I read this article on Trevin Wax’s blog.  I thought it perfectly gives the main reasons we do not share Christ with others.  These principles helped me see some areas I can work on in my own life and I am challenged to share Christ more.  Enjoy!

From Trevin Wax:
”What do you do when church members tell you that they truly desire to share their faith and yet feel too afraid? How can you help church members become bold enough to share the gospel?

I start out by diagnosing the specific reasons this church member is afraid to witness:

• Some worry that witnessing to a stranger might seem distasteful and turn them away from the gospel.
• Others worry that witnessing to close friends or relatives might change something in the relationship. They don’t want to risk the friendship or damage their family ties.
• Some people fear rejection.
• Others worry that they don’t know enough about Christianity to give good answers.

Once you have diagnosed the root causes of the church member’s fear, you can begin to explain why fear should not stand in the way of evangelism. It is appropriate to approach the task of evangelism with some trepidation. After all, we are participating in a sacred task of obedience to our Lord. But “being afraid” – whatever the reason – is not an excuse to not evangelize. Why not?

First, we have been commanded to make disciples. Christ does not provide any loopholes in his statement. It is a command for all able Christians. We are not commanded to evangelize only when we overcome our fears (that may never happen); we are to make disciples despite our fear.

Secondly, we should realize that we have little reason to fear. Most unsaved people are not hostile to the gospel. In fact, research from Thom Rainer and others demonstrates that a great number of non-Christians are open to hearing about the faith of others. When you speak kindly and graciously about the gospel, you will find that most people react kindly and politely, even if they reject your call to repentance.

Third, we should do everything in our power to minimize the reasons for our fear.

If lack of knowledge is one of reasons you are afraid to share the gospel, then do some more learning. Be ready to answer and give a defense for your faith. Dive into some apologetics and have some resources handy. Whenever you are asked something you do not know the answer to, simply be honest and admit your lack of knowledge. It is okay to say, “I don’t know. Let me get back with you.”

If you worry that sharing the gospel might damage a familial relationship, then consider the words of Christ, who tells us that the gospel will divide families. You should do everything in your power to unconditionally love and respect those in your family, even if they do not accept the truth of the gospel. But at some level, the gospel is offensive, and if the gospel divides you, so be it. Only make sure that it is the offense of the gospel that causes one to stumble, not your offensive manner of evangelism.

Christians who are afraid to participate in evangelism readily recognize their human weakness and frailty. Instead of denying this weakness, we should embrace the truth that we are indeed powerless to convince others to trust in Christ.

We depend upon the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Our fears should drive us to our knees in prayer. Satan would have us fearful. God would have us emboldened by unswerving trust in his power to save.”

The other night, Sonya was at Women’s Ministries and it was just the boys and Hannah.  We are still amazed or rather shocked at some of the things Hannah says and does.  What I am trying to say is, we wonder often where she comes up with this stuff.

Now to the story, I was playing with Hannah and she, out of the blue, looks me in the eyes and says, “Do you like my lips?”  Shocked at the unusual question I replied, “What?”  She again asked, “Do you like my lips?” and then she puckered in Hannah’s own way.  So of course, I passionately replied, “Yes, honey, you have beautiful lips.”  She went back to playing.

Later in the evening, after Sonya came home, Hannah was in the kitchen and tripped.  She fell but not just like any fall.  She fell flat on her face and busted her lip.  PANIC!  No Hannah didn’t panic, we did.  There was blood rushing out.  Hannah’s crying, and we are trying to assess the damage.  It looked like a gash in her lip where her teeth hit.  (I was going to take a picture of it when it was bleeding, but I thought you might think I was insensitive. And yes, I knew I was going to put it on the blog.)  We got Hannah cleaned up and she had a fat  lip.

I relived the evening from the question Hannah had asked and then the busted lip.  She needed affirmation about her lips for some reason.  All kids need affirmation, especially little girls.  They need to know they are beautiful.  Affirmation is critical because there are times when they will not feel beautiful (when their lip is fat) and they will have to rely on knowing that you think they are beautiful.

As parents it is easy to talk down or pick apart our kids.  It is a natural tendency to focus on the negative aspects of their character and actions.  One thing I have been trying to improve is to focus on the good in them.  It is proven that negative words last longer than positive ones.  That means, we must give them more positive words than negative.  So when they have a fat lip, they will know that they are still beautiful.

Since Hannah is three I am preparing myself for the dating game in thirty years (that’s right, she can’t date until thirty-three).  I saw this cartoon that has given me some ideas:

Since we moved last year, I have not had the space to put up all of my books.  We recently remodeled my office and added some bookcases so now, I am able to put out all my books.  As I was sorting through the books, I found my grandma’s old Bible.

I began to thumb through it and found some great quotes.  I am amazed at how “used” this Bible was.  It is a sign that my grandma was a student of God’s Word.  It has challenged me to dig in more to the Scriptures and “use” my Bible.

Over the next couple of days I am going to share some of the timeless wisdom found in this old Bible.  Here is today’s:

People say God stopped His supernatural works in the first century. I’ve never heard anyone say the devil stopped his.

Would God expect us to go up against a supernatural enemy (devil) without supernatural weapons to fight him?

Randy Alcorn is a rare author.  He is one who can engage the reader with compelling stories, while providing a deep subject line.  If God Is Good is a timely read because of the hardship the world is facing in this generation.  Today is an important day to tackle the subject of suffering.  There are several books on the market that have the same storyline but fail to attack this age old question at it’s core.  In Randy Alcorn’s characteristic way, he looks at the suffering of this world from an intellectual perspective that is woven with faith.  Perhaps some readers will be turned off by the depth that Alcorn writes, but I feel it is important to dig deeper into this important subject.  The author clearly proves the presence and reality of God in the midst of a suffering world and gives a clear cut resolution to that suffering.  Faith. 

If you are looking to answer the question of evil and affliction. This will be a great tool for your study.

Summary:

Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us.
In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God–Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist?

These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God.

In this captivating new book, best-selling author Randy Alcorn challenges the logic of disbelief, and brings a fresh, realistic, and thoroughly biblical insight to the issues these important questions raise.

Alcorn offers insights from his conversations with men and women whose lives have been torn apart by suffering, and yet whose faith in God burns brighter than ever. He reveals the big picture of who God is and what God is doing in the world–now and forever. And he equips you to share your faith more clearly and genuinely in this world of pain and fear.

As he did in his best-selling book, Heaven, Randy Alcorn delves deep into a profound subject, and through compelling stories, provocative questions and answers, and keen biblical understanding, he brings assurance and hope to all.

Author Bio:

Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspectives Ministries and a bestselling author. His novels include Deadline, Dominion, Edge of Eternity, Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, The Ishbane Conspiracy, and the Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written eighteen nonfiction books as well, including Heaven, The Treasure Principle, The Purity Principle, and The Grace and Truth Paradox. Randy and his wife, Nanci, live in Oregon and have two married daughters and four grandsons.

You can pick up a copy at your local bookstore or at www.christianbook.com.  You can also find the book at Random House Publishers.

For a while now Josh has been after me to set him up a website.  Well, I finally gave in.  He has officially started The Life of a Pastor’s  Kid blog.  You can check it out at www.lifeofapk.com.  DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed on his blog may not be the same as my views.  Don’t Blame Me:)

Sonya and I have been discussing lately how well Josh has adapted to public school.  I must admit I was nervous how he would handle it, but he has made a good transition from homeschool to public school. 

In a new school it is tough to be new and Christian, but Josh is unashamed of either fact.  This morning, he made sure he got to school early enough for See You At The Pole.  For a student that is a public expression of his faith.  Also, today he had a public presentation in speech class and one of the things he had to address is the one thing that he could not be swayed in and Josh declared that he could not be swayed in his Christianity. 

These are proud moments as a parent, but also a reminder to undergird him in prayer that he always remains steadfast no matter what.

Saturday, we were slumming around the house (or at least I was, Sonya’s always working around the house).  I was in MY chair when I heard a couple of blood-curdling screams.  Hannah is screaming and Sonya chimes in with, “Danny! Danny! there’s a huge snake in the laundry room.”

Now being the man of the house I had a crucial decision to make.  Should I get up out of MY chair?  After all , it was a snake.  Perhaps if I procrastinated long enough it would go away.  But then the thought ran across my mind, “or perhaps it could have babies.”  I got up from MY chair bracing myself for a 6 foot water moccasin or if I evaluated the screams right, I might be facing a 30 foot anaconda:) 

When I entered the room, there it was a HUGE one foot (12 inch) garter snake.  I wrestled it for a few moments before I conquered it and threw it outside.  I could tell by the look in my special ladies eyes that I was their hero. 

Josh then went outside to make sure it was dead.  I know there are good snakes and bad snakes (kind of like cats right?).  Well the only good snake is a dead snake.