FOUR STORIES FOR FAITH-SHARING

“Yes, I know that I should be ready to share my faith with others,” the young mother of two said in a church committee meeting, “but I don’t really know how.” She’s not alone. Sharing our faith, while a primary part of Christian discipleship, doesn’t come easy to everyone. Sometimes it helps to focus on ‘four stories’ as a way of preparing for personal faith-sharing.

First, there’s your story, specifically the story of your relationship with God. When you think about it, you are the only “authority” on that issue. No one else has quite the same experience with the Lord as you. You alone truly know the difference Christ makes in your life. Consider what it means to you to be a Christian, the occasions in your life when you have felt the support of God’s amazing grace, and perhaps how you first came to know the Lord. These reflections all contribute to your story with God.

Second, review God’s story, especially as it is revealed in Holy Scripture. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to share your faith. Yet a familiarity with the matchless themes of the biblical message -- such as creation, human estrangement from God, Christ’s love and self-offering for our salvation -- enables you to serve your friends as a spiritual resource. Often the reluctance to share faith arises from feelings of insecurity or inadequacy about the Bible. All of us could benefit from spending more time with the Word, and that will give us confidence as witnesses.

A third key to faith-sharing with someone is a sensitivity to your friend’s story. What is happening in her or his life right now that makes for receptivity to the gospel? Faith-sharing should arise from love for neighbor. The conversation about spiritual matters is part of the overall relationship of trust and care developed over time.

A fourth aspect is your church’s story. The church is not incidental to a relationship with God. The experience of fellowship with other believers, mutual emotional and prayer support, shared goals for mission and service, worship in the community of faith are all vital to our spiritual growth. Your church has a story, and frequently it’s a story of love and dedication. It may also be a story that shows the new person where he or she might find a place to belong, a base of operations for the spiritual journey. No need to “over-sell,” though. Christ’s invitation to those first disciples is still a great model for us when we visit with folks: “Come and see.”