On Being Prepared

You have often heard people say, “Preach the Gospel.  Use words if necessary.” People attribute it to St. Francis of Assisi. While many have repeated this mantra, it turns out St. Francis never said it. Actually, he was known as quite a preacher—the words mattered to him.

The Gospel of Jesus, because it consists in a message, necessitates words, verbalization.  The Christian faith is to be shared… with words. Paul writes, “So faith come from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

As followers of Jesus each of us should be prepared to put into words, out loud, the reason for the hope that we have within.  We should be prepared to share the Gospel of Jesus with words, out loud.

Be Prepared through Bible Reading, Prayer and Joy.

Reading the Bible impresses His Story into your story. God reveals his message of hope in Jesus through the words of the Scripture. Reading about Jesus stilling the storm prepares you to tell others who face the storms of the world that there is hope in Christ. Reading about Jesus extending the Kingdom to the thief prepares you to tell others it is not too late, hope still avails. Reading about Jesus standing up to the authorities of his day prepares you to tell others that the powers in charge are under a Greater Power. Reading about Jesus raised from the dead prepares you give eternal expectation to one who is dying. Reading the Bible gives you plenty of things to talk about.

Praying prepares you to share faith in Christ in two different but related ways.  First, by being faithful in prayer, you will experience plenty of answered prayers. This prepares you to witness. You can say, “I know first-hand that God exists and is who he says he is because he has answered my prayer. He has done such and such.” Second, by being a person of prayer you can pray God to grant you the right opportunity with the right words to say.  You can be certain he will answer that prayer.

Joy serves to prepare opportunities to share faith in Christ. Joy is attractive. Joy is infectious. When you life a life of joy, when it is clear to others that you are “getting a big bang” out of your life with Jesus, you will find that people want to have what you have. A life filled with joy will attract others like a lighthouse on a storm ravaged night.

Be Prepared to Say, “I Don’t Know.”

Witnessing does not necessitate a complete knowledge of Christian doctrine and history. Share with people what you do know. Tell them what you have seen and heard. Give an account of the hope you have without worrying about all the information you don’t have. Don’t let what you don’t know keep you from sharing what you do know. One of the strongest witnessing tools is honesty, “I don’t know that, but I do know this about Jesus…”  Ultimately, “success” in witnessing is the Spirit’s work through the words he gives you, not the answers to questions you don’t know.

Be Prepared through Congregational Involvement.

A robust involvement in your local congregation will prepare you in many ways.  First, it is within the context of the congregation that Christians train themselves in verbalization of the faith. There we discuss our hope, we explore the Scripture, we share our experiences. Second, through time in fellowship with other believers we develop alliances that position us for greater effectiveness in sharing. Sharing is more a function of the whole body of Christ than it is of a particular member. Third, as God reveals himself in and works out his grace through your local congregation you will have a wider array of things about which you have seen and heard about which you can’t help but talk about.

Be Prepared through Relationship Development.

There is a place for Gospel proclamation in a revival setting. People have been converted by a stranger knocking on the door and sharing the Gospel of Jesus.

But mostly people become converted through others with whom they are in relationship. Family members. Neighbors. Fellow workers. Team mates. While I will deal with this in more detail later, a key way to be prepared to share the hope you have within is by building kind and loving relationships with unbelievers so that you win an opportunity to do so.

While sharing the Gospel out loud is the stock of trade of preachers, it is also the privilege and opportunity of every Christ follower. And when as Christ followers we are getting a big bang out of our walk with Jesus, we will be ever more eager and excited to do so.

For Further Reading: Joining Jesus on His Mission: How to Be an Everyday Missionary, Greg Finke