Yet hallow the Lord Christ in your hearts, ever ready with a defense foe everyone who is demanding from you an account concerning the expectation in you, but with meekness and fear.
Peter to the Dispersion 3: 15, Concordant New Testament
Back in my church going days, the preaching of the Lord Jesus was a big deal. We had classes on ministry to Jesus, small groups on the ministry of Jesus, discipleship groups and seminars. All geared towards telling others about Jesus. Often, we used Jesus' own words found in Matthew to justify bringing the gospel to the world {Matthews Account 28:19}. I myself was involved in a few discipleship classes designed to give me the appropriate verses to speak to someone about Jesus. Yet, from my own experience, having someone toss scriptures at me was not a positive experience. I realized this every time I hit a rough patch in my life and the first thing my Christian church friends would do is to lob a few scripture bombs my way. I realized all too quickly that simply quoting scripture was NOT enough to convince someone to come to know Jesus. Believe me, I've tried. More often than not, by speaking the bible to an unbeliever would just put them on the defensive. Here was another holier than thou Christian trying to tell someone how to live their life. I started to wonder if I was even cut out for this ministry gig. The more people were turned off by my efforts to speak Jesus to them, the more frustrating it became. So, I tried less and less to tell others about Him. Not long after leaving the church, I began to see Jesus through a fresh perspective through a good friend of mine. The funny thing is, he didn't throw scriptures at me to explain the Lord Jesus. What he did do was to speak from his heart. In his heart, Dennis knew the true Jesus, and he was sharing Him with me. He spoke to me of Jesus as if he were telling me of a cherished friend, which he was. Could this be the secret of telling others about Jesus? The apostle Peter calls for us to "Hallow the Lord Christ in your hearts" when we give an account of Christ Jesus {Peter to the Dispersion 3:15}. How much more passionately can we speak of Jesus than when we really know Him? When we know the truth of the Lord Christ in us, telling others about Him becomes less about church responsibility and more about a social interaction.
"Now whenever they may be bringing you before the synagogues and chiefs and the authorities, you should not be worrying about how or what your defense should be or what you may say, for the holy spirit will be teaching you in the same hour what you must be saying"
Lukes Account 12: 11-12, Concordant New Testament
One thing I realized right away as my friend began to speak to me about the Jesus he had come to know was that he was speaking from the heart. He was being himself. No pressure, no scriptures and no expectations. He was simply telling me about this Jesus he had come to know. In my opinion, we have placed far too much pressure upon people to "Go and make disciples of the world." Were these early followers of Jesus quoting the scriptures to those they ministered to? Keep in mind that in those early days the scriptures as we know them did not exist except maybe for some memories jotted down by the disciples. So, how is it that the disciples of Jesus ministered? They told everyone who would listen of their life experiences with Him. How is it that we're to tell those around us about the Jesus we have come to know? By being ourselves and telling others of our own experiences. Jesus will be well known to this world through the testimonies of those who know and love Him. The physician Luke reminds us that when the time comes for us to speak about Jesus, that the spirit of Christ Jesus within us will be leading us {Lukes Account 12:11-12}. I recently opened a conversation with a man at the gym I frequent who is also a believer. Although he is going through a rough stretch in his life, I didn't throw scriptures at him. What I did do is just be myself and engage him in conversation. This is speaking Jesus to others. This is the true ministry of sharing the gospel of Christ with the world.
~Scott~
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