Friday, February 15, 2013

Tips on Sharing Christ



We’re all Christians. We all have a story. We all want to share.

Spreading the love of Christ is very important as we follow Him. If we’re not sharing Christ, all of our “works” and “gifts” mean absolutely nothing. Growing up in church I’ve seen evangelism (sharing Christ) done both effectively and ineffectively. When sharing Christ is done ineffectively, that person sharing can easily become discouraged. So how do you share Christ the right way? 

There really is no right or wrong way to share Christ. But there is a wise and unwise way. Ultimately using wisdom from the Holy Spirit is the only way we can be effective in sharing Christ. There are people you come across that need to hear about Christ right on the spot. Somewhere in their heart they have questions and are open to an answer. That’s someone who is ready to receive Christ. Those are usually the easy hearts to win for Christ. But what do you do with those whose heart’s aren’t so open to hear God?

There are times where you see people hurting but they aren’t quite ready to receive Christ yet. Their heart isn’t open or receptive to receive an answer. As Christians, I understand, we all want to share Christ with everyone. But if you truly want to be effective, use wisdom—use the Holy Spirit as your guide. When I first fully came to Christ, I shared Him with everyone. Although my zeal for Him was great, it wasn’t particularly wise. Think about it, Jesus didn’t perform miracles on EVERY person He came in contact with. He was patient and used wisdom.

Here are a few steps that The Lord has taught me when dealing with unreceptive hearts:
  1. PRAY- This is the most important step. You have to pray that the Holy Spirit will soften and open that person’s heart. Obviously somewhere in their heart is hardened. YOU can never soften their heart—ONLY the Holy Spirit can. I saw that a good friend of mine needed Jesus but I knew she wasn’t ready. So I began to pray for her heart first. 
  2. CONNECT- In this step it’s important to establish a relationship with that person. Connect with them. Find out their likes and dislikes. This step will give you more insight on what to pray for. We see countless times in the New Testament where Jesus connects with people by simply showing them His grace and love. 
  3.  SHARE- This is where the Holy Spirit really gets to do His thing! He then will open a door for you to share Christ with that person. For example, on your job, out of nowhere it'll just be you and your coworker in the break room for a few minutes. That person will all of a sudden ask you where your church is or about God. Listen to His voice to lead you when you do have that opportunity to share.
It’s easy to become anxious to share Christ with every person you come in contact with. That time, however, isn’t always the right timing. Pray first, connect, and THEN share with those people who have hardened hearts towards God. Trust that every day the Holy Spirit will lead you to someone that doesn’t know Him. Trusting the voice of the Holy Spirit is going to be the only way you'll effectively be able to win a soul for Christ. Jesus says in Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Yes, I know, you have a testimony and you're passionately in love with Jesus. But let’s also be wise when we share Christ by solely using the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.