4 fears that stop us from sharing our faith
Have you ever been scared of something? I have.
I was scared of the dark from the time I was 4 or 5 until middle school — and right after I moved into an apartment by myself. A night light wouldn’t cut it for me. I had to have the closet and hall light on, too.
I was terrified of what might happen in the dark. Maybe you’ve been afraid of the dark. Or perhaps, you’re afraid of something else, like spiders, heights, or leaving the house without your pants.
As I’ve grown older, lots of things, including my fears, have changed. Now, there is no such thing as “too dark” of a room to sleep in. Instead, I’m afraid of bigger things. One of those things is evangelism.
Every year around this time, churches encourage members to be bold and invite friends to Easter services. And they are right to do so. Jesus tells us to tell others about Him, and when we invite others to church, we’re also inviting them to experience the power of being part of God’s family (Matthew 28:19-20, Hebrews 10:25).
We know an invitation can be life changing for our friends and family, but even then, it’s easy to let fear stop us from stepping out of our comfort zones to talk about church. Our fears are often rooted in insecurity, and in the Bible, we find the truth we need to hear to conquer our insecurities and fears.
Four Excuses We Use to Avoid Sharing Our Faith
1 . I’m not an evangelist.
1 Peter 3:15 tells us to always be ready to explain where our hope comes from. That’s not a command just for preachers and evangelists, but for everyone who follows Jesus.
The good news is you don’t have to have the gift of evangelism to tell people what the Lord has done for you. Just like the man who told his whole town how he was blind and Jesus helped him to see, we all have the ability to share who we were before Jesus and how our lives have changed since then (John 9). Your story is unique and powerful, and you are the best person to share it.
2. I’ll mess it up.
You can’t. Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say (Luke 12:8-12). Plus the Bible is full of one to two sentence summaries of the Gospel. These are just a few:
John 3:16-17
Romans 5:8
Romans 10:9-10
2 Corinthians 5:21
1 Timothy 2:5-6
Try memorizing one or two and let it be your guide when wondering what to say.
3. I’ll be rejected.
If you are, you’re in good company. Jesus and all of his followers were rejected for what they believed. You are responsible for your obedience, not the other person’s response.
4. I’m not “good” enough yet. Who would want to come with me?
As soon as you accept the invitation of Jesus to take over your life, the Bible says you are a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus didn’t come to make “good” people, He came to make saved people.
A Lifeway study found that 67 percent of Americans say a personal invitation from a family member would be very or somewhat effective in getting them to visit a church. Your invitation could be the one that your friends or family are waiting on.
It might be awkward, and it might feel strange. But when you don’t give people around you the chance to say yes, you are saying no for them. So do what someone did for you at some point: Invite your people to church and see what Jesus can do through your obedience.
