You Don’t Have to Be Good at This to Start

Say the words share your faith to most Christians and you can watch them tense up.

What if I say the wrong thing? What if they ask a question I can’t answer? What if I make it weird?

Here’s the good news: you don’t have to be good at sharing your faith to start sharing your faith.

Jesus Sent the Doubters

After the resurrection, Jesus gathered his disciples on a mountain. Matthew includes a detail we tend to rush past: “When they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted” (Matthew 28:17).

And what did Jesus do with these less-than-finished disciples?

He sent them anyway.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Not once you’re certain. Not once you’ve got all the answers lined up. He gave the Great Commission to people who were still wrestling with doubt. And he sent them anyway.

We tell ourselves we’ll be ready one day. One day we’ll know enough, feel confident enough, stop feeling awkward. But that’s not how following Jesus works. Obedience usually comes before confidence. Not after.

Even Paul asked people to pray that he’d have the words and the courage to keep preaching (Ephesians 6:19). If Paul needed help opening his mouth, you’re in good company.

Start Small

Forget waiting until you feel like an expert. Just do the next small thing.

Ask if you can pray for someone. Try it: “I know you’re going through a lot. Can I pray for you right now?” People turn that down far less often than you’d think.

Invite someone to church. Keep a card in your wallet or your purse. When the door opens, all you need to say is: “This is my church. We would love for you to visit us one Sunday.”

Tell someone your story. You don’t need a dramatic testimony. You need one sentence: “Can I tell you what Jesus has done in my life?”

Share the gospel. You don’t need a seminary degree or a thirty-minute presentation. You need four words:

God. Man. Christ. Response.

God made us and loves us. We sinned against him and can’t save ourselves. Christ came for us, died for our sin, and rose from the grave. And God calls us to turn from sin and trust in him.

That’s the gospel. That’s enough.

You’re Not the Point

You won’t be able to answer every question. That’s fine. “I don’t know, but I’ll look into it” is a perfectly good answer.

The goal is not to impress people with what you know. The goal is to introduce them to who you know.

And notice how Jesus ends the Great Commission. After sending ordinary, doubting disciples into the world, he doesn’t leave them with a technique. He leaves them with a promise: “I am with you always.”

You’re not doing this alone.

You might stumble over your words. You might feel like you’re terrible at talking about your faith.

That’s okay. You just have to start.