Fearless Evangelism
I want to offer some practical tips on how to talk about God without fear, which seems like something that is getting harder and harder to do in our day and age but I want to promise you, as someone who has struggled tremendously with fear, that it’s not as hard as it might seem. If you’re someone who is scared at the thought of even sharing your beliefs about God, I have some advice I definitely think will help you.
Growing up and well into my adult life, I was always someone who was scared to talk about faith or God. Never in a million years did I ever think I would be a spiritual teacher or evangelist or pastor. Now, I write books, teach on Youtube, work with spiritual students, and travel the world teaching about spiritual things. So how did I get from point A to point B? And, even today, what helps me overcome my fear so that I can do the things that I feel God has called me to do.
The entire answer is in one Bible passage from 1 John:
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:18-19 (NIV)
John tells us that fear comes from a lack of experiencing God’s love. If we never experience the love of God in our reality, how will we ever be free from fear? When we know the love of God that surpasses just understanding facts about God, we are set free from fear. We can know this love in our experience by inviting God to show us His love in our experiences. Once we do this, our thinking gets re-wired. Because we experience the love of God, fear melts away because we have a relationship with a loving God that transcends head knowledge. All fear stems from a lack of confidence and trust that God is always with us. We need to pray that God will reveal His love to us in ways that personally transform us and re-shape our thinking.
How does this manifest in conversations in the workplace, in school, or in life? The key is to approach every situation with the love of God. Love does not compel or make other people your “projects” that must be converted to Christianity. Be the presence of Jesus Christ for people, take the pressure off yourself, and stop thinking that “making disciples” means beating people over the head with Christian dogma. The Scriptures say love is the following:
“Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)
The fundamental issue a lot of us have is that we think our call as Christians is to compel people to think like us so they can be “saved” from hell. This isn’t our call. Our call is to embody the presence of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit so that others can encounter the love of the Father in their experience.
We have to discern the faith or spiritual experience of those around us. I am not going to use explicitly Christian language (“Christianese”) with someone I know who has been hurt by a Christian or the Church in the past. I’m not going to quote Bible verses to someone who has never read the Bible, etc.
We have to see people through the lens of the finished work of the cross. Jesus died for everyone. Paul writes that love compels his ministry because he believed that Jesus died for all, and therefore all died. What remains is humanity awakening to this reality. All our made in the image of God, and God works through everyone, both believing and unbelieving. The Scriptures say God brings rain on both the just and unjust. God does not show favoritism, so we need to stop being so arrogant about faith and open our eyes to love how God loves. See Christ working in all and through all, and your fear will disappear.
The truth is that everyone has some sort of spirituality or faith experience. I do believe everyone has some interest in spiritual realities. Find points of commonality and connection, and go from there. Stop trying to get other people to think, act and talk like you. Stop trying to get the world to follow your own standard of morality or righteousness. Love people well and God will do the rest. Let people have their own opinions and let people make their own decisions. Love is freedom.
For fear to be driven out, we live in and operate from an experience of God’s love. People want to feel the love of God, no matter where they are in life. We can help them by embodying the peace and safety of God when we are with them. Meet people where they are, and God will do the rest.
