Thursday, October 16, 2008 Print Article Leave a Comment Communicating Your Faith Pastor Ken Polk
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Mark 16:15, 16 This passage of scripture is commonly known as "The Great Commission." Within this passage we see Jesus instructing His disciples to take the gospel message to the world. In doing so they were communicating their faith (what they believed) to unbelievers in an attempt to persuade lost men to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This charge wasn't for the disciples only, but for every born again believer in Christ. The scriptures often speak to us concerning soul winning. I'm going to share two of those passages with you. The first is Proverbs 11:30 "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise." The second, James 5:20 "Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his ways shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." Jesus while on earth was the master soul winner, consequently, being His disciples we should be soul winners too. We should be willing to convey our faith to others. To become a soul winner I feel there are three essential character traits which must be evident in the life of the believer to effectively communicate his or her faith. Let's examine these three attributes. 1) You must have had a true born again experience: "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received." 1 Corinthians 15:3 Sponsor Ad Paul a true champion of the faith said, I first had to experience salvation to successfully communicate the salvation message to others. While journeying to Damascus Paul had a spiritual encounter with God which changed his life forever. Having been quicken by the Holy Spirit, Paul went from persecuting the church to winning many souls to Christ. Often when sharing his faith he began with his conversion experience (testimony). (See Acts 26:13-19) This type of conviction does not come about by joining a church or being a church member. However, a person who has truly been born again will be eager to share his or her experience with someone else. Your testimony (how you came to know Jesus) has power. King Agrippa was almost converted to Christ after listening to Paul testify about how he met Jesus on a road to Damascus. Your conversion experience is an excellent way to share your faith. 2) You must be carful of the image you portray: "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God;" 2 Corinthians 3:2, 3 As the old cliché goes, it's not always what you say, but it's what you do. The life you live before people can cause your witness to be ineffective. The Bible consists of sixty six books. The believer in Christ is the sixty seventh book. Paul said we are a living epistle read by all men. As people read your life story (the way you live daily before them) you are communicating your faith. As believers we are to be Christ-like. Simply, as we submit to the Holy Spirit who is now the motivating influence of our life, we begin to develop a Christ-likeness. Christians should not conduct themselves in a worldly (carnal) manner. We can't use profanity, smoke, and drink, hit all the hot clubs, and live ungodly before people, and the next day invite them to church. It just doesn't work. When your life story is being read what do people see? 3) You must have a knowledge of the scriptures: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God." 2 Timothy 2:15 For one to effectively communicate his or her faith they must have knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Personally, I feel lack of knowledge is an area of concern within the body of Christ. We can't communicate our faith if we don't know or understand what we believe. People in other religions despite their doctrine being false are well grounded in what they believe. They will stand firmly and defend their faith. They are effective because they know what they believe in. The Christian faith has a risen, living Savior name Jesus, and He is true and most believers have difficulty communicating the faith. Some can't even tell you how and when they were saved. Paul encouraged Timothy to study the scriptures. As Timothy grew in knowledge, he became a strong witness of Christ as he communicated his faith to others. However, the average believer doesn't study, so consequently, they are not an effective communicator of the faith. Remember knowledge is power. Knowledge of the scriptures will only enhance your spiritual experience in Christ. As you go through the week take a self examination and see how you fit within these three character traits. Allow the Holy Spirit to mold your spiritual life into what it should be. We communicate our faith not only by what we say, but also by what we do. Are you a good testimony of Christ? Pastor Kenneth Polk O. 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