Welcome to Fearless Witness—1/25/2010

Have you ever seen a "Live Strong" bracelet (pictured left)? Perhaps you have even worn one yourself. I see these everywhere: athletes, teens and adults walking down the street, and even children. I even use to wear one a long time ago. The idea is something that resonates with us: Live Strong. Do not give in. Use your strengths. Rely on yourself. I started thinking about this entire concept recently during a witnessing encounter I had with five young people.

Contrary to what people may think, the fear related to evangelism never goes away. I have been witnessing for ten years now and still struggle with my stomach contorting itself into a nervous knot at the thought of sharing the gospel. I know men of God (far, far bolder than I) who have been witnessing longer than I have been alive, and they still struggle with nervousness.

This was the case while I walked through a mall this past Saturday while witnessing with some friends of mine. I wandered around, and eventually noticed a group of young adults sitting down talking in the mall. One of them was wearing a T-shirt supporting the band “Slayer”—a satanic rock group that says things in their songs such as, “Is war and greed the master plan?/The Bible’s where it all began/Its propaganda sells despair/and spreads the virus everywhere/…I’ve made my choice 666.” Interesting. This same song contains other blasphemous lines about the Savior I would not post here.

Seated next to this young man was another named Chris. Chris had a number of tattoos, one of which sported a cross. I handed him a tract and asked about the tattoo. He told me it was for his grandfather, who had passed away a year ago today. Let’s pause for a moment. Folks, isn’t God incredible? This young man, desperately needing the truth, was dealing with pain over his grandfather dying exactly a year ago. There are no coincidences with God, only divine appointments and conversations.

After introducing myself to Chris, the young man in the “Slayer” T-shirt, and the other three present, we had a fascinating, 45 minutes conversation about God, the Bible, and eternity. At the end of the conversation I gave them each a copy of Mark Cahill’s One Heartbeat Away and my e-mail address.

What does any of this have to do with Lance Armstrong? I would like to tell you about something very interesting that happened during this conversation. After about 20 minutes, Chris’s friend said to me, “Dude, your shaking!” It was true. When I get nervous, I shake. And even though I relax after a while, I usually get the “shakes” at least a little bit before I witness. The young man nicely reminded me I do not have to be nervous and he respected what I was doing (by the way, did I mention this is the same young man who wore a Satanic T-shirt? Do not be intimidated by looks. Walk by faith, not by sight). At the end of the conversation he shook my hand, said he respected what I was doing, and appreciated the conversation.

I am so thankful God uses the weak. The people who are nervous and may even shake at the thought of sharing the gospel. I thank God He did not say you had to be fearless and unshakable to share the gospel. If being fearless and free from nervousness are qualifications for evangelism, I know I do not qualify. Neither does Paul. I love what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:1-4:

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

No matter how many times I read it, I cannot get over those verses. Paul, the greatest evangelist of all time (except Jesus Himself) struggled with fear and much trembling! I once read a quote in a book on evangelism that said something along the lines of, “Fear is proof we do not trust in God.” If that is true, Paul did not trust the Lord. Fear is not lack of trust; it is a fact of evangelism that should drive us to our knees, relying on God’s Spirit, and not on ourselves.

After the conversation with Chris and his friends, I thanked God that He is willing to use my weakness for His glory.

My challenge to you is this: live weak. Do not strive to live strong in your flesh. Live weak! And in your weakness, allow God’s glory and power to shine through you. Heed the words of Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.

Do not lean on your understanding. Do not lean on your strengths. I guarantee you God’s strength is far greater than yours. My prayer for everyone reading this is that we will trust fully in God, and live weak for His glory.