we have to fight through it in spite of how we feel. That does not mean it will be easy to overcome timidity, but it will be fulfilling and a reflection of our spiritual maturity.
This doesn’t mean you have to change your personality to share the Gospel! It’s true there are some people who are naturally bold and outspoken, while others are quieter and gentle. God created all personalities, and He has uniquely equipped you to share the Gospel in the way people around you need to hear it. You can speak up in a way that’s authentic to you and how the Spirit is leading in the moment. We Lose Sight of Christ Our personal fears and characteristics are not the only reason we don’t talk about Jesus. The Bible is very clear that if we love God, we will keep His commands. We are unequivocally commanded all through Scripture to evangelize. If we are unwilling to trust God to help us share the message of His love with others, we need to consider whether we are really in love with Jesus. If we were, we would prove it through our actions. While that might be a difficult truth to come to terms with, know that you are not alone. Every Christian feels the tension between the flesh and the spirit; sometimes we desire what God desires and sometimes we want what we want. But we know, as 2 Corinthians 5:14 says, that Christ’s love compels us. When we experience His love and fall in love with Him in return, we are moved to share that with others. We Don’t Know How When we think of evangelists, we may conjure images of people walking the streets with megaphones. These people are not likely to bring many people to Christ and may discourage our efforts because we don’t want to evangelize in this way. We should keep in mind that although their method is unnatural, these people are still to be applauded. They, too, are aware their strategy isn’t effective, but they don’t know a better way. So out of courage and their love of God, they continue to do as they have been commanded. Rather than letting their method hold us back, we should be inspired by their courage and identify a better way to share the love of Jesus. We can do this by becoming students of the people, approaching them as friends, and preparing ourselves by practicing our testimony and spending time in prayer and God’s Word. We Don’t Want To Be Hypocritical Finally, we must refuse to allow our own sin to hold us back from evangelizing. Because none of us are perfect, we sometimes fear we will be perceived as hypocritical if we point out another person’s sinfulness and need to repent. But we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). This is all the more reason to share the Gospel, and it allows us to relate to the people with whom we’re speaking because we understand the need for a Savior. Without Him, the penalty for our sin is to be separated from Him forever. This should make talking to people about the love of Christ and the sacrifice He made to atone for our sins the most natural thing we can do. If we are not willing to tell others about the love and forgiveness we have experienced, it may indicate we are not concerned with others and their eternity. Therefore, we live selfishly and far away from God. If we are truly following Christ, He will make us into what we are called to become...fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). If we’re not following Christ, we can be sure we aren’t fishing. But conversely, if we’re not fishing, we have to ask ourselves if we’re really following. Because it’s what we’ve been called to do, it’s not only unnatural, but it’s impossible for any thriving disciple of Christ who If you’re struggling to evangelize, lean into Christ. Remember His love for you, and let Him compel you to action.
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