{"id":5145,"date":"2020-08-26T16:18:37","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T16:18:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-sites.ccci.org\/agapeuk-old\/?p=5145"},"modified":"2024-07-17T13:03:22","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T13:03:22","slug":"what-do-i-need-to-know-to-share-my-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-sites.ccci.org\/agapeuk-old\/what-do-i-need-to-know-to-share-my-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"What do I need to know to share my faith?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Home<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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By Charis Fergusson<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Have you ever wanted to share the hope you have found in Jesus with a friend, but held back for fear you don’t know enough?<\/p><\/blockquote>

I have, many times. I graduated from one of the top universities in the world a few years ago and still vividly remember how daunting it felt to mention \u2018faith\u2019 or \u2018Jesus\u2019 in conversation. Never in my life have I been surrounded by so many brilliant minds, in so many subject areas, in such close quarters. Honestly, I felt pretty clueless a lot of the time!<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Do we need a theology degree, along with answers to all the big questions of life, in order to have great conversations about faith?<\/h2>

At university, I lived with 6 good friends. One of my housemates regularly challenged me about my faith, often asking some really difficult questions about God, the Bible and what I believed. Most of the time I would start to feel a bit sick, my heart racing, thinking rapidly\u2026and it probably showed on my face! I would often respond with something defensive, which in hindsight wasn\u2019t helpful to me or him.<\/p><\/div>

The truth is, we don\u2019t need to have all the \u2018right answers\u2019 at our fingertips. We don\u2019t need theology degrees to share our faith. Jesus told his disciples, \u201cWhen you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.\u201d (Luke 12:11-12, NIV).<\/p>

God loves it when we partner with Him to share His good news. He longs to work through us, and whilst it might be tempting to judge ourselves on how \u2018well\u2019 we think we\u2019re doing, it\u2019s so important to remember that it\u2019s the Holy Spirit who brings people to know Jesus! I don\u2019t always remember to ask God for His help in conversations, but I should. Let\u2019s ask the Holy Spirit to be guiding us and giving us the words to say, enabling us to share our faith in any situation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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An opportunity to listen and learn<\/h2>

Much of the time, sharing our faith actually starts with listening – really<\/em> listening – to the person we\u2019re chatting with. Conversations are a great opportunity to hear a person\u2019s thoughts and demonstrate our love for them by engaging with what they say. We may not have all the answers, but we can certainly show up, listen and pray!<\/p>

I have come to realise that my housemate\u2019s challenging questions were actually a great opportunity for me to go and read up. In hindsight, I wish I had considered responding to the questions I didn\u2019t have answers to with something like, \u201cyou know, I\u2019m not sure about that one. But I\u2019m glad you\u2019ve raised such a big question, and I\u2019d love to pick this topic up again when I\u2019ve been able to read and think more about it!\u201d How great would it have been if I had used these questions to grow in my faith, and potentially have more helpful discussions with my housemate as a result?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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If we don’t need a theology degree, what do we need?<\/h2>

Talking about life\u2019s big questions isn\u2019t the only way to share the good news of Jesus – in fact, far from it. Living my real, messy life alongside others can be really significant. Even when I don\u2019t have all the answers, my friends see me continuing to live in the hope of Jesus.<\/p>

In the Bible, Paul shows that he had a really simple message. To the Corinthian churches he said: \u201cWhen I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing<\/strong> while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified<\/strong>.” (1 Corinthians 2:1\u20132, NIV). Paul says he did not come \u2018with eloquence or human wisdom.\u2019 To love Jesus is already a witness to those we meet, and to know the good news He brings is more than enough to share our faith.<\/p>

There are so many ways to help others discover Jesus – from sharing your story, praying for someone, and connecting the story of Jesus with daily life. It doesn\u2019t require you to shout the good news of Jesus from the rooftops (although nobody\u2019s stopping you!) It might be as simple as talking openly with friends about attending church last Sunday, or sharing with them something you have been praying about recently. You might feel a nudge to tell a stranger that God loves them, or to offer to pray for them and check in on them a few days later.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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If you love Jesus, chances are you\u2019re already \u2018sharing your faith\u2019 in some way. The way you live will likely already be noticeable to those close to you, and maybe even to strangers you meet. Beyond conversations and debate, there is something significant about living an authentic life. Another\u00a0of my closest friends at university often seemed sceptical about my faith, and didn\u2019t usually seem up for chatting about it. To my complete surprise, she recently announced to me that she had started attending a church since graduating – one similar to the church she knew I attended! I will probably never know how the Holy Spirit may have been working through me in those university years, but I think God often surprises us.<\/p>

We share our faith in all these ways because we love Jesus and we love others. This is such good news\u2026and as it is written in the Bible: \u201cHow beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!\u201d\u2019 Romans 10:15<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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