JEFF TURNER

The idea of sharing one’s faith can make people feel eager, while others feel uneasy or even afraid. These reactions are not unusual. The New Testament speaks to these feelings and addresses them directly. In Romans 1, Paul says he is not ashamed of the gospel.

While some believers would agree with Paul, they also admit that speaking about their faith can make them nervous. There is an important difference between feeling anxious and feeling ashamed. Anxiety can come from the difficulty of the message itself. When speaking to someone who is trying to feel good about their life, the message of the gospel brings a hard truth. It tells them that they are sinful and stand guilty before God, facing judgment. This is not an easy way to begin a conversation, and it can make anyone feel uneasy.

When talking about salvation, there must be an understanding of what a person is being saved from. It is not about finding meaning or purpose. It is about rescue from eternal judgment because of sin. .

One helpful way to begin may be to focus first on that good news. A simple opening, such as telling someone that you have something important and good to share, can make the first step easier. From there, the deeper parts of the message can follow. In the end, the call is to move past fear and speak with honesty.

The message is serious, but it also carries hope, and that is worth sharing.

For God has not given us a spirit of [a]timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,

2 Timothy 1:7–8