This post is the first in a six-part series, 6 Barriers to Sharing Your Faith—And How to Overcome Them, taken from the book, Lit Up with Love: Becoming Good-News People in a Gospel-Starved World by Derwin L. Gray. If you like what you’re reading, you can click through to the next post when you’re finished reading this one.
If sharing the gospel with other people is meant to be a way of life for a disciple of Jesus, why do most of us not share our faith? Lifeway Research offers some insight from their study of unchurched Americans: Despite the openness and relationships with Christians, few unchurched Americans have ever had someone explain exactly how to become a Christian or why they should think about doing so. Only 3 in 10 unchurched Americans (29%) say a Christian has ever shared with them one-on-one how a person becomes a Christian.
What keeps us from doing this? Theologian Ken Boa, in his book, Conformed to His Image, suggests that most followers of Jesus do not share their faith because of six common barriers:
- The Barrier of Method
- The Barrier of Fear
- The Barrier of Inadequacy
- The Barrier of Indifference
- The Barrier of Shame
- The Barrier of Time
Note: Derwin Gray changed Boa’s Barrier #5 from A Barrier of Isolation to A Barrier of Shame.
Before I talk about these six barriers, let’s adjust our mindset. These barriers aren’t walls; they’re invitations. When you’re lit up with love, you know that barriers are opportunities to press deeper into Christ and rely on the Holy Spirit’s power.
When you choose to let God walk with you past the barriers, three things will happen:
- You will fall deeper in love with Jesus because you will discover how good it is to rest in his indwelling presence. (Read John 15:5-8.)
- You will be sensitive to God’s missional heart to reach the lost.
- Your confidence as an everyday missionary will flourish. Instead of trying to do God’s job, you will let him do his job through you
The Barrier of Method
The Barrier of Method Evangelism, which is sharing the gospel, is often associated with high-pressure sales techniques, and that’s an understandable barrier for a lot of us when it comes to sharing our faith. Jesus isn’t a product we’re selling, and people shouldn’t feel pressured or like we’re just trying to “close the deal.” Here are a few unhelpful methods of sharing Jesus with the lost that turn even Christians away from conversations about faith.
The Flame Thrower. This person is on a college campus or downtown in a city near you. They are experts at spewing hate at people who don’t know God. Instead of offering friendship to sinners like Jesus did, these misguided people are offering condemnation.
The Big-Game Hunter. This person is looking for the next head (convert) they can place on their trophy wall. They are not driven by the love of Christ; they are driven by ego.
The Awkward Guy. This person doesn’t read the room—they barrel forth like an unbroken horse into conversations about Jesus. In my early years of following Jesus, I was this guy. I had so much zeal but not the spiritual maturity to connect well with people and share the gospel. I was moving in my own strength, not the Holy Spirit’s—which made me awkward when sharing Jesus. (Remarkably, people still came to faith in Christ!)
The Faker. This person knowingly waters down the gospel to make it appealing to the lost. They present Jesus as a self-help coach. Instead of sharing how Jesus overthrew sin, death, and evil, they make him sound like a divine butler.
The Body Slammer. This person puts an intense amount of pressure on people to follow Jesus. Once a pastor told me he led a man to Christ while in a public bathroom. I found myself thinking, He probably said yes so he could use the restroom in peace!
Yes, Scripture tells us that the gospel is offensive—but our approach to sharing it doesn’t have to be. (Read 1 Corinthians 10:32.) Sadly, we as followers of Jesus can become offensive in how we talk to people who don’t know him—bringing judgment or condescension, or treating them like a box to check on our Jesus follower to-do list. The gospel is offensive because grace is offensive: The fact is, we are sinners in need of a Savior, and there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. When I first heard that I was a sinner in need of a Savior, I was offended. Like most people do, I said, “I’m a good person.” Only when the Holy Spirit gave me eyes to see that only God is good and that everyone has sinned did I become aware of my need for Jesus. righteous-making Savior named Jesus. He is the Lord of the universe. And through faith in him, you can be rescued from darkness and brought into his marvelous light!
When you’re ready, read on about The Barrier of Fear.
Derwin L. Gray
Dr. Derwin L. Gray is the co-founding and lead pastor of Transformation Church (TC), one of the fastest growing churches in America. TC is a multiethnic, multigenerational, mission-shaped community near Charlotte, NC. Pastor Derwin and his wife, Vicki, have been married since 1992 and have two children: daughter, Presley, and son, Jeremiah. He is a bestselling author of several books including The Good Life, Limitless Life, God, Do You Hear Me?, Building a Multiethnic Church, and How to Heal Our Racial Divide.