by Sally Matheny
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| Photo by Pixabay |
Why are some Christians afraid to speak the truth of
Jesus Christ when they are at school, at work, or even at church?
I believe it
boils down to three fears. Fear of rejection, fear of persecution, and fear of
inadequacy. How do I know? A few of them have crept up on me, too.
Let’s consider our “what if” fears and talk about ways to
squash them.
Fear
of Rejection
You’ve heard these—maybe even said a few.
“What if kids stop talking to me, because I’m talking
about Jesus?”
“I could be ostracized in the group.”
“If I talk about God, won’t people say I think I’m
better than everyone else?”
We may see eyes roll, hear snide remarks, or feel as if
we’re invisible. We may be denied access to the popular group at school.
Overlooked for a job promotion.
Former friends now
keep
their
d i s t a n c e.
Rejection may lead to persecution.
Fear
of Persecution
“The kids will make fun of me if they know I’m a
Christian.”
“If I speak the whole Truth, they’ll say its hate speech.”
“No one will respect me. They’ll think I’m a fanatic. I
might even lose my job.”
Persecution to most American Christians means being
singled out, harassed, perhaps bullied.
Persecution to Pakistani, Asia Bibi, meant a beating
for sharing her faith to Muslim women. Imprisoned for violating subsection C of
Pakistan’s 295 blasphemy law - blasphemy against the prophet Muhammad, she was
sentenced to death. The death sentence
was not carried out, but she’s been imprisoned since 2009. Even though she is
sick and misses her family, she will not renounce her faith.
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| Are you afraid you'll not fit in if you talk about Jesus? |
Fear
of Inadequacy
“I don’t know what to say.”
“What if I misquote the Bible?”
“What if my beliefs are wrong?”
Whoa. These are cases of dry mouth, mind, and heart!
What
Can We Do?
No one wants to experience unpleasant responses when we
talk about our faith. Yet, if we never venture to share the hope and joy of
Christ, we’ll never know what could have been. We can’t begin to fathom the
magnitude of God’s power.
The person you think will brutally refute your witness,
may be the one whose heart is being drawn by God. Consider Ananias. He was
apprehensive about speaking to one of the greatest persecutors of Christians.
Ananias expressed his concerns to God, but when God still commanded him to go,
he went. And look how that turned out! (Acts 9)
God doesn’t want anyone to perish. It is not possible
for us to love strangers with the level of love God has, but we must try. The
love we have inside of us for Christ must continue to grow so that it spills
out onto others.
Just telling you not to be afraid may not be enough. My
words may encourage you, but I don’t have the power to put the quietus on your
fears.
In fact, when we obey God’s commands, in spite of our fears, we’re given opportunities
to see the remarkable power of God.
God says in Isaiah 41:10,
“ So do not fear, for I am with
you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
In our weakness, He is strong. We may never fully experience
this miracle, if we don’t step out and speak up about our faith.
I’m sure you’ve heard how God just wants us to tell
your stories. Tell others how God is working in our lives, how we trust Him to
meet all our needs, and what joy and peace we have!
It’s true. Just tell your story.
However, there may come a time when you will be asked
why you believe what you do. Or someone will inquire where in the Bible does it
talk about a certain topic. If you are afraid you’ll misquote the Bible, then there’s
only one thing you can do.
“Do your
best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to
be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
Get into God’s Holy Word every day. Spiritual growth is
extremely slow if you’re taking in a daily five-minute appetizer of scripture.
Spend a good length of time, a half hour, preferably more, so you can get into
the meat of the Word.
Not sure what you believe? Find someone who can mentor
you through the scriptures. Make sure it is someone who believes God’s Word is infallible—all
of it—from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21. Pray and ask God for wisdom in
understanding His Word and how to apply it to daily life.
We can’t share the Truth, if we know it not ourselves. We’re
human. We’re going to make mistakes. Knowing that should make us cry out to God
for understanding His Word. If you’re unsure of something in the Bible, don’t
make stuff up, or twist it to fit your own ideas when presenting it to others.
Simply say, “I’m not sure I fully understand this passage, but let’s
see if we can find someone who does.”
You may want to check into participating in a Bible
study. They’re offered in churches, online, in books, and videos.
Through intentional and continual Bible study, prayer,
and worship, you will grow in your relationship with Christ. When His peace and
joy fill you up, it will drench your “what-if” fears into a puddle.
It's possible to flip around those
what-ifs.
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| Die to self for the sake of one |
“What if no one tells these people about the hope of
Christ?”
“What if our freedoms continue to dwindle because Christians
aren’t speaking up?”
“What if just one person finds peace and salvation
because we shared what Christ means to us?”
Are we willing to die to self, and ask God to squash
our fears, for the sake of one?
I hope so. Or else, I fear we will have many regrets.
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