BELIEVERS HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE WITH OTHERS

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do
this with gentleness and respect”
(1 Peter 3:15)

MEDITATION:
When a reporter interviews a pastor, he may ask,
    “Do you think a Jew without Jesus is lost?”
If the pastor says, “Yes”,
then he will look like a racist or a bigot.

If he says, “No”,
then he will dishonor the Lord Jesus Christ
who died for the sins of all people.

So, how does he answer?
He should probably say something like,
    “I believe that one of my own children without Jesus
     would be lost. It doesn’t matter whether he’s a Jew
     or a Gentile. God demands absolute perfection and
     none of us can provide it. That’s why we need the
     gospel. We need Jesus. We need the righteousness
     of God that comes by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Notice how Peter says something very important for all believers
to know. He said, “do this with gentleness and respect”. Peter is
reminding us that our testimony should be expressed in a kind
manner so others will be receptive, and not antagonized, by what
we say.

Peter understood the possibility of some sharing their testimony in a
defensive, arrogant, or condescending way, and he knew that would
push people away from the Lord, instead of pointing them to Him.
How we share our testimony is just as important as what we have to say.

ACTION:
Jesus showed us the standard for gentleness and respect.
He respected those who were shunned by society.
    “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
     and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

He was also gentle with people of all ages.
    People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him
    to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw
    this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children
    to him and said, “Let the little children come to me,
    and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs
    to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not
    receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never
    enter it.” (Luke 18:15-17)

What would you say if someone asked you the question,
    “Do you think a Jew without Jesus is lost?”
Ask the Lord to prepare you now for this or any
other question you might be asked about your faith.

Also, think about how you will share the good news with others.
Will you do it in an unkind, insensitive or condescending manner?
Or, will you remember that you were once at the same
place they are now, before someone shared the gospel with you?

Never forget that as believers, we are no better than a non-believer,
however, because we have chosen to let Jesus reign in our lives, we
have a new outlook on many things, and especially sin. At the same
time though, we need to remember that it is the sin that we disdain,
and not the sinner.

Lastly, we need to remember that a “perfect” Jesus never looked
down on others, never made them feel that He was better than
them, and never was unkind or condescending in showing His
concern for them and their sinfulness.

We need to have the same attitudes and character of the One
we are following. If Jesus looked at others from an eye level
perspective, then we should do the same. We have all heard
the phrase, “holier than thou”, haven’t we?

It is an attitude of superiority that some believers can project
to unbelievers if we do not remember our instructions from
God’s Word.
    Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
    Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
    not looking to your own interests but each of you
    to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

We need to make sure that we do not hinder the Holy Spirit’s
work in the lives of unbelievers by having the wrong attitude
when sharing the good news with them. The scriptures are very
plain when they remind us that we can be motivated by ‘conceit’
to share the gospel with others.

In other words, we might be focused on “look at me as ‘your’ example”
instead of “look at Jesus as ‘our’ example”. We are given instructions
of how to guard against that type of attitude – it is called ‘humility’.
When we are truly humble, we will acknowledge (to ourselves and to
others) that we are no better than anyone else.

We still struggle with temptations as they do, but God has given us
an advocate (the Holy Spirit) who helps us with our struggles and
guides us as we strive to live a more righteous life, which is pleasing
to our God and Savior.

Bottom line is, sharing the good news with others is important,
but our attitude in sharing is extremely important if we want
to ‘stay out of the way’ of what the Holy Spirit is doing to convict
them of their need for salvation. Conviction is His responsibility
and not ours.

Our ‘task’ is to be humble, be real, and speak to them as a
concerned friend who is not on display as the ‘model Christian’,
but as a friend who still struggles as they do, however we have
the Holy Spirit helping us in our efforts to become more Christ-like.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, prepare me for responding to any questions
regarding You, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or my faith. Thank You
for giving me a testimony to share with others. Remind me
to be respectful, and humble with my responses. Teach me the
importance of sharing my faith with others in a manner that
will point them to Jesus and not to myself. Thank You, Jesus,
for what You did for me and everyone else!”

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