Chapter 1 A Consecrated Life - Far Eastern Bible College

that when it comes to the subject of sharing our faith, we become afraid,
because we do not know how to proceed in giving an accurate, easily
understood message that will lead men to Christ. What should we say
first? How do we handle the difficult questions that the person will ask,
and so on.
To overcome this fear we should try to acquire some training and
even practice in sharing our faith with others. But aside from just
learning the skills of sharing the gospel, we also need to develop a sense
of excitement about the message we are sharing. It is the good news of
salvation! People everywhere need to know it. We should never grow
weary or tired of declaring this good news.
Looking at Philip, we notice that he never seemed to get tired of
preaching the same glorious life-saving message of the Lord Jesus
Christ, to tell again and again the wondrous story of how Christ has
redeemed sinners. In verse 5, we find Philip preaching Christ to the
Samaritans. He seemed to have been asked to speak at a group meeting
and was not afraid to use the opportunity to present the gospel message
to them. In verse 35, we find Philip doing personal evangelism. Here he
was, out in the desert, alone with an Ethiopian official who happened to
be reading the Old Testament. Philip was always ready to witness,
whether it was to many people or just to one person.
Sometimes in our conversations with our non-Christian friends and
loved ones, we find it difficult to bring up the subject of Christ. The
things we usually talk about are our work, the weather, the problems of
day to day life, or about people we know. How do we change from
talking about these things to talking about spiritual things? It is not easy,
and it takes some effort. We need to find a transition point, which will
help to steer the course of the conversation in the direction of salvation.
This transition point can take the form of a question.
This was precisely what Philip used when he approached the
Ethiopian official. As Philip came near to the chariot, he may have been
wondering: “How am I going to introduce the subject of the gospel to
this person. I am a total stranger to him, and he does not know me. I
can’t just come out of nowhere and say to him, ‘Believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.’?”
36 A Consecrated Life