Be BOLD in Telling Others About Jesus

The Bible tells us throughout the New Testament that we are to be BOLD in telling others the good news of Jesus Christ. If we are obedient to God’s Word, then we will choose to love people, including strangers and enemies. In loving others, we will want to give them hope and share with them the amazing news that Jesus loves them and died for them so that they can have eternal life. There is absolutely nothing in our lives that is more important than sharing the gospel with everyone we know and everyone we meet.

But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love. Acts 20:24 NLT

Do we really want to boldly proclaim Jesus to others? Or do we just want to do it when it feels comfortable and easy? Can we honestly say that we are being obedient to God’s Word by telling the good news to everyone? These are questions I have been asking myself for quite some time now. I have been praying and asking God to help me to be bold in sharing Jesus. No fear! Not holding anything back.

People Need to Know

Time here is short, and people need to know about Jesus. The world will point them away from Him, and believe me, the world is working hard at it. So it is our job to point them toward Him. WHY are we keeping Jesus a secret? Why are we afraid to put it all on the line and tell everyone how good God is?

Bold: not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff

Dictionary.com

To me, being bold in telling others about Jesus means finding a way to share Jesus in some way with everyone I know, everyone I meet, and everyone I interact with. I think many Christians are too comfortable with the status quo. They feel good about where they are with their relationship with Jesus, but they don’t really want to rock the boat with other people, friends, and family members who don’t know Jesus.

The Bible commands us to spread the good news, tell everyone about Jesus, go into all the world, make disciples, and love others with the love of Jesus. If we ignore these commands, we are knowingly being disobedient to God’s Word, which is a sin.

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. Romans 1:16 NLT

Are we doing everything we can to get people into heaven? Because the devil is doing everything he can to get people into hell.

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Sharing the Good News Needs To Be a Priority

Ask yourself this question – What is the main reason why you are not being bold in your witnessing about Jesus? Is it because you are not sure how to go about doing so? Or are you embarrassed or afraid they may ask questions you do not know how to answer? For me personally, the main reason was because I thought that the other person had probably already heard about Jesus, and therefore I thought, “what could I possibly bring to the table?”

I used to think that I did not have anything to add to what people already knew about Jesus. I realize that I was wrong. Nowhere in the Bible does it say, “Spread the good news of Jesus Christ only with the people who have not already heard.” In the United States, most people have at least heard the name of Jesus. However, that does not mean they have really heard about Jesus and how he loves us so much that he died and rose again for each and every one of us.

We live in a country where Jesus’s name spoken without fear of persecution like the early church faced. To be a Christian in the early church meant persecution, such as stoning, beatings, torture, crucifixion, and death. To be a follower of Jesus meant giving up everything. Even fear of imprisonment did not prevent the apostle Paul from preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. How much are we willing to give up to follow Christ and be a BOLD witness for Him?

Don’t Deny Jesus

We read about the disciple Peter, and we think it was so awful that he denied knowing Jesus three different times. Yet we do that every single day when we fail to tell others of our relationship with Jesus.  In that way, we are more like the disciple Peter than we care to admit.

Some people are afraid to speak of God at work, fearful that they will get in trouble or worse, lose their job. People are afraid to stand up for the name of Jesus in our country and in our communities, but not for fear of persecution in the physical sense. We are afraid of what people may SAY about us…words, MERE WORDS! We are afraid we will be shunned by others, picked on, or talked about. So we say nothing.

Then we go to church on Sunday morning and fellowship with other Christians, pray, and worship. However, when we walk out of those church doors and go out into the world, we often try to blend in and look like the world so we won’t be rejected and labeled as a Jesus freak. We fail to carry the good news with us for fear of how we will be viewed by others. And whether we like it or not, that is a sin.

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations. – Matthew 28:19 NIV

Pray and Ask God for Help

Even when there is no real persecution present, it can be difficult to share the good news of Jesus. I am the first to admit that sometimes sharing my faith can be scary. But if I am sold out for Jesus, “scary” is just a bad excuse..an excuse that I need to pray about. Sometimes it seems hard to find a way to bring it up in conversation without it seeming awkward or sounding pushy. However, when we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit lives in us and will give us the courage and the words we need if we call upon Him.

That means we need to be in constant prayer that God will lead us in every personal encounter and guide our every word. We should pray every day that God will open up opportunities for us to talk to people about Him and that He will speak through us so that we will say the right things with the right tone of voice. Pray asking God to take away any fear we may have about sharing the good news. The more we tell others about Jesus, the easier it will become.

Here’s what Paul wrote to Timothy in his final letter while he was in prison awaiting his death sentence. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self discipline. So you must never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. 2 Timothy 1:7-8 NLT

Jesus Understands Rejection

When we tell others about Jesus and how He has ransomed us, given us hope, and an eternal life, some people will reject us and the good news we are sharing. They may even tell us they have heard it all before and aren’t interested. Do not take it personally and do not let it cause you to stop sharing your faith. You are being obedient to God’s Word. If we do what God has commanded us to do, He will take care of the rest.

Also remember that Jesus Christ was the most rejected human being that ever lived. He was perfect in everything he did and in every encounter with other people. Yet, they still hated him, wanted him dead, and ultimately killed him. Jesus understands how it feels to be rejected.

If Jesus, in his perfection, was rejected by people, then we can expect to be rejected as well. But we can’t let that stop us! Jesus did not allow fear of rejection to stop him from doing what he was called to do. He did exactly what his Father wanted him to do even though he knew that it would bring him much pain and suffering. He was obedient to God, and we should be as well.

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. – John 15:18-19

How Can We Tell Others About Jesus

**We can Witness With our Words

And then he told them, Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. – Mark 16:15 NLT

It is vitally important that believers make it a priority to tell others about Jesus Christ. We need to be actively looking for opportunities to talk to people about the good news.

Pray with others.

When someone you know is going through a tough time, ask them if you can pray with them. Ask God to meet the need of your friend and to bring her out of this difficult situation he or she is in. Praying with someone can open a door for that person to want to know more about Jesus.

You can also create a prayer list and keep it with you. I keep one in my notes section on my phone. Whenever someone shares their struggles with me, I just add it to my prayer list on my phone.

Point everything back to Jesus.

Whenever God answers your prayers or touches you in some special way, tell people about it. When someone asks you about your recent problem, tell them that God is good and that He is holding you by His victorious right hand. Tell them when God has answered your prayers. After you recover from a sickness and someone asks how you are feeling, say “Praise the Lord, I feel good!” Even if your prayer hasn’t been answered like you wanted, tell them you are still praying about it and trusting God.

Keep your speech pure.

Let everything you say point people back to Jesus. Do not participate in gossip or any kind of harmful speech. Don’t use curse words. Keep your words and your conversation pure so that non-believers will see that your speech is set apart from others. If you go along with others who are bad-mouthing people, even in secret, then you will damage your witness for Jesus.

If you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way. – 1 Peter 3:15

**We Can Witness in How We Live Our Lives

Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16 NLT

Throughout the New Testament, we are told to live our life in a way that honors God and shows others that Jesus lives in us. Our lives are the testimony. We need to set ourselves apart from the way the world lives. If we talk about other people, insult others, or seek revenge when we have been hurt, then non-believers will not see Jesus in us.

However if we choose to love and do good to others, even those who have hurt us, then people will be able to see that something is different about us. They will be more likely to seek out the reason or ask about our faith in God.

Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do and he will bless you for it. – 1 Peter 3:9

**We Can Witness By Using Our Spiritual Gifts and Talents

What gifts or talents has God given you? God has given everyone a special gift of some sort. Some of you may be thinking that you do not know what your God-given talent is. However, 1 Peter 5:10 says that we all have a gift.

God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you. – 1 Peter 5:`10 NLT

So that means that YOU have a gift. This verse also says that we are to use our gifts to show generosity to others. We can use our gifts to help others, encourage them, and tell them the good news of Jesus Christ.

Take some time to think about your gifts.

What is something that you are good at or something that you enjoy doing? Think of something that people have complemented you on or a good character trait that people have observed in you. Maybe you are great with kids or love elderly people. Some people have teaching ability, while others have good leadership qualities.

Maybe you have the gift of empathy, and you are able to care for or comfort those who are hurting. You could call those who are going through a difficult time to lend an ear or a shoulder to cry on. If God has provided you with the necessary resources, your gift may be giving… giving of your money, time, or other resources. Maybe you have the gift of hospitality and are able to provide others with a warm, welcoming environment in your home.

There are obviously more gifts that I have listed here. You just need to take some time to think about your strengths and things you enjoy. God created you with a special gift, talent, skill, or character trait that can be used for His kingdom. You can utilize that gift in a unique way to tell others about Jesus. If you are unsure, pray asking God to reveal to you what your God-given gift is.

**We can Witness Through Our Suffering

Every single one of us goes through some kind of suffering in our lives. It may be sickness, financial hardship, grief, a problem in our marriage or with our children, an issue with our job, and so on. How we handle the problem speaks volumes about our relationship with Jesus. Do we give up or do we declare God’s promises? Do we lose our faith or do we dig in and grow closer to Jesus?

God allows His children to go through the fire, so that we can lift up others who will go through similar sufferings. When a believer goes through tough circumstances but does not waiver from their faith, that is a testimony to a non-believer. The believer may have been hurt, confused, and tired from their difficult situation, but they continued to lean on Jesus as their rock. They “lived to tell the tale” and ultimately the gospel too!

Paul and Silas

Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned for preaching about Jesus. They were lying on a cold Roman prison floor, wounded and bleeding, but they were singing praises to God. Instead of complaining and shaking their fists, they were praising God in the midst of their agony. The Bible says that the other prisoners were listening. Can’t you imagine what those other prisoners were probably thinking. I imagine they were thinking, “How do these guys have any joy here in this awful place? If this God they are praising is the reason, then I want to know more about him!”

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. – Acts 16:23-25

If we can praise God in the midst of difficult circumstances and share our joy with those around us even when struggles are pressing in, people will take notice. There will be someone who will take an active interest in what we have, and an opportunity will present itself for us to share Jesus.

Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Psalms 96:3 NLT

Spread the good news because it is truly good!

Pick Up Your Sword!