Every Christian on Mission

Is every Christian supposed to share their faith or is this a task meant for only pastors, missionaries or the particularly gifted?  I think 1 Peter 2:9 gives us a pretty clear answer.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)

Peter makes it clear that “you are” so that “you may proclaim.”  Every Christian is indeed on mission!  Every Christian is supposed to share their faith.  However, many Christians don’t see it that way.  In a study done in 2018 by Barna, only 64% of Christians believed that every Christian has the responsibility to share their faith.

Sharing our faith is indeed a responsibility of every Christian as Scripture points out, but the biggest issue is that we should see it as a responsibility.  Let me explain.  My 7-year-old son Jude and I are huge Atlanta Braves fans, and every night he begs me to watch their game.  Last week, they were playing on the west coast, and he was not happy about that!  Anyway, a couple of weeks back they played the Cleveland Indians, and the Indians had a 7-run lead after two innings.  Jude went to bed that night knowing that the Braves were on their way to a loss.  However, the Braves ended up coming back and winning the game 8-7.  The next morning, I shared the news with Jude, and he was so excited!  It was an amazing comeback!

Now you may be wondering… what does this baseball story have to do with sharing our faith?  The great news about the baseball game overflowed out of me.  I didn’t have to discipline myself to share it with Jude.  That is how sharing our faith is meant to be!  Sure, it is a responsibility to share for every Christian, but we should see it as a privilege to share!  Why would we not tell of the great things he has done for us?  This is the greatest news ever!  Christ has died for our sins, rose from the dead, and we now have life in His name!  It is sad that only 64% of Christians see this as our responsibility. Even worse, many more see it as just a responsibility.

So, now what?  How can we take steps towards being a part of this great mission?  If you struggle to share your faith or don’t share your faith, start by asking yourself these questions.

Question #1 – Do I treasure what is most glorious?

As I showed with my example above, we share things that we consider to be valuable.  If we truly understand the treasure that we have in Christ, we will share!  What are you treasuring most?  Is it Him?  If not, begin taking small steps towards growing in your relationship with God.  Check out one of our previous blogs on reading the Bible for help.  As you begin treasuring Christ more and more, you will have an increased desire to share this treasure with others.

Question #2 – How can I pray?

One sure fire way to get started with sharing your faith is by asking God for His help.  Ask for Him to show you opportunities to share, to give you words to speak, for His Spirit to move and for Him to be glorified in the process.  Take a very small amount of time daily and devote that time to prayer.

Question #3 - Who do I know that is not a believer?

The call to share your faith and make disciples does not start in some distant country.  Your first step is not to get a passport.  First, identify who you are already in relationship with who needs Christ.  Who in your family doesn’t know Him?  How about close friends?  You may find it hard to share your faith with those closest to you, but who will do it if you don’t.  When I lived in Central Asia, I was in a country where new believers faced the potential of death if they were found out as believers.  However, even they were called to be part of this mission of proclaiming and making disciples.  We would have them make a list of non-believers in their lives that they believed would not kill them if they shared with them and encouraged them to start there.  Most likely, you’re not facing that sort of persecution.  Start by sharing one by one with those God has already put in your path.

Question #4 – Who could I easily get to know and share with?

As you move from those opportunities that you have with those you are already in relationship with, now think of those that you could easily be in relationship with and share.  Think about your neighbors, co-workers and others that you don’t have a relationship with but could.  Start being intentional and seeking out new people.  Think about this… if someone was walking on railroad tracks, and they did not know a train was coming, wouldn’t you tell them with urgency?  People need to know!

Question #5 – Who is going to hold me to this?

Don’t go after this alone.  God has given us one another to encourage and spur each other on.  Make sure that other believers are in your life encouraging and challenging you to be a part of the mission.

Sharing your faith may seem like an intimidating thing to undertake.  You may think that you don’t know enough or that you will mess this thing up.  Those are lies!  If you are in Christ, then you are a new creation, and you have amazing story about how God transformed your life.  Share that story and continue to grow in knowledge and understanding in order to share more.  Get in the game!

Noah

Mission is just one of the areas of life that is tackled in the Unstatus Your Quo® Growth Plan. Start Session #1 for FREE by clicking HERE.