Dr. Jones wrote, “The concealing and neglect of certain truths and certain aspects of Christian truth has always been the chief characteristic of every period of decline in the history of the church. When the church did not seem to count at all you will find without exception the thing that has most characterized the church as such a time has been a time of denial or neglect of certain vital truths which are essential to the whole Christian position.” Many churches we see today are emotionally excited but are not experiencing a true life change for Christ. The church is not reaching the culture it lives in. Where do we find God in our public schools? Nativity scenes are not allowed in public places. The 10 Commandments have been removed. Gay marriage is an issue. Abortions are allowed. “Under God” is trying to be removed. Why does the church seem so weak when there is more Christian influence in our country than any other nation? I ask the question is our church based on the truth of God’s word or has it been diluted by men’s opinion of the Word of God? We cannot influence the world if we do not become a part of it by sharing our faith.
how to share your faith with OTHERS Acts 8:26-35
Is there any other word in the Christian world like Evangelism that brings to the mind a feeling of doubt or shame among Christians? Have you heard this word since you have been in church? What does it mean and what steps are we to take to “evangelize” the world for Christ. How do we actually go about doing it? Building bridges by developing relationships with others is one of the best ways to share Christ successfully. Do we believe that people are really spiritually hungry and open to talk about their spiritual life? If we know this, how do we bring God into our conversations, and how do we invite our friends to enter into a personal relationship with Christ for themselves? Let us look at the life of Philip as an example of principles we can use in our lives from Acts 8:26-35
1. We need to be personally Connected with God.
We first find Phillip having a spiritual conversation along the roadway. He had been in Samaria where he had preached Christ and many believed. To make this a little more challenging this was also the time Saul was going around trying to destroy the Christian church. We do not have a Saul in our neighborhood so it should be easy for us to preach and share Jesus. An angel of the Lord came to Philip and said “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. So he started out. . . .” The first principle we see is that sharing God’s love with others is linked to our own special relationship with Jesus. God said go and he took off. Philip was having a good time in Samaria and didn’t understand perhaps why he was going down this road. He was faithful to go and do exactly as God commanded him. Are you faithful in doing what God wants? If we want to be used by God it will require us to have an open and submissive spirit. We have to be listening for God’s to say, “This is the path for you, now go and walk in it.” The closer we are connected to God, the easier it is to hear His voice?
2. we need to sure the Lord is Leading Us.
Verse 27 says, “So he started out, and on his way he met.” To share your faith, you must already be on the way. It was while Philip was on his way that he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official. The road God directed Phillip to travel led to a particular city. It had a definite target, but God’s plan did not include Philip actually arriving at that destination. As he was on the way, God met him mid-course and gave him a God-given opportunity. It seems sometimes we get so wrapped up in the ultimate purpose of our life that we fail to live each day fully. It’s easy to live by the song, “When I accomplish my next goal, then I’ll have time to be used by God or give witness.” So we miss all the opportunities God brings to us as we are traveling the pathway and the way of life. Many people who have made it their ambition to get to the top of the company all their energy, all their resources are devoted to this goal. The few who make it to the top realize it’s a lonely place to be. The sacrifices they made during the process of climbing often left them unhappy than when they started. On the other hand, look at those people who commit themselves and say, “I’m going to enjoy this journey called life and I’m going to enjoy relationships and experiences along the way.” With this as our attitude, we allow God to bring many more opportunities for us to live life fully and to share the good news with others. It’s amazing how many opportunities we see when we begin to look for them. Don’t think, “ One day when I get things under control, when those home projects are wrapped up around the house, when l have more time to introduce myself to the neighbor next door or when I get a little more secure since I don’t know the Bible all that well. Some day when I get into some Bible study group, when I can pray out loud and actually talk to somebody about my feelings and my faith.” If you live according to the “one day philosophy,” that day will never come. You need to begin the journey today. Begin the adventure of traveling down the path God has set for you, but keep your eyes, ears, heart, and mind wide open for the experiences, encounters, and relationships God may have for you as you travel. Being on the journey is not so much about the destination as it is about answering the question, “What am I becoming daily, who am I influencing, and with whom am I traveling this journey called life?” What if Philip had not been obedient to God? What if Philip had not been truly connected to Christ himself and hadn’t been listening to God’s voice speak to him? Imagine if he had said, “You know, it’s kind of hot today God. I don’t want to travel down that path; maybe tomorrow.” What if Philip had gotten to the road God wanted him to travel and (realizing that Gaza was a full day’s journey) he began sprinting with blinders on to prevent himself from being distracted by anything else going on around him? One of the most powerful leaders in all of Ethiopia may not have heard the good news of the gospel in a way he could understand and respond.
3. we need to follow the Law of convenience and relationship.
That leads us to a third principle for sharing your faith. We will call it the law of convenience and relationship. Vs. 29, Philip is on the road and the Spirit says, “Philip, go to that chariot and stand near it.” If you are going to influence people in a relationship, you have to be close, available, and willing to draw near to them. The law of convenience and relationship means you have to connect the person with a warm and genuine concern. One of the great challenges, as well as one of the great tragedies, of the church today is the tendency to no longer connect the culture in which we live. Did you know that since the beginning of the “holiness movement,” of which The Wesleyan Church is a part, we have had to resist the “withdrawal mentality” of Christian living? The tendency of the Church has been to separate herself from the sin of the world by not connecting with it. Too often we have removed ourselves from getting too close to the world in which we live for fear that the world might influence us. Unfortunately, the flip side is true as well. We, the Church, are no longer influencing the world. When we do connect with people, we must begin where they are with their questions and their needs. If they are starving, they need to be fed first. If they are hurting physically, we need show we really care for their hurt. The way we grow and impact a community for Christ is through expressions of concern. Effective sharing directive that we grow in concern toward others and begin to look upon them as Christ did in MT. 9:36–38, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” We will impact a community when we build relationships with those who are lost, searching, and hurting. Spiritual conversations will begin to occur as we become more compassionate and see others as Christ sees them. The true mission of the church is to change the world for Christ. We begin with our own life, then our family, and our community. Why? Because they’re living in darkness. How do you engage people in spiritual conversations? Again, it starts with our own personal relationship with God and with Christ’s example. Examine the encounters Christ had with people throughout Scripture. Christ always asked questions that would lead Him to the center of what was important to others. His questions allowed people to open up. People will respond if we demonstrate genuine friendship and interest in them. People who are skeptics or are investigating the claims of Christ will watch you like a hawk. It only takes a second for them to separate those who are just going through the motions from those who genuinely care about them. Don’t ever convince yourself that by merely inviting someone over and telling them about God you have done your duty. Engaging is when you really care about others to the point that you are broken on the inside. There are no words that could ever assemble to communicate what it feels like when you begin to be broken with compassion for people around you, who are hurting, lost, and do not yet have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will never propel His way deeper into our lives. We have to prayerfully invite Him to take over. It requires a receptive, open spirit to walk the journey God has for us. When we have His spirit, we’ll find ourselves praying for people. We’ll find ourselves in a crowd and looking into the eyes of the people around us, looking to see if there is that sparkle of hope, a hope that is greater than anything this world can meet. We will begin to engage people on their terms, on their turf, in their comfort zone. We won’t just ask them about their job, or where they live, or about their kids to accomplish our goals, but we will genuinely care about the individual and we will express that. Through our relationship, we will have earned the right to begin to talk about spiritual matters. In verse 31, Philip asked, “Do you understand what it is you’re reading?” The eunuch replied, “No, how could I unless someone would explain it to me?” So, he invited Philip to come up and sit with him in the chariot to teach him. When people ask us questions, it gives us the right to share the Good News. First Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have but do it with gentleness and respect.” When people ask what makes the difference in your life, be prepared to give them an example, to share the reason you have this hope, and to do it with gentleness and respect.
4. We must be ready to Share the Good News.
The fourth principle is simply to share the Good News. That’s what Philip did. He started explaining the passage the eunuch was already reading. When people ask questions, they’re generally looking for particular answers. Their questions are indicators of what is important in their lives. That’s where we begin. “What should I say?” There’s a silent, simple little prayer that I often use in situations such as this. “Dear God, please give me the right words to say and help me to say them in the right way and, Lord, I could really use Your right timing as well.” God is faithful. All we have to do is share the difference God has made in our own lives. The outcome is between them and the Lord.
“I don’t know what it is about this place; I just feel so different when I’m at church and around other church people.
God is in the life-transformation business! It is His desire to revolutionize hate and darkness in this world and to cause all people to step from darkness unto light. Scripture tells us in 2 Peter 3:15 that Jesus is not tarrying in coming back as some would think He is doing, but He has such compassion for His people that He is giving us, the Church, a little bit more time to do what we have been commissioned and called to do. God needs us to get out there and start loving people and be willing to engage in spiritual conversations with them.
Marriages hang in the balance, families hang in the balance, and eternity hangs in the balance. I look across this crowd and I can see people who are here today whose lives are radically different than just a short time ago. Someone was willing to develop a relationship with you, genuinely love you, and witness to you through their lifestyle and conversation. Now, we must do the same for others as we journey together for the cause of Christ.
I challenge you to act as Philip to be personally Connected with God, sure the Lord is Leading Us, follow the Law of convenience and relationship, be ready to Share the Good News
