From Claim to Proclaim

Do you know anyone who claims to be a Christian but his or her life rarely shows any evidence of it? You know the type. If you corner him on the subject, he’ll tell you he’s a Christian. But outside that conversation, his spiritual life seems hidden from view. In short, he claims Christ, but he doesn’t proclaim Christ.

Maybe this describes you.

What are some of the things that hinder our claim from being proclaimed? Here’s a list of things people say when they’re reluctant to proclaim their faith in Jesus Christ. Maybe you’ve said one or more of these things from time to time. I know I have. These obstacles prevent us from becoming regular proclaimers of our faith. If you think of more, please leave me a comment below.

“I’m waiting for the right opportunity to share.”

God provides us with many opportunities to share and proclaim our faith. Sadly, we’re often too distracted to notice. We pray for open doors, but then we don’t even see the doors that have been open all along. Many times, we don’t move into conversations about Jesus because He is not part of our regular daily disciplines.

Here’s what you can do: Start every day in conversation with the Lord. Begin each day with prayer and a devotional reading. Meditate upon His character throughout the day. Keep yourself spiritually tuned throughout the day, recognizing Him in everything you see and encounter. As you do this more and more, you’ll find that conversations about God come about naturally. You won’t be waiting for the right moment to talk about Jesus to your friends, because He will be on your lips constantly.

“I don’t know how to explain it.”

The greatest thing that can happen to you is that God can reconcile you to Himself through the work of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we hesitate to talk about it because we don’t know how to explain all these deep doctrines we hear about in church.

Here’s what you can do: Write out your personal testimony. Describe what you were like before Christ saved you. Without boasting in the sins of your past, describe what things you chased after. Then talk about the moment in your life where your thinking changed. Where were you? What Scripture did you hear? What things did you learn about yourself and Jesus that changed everything? Finally, what has your life been like since you got saved? What do you live for now? What struggles do you have? What helps you to press on each day? Once you have this testimony written out, share it with people. Before you know it, you will have become an expert proclaimer of your faith!

“My story just isn’t very interesting.”

Not everyone has an intensely dramatic testimony of faith. Maybe you weren’t rescued after a tragic life experience, or from prison, or from a deep battle with drugs or violence. Most people are saved from settings that Hollywood producers might consider “boring.”

Here’s what you can do: Stop trying to add adventure to your salvation proclamation. Remind yourself that if God has saved you, then you’re a walking miracle. There’s nothing more exciting than the fact that God created life where there was none before. Before you knew Christ, you had no spiritual life. But God quickened your cold and dead heart. That is the most amazing story you could ever tell. Let Hollywood have its dramatic movies. You can proclaim a miracle!

“I’m not confident when it comes to debates.”

This is perhaps one of the greatest pitfalls that Christians stumble into when sharing their faith. They get caught up in debates over religious differences or doctrinal issues. Face the facts – there will always be someone cleverer than you, ready to talk about dinosaurs, cavemen, or space aliens. If you enter into pointless debates with them, it won’t take long before you’ve been cornered, leaving you hesitant to proclaim your faith in the future.

Here’s what you can do: Stick to the facts of your life. What has God done with you? How has He changed you? Let other people debate other religions or the end of the world. Focus on that which you know – that you were a helpless and hopeless sinner until you were saved by God’s grace.

“I’m afraid that my friends will make fun of me.”

The fact of the matter is this – if you are a Christian, you will be mocked, scorned, ridiculed, rejected, and persecuted. Jesus Himself experienced all these things, and He told us that if we follow Him, we should expect the very same treatment.

Here’s what you can do: Accept the fact that the Christian life is one that is rejected by the world. The sooner you come to grips with this, the easier it will be to deal with scorn from even your closest friends. Remember that you were once like them, rejecting God’s Word and God’s people. Remain compassionate towards them. Your patient attitude might be the very thing that causes them to listen to your testimony.

Remember that “…the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor.1:18).