Overcoming The Fear Of One-On-One Witnessing

Too frequently I have passed up opportunities to share the gospel. I’m not talking about the times I’ve looked back on a situation and suddenly realized that God gave me a perfect opportunity, but I did not recognize it. I am talking about those times when I know, clearly, this is an opportunity, and I don’t take it. I just could not get the words out. It’s nearly always because of pride, which manifests itself as fear.

Recently, I as I read through Paul’s letter’s to the Corinthians, I was struck by the fact that he, clearly one of the best examples we have of a witness for Christ, also struggled with fear and pride. Thankfully, his words can help us overcome these self-imposed feelings. Below are a few of the verses that helped me recently to share the gospel with a lost person. I hope they help you the next time you have an opportunity to share the good news of the gospel.

In 2 Cor 1:3-4, Paul tells us that God is “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction...” The word for affliction can also mean crushing pressure, something we perceive as extremely difficult to overcome, such as fear welling up inside. Paul says that even in times like these, God is merciful, and comforting, even to the point of abundance (v5)! Imagine that. We can trust in God to fill us comfort to the point of overflowing!

In 2 Cor 1:8, Paul describes the mental and physical torment he suffered from, so much so that he and his companions were “burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;” What was the source of this suffering? Was it similar to what we face today: the fear of asking a question, or of having someone get annoyed and walk away, or to refuse to speak with us? No, Paul’s torment was real and physical. He believed he was to suffer a horrific execution for his evangelism.

How our fears pale in comparison! Thankfully, we can depend on the same God to deliver us that Paul depended on to deliver him. Paul did not rely upon clever mental tricks, or smooth language, or in-depth study. 2 Cor 1:9-10 says Paul and his companions purposely minimized their own abilities “so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope.” God has the ability to save anyone, at anytime, from any peril. Trust Him. Set your hope in Him. Allow Him to conquer your fears.

Is there any fear we should cling to, that we should hope for? Oh, yes, but it’s a fear that God can use to save the lost.

2 Cor 5:11 says, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men…” Paul clearly understood what faced men after death, “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” (Heb 9:27) The fear we should hope for is a genuine fear in the heart of the person we share the gospel with. Our fear should be nothing, their fear should be all consuming, leading them to realize that without God’s mercy, offered through Christ Jesus, they will face a God of wrath on Judgment Day.

Once you cling to the hope that others will fear God, then the love of Christ will control you (2 Cor 5:14) not a self-imposed fear of man. That’s when you will join the ranks of the “ambassadors for Christ” (v20), to become one of those who represent the One who sent them: not in fear, but in resolve and obedience.

From the letters to the Corinthians, we see that Paul clearly understood his hope as a forgiven child of Christ. You too can claim these promises and victories, such as 2 Cor 3:12, “Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech...” to give up your fear to God and boldly share the gospel with the lost.

Just as their is no place for darkness in light, there is no place for fear in true faith, hope, and obedience. (John 8:12, 1 John 1:5)

Two Amazing Witnessing Opportunities

You've probably heard people say that if you are willing to share the gospel, Christ will create opportunities for you, especially when you pray for such opportunities. This became amazingly real to me recently.

Remember: We should be more than willing to share the gospel if we love love Christ and those around us. As Christians, both should be acts of obedience and thanks.

In Matthew 22:36-39, Christ answers the Sadducees question about the greatest commandment. He says, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'"

One way to love the Lord is to obey His commandments (John 14:15), and there are a number of commands in the Old and New Testament about sharing Biblical truth, especially the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Back to my story.

In June of 2008 a dear friend of ours was involved in a serious car accident, and nearly died. For this article, we'll call her Beth.

Beth is a sweet young woman, and we love her dearly. But, we had never shared the gospel with her.

She had attended church, so we assumed she was a Christian. I have learned, however, that this is not a safe assumption. There are many people who attend church every week, but do so out of obligation, or obedience to the parents, or because it's a great place to socialize. I once met a man who regularly attended church because it was a great place to acquire clients for his real estate business.

During recovery, Beth was in a coma for several months. My son and I decided that once she was able to interact and understand, we would share the gospel. We did not want to take another chance that she might die without hearing the gospel.

Now that my son is off at college, the responsibility fell to me. As the weeks went by and she continued to improve, it became obvious that Beth was lucid enough for a conversation about eternal matters. So, as the day approached for a visit, I prayed that I would have an opportunity, and that I would be bold and obedient enough to take it.

We have gotten into the habit of reading from the Bible after each lunch with Beth. So, as lunch wound down, I silently prayed again for an opportunity, and for boldness. We completed reading the passage from the Bible, and followed that with a short discussion. "Now," I thought, "is the time." So, I asked Beth, "If you had died in your accident, what do you think would have happened next?"

Beth smiled.

For any Christians who are reading this and are afraid to share the gospel, read that again.

Beth smiled!

What a blessing you are missing if you don't share the gospel. What a wonderful reward when you share the gospel with someone and they appreciate it, understand their predicament and trust in Christ, or share your love for the Lord.

Beth and I had a wonderful conversation about our standing before God, our need for the Savior, and salvation. I prayed for the opportunity, God provided one, and then blessed the encounter! Even more important, I now know for certain that Beth will one day be in heaven with us.

But, that's not the end of this story. You see, Beth has a mother, and it suddenly dawned on me: I don't know if Beth's mom is a Christian.

Next time... as Paul Harvey says... "The rest of the story!"