“Oh my friends, we are loaded down with countless church activities, while the real work of the church, that of evangelizing the world and winning the lost, is almost entirely neglected!” -Oswald J. Smith.
“God’s top priority is the salvation of every single soul”. –Author unknown
“I would sooner bring one sinner to Jesus Christ than unravel all the mysteries of the divine Word, for salvation is the one thing we are to live for.” –Charles Spurgeon

Reasons why we do not boldly step out and share our faith…

1. Fear of being rejected.
However, every time we share our faith it is a winning situation. (Mat. 5:11,12) If we are rejected and insulted, our reward in heaven grows some more!

2. Don’t know how to.
Both Jesus and Paul began with natural topics and transitioned to spiritual ones. (Jn. 4; Acts 17)
Example: crash of an airplane or fall of the Twin Towers; “What do you think happened to those people when they walked off the planet?” Or ask: “If you died tonight, are you 100-percent assured you would go to Heaven?”

3. Fear of Losing a Friend.
What kind of friendship do you really have if you would go to heaven when you die, but your friend would go to hell? (See poem next page, “My Friend”)
“I want to know tons of people in Heaven! That means I had better be inviting a whole lot of people to heaven while I’m here.”

4. They Have Already Heard.
It takes an average of 7.6 times for people to hear the Gospel before they commit their life to Christ…this might be the perfect time for an individual to hear the Gospel..

5. I Am Just Lazy.
According to Zondervan Church Source, 97 percent of church members have no involvement in any sort of evangelism…only 1 percent of their readership (Christianity Today) had witnessed to someone “recently”.
Probably the reason most people don’t share their faith is that they really don’t have any faith to share. Charles Spurgeon said, “Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that.”
“If God gave you a thousand dollars every time you shared your faith in Jesus Christ, would you share your faith?…Would you be more zealous for money than for God? Would you deal with your laziness problem for the love of money when you won’t deal with it for the love of God?”

6. Friendship Evangelism.
At the well, Jesus made the first move to talk to the woman. “So to walk like He did, we must be available to the Spirit of God to initiate conversations with people as we’re out witnessing.” If we depend on people to get saved by looking at our lives, whose life are we really sharing—ours’ or God’s?

7. I Don’t Know Enough.
“Witnessing is one of the ways that you will learn more about your faith.” (Philemon 6 NIV)
“You are saved and the people you witness to are lost; who knows more in every spiritual conversation? You always know more than a lost person does in any conversation.”

8. They Won’t Want To Talk About It.
“Always assume that people do want to talk about eternity, and not that they don’t want to talk about it. Therefore, before you leave your house, it’s important to pray that the Lord will lead you to lost people during the day, and that He will soften the individuals’ hearts before you ever begin the conversations. That way, you know they’ll be ready for you when you get there!”

9. I Can’t Answer Their Questions.
The fools says in his heart there is no God. “You are not a fool just because you do not know an answer to a question.”
If you are asked a question you cannot answer, just say: “That is a good question, and I don’t know the answer. Would you like to know the answer? What is your e-mail, phone number or address so when I find the answer, I can get it to you?”

My Friend

My friend, I stand in judgment now,
And feel that you’re to blame somehow.
On Earth I walked with you day by day,
And never did you point the way.

You knew the Lord in truth and glory,
But never did you tell the story.
My knowledge then was very dim;
You could have led me safe to Him.

Though we lived together here on Earth,
You never told me of the second birth.
And now I stand this day condemned,
Because you failed to mention Him.

You taught me many things, that’s true;
I called you “friend” and trusted you.
But I learn now that it’s too late,
And you could have kept me from this fate.

We walked by day and talked by night,
And yet you showed me not the light.
You let me live, and love, and die,
You knew I’d never live on high.

Yes, I called you “friend” in life,
And trusted you through joy and strife.
And, yet , on coming to this dreadful end,
I cannot, now, call you “my friend.”