How to Share Christ with Someone (Part 1 of 4)

Welcome to Truth for Life where in recent days we've been learning how to cross the barriers that sometimes make it hard for us to talk to others about Jesus.

It's easy for us to feel intimidated or under trained, maybe even overzealous. Today, Alistair Begg is going to do a bit of evangelism myth busting and offer some practical tips about effective witnessing. Now, as we live before people playing the tune, as it were, of our lives, there is going to come a time, hopefully, when we have the opportunity for a clear, good news presentation.

And I deliberately put it that way. Not that there comes a time for us to tell people everything we know, nor for a time when we can tell people everything they ought to be doing, but a time that opens before us to clearly present in a verbal form the news concerning the truth of Jesus Christ. When that time comes, it's going to be important that, first of all, we are alert enough to recognize it. And that is something which we need to ask God for as we begin each new day, first to see it and then to seize it. Sometimes we don't see it. Sometimes we see it, and we let it go. And at this point, I think it's very important to address the question which is raised as a false antithesis too many times.

It goes something like this. Well, actually, last Sunday was much more along my line. Because, you see, I just live the gospel.

I don't talk the gospel. Tonight is a good night for other people, the talkers, but for me, I'm just a liver. That kind of antithesis is akin to asking a pilot, as he begins to taxi down the runway, which wing is the most important—the right wing or the left wing? The answer is neither wing is more important than the other.

Both are essential for flight. And so we need to recognize that life and lip are interwoven when it comes to making clear presentations of the good news. Because by our lives, we may pave the way for our lips, and by our lives, we may destroy the validity of what our lips may say. Therefore, having allowed them to learn the tune, we have made it possible for us to add the words. Now, what I put down next is very straightforward, but I make no apologies for it, as I've said all the way through. Each of us has long-term contacts.

That's obvious. For example, people who are our next-door neighbors, people with whom we work, people that we meet frequently, folks who by and large know something about us. And so we might expect that with these long-term contacts, in the pattern of our lives, opportunities to speak for Christ will inevitably come. At the same time, each of us has short-term contacts.

And just to live life and to move around from day to day, we meet people whom we may never meet again. It may be one occasion that we meet them. We may meet them in the doctor's waiting room. You can witness to them on the bus. You can witness to them on the rapid. You'll find them waiting for pizza. And we're put in touch with them, people we may never see again.

What do we do with them? Well, we need to recognize that as we pray in the morning that God might open doors of opportunity for us, while we may expect, be most comfortable with, an opportunity to speak the good news to someone who has a long-term contact, it may become very obvious to us that God has brought someone into our path for a moment, and the way the conversation goes leads to us seizing the opportunity to share the good news with them. We need to remind ourselves constantly that effective witnessing begins when we're on our knees and not when we're on our feet. Whatever you may do or I may do this week concerning sharing Jesus with another, it will be directly related to the fact that we came from our knees to our feet—at least metaphorically, if not literally. That God does things in answer to prayer, and that those who are genuinely interested in, if you like to coin an old-fashioned phrase, a soul-winning ministry, will declare that before God first in the silent territory of their own hearts and their own homes. And I can assure you that those who are involved in seizing the moment in short-term contact will be those who have been with God asking for the short-term contact and for the wisdom and grace to speak as we should.

The old songwriter put it like this—and it's a good prayer to write in your morning prayer regimen at least a few times a week—"Lord, lay some soul upon my heart and love that soul through me, and may I humbly do my part to win that soul for thee." Now, you see, when the people of God move from the experiences of worship and proclamation, gathering for edification, and are ready to scatter to evangelize, if you have no target, you'll probably hit it. But when you begin each day keen for the adventure of life, zealous in the realm of faith, tentative in terms of all that you know and don't know, and yet excited that God might use you, I can guarantee you that you are about to walk in to an adventure such as you have never experienced before. God, in his goodness, introduced me to the wonder of sharing my faith when I was sixteen and a half years old. It was as a result of an institute of biblical studies at the University of Aberystwyth put on by Campus Crusade for Christ. And there they told us how to write our testimony in a hundred words. And there they drilled us and beat on us and made us articulate things, and then sent us out onto the beaches of Aberystwyth, encountering people. And I thank God that somebody pressed me in that direction. Otherwise, I might have remained in the posture of many a British Christian, in the fortress mentality, not wishing to be interfered with and feeling dead certain that nobody else would like to be interfered with either.

They're just pushing their grocery cart. There may be tears in their eyes, but I'm sure I'm not the one that's supposed to speak to them. I mean, I'm only taking the course on the Sunday night to find out a few things. I mean, I'm not going to get into it. No, no, we'll leave that to our small group of evangelists. Well, we may. The cause of the gospel is diminished, and our ability to enjoy the adventure is less than it might be. We can trust God to make the opportunity and then trust him to enable us to take the opportunity. I like that.

Saves me from having to rush around trying to make things happen. Now, there are one or two myths that need to be exploded. Myth number one. To be involved in this ministry, it takes a certain kind of person. And that person is not me.

The people who say it takes a certain kind of person are usually saying that to alleviate the responsibility. Now, consider the variety of personalities called by Jesus to join his band of disciples. There is no question but that Nathanael was a different type than was Peter. And as you go through the group and think of Matthew the tax collector, and you think of the timidity of some and the posture of others, you think of Philip, always asking the questions twenty minutes after Jesus is given the answer. He who has seen me has seen the Father, says Jesus. So Philip says, Well, show us the Father, and that will be fine. So Jesus must have said, Wait, wait, let me run that one by you again, Philip. He who has seen me has seen the Father. Now, do you want to ask the question again?

Okay? There's a whole variety of personalities. God in his wisdom did that, so that tonight as we sit here asking the question somewhat fearfully, Lord, do you think you would use me in personal evangelism? I'm not the type that you use. We open our Bibles, and we discover that he uses all types. And most of the folks that he used began by telling God that he got it wrong. Moses, I'm not your man.

Jeremiah, I'm only a youth. Surely there's somebody else to pick. God uses the most unlikely folks. Now, it's true to say that if you happen to be an extrovert, you're probably going to be a little bolder when it comes to the short-term contact, intervening kind of ministry. There's little doubt about that on the basis of human personality. You may be able to launch right in.

But there's a fair danger that you and I will launch right in with both feet first, and we'll launch in so deep that we won't be able to get our feet out in time to save the situation. And we may be able to reach those who are like that. But the person who is quiet, the person who is shy, the person who is diffident, the person who is thoughtful, the person who is bright, the person who is intellectual, we may not just be as good at reaching. It'll take an introvert to do that.

For they will identify that same posture of heart and mind. So tonight, none of us can say, It takes a certain kind of person, and I am not that kind of person. Or, if you like, It takes a certain kind of person, and I am that person. In the purposes of God, we're all that person.

Secondly, myth, you need to be a walking Bible encyclopedia or a walking Bible dictionary. Oh, I could never launch into sharing my faith. I mean, I just, you know, I just haven't got it all down yet.

Well, if that's an excuse for laziness, may the Lord forgive us, and may we be about the business of endeavoring to prepare adequately. But let us not be gainsaid by the fact that we do not know the answer to every question. We don't even know every question. How could we know the answers? And it is frequently in a week, when we engage in sharing our faith, that if we're honest, we have to say to people, You know what? You stumped me on that question.

I can't find it. I know there's an answer to it, but I can't give it to you right now. People will be far more respectful of that kind of response than they will be of us trying to make them believe that we know more than we've actually learned. We need to remind one another that what we're doing is not trying to introduce people to an ideology which we've come to embrace, but to a person we've come to love.

As I wrote that down, I thought that doesn't sound as clear as I would like it, so I tried it again, and I put it this way. We're not introducing people to a philosophy that has challenged us, but to a person who has changed us. So we're not philosophers. They don't need philosophers, you see, on the rapid, by and large. The guys who are carrying their briefcase just like yours, bulging with information, crammed with material, and with a head that's so full of things that it nips, who is wondering about his wife and children that he has left behind and the responsibilities that he faces him yet today, he doesn't need somebody to sit down beside him and try and introduce him to the latest Mideastern philosophy.

But he may be interested to hear about a person who has changed your life. Thirdly, mythology number three, I am personally irresponsible to speak to everyone. If we don't get a hold of this, we'll suffer from a kind of Christianized version of St. Vitus dance. Those of you who are medical people know that that's probably the incorrect pronunciation, but it is a condition. My dog had it.

I know that for sure. One dog I had had it. It was very sad, actually, but if it was a little sadder, I would look sadder, but it was an amazing experience. But the thing moved all the time, all the time, here, there, back, forth, up, down. We had to give it tablets to try and calm the thing down. Took to running around in circles in the yard, backwards, forming at the mouth.

Truth. And we waited until my mother and two sisters went north to Scotland for a few days' vacation, and my father and I had the dog put down, because we couldn't stand the dancing any longer. It was a shame to everyone, not least of all the dog. Now, if you get up on a morning with a bad condition of St. Vitus dance, you're going to be absolutely a pain in the neck from start to finish to everybody you run into contact with. If you think somehow that God's sovereignty extends to everywhere except around your life and ministry, and that He has nixed out a section for you to go ahead and get on your own, then you will suffer from all kinds of diseases. One, you will suffer from dreadful depression because you did not speak to everybody today. Two, you will suffer from unbelievable guilt because you didn't manage to do that, which contributes to the depression.

Three, every place you go and every person you meet, you will feel compelled to do something to them or say something at them. You will leave tracts everywhere you go if you've been unable to say something. Now, I'm not against you leaving tracts, and that's fine, and God is able to honor all of that. But I want you to understand this.

You are not personally responsible to speak to everyone in the universe. Leith Samuel was the pastor of Above Bar Church in Southampton, a terrific man, a great pastor, and a super evangelist, especially among students. Look what he says. Christ is going after his lost sheep, and he wants to use our lips that they may hear his voice today and our hands that they may feel his touch. He is the sole winner. People are not won by us for him.

This is a lesson in prepositions. They are won through us by him. He can win them without us, just as he can speak to them through the Bible, quite apart from anything we might say. But he has chosen to work through us and with us. I find that a tremendously helpful statement. We do not win them for him.

He chooses to win them through us. If we fail to understand this, then we will appear to people more like salesmen than fishermen. Now, all of that brings us then to the point where we ask the question, okay, we've understood that.

We understand that it doesn't take a certain kind of person. You don't need to be a walking Bible dictionary. I'm not personally responsible to speak to everyone, but here I am. I'm in the seat. The conversation flows.

The door opens up, and boom, I'm in it. What do you say then? Well, I can't tell you because we have to stop. So, I mean, I'm being serious because we're done. And so, we're going to have to do it next time. But then we're getting to the heart of it, you know.

I'm sorry that we have to conclude just to the point of usefulness, but let me ask you to do a little check this week on something that I'm not going to make much of next week. When it comes to the specific task of sharing Christ with people, don't overlook simple yet important aspects of body language. You say body language?

You've been reading different kinds of books. We don't expect you to speak about body language, Alistair. I'm not talking about B-A-W-D-Y.

I'm talking about B-O-D-Y, okay? Body language—i.e., eye contact, for example. Give yourself a check this week on how much you use eye contact in personal conversation and how much you look around everywhere when you're talking to somebody. As surely as my mother taught me how to squeeze somebody's hand firm in a handshake, my father taught me till I was blue in the face, and he, too, looked me in the eyes when you speak to me. If you don't, I will assume that either you're embarrassed about something, you've got a guilty conscience, or you don't know what you're talking about. So look me in the eyes. Give yourself a check this week on everything, not just sharing your faith.

How much do you do that? The use of your hands and your posture. For we can convey by our posture such a tremendous amount, and we often do. Next time, we're going to pick it up at this point, and we're going to go through some very practical aspects of what it means to get down to the business of articulating the good news of our faith in Jesus Christ. Our time is gone, and so we'll pray together. Our gracious God and Father, we bow to thank you tonight for those who took the time to share the good news of Jesus Christ with us, who by their lives and by their lips opened up a pathway over which you walked into our hearts and into our homes. And we pray that you will stir within our hearts a desire for genuine adventure, the adventure of realizing that although we are only one, we are one, that although we can't do everything, we can do something. And so what we can do, by your grace, we will do. This week, O Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear the cries of our friends and neighbors and contacts, the dispirited crestfallen brow which confronts us. Unloose our stammering tongues, that we might share good news in the midst of so much that's gloomy.

Thank you for this time. May the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to himself. May the joy of the Lord Jesus strengthen us as we seek to live for him. May the peace of the Lord Jesus guard and keep our hearts and minds today and forevermore.

Amen. You're listening to Truth for Life. That is Alistair Begg reminding us that no one can do everything, but each of us can do something. As you think about opportunities to share the gospel with others, one way you can do that in a wide reaching way is by supporting ministries like Truth for Life. Each day, our program and our online teaching library reach people of all ages from every background in nearly every corner of the world. We know that when God's word is heard, God works in the lives of those who listen. And you can become a worldwide evangelist when you become a truth partner. Truth partners give monthly to Truth for Life and they choose the amount of their donation, realizing that all gifts make a difference.

In fact, it's the collective giving that comes from so many that brings Alistair's teaching to a global audience. So if you are one of our truth partners, we want to let you know how much we appreciate you. In fact, we received a letter from Vicki in Hawaii who wrote to tell us why she has become a truth partner. She said, Alistair's Bible teaching stood out for its depth, sincerity, and humility. And I've been blessed by the sound biblical teaching from Truth for Life for more than eight years. It was simply time to commit to becoming a truth partner. I appreciate the ministry's dedication to teaching the whole truth of the Bible and doing it in love and humility and with a nice bit of humor. She concluded her letter by expressing her thanks for everyone who is involved in providing this much needed Bible teaching ministry. And that includes all of our truth partners.

So if you have yet to partner with us, why not do that today? During the month of June, our team is praying that God will add 500 people to this vital team. You can become one of those 500 when you sign up through the mobile app or go online at truthforlife.org slash truth partner, or give us a call at 888-588-7884. And when you do, we want to say thank you by inviting you to request a copy of a book called Before You Share Your Faith. As we heard today, evangelism can be intimidating, and this book is a great supplement to our current study. It offers five suggestions on how to overcome any reluctance you might have to initiate a gospel conversation. It even gives suggestions for how to respond to skeptics. Request the book Before You Share Your Faith when you sign up to become a truth partner or ask for a copy when you make a one-time donation at truthforlife.org slash donate. I'm Bob Lapine. We put the gospel on display through our lives and we speak it through our lips. Tomorrow we'll find out how our ears can also play a crucial role. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life, where the Learning is for Living.