“If they are going to be bold about sin, then I am going to be bold about Jesus.”
Our most recent guest on the Ask About My Faith podcast, Evangelist Matt Brown, shares incredible stories that may inspire you to share your faith with love and boldness.
Matt Brown is the author of Truth Plus Love and a full-time evangelist through his ministry, Think Eternity. He lives with his wife and their four kids just outside the Twin Cities.
From a young age, he witnessed his mother fearlessly lead countless people to the Lord. God called him into ministry when he was only eight years old and, in high school, he received his call to evangelism. But he was a shy kid, afraid to step out and have faith conversations with strangers. Fortunately, God knew how to help him overcome that fear.
Share Your Faith Boldly by Pushing Through Shyness
“The more you do it, the easier it gets.”
Most of us have experienced a form of shyness when it comes to sharing our faith. Whether in a one-on-one conversation or speaking to a large crowd, sharing your faith and communicating the gospel is a vulnerable act. You expose yourself to ridicule or questions to which you don’t know the answer.
Matt Brown is an experienced evangelist who has shared the gospel with thousands, but also struggles with shyness. As a kid, he was timid, but God called him an evangelist. Shortly after receiving that call, he was invited to minister on the streets of New Orleans during the biggest party of the year, Mardi Gras.
He was a sheltered kid, but the Holy Spirit stirred within him. He began sharing his faith boldly with everyone and anyone on the street. Supernaturally fearless, he walked up to partiers and boldly asked them if they knew Jesus. He wasn’t always met with positivity, but many received the message with open arms, and he was able to pray with them.
That trip transformed him. He was still relatively shy, but saw God move through his boldness. He realized that he didn’t need to be the bold one; he just needed to let the Holy Spirit take over and be willing to follow His lead.
Related Post: 3 Reasons Why Your Faith Story Matters
Live Your Faith Boldly
“So much of evangelism needs to be God prompting you at the right time to say the right thing and to give people the right words.”
During our conversation with Matt, he shares multiple incredible stories of sharing the gospel in his sphere of influence. He talks about Jesus in an Uber on the way to his hotel, in the dental chair with a mouth full of novocaine, and on social media.
One of the most inspiring stories was from his high school years. He deeply desired every student in his school to hear the gospel. He planned to stand on a table during lunch on the last day of school and preach the gospel to all his classmates.
With prayer and support from his friends, he bravely got up on the table and preached a short gospel message to all his peers. He thought he would be booed or laughed at but was met with applause instead. After, about sixty of his classmates approached him in the halls, and he was able to pray with each of them.
Related Podcast: Justin Gaspar and the Drive Thru Attendant
Using Social Media to Spread the Gospel
“Every single one of us needs to be engaged in this great mission. God’s called each of us to do it, and you can have great influence.”
Social media is one of the easiest ways to share God’s love within our spheres of influence.
Through his ministry, Think Eternity, Matt Brown shares powerful faith content through podcasts, blogs, videos, and more. Depending on how bold you want to be, you can use your social media platforms to share God’s love and truth in countless ways. He offers some great advice during our conversation.
You could share a video testimony, a verse, or Biblical thought. It doesn’t need to be the whole gospel. Just share what God has done and is doing in your life. Your followers know you, and hearing about your faith will impact them more than a random person they have no connection with. Follow up your post with a comment that allows them to learn more about the gospel.
It’s unlikely you’ll learn the full scope of the impact you have when you share God through social media, but that’s ok. You don’t need to see the fruit. It’s not about you. It’s about them finding their place in Heaven.
Related Post: 4 Crucial Tips for Sharing the Gospel
A Piece of Advice About Bold Evangelism
We end every podcast by asking our guests for advice for our listeners. Our entire conversation with Matt Brown was full of incredible advice. However, there were a few key takeaways.
It’s not about me, you, or us.
God is using the gospel to transform people’s lives. The weight isn’t on us. The weight is on the word of God and the gospel’s message. The simple truth of the gospel gets stuck in people’s souls and, even if nothing happens at that moment, the gospel will linger in their hearts.
“With evangelism, you need to trust that God does show up, and He did show up, whether or not you felt it.”
You won’t always feel confident, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.
The more you step out and boldly share your faith, the easier it becomes. But just because it gets easier doesn’t mean it becomes easy.
“You need God to show up. You need to put yourself in situations where it’s not gonna go well unless the Lord shows up.”
But the best advice was this:
Stay connected to Jesus.
“As I stay connected with the Lord and His mission and His heart… I’m more open and ready for His promptings and want to see a revival in the lives of people in his city.
With all this great advice, how do you plan to step out of your comfort zone and be bolder when you share your faith? How will you share God’s love in your sphere of influence?
