Sharing

I was in a study this week when I started to laugh to myself. We were talking about talking to others about Christ. Suddenly I felt like we were more like a sales meeting at used car dealership than a church. I was trying to imagine under just what circumstances I would feel comfortable laying this longwinded spiel we usually refer to as “the gospel” on anyone, especially someone I didn’t know. Perhaps some of it was my own difficulty in dealing with others, but the whole thing sounded way too artificial.

Let us be honest. We live in a country where the majority of people claim to “believe” in God, whatever that means. There are is no shortage of churches in the US. To make matters worse, there are times when atheists and non-believers put us to shame with their grasp of what true spirituality is, or should be.

Before we even consider sharing our faith with others we must be sure that it is authentic.  Without a personal relationship with Christ we have nothing to share. Forget the formulas and the preprogrammed responses. I can talk about what God’s grace means to my life much more enthusiastically  than I ever could the tired recitations we have all heard before. You never know exactly what the other person needs to hear. The Holy Spirit does.