City Life Starter

• The Word: “The council members were astonished as they witnessed the bold courage of Peter and John, especially when they discovered that they were just ordinary men who had never had religious training. Then they began to understand the effect Jesus had on them simply by spending time with him. Standing there with them was the healed man, and there was nothing further they could say.” (Acts 4:13-14 TPT)

• Reflection Questions

  1. Have you ever stepped out in boldness for God?

  2. If you have, how did you grow in your relationship with God?

  3. If you have not, what do you think might be holding you back from stepping out and engaging with others about the Gospel?

One of the most transformative effects I have experienced since I surrendered my life to Christ is the increase in boldness I have about sharing His love with others. Even after I surrendered my life to Christ, I was pretty reserved. Evangelism used to scare me. The very thought about talking to a complete stranger about something so deep and personal seemed so extreme to me.

But the more I grew in my relationship with the Lord, the more I discovered His heart for people. He wants everyone to know and experience His reckless love. When you understand that, you no longer care about playing your cards right or what people will think of you for sharing your faith. The harvest is ripe with opportunities to illuminate Jesus to others.

For example, when I was in college, I sat next to the same girl every day and we became friends. I’m not sure if she knew I was a Christian, but it never occurred to me to share the Gospel with her. Then one night I had a dream in which this same girl was sitting next to me in class and said “You knew Jesus for 3 years and you never told me about Him.”

I woke up from the dream with a strong sense of urgency to share Christ with this girl but I hardly knew how. Thankfully, I was involved in a strong community of believers and I asked one of my praying friends if she would pray with me for an open door to share Christ with this girl in my class. She agreed and we prayed for her right before class.

When I went to class, I started making conversation with my friend as usual and somehow we started talking about sushi. I told her I’ve never tried sushi, but would like to. Immediately, her eyes got bright and she was like “let’s go to this sushi place for happy hour.” I instantly knew this was the open door I had prayed for earlier.

Later that week, when we went to the sushi place, I asked if she minded if I prayed over the meal. She said not at all and I began to pray. Right when I said “Amen” and looked up, she immediately started asking me questions about my faith. That gave me the perfect opportunity to share my testimony and the seeds of the Gospel were planted. Hallelujah!

There’s something very simple, yet very powerful about telling your story. Oftentimes, even if people don’t agree with what you believe, they will at least listen to your story because it’s your story. It’s not something they necessarily have to agree with to listen to. What’s more, you don’t have to know every Bible scripture or the ins and outs of apologetics to tell your story.

Since those early days of my walk with Christ, I have grown bolder about sharing my story with others. Sometimes it is received well, and other times people treat me like I’m crazy, but the Truth of the Gospel in my testimony remains true all the same.

When you decide to share the Gospel with someone, there’s no way to control what that person’s reaction will be or how that person will view you, but you can approach it prayerfully, listening to the Holy Spirit every step of the way. Whatever happens, you can rest assured knowing the Lord will back you up.

Seeing evangelism as a “team effort” between myself and the Lord takes all the pressure off. It’s not something believers do to earn brownie points with God. It’s something we get to do as an expression of our obedience and love for God. And it’s not something we’re alone in. God will help you reach people because He wants people to come to salvation even more than you do.

There may be people in your life whom you have known for years, but have never shared the Gospel with. For whatever reason, you have just sectioned off that part of your life and because of it that relationship remains at the surface level. Can I invite today to dig a little deeper?

There’s a reason why the people in your life are in your life. It’s not by accident. God has hand-picked you to reach the unbelievers in your sphere of influence. What an honor! Don’t brush off this glorious assignment. Be intentional. Be wise. Be BOLD.

Prayer

Father, thank you for all the unbelievers You have surrounded me with. Please open doors for me to share the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with these precious souls. I don’t want to waste this amazing opportunity. Show me how You would like me to reach out to them. In Jesus Name, Amen.