Prayer, Care, Share

There are many different ways to think about sharing the Gospel with others. Last week at our Lutheran Hour Ministries chapel service I was introduced to "Prayer, Care and Share" by Rev. Joe Sullivan, from Pacific, Missouri. No, it's not a revolutionary or earth-shattering idea, but it is a neat way to center our thinking on fulfilling this command Jesus gave us: to make disciples of all nations.

Let's face it. The sharing part is pretty intimidating for most of us. None of us wants to face rejection or drive someone away when sharing our faith. But it helps me to remember the share part comes last.

Prayer is first.

What could be easier than praying for someone in your life who needs to know God's love the way you do. (And what if you can't think of any non-Christians? Pray for God to show you someone He wants you to reach.) Then pray for that person or those people, over and over and over again.

And that brings up a really cool part of this whole thing. Normally you might think of people at work, school, or your next-door neighbors. But what if you have absolutely nothing in common with them? If that's the case, then your hobbies and interests, things you really have a passion for, can be your guide.

For instance, if you're an outdoors kind of person, you don't have to suddenly go to a really uncomfortable place like an art gallery to find someone to witness to. You can talk to your buddy at the state park, or the lake, or the campground. If, on the other hand, you get hives thinking of the great outdoors and you enjoy dance class; then there are plenty of people who share that passion too.

Whatever passion God gave you, that is a natural door to prayer, care and share.

Next, is the caring part.

That's not nearly as intimidating as the sharing part, and it's absolutely vital before we start to share. If a total stranger walks up to me and starts telling me the world is flat, I'll just think he's a wacko and go on my way. His advice or thoughts are worth about two cents to me. But if it's my tried-and-true friend telling it to me, then I'll be willing to really listen and reexamine what I always thought was true.

Caring is the investment that increases the value of the faith you have to share. Even more, when they see the difference that faith, trust and peace brings to your life -- especially in the rough stretches of your life -- they may be begging you to let them in on your secret. Getting to that level of friendship takes time, time spent together, a personal investment of hours.

And then finally, there is the sharing.

Sharing just sounds intimidating, doesn't it? It usually means pushing across a barrier or boundary you haven't crossed with that friend before. That's frightening because you don't know what's on the other side. What if your friend disagrees? It's okay. You don't have to keep pushing; you don't have to give a 15-minute speech or a half-hour lecture on the Gospel. Pray for God to open your eyes to chances to share what Jesus means to you, how He's helped you through life's rough patches.

That leads you right back to prayer and care again. Bring to God the new things you learned about your friend in the time you spent together. Pray about their concerns, their struggles, their worries. Think about similar situations in your life, and how your faith helped -- or how it would have helped if you hadn't tried to carry it by yourself.

Prayer, care, share. It's a pretty good way to knock some of the intimidation out of telling others about Jesus.

Talking to others about Jesus can be a challenge. Then again, we probably make it tougher than it is by thinking it's all about our eloquence, our encyclopedic knowledge, our personality. It's really not about us, except in how we can be a mouthpiece for Him. He will lead. He will empower, if only we will listen.

What do you think about sharing your faith? Tell us by clicking here and letting us know.