Sharing Our Hope With Others

Dec 27, 2021

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

- St. Peter, 1 Peter 3:15

Someone once asked, “If you had a cure for cancer, wouldn’t you share it?” They then went on to say, “We have the cure to death. We need to get out and share it!”

Evangelism is a scary word. Thinking about sharing our faith with others is fraught with fear, anxiety, and potential peril. What if it is awkward? What if it makes them uncomfortable? What if they reject me?

Well, first, it is not we they are rejecting, but Jesus. That is a choice they must make on their own. We cannot, and we are not, to shove Jesus down anyone’s throat. But, the awkward and uncomfortable parts, those are real. Talking about something so personal makes us feel vulnerable. We find ourselves as much, if not more, uncomfortable than the person with whom we are sharing.

So, what if rather than making sharing the Good News about Jesus a task to be accomplished, it simply becomes an authentic expression of who we are, and a recognition of what Jesus has done for us?

I think, rather than gearing up to share the Gospel, we would be much better off being so closely connected to Jesus and experiencing the fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) in our lives that we simply can’t help but share, both consciously and subconsciously, what has filled our hearts.

Rather than outwardly projecting and forcing a gospel message, let’s begin by deepening our inward relationship with Jesus (our love for God), followed by the second half of the Greatest Commandment (Matthew 27:39), to fall more deeply in love with people. As our love for God and others grows, we will not be able to help ourselves. The joy of the relationship we have with Jesus will exude from the innermost parts of our being. Then, it will just be a matter of telling someone where that joy comes from.

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:16,

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.

Paul words are not meant to create a guilt trip, but instead are a mere recognition that if our relationship with Jesus is real, then our very lives, the words we speak, the actions we perform, the attitudes we portray, and even the thoughts we think, will be transformed in such a way that we won’t be able to help ourselves. Our love for Jesus and what He has done for us, will pour out of us in ways we are unable to control. We will be a walking, living, breathing, speaking example of God’s love.