by Tim Cullison, first year resident

We don’t need to know everything about our Christian faith in order to share the gospel. Yes, the more knowledge we have regarding our faith, the better we are equipped to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have. But the truth is, on this side of heaven, we are not going to know everything that pertains to the Bible. Your personal testimony is all you need to share your faith.

Consider John 9. When Jesus healed the blind man from birth, He made some mud with His spit and told the man to go wash in the pool of Siloam and the man obeyed. And the man came home seeing. Then the Pharisees did not believe him, ultimately kicking him out of the temple grounds. When Jesus heard that he was kicked out He found him and asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

At that time the man didn’t even know who Jesus was. When Jesus revealed Himself, the man believed and worshipped. The man had absolutely no spiritual knowledge. He just knew he was blind and now could see. As Christians, our eyes have been opened. We have God’s word and His promise that he will be with us always. We need not be intimidated by our lack of theological training.

The people of Israel knew the blind man, and they saw that after his encounter with the Master, he was changed. As Christians we have had an encounter with the Master and people should see a change in us. This change is an open door to share your testimony.

It is crucial to be open and honest about who you were before coming to faith in Christ when sharing your testimony. If we are open and honest, people will be more willing to share their struggles and open up a dialogue where we can share the hope that is within us. Being real with people will foster trust, encouraging them to open up.

In some cases, you might say to yourself, “I do not know if I can trust this person I’m talking to.” This is where discernment comes into play. In some instances, you may need to share more than you would with others. If you have been healed and delivered from your past, that should not keep you from sharing your struggles. The world is looking for genuine, caring, honest people. If we can take off the “mask” and reveal to people that we are not perfect but not satisfied with staying a spiritual infant, it will draw people closer to the light of God.

Let’s say you have developed that rapport with someone and can share the gospel freely. Now what? There are many great tools for making gospel conversations easier, including the 3 Circles gospel conversation guide. It is simple to understand and easy enough for a caveman to teach others how to use it. (No offense to any cavemen who might be reading this!) If you do not know how to use the 3 circles training guide, watch the video below, then go here for more information.

I encourage you to take a look and practice the 3 Circles a few times with someone you know and then “go fishing for men” out in the open water and tell your gospel story. Who knows? You might land a really big one!