The Set-Up
I earned my undergraduate degree from a Baptist Bible college in Iowa. During my time there, one of the required freshman courses was Personal Evangelism. Through the class, we were taught the right way to “lead someone to Christ.” We had highlighted Bibles, specific passages meant to lead someone through understanding their sin and need a Savior. After going through the verses, we were supposed to ask the person if they would like to pray, confessing their sins and accepting Christ as their Savior.
As part of the requirements for this course, I was supposed to “witness” to a certain amount of people. I didn’t have any friends outside of my “Baptist bubble,” so there I was, a nineteen-year-old woman, armed with a freshly highlighted Bible and a stack of pamphlets describing God’s judgement of hell, walking around downtown Des Moines, Iowa, hoping to run into someone who needed Jesus.
It was the most awkward, uncomfortable moment of my life. I didn’t have one conversation. Don’t tell my professor, but I ended up stuffing the pamphlets into one of those free newspaper things and went back to my dorm.
Since the class was literally about how to share my faith with another person, I thought that opening my Bible and sharing a lot of verses was the correct way to tell someone about Christ. However, as I’ve grown and matured spiritually, I’ve learned that there isn’t a right or wrong way to tell others about Jesus. To quote Nike, the important thing is that I “just do it.”
I think that’s what Paul is teaching his readers in today’s passage. Paul reminds the people of Corinth that when he shared the gospel with them, it wasn’t in flowery language. He didn’t go into vast theological arguments; he just shared the truth of Jesus and His crucifixion.
You don’t have to have all the answers or know every Bible verse to introduce someone to Jesus. Your responsibility is to just tell them what you know, what you’ve experienced in your life because of Christ. Honestly, some of my best conversations about Jesus have come from chatting over chips and queso or my personal favorite, the time when I flat out asked my boss, “How do you feel about Jesus?” The point is that we don’t have to have the perfect words to share the gospel. God is big enough to work through our willingness.
Passage to Read
Reflection Questions
Have you ever shared your faith with someone? Describe that experience.
Are there times you’ve been scared or nervous about sharing your faith? Why do you think that is?
In verse 4, Paul talks about relying on the power of the Holy Spirit. How can you do that in regards to sharing your faith?
Prayer Idea
Think about the people you know who don’t know Jesus yet. Ask God that He would give you opportunities to share your faith with them. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the words to say and calm any nervousness you might have in regards to sharing your faith.
This devotional was written by Tonya Snodgrass.