{"id":30844,"date":"2022-09-10T15:06:45","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-reasons-christians-stay-silent-about-their-faith\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:06:45","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:06:45","slug":"3-reasons-christians-stay-silent-about-their-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-reasons-christians-stay-silent-about-their-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Reasons Christians Stay Silent about Their Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"
Andrea Piacquadio photo – Pexels <\/p>\n

By Scott Hildreth<\/em> <\/p>\n

Most Americans are interested in conversations about Christianity, but few Christians seem willing to talk about their faith, according to a recent Evangelism Explosion study conducted by Lifeway Research. <\/p>\n

Why aren\u2019t Christians more willing or proactive to discuss their faith? <\/em>In my years teaching evangelism in the local church, on the mission field, and in academic settings, I\u2019ve learned there are several reasons Christians are silent about their faith.<\/p>\n

1. Christians stay silent because of a desire to be friendly<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Evangelism is a loving act of telling someone why you have hope in a broken world. It\u2019s talking about something (or someone) important to you. However, for too many, evangelism conjures a negative image; it feels unkind.<\/p>\n

We have no problem talking about our kids, grandkids, new cars, or even a television series we\u2019re watching. But when it comes to talking about Jesus and the difference our faith makes in our lives, we freeze. We\u2019ve accepted the idea that evangelism is unfriendly, so we remain silent.<\/p>\n

Evangelism practiced in love and with a winsome personality would be a welcome part of most conversations and friendships. \u2014 @dshildreth Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

Research shows 51% of Americans say they\u2019re curious and wanted to know why faith is important to others. In other words, the cringe is inside us. Evangelism practiced in love and with a winsome personality would be a welcome part of most conversations and friendships.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

2. Christians stay silent because of fear<\/strong> <\/h3>\n

It\u2019s human nature to avoid uncomfortable things. In fact, it keeps us alive. For many, evangelism is a frightening prospect. I\u2019ve observed this fear takes three forms.  <\/p>\n

Fear of failure<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Mohsin Shafique, \u201cFear of failure is the number one reason people don\u2019t set goals or try new things.\u201d An article in the LA Times<\/em> noted fear of failure plagues 31% of adults. This is greater than the fear of spiders (30%), being home alone (9%), or even ghosts (15%). Instinctively, we know most of our conversations about Jesus will not end with someone confessing faith in Christ. If we define a successful evangelistic conversation as one that ends in new birth, we\u2019re setting ourselves up for failure, something most of us would rather avoid.<\/p>\n

What if we understood that successful evangelism is a cooperative effort with multiple people and multiple encounters\u2014sowing and watering, then reaping when God gives the growth? \u2014 @dshildreth Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

What if we shifted our definition of successful evangelism? What if we followed the guidelines given by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 where he writes:<\/p>\n

\u201cI planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor\u201d (CSB).<\/p>\n

What if we understood that successful evangelism is a cooperative effort with multiple people and multiple encounters\u2014sowing and watering, then reaping when God gives the growth?<\/p>\n

With this new definition, failure is almost impossible.<\/p>\n

Fear of not knowing enough<\/strong> <\/p>\n

We usually couch this fear in a sentence like, \u201cI am afraid someone will ask me a question I don\u2019t know the answer to.\u201d This is a legitimate concern. The Bible is a big book, and there are so many complicated theological and ethical questions that no one can really know it all. However, we can\u2019t let this fear keep us silent.<\/p>\n

Unanswered questions rarely, if ever, keep someone from becoming a Christian. After all, you\u2019re a Christian, and not knowing the answer didn\u2019t stop you from trusting Christ. \u2014 @dshildreth Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

Consider:<\/p>\n