jesus is saying is, to whom he is saying it is just as remarkable. Our Scripture comes from the Sermon on the Mount. It is the most well-documented and influential sermon Jesus ever preached. At the beginning of the chapter, we are told that Jesus was surrounded by a huge crowd of people but today’s teaching was pointed at his disciples. In order for us to grasp just how jaw dropping what Jesus is saying is and what it means for us, we need to have an idea of who these disciples were.
Jesus’ first disciples were not an impressive group. They were illiterate and uneducated. Most of them were fishermen, which means they were discontinued from Rabbi School and some of them were worse…they were tax collectors. They were by no means the cream of the crop, the best of the best, or even the sharpest tools in the box. For instance in Matthew 15, Jesus has just finished telling the disciples a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven, and they were having a hard time understanding it. So Peter speaks up for the rest of the group and asks Jesus to explain it to them. Jesus replies, “Are you still so dull?” Have you ever been there? Have you ever struggled to get it? The good news is that these are the kind of people that Jesus calls and enlists when he says, “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world,” people who had a hard time getting it. In Mark 9, Jesus has pulled the disciples away to teach about his impending crucifixion. He wanted to prepare them for that and let them to know things were going to be difficult. The entire time Jesus is sharing this earth shattering news, the disciples are busy arguing amongst themselves about which one of them is the greatest and would get the seat of honor next to Jesus. The disciples were impulsive, self-centered, and continually sticking their foot in their mouths. They had a hard time remembering that it wasn’t about them. And these are “the salt of the earth, and the light of the world?” Really?
First, you’re it! One of the reasons why we struggle with sharing the good news is because we have a hard time believing that we are the ones who are qualified to do it. We’re so quick to disqualify ourselves from being used by God. But we are the ones God has chosen to be the light of the world, and there is no plan B. One of the most revolutionary truths of the Gospel is that God is able to take ordinary, messed up people like you and me and use them to do extraordinary things.
Second, we are strategically and intentionally placed to be salt and light. Jesus refers to his followers as a city on a hill. A more literal translation of the Greek in that passage would be a city placed on a hill. It implies intentionality. This is a city that was put there on purpose. In that part of the world, cities and towns were placed on top of hills and more often than not they were built out of white limestone so that people could see them from far away. Jesus says to his followers, to you and I, we are a strategically and intentionally in other people’s lives. God has placed opportunities all around us to share the good news. God has strategically placed people in our lives so that we could bring them to Jesus, your oikos, the 8-15 people God wants you to influence first. That’s the people with whom you spend the most time: your co-workers, your friends, your neighbors, your relatives. On the other hand, some of us need to be better about intentionally and strategically placing ourselves. Some of us spend all of our time with other Christians, but if we are going to follow Jesus, then we are going to have to come along side people. As a city on a hill, we need to make intentional choices about where we position ourselves so that we can see and respond to the needs around us.
Third, don’t just tell them, show them the Good News! “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matt. 5:15 One of the best ways to share the good news is to show them what it looks like. The gospel was never meant to be a bunch of ideas we learn in a 6 week class. When God wanted to reveal himself and his mission to rescue the world, what did God do? God took on flesh and became one of us. The gospel is most clearly communicated through people and how they live. One of the most effective ways to share the good news is to show people what it looks like. People need to see the gospel before they hear it. The Hebrew word for “good deeds” is “mitzvoth” which is about partnering with God to heal and restore the world. The call to follow Jesus isn’t just an invitation to simply believe or even to be a good person. It’s an invitation to be a part of what God is doing in the world. As Methodists, we truly believe that God was always working in the lives of every single person on the planet, constantly wooing them into a relationship in and through Jesus Christ. We call this prevenient grace. It’s not like we take God with us out into the world. Truth is, God is already out there and way more involved than we are.
Fourth, hear their story. Our role is to partner with God in what’s He’s already doing. I believe there is a longing for the gospel within every single human being, and our job isn’t to force faith down people’s throat, but instead to offer them true meaning by pointing them to the one who is the fulfillment of their deepest human longing. This means that we are going to have to listen. Steven Covey puts it this way: “Seek to understand and then be understood.” How much do we know about the people we are around? Do we have any idea what they have been through? What is it like to be them? Do we know about what they are passionate about or what they believe in?
Fifth, share your story. Most of us have never taken the time to write out our faith story, what Jesus has done for us and what he means to us. The most honest and effective way to share the gospel is to share how it has changed your life. In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul says, “When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” The demonstration of the Spirit’s power is basically the story of how you are different because of God’s work in your life. Be prepared to share that. If we are going to share the good news, then we must be in the habit of reflecting on just how good the news is. You don’t have to have a dramatic conversion story. It’s about what God is doing in your life now. Often what draws people in isn’t necessarily what we have been through in the past, but what we are modeling now. We don’t’ have to have some dramatic story from our past; we just need to be sure that the story we are telling now is compelling.
Sixth, invite them. Every human being has a longing to be a part of something, to connect with other people in a real way and no one brings people together like Jesus. We need to create places where people can belong before they believe. Not only does that mean we can invite them to come here to worship, but we also can start to see our small groups as powerful connection points for people into the life of the church. Plus, sharing the good news is a little less intimidating when we share it together.
Kevin Halloran shares 7 Reasons to Not Fear sharing Your Faith.
1. It is by the power of God that people are saved.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… Romans 1:16 Knowing that people are saved only through the power of God and not human effort or ability takes the pressure off when people are not responding the way we want, because we know we are not responsible for the salvation of a particular person, but God is.
2. When you share your faith, you gain a deeper understanding of Christ. We are reminded of God’s awesome work in our own lives and deepen our love and understanding of Christ. In Philemon 6 the Paul writes, “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ” (NIV).
3. Even Jesus was rejected. The story of the Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19:16-30 gives a great picture of this. The young man approached Jesus interested in hearing how to get to heaven. After Jesus told him the cost of discipleship, we are told the young man went away sorrowful.
4. When we are rejected, we are promised heavenly rewards. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 Evangelist Mark Cahill calls all three potential witnessing outcomes a “win”:
1 If the person comes to Christ, that is an obvious win.
2 If they seem interested but don’t come to Christ, you plant seeds that God could water and grow in the future, another win.
3 And if they reject you, you get heavenly rewards, which is definitely a win!
5. The Holy Spirit will give you words. In Luke 12:11-12, Jesus talks to his followers about being a witness. “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (v11-12).
6. Our job is to plant seeds or water the soil. God takes care of the growth. Just like a gardener cannot force their seeds to spring forth with life merely by their will, we cannot force people to respond to the message of Christ by their will. God is the one who gives life both physically and spiritually. We should take the opportunities we are given to plant seeds by sharing the gospel and water seeds already planted, but ultimately God will help the person grow.
7. God will go with you. After He gave the Great Commission to go and make disciples in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus did not leave his disciples alone but said, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (v20). Going out on your own can be a frightening thing, but that is never the experience of the Christian. Christ promises to always be with you.
Not only is God on your side, but you are who God is going to use to draw those that far from him back home. I understand that is really intimidating. If it depended solely on us, it would most definitely all fall apart, but it doesn’t. We serve a God who is Emmanuel, God with us. We don’t go into this alone. The truth is all of us, not just the people who get up on this stage, but all of us have all been empowered by God to share the good news that Jesus is Lord and to partner with Jesus in putting the world back together.
