After discovering a piece of good news, how long does it take you to share it with someone? Seconds, minutes, hours, days? If you're anything like me, it's somewhere in between seconds and minutes. When we hear about something good that can benefit other people, our normal reaction is to tell them about it.
The Gospel is the greatest good news that we've ever received, but some of us are yet to talk about it's importance with those who are unaware of it. If we're truly passionate about our faith and God's love for us, it's not only logical that we share it with others, it is our duty to do so.
In Luke 12:8, Jesus says: "I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God." Telling others about Jesus is one way in which we openly declare that we believe in him. But even though we know it is the right thing to do, we may hold back from sharing our experience of Jesus' love for us because we are afraid that we don't have the words to convey the message. However this is something that we should not fear as Jesus goes on to say: "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say," (Luke 12:11-12).
So, if we believe that we'll know what to say but aren't sure when to say it then church provides us with an appropriate setting. Inviting someone to church can give them the chance to ask questions about God and experience his presence for themselves. Extending an invitation to a friend, colleague or acquaintance enables them to develop a first-hand understanding of what church is.
We can also be afraid to give our testimony because of our projections of what those listening will think or say. We can't control other people's responses but by giving testimony with "gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15) we can do everything within our power to make them feel comfortable as they hear it. By pre-empting people's reactions to our testimony we divert the attention away from the message and onto ourselves, the messenger. And what matters most is the message.
The existence of Christian persecution around the world is a harrowing occurrence, but it isn't a reality for the majority of us. Bearing this in mind, along with our duty to share the good news, isn't it rather selfish to take for granted the freedom we have, and keep this all to ourselves?
