As a Christian I am often times amazed at how reluctant we are to share the good news about Christ's salvation with others. We live in a world desperate for the message we could share, but we are reluctant to speak it. The world needs an answer, heck every living person needs the answer to a fulfilling, peaceful and loving life and we have it. Why don't we shout it from the rooftops?
I think that you will find this statistic interesting:
In 1993, 89% of Christians who had shared their faith agreed this is a responsibility of every Christian. Today, just 64% say so—a 25-point drop.Moreover I find the results of this Barna study to be very informative:
A growing number of Christians don’t see sharing the good news as a personal responsibility. Just 10 percent of Christians in 1993 who had shared about their faith agreed with the statement “converting people to Christianity is the job of the local church”—as opposed to the job of an individual (i.e., themselves). Twenty-five years later, three in 10 Christians who have had a conversation about faith say evangelism is the local church’s responsibility (29%), a nearly threefold increase. This jump could be the result of many factors, including poor ecclesiology (believing “the local church” is somehow separate from the people who are a part of it) or personal and cultural barriers to sharing faith. Yet the most dramatic divergence over time is on the statement, “Every Christian has a responsibility to share their faith.” In 1993, nine out of 10 Christians who had shared their faith agreed (89%). Today, just two-thirds say so (64%)—a 25-point drop.
Christians today, more than 25 years ago, perceive social barriers to sharing their faith. They are more likely to agree that faith-sharing is only effective when they already have a relationship with the other person (47% vs. 37% in 1993) and to admit they would avoid a spiritual conversation if they knew their non-Christian friend would reject them (44% vs. 33%). They are also more likely than Christians in 1993 to say they are unsure whether “most non-Christians have no interest in hearing about Jesus” (28% vs. 5%).
Researchers asked if there are conditions that make a conversation about religion unacceptable. Non-Christians tend to have more of a “buyer beware” stance when it comes to religious conversations. They are also more likely to say talking about one’s religious beliefs is “always unacceptable” (7%) than practicing Christians (3%) or non-practicing Christians (1%). On the flip side, practicing Christians are twice as likely as non-Christians to say there is never a time when sharing religious beliefs should be off the table—that is, spiritual conversations are always acceptable (26% vs 12%) non-Christians.
When it comes to specific conditions that make talking about religion unacceptable, non-Christians are again the most cautious. Six out of 10 say a person must not share if their religious beliefs are “disrespectful or judgmental” (61%). Beliefs perceived as disrespectful or judgmental are the top reason sharing views on religion would be uncalled for: about half of all adults agree (48%). This is the case for all faith categories, including Christians, but they are less likely than non-Christians to say so. Practicing Christians seem to be more concerned than other groups about what’s going on inside the person who is sharing; 41 percent say talking about faith in anger makes sharing unacceptable. Other common barriers are when “someone has asked you not to” and “if the timing is inconsiderate.”
I was very tempted to post the entire report because I believe it to be very informative. The whole Barna report can be read here - https://www.barna.com/research/sharing-faith-increasingly-optional-christians/
The counter response to the findings of that report can be found in this article from CSB:
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20
Sharing the good news of the gospel isn’t simply a suggestion. It’s a command that Jesus set out for us: to be the catalyst for eternal heart change in our neighbors and throughout the world as we share God’s Word with others.
Romans 10:14 says, “How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” This passage goes on in verse 17, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” We most clearly hear the message about Christ in Scripture, and so we know that discipleship does not occur apart from the Word.
What a charge to be faithful in sharing God’s Word and the story that he has fulfilled through Jesus, of bringing those far from him into fellowship with him! For all who have experienced God’s saving grace, may God’s Word bubble out of you like a hot spring! After all, God’s Word is meant to be shared. I love that God gives us a promise, that when we obey and share, his Spirit will do the rest. We can rest in knowing that God’s Word will not return empty, but it will accomplish what God pleases (Isaiah 55:11).
God could have found many conduits to deliver his message, but he chooses to allow us to join him in the work. It is an honor to be able to share the story of God’s grace and mercy that has been revealed to us in the Bible. May we love God’s Word so much that we cannot keep the good news to ourselves: this is one message we can share that never grows stale!
“The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever” (Isaiah 40:8).
And may we be found faithful to our Lord’s command.
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