Sharing
our faith with others doesn’t have to be hard! It’s easy to feel
that way when we only associate the gospel with sharing our faith in a way =
that
doesn’t match who we are. When we artificially limit our thought of t=
he
gospel such a wonderful thing can leave us filling full of fear and guilt.
Thankfully, the truth of the Bible can set us free to think of sharing our
faith in ways we may have never considered before. The Bible is full of
different kinds of people with different personality types. Some of them we=
re
shy, some were bold; some were very good at reasoning, etc. The liberating =
part
is that each was able to find an approach that seemed to match with the gra=
ce
which God was supplying them. We will look at 6 different personality based
approaches from the New Testament:
Approach #1 – Peter’s
Confrontational Approach
Peter was confrontational to=
the
very core of his being. Just consider how he was with Jesus. In Matt 16:16,
Peter comes to the profound realization that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
the Living God. Only 6 verses later we find that Peter takes Jesus aside and
rebukes the Son of God! Also recall just before Jesus got arrested, Peter w=
as
violently confrontational even to the point of cutting off the ear of one of
the arresting soldiers (John 18:10). Talk about bold! The good news is that=
the
Lord was able to harness Peter’s direct, bold, decisive person on the=
day
of Pentecost in a way that brought 3,000 men to Christ. Peter possessed the
kind of personality that was able to look square in the face of men who
crucified Christ and tell them, “God has made this Jesus, whom YOU
crucified, both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:38). Are you like the straight talk=
ing
Peter? Do you have a high fear tolerance? Are you invigorated by approaching
people of sometimes strange external appearance? If so, you probably don’t ne=
ed
much direction other than to consider some starting remarks you’ll us=
e to
approach people and just go!
Approach #2 – Paul’s
Intellectual Approach
Paul and Peter were quite
different people. Paul could be confrontational when he needed to but the
hallmark of Paul’s approach was a very logical layout of the gospel. =
Look
at the book of Romans. This book is probably the most thorough and well tho=
ught
out presentation of the gospel in the entire Bible. It brings you from
condemnation to justification to dispositional sanctification, to renewing,
conformation, selection, transformation, ending up with the Body of Christ
being expressed through the members of the church! Also consider the way th=
at
he approached the Athenians. The altar in which they had set up to an unkno=
wn
God, he used as a springboard for preaching the gospel (Acts 17:23). Try to
imagine Peter in that situation. He may have just told them that they were =
flat
out wrong. You might be a Paul if you are an inquisitive person, looking for
the answers to people’s questions and not settling for the old
clichés. If you enjoy the study of apologetics (defending and/or pro=
ving
the Christian faith) then you may be a person like Paul. To take action on =
your
passion you may want to consider these practical steps 1) Study 2) Consider=
3)
Practice 4) Learn from your mistakes.
Approach #3 – The Blind
Man’s Testimonial Approach
The blind man was not a Paul nor wa=
s he
a Peter. He was a man who was born with a condition of blindness when one d=
ay
Jesus walked by, put some clay in his eyes and healed his eyesight. From th=
at
point on he became a follower of Christ and regarded Jesus as a man sent fr=
om
God. Shortly after his miraculous experience, the Pharisees interrogated hi=
m to
find out what happened. The blind man was very simple. He just told them his
experience, “I was blind and now I see”. Unlike Paul, he refuse=
d to
engage in any kind of theological debate - he simply repeated what Jesus did
for him. Maybe you are like the blind man. Do you get excited thinking about
what Christ did in your life? Do you feel comfortable talking about your li=
fe
stories? Do you avoid theological debates at all costs? If so, you should d=
evelop
your ability to give a good testimony. Try this:
1) Think about your salvation testimony
· What was your
life like before you met Jesus
· How I realiz=
ed I
needed Jesus
· How I commit=
ted
my life to Jesus
·
The difference Jesus has made in my=
life
2) What has God taught you from failu=
re?
From lack of money?
From pain, sorrow, or depression?<= o:p>
3) You may want to write t=
hem
down & memorize
Approach #4 – Matthew’s
Relational Approach
Matthew seemed to be a person with a
magnetic personality. He had lots of friends who did not know Jesus yet. So
Matthew out of a loving care and concern for his friends had a banquet at h=
is
house and made sure that Jesus would be present. Many tax collectors came a=
nd
ate and got to meet Jesus (Luke 5:29). Matthew’s approach would never
have worked for the blind man. The blind man didn’t seem to have the =
same
magnetic affect on people. Matthew on the other hand, seemed to know tons of
people! It was through his existing relationships that he was able to bring
many people to meet Jesus in a very normal way. Maybe you are more like
Matthew. Do you have a large web of friendships? Do you think you would enj=
oy
having people in your home, sharing a meal, and spending time in conversati=
on
with people you hope to know the Lord? Do you think you would enjoy coming =
up
with creative ways to bring your friends to Christ? If so, you should hone =
your
skills. To do this 1) Continue to build relationships. 2) Watch and pray for
opportunities 3) Creatively present the gospel.
Approach #5 – The Samaritan
Woman’s Invitational Approach
Another kind of person we see in the
New Testament is the Samaritan Woman. Jesus approaches her at the well and =
they
get into a conversation which eventually leads to Jesus revealing to her the
fact that He is the Messiah (John 4:26). Then what does she do? She goes ba=
ck
and tells her whole town to “Come see a man who told me everything I =
did,
could this be the Christ? Her approach was not to reason with her fellow
townsman nor to get hostile with them nor to gather a group of her friends,=
nor
to just give her testimony and leave it there. She invited them to “c=
ome,
see a man”. As a result of her invitation, they urged Jesus to come to
their town. It is there that they heard His word and many believed into his
name. Does this sound like you? Do you have a knack for getting people to go
places with you? Do you enjoy getting people into an atmosphere where they =
can
be connected with Christ? Then take the challenge to perfect the art of
inviting people by invitation.
Here is
one way you might want to start.
1) Make a list of your friends
2) Consider before the Lord what seeker-sensitive event you sh=
ould
invite them to
3) Make an invitation, if needed
4) Let the inviting begin!
Approach #6 – Dorcas
Service Approach
Dorcas was a disciple in Acts 9:36 who was
known for doing good and helping the poor. It would be very hard to be arou=
nd Dorcas very long and not begin to get a glimpse of th=
e love
of Christ. It is very likely that she was a quiet person and just had a nat=
ural
inclination to want to serve others. Many in this category are very keen to=
the
needs of others and enjoy filling those needs, many times receiving no
recognition for their service. But saints with the personality like Dorcas are indispensable. In fact, Peter had to raise=
her
from the dead because many of the widows were balling in tears and presenti=
ng
to him the robes which she made for them. Her quiet service impacted others=
in
a powerful way. Do you find it easy to serve others? Are you sensitive to t=
he
needs of others? That is wonderful!
Here
are some things this type of person should think about:
1) = Serving in this way IS the gospel<= o:p>
2) =
As you see needs, think of creative
ways to meet those needs
3) =
Multiply your works! They’re
needed!