Verses to inspire

A jewel of a verse.
One to memorize.
One to remember and to share.
One that we all "know" at least in our heads . . . do we know it in our hearts?

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:19-20)

Are we afraid sometimes to share our faith?
Are we apprehensive because we "don't know what to say"?
Have we tried, but gotten discouraged, because we shared and "nothing happened"?
Well, never say "nothing happened," because you never know when those words you have sowed will sprout in someone's heart! (Grin)  We can't open someone's heart to the truth, but God can.
But I digress from what I had planned to tell you.

As we will learn this week, sharing our faith is not a suggestion.
It's instructions for living.

One of the best ways to share our faith is to live a godly life. Non-believers often look at Christians and call them hypocritical, because we say one thing, yet do another. We need to model a godly way of living, and we need to show people that we care, too. Spend time with them; help meet their needs; offer to listen when they have problems. (Notice that I did NOT say offer to solve their problems. It's often much more important to listen! I have a real problem with that, and I have to ask the Spirit to help rein me in!)
We may not be able to answer all of their questions, but they will be able to see the reality of what Christ has done in our lives. If we find this is a hard concept, perhaps the Spirit is speaking to us about our own need to walk more closely with Him.

Another important part of sharing our faith is when we pray for those we interact with. If we can't think of anyone who isn't a Christian, pray and ask God to place someone in our lives who needs Him. Then be receptive to the Spirit and look for a chance to speak a word for Christ.

Thirdly, we must make certain that we are studying our Bible. We don't do any of these things for attention; we don't do them so we can check them off our list, just for the sake of doing them. We do these things to help us to grow in our own faith. When we are passionate about our Savior, others will see there's something different about us. They will want to know about it. We can daily reflect Christ, allowing Him to live through us, by using kind words, showing patience and gentleness, choosing to love those who are difficult to love, and treating others with respect.

Romans 10 reminds us that people can't hear the gospel unless they hear the truth. They can't hear unless someone tells them.
How do we do that?
Here's a refresher:
Tell them about God's plan to give everyone peace and life. (John 3:16)
Tell them we have a problem - sin separates us from God. (Romans 3:23, 6:23)
Tell them God provided a remedy for the problem - the cross. (I Peter 2:24)
Tell them how to respond - receive God's gift of salvation. (John 1:12)

 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, (John 1:12)

Encourage them to pray a simple prayer. Rejoice with them that their sins are covered. Urge them to find a local congregation that will assist them in their new life.

"As you go, make disciples....."