Your Faith

Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

How many people in your sphere of influence truly know what you believe? Five? Ten? Hundreds? What about people in your community? Can they tell you the basic tenets of the Primitive Baptist faith? Do they have any idea that your church even exists? These questions can be sobering if we spend much time pondering how many people actually understand anything about what we believe. 

In his opening remarks to the church in Rome, Paul commends them for their large sphere of influence. Their faith was spoken of by others throughout the whole world! At the time of this writing, Rome was the center of the world. Merchants, rulers and foreigners were continually passing through this great city. Much like the metropolitan centers in our own country there would be plenty of distractions, both savory and unsavory, to compete for the attention of citizens and travelers alike. In spite of this, the church was making an impact. This is an incredible feat when you ponder the small size of this body of believers in comparison to other groups and so-called religions that existed during this time. To call those that believed in Christ a minority at the time of Paul’s writing would be a gross understatement! Yet, they major influence. Perhaps all who were influenced by the Roman church did not embrace the teachings of Christ. But they were aware of them and talking to others about it. 

The Bible is indeed worth sharing with others. It is the best news in the world and outweighs any other philosophy or entertainments that the world can offer. It is the good news that Jesus died to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). It is the proclamation that in due time Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6). It offers hope and stability when everything and everyone else fails us (Hebrews 6:19) The word ‘gospel’ literally means good tidings. Why would we not want to share this with everyone that would listen?

In my experience there are a couple of major stumbling blocks to sharing our faith with others. Perhaps we are afraid of what other will think of us. We all want to be liked and the unvarnished gospel message can indeed elicit a negative response from others. If you do not believe this, read Matthew 10:34-35! The gospel forces the hearer to confront their true nature, which can be difficult. Another hinderance is a lack of understanding about what we actually believe. If you are not able to articulate the basic tenets of the Bible to another individual, then you are not adequately grounded in biblical truth! Scripture repeatedly call on the believer to study and meditate on the word of God (2 Timothy 2:15; Psalm 119:11,15). If we neglect this, then we will be unable to give an answer for reason of the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15). 

Whatever the reason for others not knowing what we believe, now is an excellent time to remedy this problem. When we ponder the suffering that Christ endured on our behalf, any possible persecution that we endure for His name’s sake is acceptable. He suffered the wrath of God in our stead! Peter even wrote that this is a desirable thing (1 Peter 2:19). Other passages teach that we should be willing to endure persecutions in the name of Christ. Lord help us to be bold in sharing our faith!

As we enter a new year may we also re-commit ourselves to diligently studying God’s word. It is time well spent! It is hard work, but very worthwhile. Effective study occurs through a systematic reading of the Bible and also taking time to meditate on specific passages of scripture. We are also blessed with understanding when we sit under the preached word in public assembly. It is high time to dig into God’s love letter to His people!

All of us have opportunities to share our faith. It should start in our homes. One of God’s commandments to the Jews as they entered into the promised land was to diligently teach His commandment to their children (Deuteronomy 11). Many of us have a built in audience at home. They should know what we believe. We can also share our faith with neighbors, friends and family as the Lord opens doors of opportunity. Much more can be written about this subject. But for now, my prayer is that we will commit to doing a better job of sharing what we believe to such a degree that our faith would would be more spoken of by others.

Blessings, 

Michael D. Green, Jr.

Fort Wayne PBC