“I don’t have anything to be thankful about at all!” Julie, a high school Junior, through tears, was almost desperate as she almost shouted at me.
I could tell that she was very upset and, frankly, I didn’t have any words to help her feel better, so I just sat there, not breaking eye contact, still and silent. After what seemed like an eternity—but probably more like one minute or so, she sighed sharply, like someone had pinched her, and laughing loudly proclaimed,
“I’m sorry Mr. O. I didn’t mean to snap on you. None of this is your fault at all. It’s not your fault that my parents just got divorced and now…I’ve got to deal with the nightmare of Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years! You know that Thanksgiving used to be my favorite time of year? I loved it because we purposefully didn’t buy presents for each other and were just thankful to just…be together…now we won’t be able to be together like that ever again…” her voice trailed off and she began to softly cry again. “What have I got to be thankful for anymore…?”
The Most Happiest Time of the Year?
During this time of the year (Thanksgiving and especially Christmas), “The Holidays” people feel a despairing sense of depression, hopelessness, and helplessness. As a Christian, this is the most opportune time for me to share the Gospel with them. People’s minds, hearts, and souls have been pounded into submission. They are marinated, so to speak, in the chaos, emptiness and shallow culture of consumerism at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
To me, Christmas is the most exciting time of the year for two reasons:
I get to celebrate the birth of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
I get to share Jesus—extra!
Christmas—The Most Opportune Time
The makers of products to assist people in getting (and not getting pregnant) are part of a multi-billion-dollar industry! For example, ovulation tests show the user when is the most optimal time that their body is ready for pregnancy. In the same way, this time of the year, the culture is most primed to be the most receptive to the good news of the gospel.
Blaise Pascal, the French Mathematician and Philosopher, keenly observed:
And the writer, C.S. Lewis, in his landmark book Mere Christianity, put it like this:
Lastly and best of all, King Solomon, known as the wisest person ever to have lived, was not jaded, but realistic about life without God, when he wrote in his journal:
“‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless’” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, NIV).
This sad reality is felt most acutely during Thanksgiving and Christmas—and this is the perfect time for the gospel-focused Christian (which we all should be) to pounce!
Following Orders!
Jesus made it very clear to His followers that they should be sharing Him with others any and every chance they get. Don’t believe me? Check out His marching orders to His disciples:
‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.’ Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ (Matthew 5:14, 15; 28:18-20, NIV).
Not only are we completely sold out to the idea of sharing Jesus, but we want to be clever, smart, and discerning about with whom, how and when to share Him. Listen to the instructions Jesus gives to His disciples:
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:16-20, NIV).
Last of all, Jesus warned His disciples that not everyone they share Him with will appreciate and see the value in the gospel message, by painting this memorable and stark picture:
“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:6, NIV).
Why Don’t We Share?
There are only three reasons that I can think of why we don’t consistently share the gospel:
- We’re scared: we don’t share the gospel because we’re afraid that people will get angry at us or get offended by us—or worse, we’ll get into some sort of trouble at work, etc.
- We’re not prepared: we don’t share the gospel because we don’t know the best way to do it or any way to do it. It’s foreign to us and we don’t really ever feel that this is a skill that we can truly master.
- We don’t care: we are Christians in name only. We are lazy and apathetic about our own relationship with God—and therefore, the same applies to how we view our world.
Now that we’ve been instructed and warned by Jesus about how, when, and with whom to share Him, how do we do it? Since we’ve learned the three reasons why we don’t share the gospel, what’s the most effective way in which to do it? Does the Bible give us any examples of how to do it? Yes and no.
Let me explain.
The Bible gives us a wonderful example of what I feel is the easiest and most natural way to share the gospel, though it’s not the only way. God wants you to just share. If you do that, then He’ll take care of the rest, but first, we must do our part.
How to Share The Gospel: Witnessing 101
In the end, not sharing Jesus or changing the truth to make it easier to swallow are both unacceptable to God. He wants us to be bold—not rude—but honest, respectful, gentle, direct, clear, and concise.
It’s not hard to do. In fact, if you have a daily, real relationship with Jesus, then it should be easy. I’m married and I’m in love with my wife, therefore, I find it very easy and natural to go on and on all about her wonderful qualities. In fact, my wife jokingly states, “Omar, you talk about me as if I walk on water!” And I do because I love and adore my wife. Do you have that kind of relationship with Jesus? I certainly hope so.
There are really only three steps in the formula for witnessing. We find this in the Apostle Paul’s example of how he witnessed it in Acts 22 & 23:
- Start with talking about your life before you accepted Christ.
- Then talk about how you accepted Christ.
- End with talking about your life now, after you accepted Christ.
When you share your testimony about what you’ve seen, heard, and experienced, both in your life before and after knowing Christ, you are a first-person witness. This is why Christians call the act of telling their story “witnessing.” You can’t give your testimony if you haven’t actually been a witness yourself of Jesus.
Additionally, when you tell your story, you need to keep these three things in mind:
- Listen to the Holy Spirit.
- Be real and honest.
- Be ready for results.
Every time a person is a witness to others about their relationship with Jesus, there is always a response (sometimes good, sometimes bad). What I’ve found is that when you share the gospel honestly and with power, people’s hearts will either melt or harden; it may not happen right away—or even in your lifetime, but God promises that if His Word is shared, it will not be in vain (Isaiah 55:11).
Homework—for Him!
Now that I’m done talking about theory, let’s put it into real-life application. I have a homework assignment for you: write your testimony and give it to another Christian so they can give you some constructive criticism on it. Then make any necessary changes and start to pray what I’ve heard referred to as the Three Openings Prayer:
God, open an opportunity for me to share my testimony, open someone’s heart to your Holy Spirit, and finally, open my mouth and give me the boldness and courage to share the lifesaving and life-changing message with somebody else.
Shine!
Now that you know what you should do, and how to do it, get going and shine for Jesus! There’s a lost world out there waiting, no, literally dying to see the clear, bright light of God’s grace, power, and salvation.
Realistically, you may feel like your testimony isn’t anything spectacular or special—but it is, because it’s yours and no one else’s!
This Holiday season, go on and do as the truly deep words of that popular children’s song reminds us:
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
