Has anyone ever asked you to share your faith with them? How did you respond? Were you eager to answer or a bit reluctant? More than forty years ago, when I was president and publisher of a group of daily newspapers on the North Shore of Boston, at a company function one Saturday evening one of the executives asked me, “Frank, you’re different. What’s your secret?” I responded … uhhh … well … you see …
It was early on in my faith journey and I never really thought much about that question. While I was never hesitant to let people know that I was a Christian, I also never thought much about how to actually go about sharing my faith. I finally said something pretty uninspiring and then changed the subject – “how about those Red Sox!”
Have you ever been lost for words, but when you thought about it knew what you should have said? It happens to me all the time! As I thought more about “the question”, I wished I could have had a mulligan (a do-over in golf). The following Monday morning, I called him into my office and tried to share that the reason “that I was different” is because of my faith in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But the setting was not the same and he didn’t seem as interested as he did just two days before. Maybe he was embarrassed by being called into the “boss’s office” or some other unknown reason. The bottom line was that I had missed an opportunity to share my faith because I wasn’t ready. I vowed that I would never repeat that mistake.
The apostle Peter reminds us that we should, “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15) While we should never be boisterous or obnoxious, with love and respect we should always be ready to share our faith story with others and the difference that Christ has made in our lives. To do that, we don’t have to have the Bible memorized or even have the answer to every question. We don’t even have to have everything figured out – I know I certainly don’t. Our most powerful witness is simply to share the difference that Christ has made – and continues to make – in our lives.
For me one of the most exciting things in life is to have the opportunity to share my faith because it can help change a life forever. If you were asked that question today, how would you respond? Be ready!
One of the easiest – and most effective – ways to share our faith is to simply invite people to special church events, events like our Spring Concert this Saturday and Sunday at our Plaistow Campus. Our Worship Leading Choir has been practicing for months for this amazing event. Join us Saturday at 7 p.m. or Sunday at 5 p.m. and invite your friends.
Our sermon series, One Heart & Mind, continues this week as we reflect on how we connect with others in a way that is real and helps us to establish meaningful relationships. I believe it is a powerful message, one you will not want to miss.
See you Sunday at 8:45.
In Christ’s love,
Pastor Frank