Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody

There is something that has been weighing on my heart for quite some time now.  I’ve been praying that I would personally respond better to this very thing that God keeps bringing to my attention. I have faith that He will help us all respond to this better…

It’s something that I know God has called each of us to, it’s dare I say one of the most important things in all of Scripture and certainly in this life! But before I share what it is I’d like for us to look at this simple story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody:

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.  Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.  Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job.  Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.  It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.

There is indeed an important job to do! It’s a job Jesus has given to everyone one of us as his disciples. If you are a Christian, believer, a follower of Jesus, then it’s clearly something God has called you to do:

SHARE YOUR FAITH!

Jesus said, “Go and make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19)

As the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:19-20, “God has committed to us the message of reconciliation, We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”

Or in the Message Translation – “Giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.”

It’s a job that all of us are certain somebody will do, it’s something that anybody could do but very few actually do. Because of it somebody could get angry but instead most everybody simply forgets that everyone is supposed to do it and thinks somebody will do it but it rarely get done. Does this resonate with anybody?

If you’re like me you’ve thought of many excuses as to not share your faith:

-People will see it in my actions, I don’t need to share

-I’m busy

-I don’t need to share with that person, they’re a stranger

-I don’t know what to say or how to start the conversation

-I’m afraid how they may respond

Maybe other thoughts have kept you from sharing your faith:

-It’s not my job

-I don’t know how to

-I’ve never been trained

-I’m a good Christian without sharing my faith

-Other people will share so I don’t have to

Regardless of what thought(s) have kept you from sharing your faith, it’s my hope that we can be honest with each other about them. If we are to grow in this area we need to be transparent with each other, take responsibility and ownership for our thoughts and actions or lack there of. Not to cause shame or guilt but rather to move past these excuses and feel empowered to take action!

If we do not personally respond to God’s call to verbally share our faith with the people we encounter every day we will miss out on all that God has for us! I can recall times when I made excuses not to share my faith and other times when I boldly responded to God’s prompting and made the choice to share my faith. Can I tell you that the joy I’ve experienced when sharing my faith far surpasses the feelings I’ve had the times when I haven’t?!

There are many ways to start a conversation and many ways to share your faith of which I’d like to share only a few:

-Ask people what their world view is, or what their thoughts about God are (you’ll likely then have an open door to share yours)

-Ask people if they need prayer for anything (depending on their response you’ll know if there’s an open door to pray and share your faith)

-Share your story, let them know how you came to faith (then ask them if they have a story or if they would like to have one)

-Invite people to church (Although I personally feel like this is the second step rather than the first I recognize this is a very valid way for people to come to faith so invite away)

Lastly I want to share this little prayer guide (I encourage you to ask God for these 3 things every day) –

1. Open Doors
2. Courage
3. Wisdom

Ask God for opportunities to share your faith! If you start your day praying a prayer like that God will surely answer it! Whether it’s at work, the gym, your doctor’s office, a bank, a store, a restaurant, a sporting event, the beach, etc. Just ask God for open doors to share and you’ll see door after door open wide!

Ask God for Courage to share your faith! He is going to open the doors so make sure to ask him for the courage to walk through those doors when he opens them! He’ll often remind you of others sharing their faith or scriptures like 2 Timothy 1:7 or Joshua 1:9. Just remember if you ask for courage you will surely receive it (Matthew 7:7)!

Ask God for wisdom as you share your faith! Each person is different so although it’s good to have an idea of what you might say invite God’s wisdom to guide you. He promises in Proverbs 3:5-6 that He will lead you and when you don’t know what to say he promises to give you the words (Luke 12:12)!

Remember we have a responsibility to share our faith! We are part of God’s plan to rescue people from eternal torment – there is no plan B! May we be inspired by His love and bold in our speech as we share our faith with the world around us!

“God, open doors for us to share our faith with people around us every day, give us courage to walk through those open doors and grant us wisdom so that we may have the right words to say. We trust you Lord and know that you answer prayer. May your Church see great growth through each of us sharing our faith and more importantly may lives be changed, souls be saved and may you get all the glory in Jesus name, amen.”

Blessings,

John

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