How Can I Enjoy Sharing My Faith with Others? (Part 3)

How can we "build bridges" in today's world? Lets think about some practical things can we do to actually enjoy sharing our faith with others.

One of the wonderful things about Christianity is its practicality. When non-Christians encounter a practical Christian, they take notice. Rather than encountering "religion" they walk away with the sense that Christian faith and theology actually makes the way life is meant to be lived on a daily basis.

Christ demonstrated practical faith when he took on human flesh. In John 3, for example, Christ confronted Nicodemus, a teacher of the law, with some a strange notion - "you must be born again." This did not fit with Nicodemus vocabulary! But it gave a "real-life" edge to the point Jesus wanted to make - that one must start all over if they want to inherit eternal life. In John 4, as Jesus casually converses with the woman at the well about her immoral past, He uses the well itself as a simple illustration of the "living water" he could provide. In each case, Jesus showed genuine respect for that person's background and mindset by tailoring the gospel appropriately. Likewise, an ambassador for Christ must show utmost respect to the people he is trying to reach, and to their mindset. By demonstrating a deep understanding of culture, we gain integrity and credibility with our audience.

Oftentimes in the New Testament, certain individuals were able to build bridges because of common cultural back-grounds. Their very lives and heritage built a natural bridge. Timothy, for example, could easily minister to Greeks in his hometown because of his Greek heritage. At other times, though, there is no apparent common ground, and we have to learn how nonbelievers are thinking and accommodate accordingly. For example, when Paul needed Timothy to accompany him on a missionary trip, he had Timothy circumcised. Why? Because they were going to come into contact with Jews who saw circumcision as very important.

The key is that our very lives are the bridges, or channels, for the gospel. When God created man He gave man dominion over the world (Gen. 1:28). God was essentially giving every person the assignment of demonstrating His character on earth. As Christ's ambassadors, He has given each of us specific areas in which we can become channels for His love and truth as we turn these areas over to Him. These areas include our talents, burdens, educational fields, abilities, and spiritual gifts. Whether a person is a homemaker, a dentist, a Ph.D. candidate, or a farmer, he or she needs to do an extensive study regarding how biblical truth provides a foundation for that "platform" God has given. Often He will show a person a specific subculture that only he or she can reach.

As we begin to dialogue with non-believers within our own fields, we'll actually learn how to use those fields as channels for biblical truth. Nonbelievers need to see that a biblical foundation works within their own field of interest before they adopt this foundation for their entire life. So we need to become thoroughly educated regarding the biblical foundation of our own field, whether it be science, marketing, education, medicine, law, childrearing, factory work, whatever. Eventually you'll be able to develop a specific strategy for ministry within your educational or occupational field, turning it into a mission field.

Sharing our faith, then, involves a lot more than simply explaining the gospel message. It also requires that we utilizing our own humanity as an actual channels for relating the truths of our faith.