In the past two sermons, we have been exploring the importance of being outward-focused, about sharing our story. The first week, I talked about evangelism being what we do. The Great Commission is not an option. It is a requirement. The kingdom of God will be ever-increasing and ever-expanding. We have been given a tremendous opportunity to participate in that growth. However, if we refuse to participate in the Great Commission, we will spiritually die personally and our fellowship of believers will die corporately. Any family that does not experience new births will cease to exist, whether it is a biological family or our spiritual family.
The next week, I talked about raising the bar on evangelism by making sure that we have experienced what we are sharing. People are not interested in our theories about happiness, spiritual healing, and relationships with God. They want to know that what we are sharing, we have experienced.
Today, we are going to talk about what I consider one of the most crucial elements in sharing our story. It is found where Peter says, “Do this with gentleness and respect."
When we share our faith with someone, whether it is a total stranger, your children, your spouse, your neighbor, your co-worker, or anyone else, we're to approach the task with gentleness and respect. This is a command from God's word. It is just as binding as all the other commandments, including "Do not lie" and "Do not steal." We break God's law when we treat people condescendingly. We also break his heart, because He does not want us to represent Him with condemnation and a judgmental attitude.
This week, we are going to look at three ways you can show gentleness and respect when you talk to others about Jesus.
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