Do you want to share your faith without fear?
Our most recent guest on the Ask About My Faith podcast, Rick Hoppe, is a pastor at K-LOVE, one of the largest Christian radio stations in the country. He’s had over 20,000 conversations about God with those calling in for help. Rick’s fearless faith conversations are marked by provoking questions about peace, hope, and the afterlife. Keep reading to learn about Rick’s story and how he remains unafraid to share his faith.
Faith and Doubt
Rick grew up in a Christian home, but he always wrestled with the security of his soul. In his youth, he presumed the responsibility of a ‘good-enough’ kid who would do his best to avoid getting into too much trouble. Although Rick understood the Gospel, he needed clarity about whether he was truly saved.
One evening, Rick sat down with his father at the dinner table and felt relief as his dad showed him where the Lord was in the Bible, starting in Genesis. Their conversation came to a halt as Rick asked:
“I need you to tell me that if I ask Jesus Christ to save my life, that He will.”
Without hesitation, his father reminded Rick that if he asked wholeheartedly, Jesus would be his savior. That night, Rick gave his life to the Lord through many tears. When he woke up in the morning, his first thought was “I don’t want to sin anymore.”
Related Post: 11 Bible Verses When You Feel Far From God
Courage to Share Your Faith
Following his salvation, Rick dove head first into his faith. One of the books that catalyzed Rick’s fearlessness was “How to Share Your Faith” by Greg Laurie. After finishing the book, he felt confident to share his testimony with others.
While in college, God presented opportunities for faith conversations with his roommate. Casual talks during tennis practice turned into a Bible study in their dorm room and before Rick knew it, his roommate was ready to give his life to the Lord. To make things even better, the Bible study he’d started eventually grew to 19 people and many of those students surrendered their lives to Jesus!
Related Podcast: How to Find Faith in Every Conversation
To this day, Rick continues to engage in conversational, empathetic, and honoring conversations with those around him, always taking the hopeful posture of, “My search is over!” Rick is eager to share the revelation of Jesus’ peace and the eternal life that only Christ can offer with his neighbors, his coworkers, and even the opposing fans of his favorite football team.
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Questions, Resistance, and Perseverance
Spurred on by the ripple effect of his growing Bible study, Rick and his friend Stewart would go on outreach to share their faith. Rick often asks questions like, “Where do you find your peace?” and “Have you ever had concerns about the afterlife?” to facilitate conversations about God.
Related Post: 7 Questions to Help You Share Your Faith
Each time we share our faith, little seeds are planted in the hearts of those who hear. We may not always get to see them bloom, but we’re not in charge of opening people's hearts: that’s the Lord’s job! We are meant to be a vessel of His love that causes people to turn to God.
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? - Romans 2:4
Advice for Turning Fear into Faith
Rick left us with 5 key tools to become bold when sharing our faith.
Be you.
Rick encourages us all to remember who we are. We don’t need to go into evangelist mode when sharing our faith, we can simply be ourselves!
Show genuine interest.
As Christians, we want to be honest and genuine at all times. Praying for people before your speak, during your talk, and after your talk cultivates honor and love for the person you’re sharing with.
Humble yourself.
Rick reminds us: “conversations not confrontation!” Humility will often look like laying down our need to be right. This applies to our faith conversations and beyond!
Stay away from intimidation.
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. - 1 Peter 3:15
Great sinners, Greater savior.
A simple way to be unafraid is to remember what Jesus saved us from and honor Him as our savior. He wants to show himself in your life and in the lives of those you know!
The Good News we have is for the whole world! As you look to have more faith conversations, you don’t have to fear.
We encourage you to share your faith with one person this week: whether over text, a phone call, or through conversation with the barista at your local coffee shop. Join us as we find someone to honor with the hope of Jesus this week.
