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Bible Studies Everyday Christian Life
Sharing Your Faith
How to talk about what you believe without a script, a pitch, or an argument.
How to talk about what you believe without a script, a pitch, or an argument.
What you’ll explore
- 01 What Jesus actually sent his followers to do
- 02 “Always be prepared to give a reason”
- 03 “With gentleness and respect” — the half that gets dropped
- 04 Telling your own story plainly
- 05 Answering a question you cannot answer
- 06 Friendship over campaigns
- 07 Leaving the result alone
What Jesus actually sent his followers to do
Read Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8
The commission is to make disciples — baptising and teaching — which is longer and slower work than getting a decision. It is framed by his authority at the front and his presence at the end. Acts adds that they will be witnesses, which is a word about testimony rather than persuasion.
“Always be prepared to give a reason”
Read 1 Peter 3:15-16
Peter assumes somebody will ask — the reason is requested, not volunteered. Preparation here means having thought about why you believe it, not memorising a presentation. The instruction begins with honouring Christ in your heart, which is where the credibility comes from.
“With gentleness and respect” — the half that gets dropped
Read 1 Peter 3:15-16; Colossians 4:5-6
The same sentence that tells you to be ready tells you how: with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience. Paul says let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt. Winning an argument and losing a person is a real and common outcome.
Telling your own story plainly
Read John 9:25; Mark 5:19; Acts 26:9-18
The healed man says he does not know the answers to their questions — "one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see". Jesus tells the delivered man to go home and tell what has been done for him. Paul, given a hearing before a king, tells his own story. This is the form of testimony that requires no training.
Answering a question you cannot answer
Read Acts 8:30-31; Proverbs 18:13
"I do not know, but I will find out" is an honest and respectable answer, and it keeps the conversation open. Bluffing gets found out and costs more than the admission would have. Whoever answers before listening is a fool, says Proverbs.
Friendship over campaigns
Read John 4:7-30; 1 Thessalonians 2:8
Jesus’ longest recorded conversation with an individual starts with asking a favour and proceeds by questions. Paul says he was ready to share not only the gospel but his own life, because they had become dear to him. People are persuaded inside relationships far more often than inside events.
Leaving the result alone
Read 1 Corinthians 3:6-7; Mark 4:26-27
Paul planted, Apollos watered, God gave the growth — neither planter nor waterer is anything. The seed grows while the sower sleeps and he does not know how. Responsibility for the outcome was never assigned to you, and taking it on produces either pride or despair.
Questions to sit with
- Could you tell your own story in three minutes without jargon?
- Has anyone asked you a question you dodged instead of admitting you did not know?
- Who are you actually in relationship with outside the church?
Every passage in this study
Go deeper
Where this connects
This study sits inside a larger story. Read the passages above in their own books, and follow the thread back through Scripture as a whole.