In our Christian walk we are subjected to all kinds of opportunities to talk to others about our faith. The problem is often our eyes are so focused on the physical world around us that we often overlook these opportunities.
This article therefore is not to be as a guilt trip, rather to help the reader and myself to work through the nature of such opportunities to speak of Jesus.
It is important that we let our eyes be opened to the opportunities that present themselves in order that we may be able to take them, in turn doing the Lord's works.
Quite often it can appear daunting to talk to others about God, especially when you're not very experienced at it, but the best way to overcome this is to start off with smaller steps: start seeing the smaller opportunities that are presented to you and act on them, and through this, God will build you up to be fruitful as he desires us to be.
To be fruitful involves setting our hearts and minds on God's will: It should be noted that being fruitful is not solely talking to others about your faith, but also related to other attributes of Christianity, like repentance (see Luke 3 verses 8-14).
Jesus says "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."(Matthew 4 verse19) and it is as a result of this dedication that we are able to go out into the world and tell people about our faith.
So what is the correct way to approach the opportunities that we see? As with everything, we should consult God about the direction and steps he wants us to take, and we can be sure that he will be faithful with His works.
A prime example of the correct attitude is from 'The Believer's Prayer:' "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness" (Acts 4 verse 30). When we take the step out in faith to approach someone, we need to trust that God will be with us, protect us, and bless our works through him.
Over time you will notice a change in yourself resulting in a greater desire to serve the Lord with more and more of your life. And this is a good thing as it results in the further transformation into the likeness of Jesus: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5 verse 17)
God says he will reward us according to our good deeds, and for us we are able to have a greater joy on Earth knowing this. As it says in James: "Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins" (James 5 verse 20).
With the more time we spend focussed on Jesus, the more of a blessing we receive as a result of seeing his hand in action.
As a result of these things hopefully it should be a lot easier to take the chance, though at first it may be daunting, and talk to others about Christianity, remembering that God does have his plans for us, and he will carry us through the tougher times.
Tim Robertson is from Sydney and is studying engineering at UNSW.
Tim Robertson's previous articles may be found at www.pressserviceinternational.org/tim-robertson.html