WHAT ARE WE AFRAID OF

Romans 10:1 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.

claustrophobia, that's a fear of small spaces.

arachnophobia, the fear of bugs, and then there's the fear of snakes and other critters like that.

Acrophobia: the fear of heights.

Necrophobia: fear of death or dead things.

#1 is Glossophobia, fear of public speaking.

Jesus has called every Christian, young and old, men and women, no matter what, to go into all the world and preach the gospel.

But stats tell us that only 95% of Christians have never led a person to Christ.

20% of church goers have invited an unchurched person to church in the last year.

59% of all Christians say they seldom or never share their faith with others.

Now, why is that? One of the top reasons is the fear of rejection, another would be anxiety.

I want you to discover not the mere duty of sharing your faith, but the joy of sharing your faith.

1. Bringing me to point number one, "Effective sharing starts with caring".

I could talk to you all day long about how to share the gospel, how to start a conversation, how to answer a difficult question and so forth, but really none of that matters if you don't care.

Even worse, we can start seeing nonbelievers as the enemy.

And here's what the Bible says we're supposed to do as believers. First of all, be patient with them. And then it tells us that we should pray that they come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap for they're being held captive by him to do whatever he wants. So it starts with a concern and a burden.

Romans 10, verses 14 to 15. Paul says, "How can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? How can they believe in him if they've never heard about him? How can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent"? This is why this scripture says, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news"?

2. "Sharing the gospel is life-giving to us, as well as the person we are sharing with".

Sharing the gospel is life-giving to us as Christians, as well as the person we are sharing with.

Have you noticed that? Those that have known the Lord for the longest usually share the gospel less, and those that have known the Lord only for a short time often share the gospel more.

Isaiah 58. "Let the oppressed go free. Remove the chains that bind people". Then God makes a beautiful promise. "Then your light will shine out from the darkness and I will guide you continually,' says the Lord, 'And give you water when you're dry and restore your strength. And you'll be like a well-watered garden with an ever-flowing spring.'"

verse 14 of Romans chapter 10. "How will they hear without a preacher"?

Jesus said, "If salt has lost its saltiness, it's no longer good for anything".

Mahatma Gandhi "I don't reject your Christ, I love your Christ. It's just so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ,"

"Sirs, what must I do to be saved"? Paul says, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved, and that goes for your household too," and that man believed right there on the spot.

the people in your life need some good news

especially in a bad world and it’s us up to us to tell them about Jesus

my challenge for you this week. And not only this week, but every week, every day, start a conversation.

Talk to somebody, tell them the gospel if you don’t understand it, talk to somebody before you leave today and understand it so that you can tell others so you can cure the world of the cancer that Plagues this world which is called sin.

Is it the longing of your heart that the people in your life, your world, your city, your neighborhood, your block, your house, your family, your coworkers, is it the longing of your heart that they are saved?

HERE’S WHAT I WANT US TO DO THIS WEEK

1. Find a way this week & be Intentional to Show Honor to someone you’ve seen Working Hard Serving the Lord Jesus & Others in His name. Maybe write them an Appreciation Letter, Email, or Text, give them a GiftCard or Financial Blessing or Gift of some kind, personally Honor them Verbally & Face 2 Face, Treat them to Breakfast Lunch or Supper, or Talk about them in a very Honorable way to everyone around them (& even let them overhear it!)

2. Continue to work at Memorizing Our New Hope Family Core Values Below:

*Acrostic - HUGGS TRAP FUN!!! = Honor, Unity, Grace, Generosity, Serving, Truth, Reaching, Authenticity, Prayer, Fun!!!

*Scripture Assignment this Week: 1. Write/Type following Verses, One Each Day, in your Own Words. 2. Write/Type what God is Saying to You Personally through it. 3. Write/Type what You will Do as a Result. *Mon – Mark 10:43-44, Tue – Mark 10:45, Wed – Philippians 2:20-22, Thu – Philippians 2:25-27, Fri – Philippians 2:29-30, Sat – 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13