How To Share Your Faith Without Starting A Fight
Lindsay Willett
My former roommate gave me the cold shoulder for weeks, then unfriended me on Facebook.
My grandpa told me, “That’s fine faith works for you,” implying that I should respect his lack of it.
My former student at a Christian school walked out during our class devotional and slammed the door.
Sharing my faith hasn’t always been easy to say the least. Maybe you’ve suffered worse consequences for talking about Jesus, and you’re wondering if it’s worth it to share your faith. When people get offended or think we’re crazy, our minds begin to question whether we’re doing more harm than good.
Sharing the Gospel is always a good thing. But how we approach conversations about Jesus is as important as what we say. That’s one reason Ephesians 4:15 instructs us to speak the truth in love. Because when we do, we treat others like Jesus would.
3 Ways To Speak The Truth In Love
1. Share the good news about Jesus, but find the right time.
For example, starting a conversation at the beginning of a family dinner would not be speaking the truth in love. Would you want someone to stop you for a serious conversation when you’re just about to bite into juicy ham, marshmallow sweet potatoes, or melt-in-your-mouth apple pie?
Pray for God to create opportunities to share your faith with the people He brings into your life. Pray for wisdom about His timing, and ask your Christian friends to pray as well. He promises to give us wisdom (James 1:5).
2. Embrace the awkwardness.
A cashier at the grocery store once asked me, “If a stranger has lipstick on her teeth, would you tell her?” Even though it would be uncomfortable to start a conversation, it would save future embarrassment to let her know about the lipstick.
To tell someone there is “lipstick” on her soul and she needs Jesus is even more uncomfortable, but we need to stick it out through the awkwardness. Share your faith as gently as possible, letting the person know you have his or her best interest at heart.
3. Don’t be surprised if you get a negative response, at least at first.
1 Corinthians 1:18 says the good news about Jesus is foolish to people who aren’t Christians. Anticipating that people may get offended when you share about Jesus prepares us to respond with love. When we’re caught off guard, we’re more likely to get offended and say something we’ll later regret.
Until people meet Jesus themselves, they aren’t going to understand your beliefs. If we pray about timing, push past the awkwardness and brace ourselves for offending others, we’ll be more likely to speak the truth in love, and they’ll be more likely to listen.