hrist on
ampus
Overcoming the Fear of Evangelizing by Taylor Smith
Evangelism is just a fancy word for sharing your faith through personal experience. Let me be
the first to tell you that it terrifies me. Not only does it terrify me but I am constantly thinking
of the thousand and one reasons why I am not equipped enough to do it. “I’m not smart
enough”, “I’m not a good enough Christian.”, “What if I sound like a blubbering goofball?”
Guess what? That’s just what Satan wants you to believe!
I’m here to tell you, as a living example, that you can be an evangelist just like the disciples.
You can share your faith without being a ‘Bible thumper’ or a ‘crazy radical Christian’. In the
Bible, God used those that came from normal, ordinary lives. His disciples weren’t kings, they
didn’t have excellent public speaking skills, they didn’t have a role in the church, they were just
normal run-of-the-mill men of that time. Even Moses was an ordinary man who lacked the
ability to speak with grace and poise, look at the wondrous things he did all in the name of God.
“Moses said to the LORD, "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have
never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have
spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." Ex. 4:10
God also used Paul, who had previously killed Christians, as one
of His biggest evangelizers. No, I’m not kidding! He killed and
persecuted Christians because he thought they were working
against God, and believed he was working for God. If God can
transform him into one of the greatest evangelists of his time,
then God can transform anybody.
The best advice that I can give you to learn to be an evangelist
is to just do it. It doesn’t take a special moment or a deeply
spiritual conversation, all it takes is you looking for an
opportunity. Always be on the lookout and aware of when you
can tell someone about Jesus. Be intentional. At first, you
don’t even have to start with Jesus’ story, but start with a
...I am constantly
thinking...
“I’m not smart
enough”,
“I’m not a good enough
Christian.”,
“What if I sound like a
blubbering goofball?”
Guess what?
That’s just what Satan
wants you to think!
story of your own. Be transparent and authentic to those you are trying to minister to, relate
to them, and tell them the ways that you’ve seen God work in your life. It doesn’t take a special
knowledge of the Hebrew translation of the Bible or an in depth description of the Old
Testament, all you need to do is use your own life and the Truth of God as a template. You will
never be able to change someone on your own, only God can transform someone’s heart, but all
you need to do is simply allow Him to use you.
Only an hour ago, I shared my faith for the first time in a setting where no other believers were
around. I had an evangelistic tool, but it was really up to me to provoke the conversation. We
talked for upwards to 45 minutes about things that I couldn’t have ever dreamed that she
would open up with me about. She vocalized her desire to know the Lord better and her
struggles with her faith up until this point. We are getting lunch next week to talk about it
more. Was it easy for me? No. I was shaking the whole time, but I can’t describe to you the
amount of joy that I felt as I called my Christian friend to tell her about the news, and
coincidentally, she had already been praying for this very same person!
Pray for it, look for opportunities, and take those opportunities when they
arise. Remember, you could be the only light of Jesus that they ever see.
Don’t let that person go another day without knowing the power of the One
who died for them.
This is my prayer for you.
6
read more about Taylor at Live By Faith