Evangelism: Breaking the Silence

Another booklet from RBC Ministries is How Can I Break the Silence? Why do we find it difficult to break the silence about the best news and most important Person the world has ever known? Here are a few reasons:

The Nature of Unbelief. Many people are not only unaware of their need of Christ (they assume they're doing just fine without Him), but they are also predisposed against Him. Talking to them about the Lord is like trying to sell an expensive medicine that the AMA has branded as dangerous and fraudulent. They've heard rumors. They don't think they need it. They don't want to open themselves to a discussion or an argument that they feel might result in their being pressured into making a decision they don't want to make.

The Christian Strategy. A second sound barrier is found in the Christian strategy itself. According to the New Testament, there are times when we are better off not talking. Wisdom shows that there are times when we should let our actions break the ice and create a sense of interest. Peter told Christian wives that they should let their Christian behavior do the talking for them in the presence of unbelieving husbands (1 Pet. 3:1-3). Later in the same chap- ter, Peter told believers that they should endure persecution in a manner that would cause unbelievers to ask questions about their faith. It is implied that the lives of these Christians would speak louder than their words.

A Lack of Relationships. One reason some of us don't know what to say to non-Christians is that we are not spending enough of the right kind of time with them. We are at a loss for words because we have limited ourselves to talking lovingly and meaningfully only to other Christians. The One who came to us as "the Word" gave us a different example. At the right time, He left the comforts of Home to go to the rescue. In fact, He went so deep into enemy territory that He was criticized by some of the most religious people of His day.

A Sense of Inadequacy. Another reason for our silence is our fear of failure. We're afraid we will encounter questions we won't be able to answer and objections we won't be able to handle. This fear is understandable. Few Christians are so well-versed in the Bible, history, or science that they can effectively answer all the questions or objections that unbelievers throw at them. But that shouldn't stop us. God hasn't asked us to tell people what we don't know. He's asked us to be witnesses to what we do know.