I often get the sense from people that they feel unprepared to share their faith with other people. It’s almost as if evangelism (sharing the Good News) is seen as an activity for elite “Navy Seal level” Christians.
This sense of inadequacy is false for many reasons (the equipping and adequacy of the Holy Spirit being a big one) but in the following tweet Jeff Vanderstelt says it short and sweet:
It's not Evangelism AND Discipleship. It's Evangelism FOR Discipleship. Keep proclaiming Jesus for all of life!
— Jeff Vanderstelt (@JeffVanderstelt) October 8, 2014
If we could start to see evangelism as part of our own discipleship and our own growth, we’d be much further ahead. You don’t need to have everything figured out, you simply need to be obedient to Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. As you share your faith, you will grow. You’ll learn how to articulate the Gospel more cleary, but you’ll also understand it – and live it – more fully as well.
“Evangelism FOR Discipleship” is true in another sense as well: applying the Good News to our lives is the ongoing work that helps us to grow. We never grow beyond our need for the Good News of the Gospel, it simply needs to be worked into every aspect of our heart and being. As Jeff Vanderstelt says, “Keep proclaiming Jesus for all of life!” Actively sharing our faith with other people keeps it fresh and allows us to be aware of our own need for the Good News in new ways.
Have you felt stalled in your spiritual growth? Do you want to grow in your relationship with Christ beyond where you are today? Begin to lovingly share your faith with those around you.