What do you like to talk about? For me I love food. I love to cook and I love to eat. I often get people asking me for recommendations on where to eat. I also like to talk about the NBA. While it's pretty easy to engage with people on the topic of food, talking about the NBA isn't as easy. Most people don't watch it as much as I do or just aren't interested in sports. Talking about God can often feel more like that. People might not be as interested or don't have a lot to say about it. Then you toss in your uncomfortable feelings and worries about what they might say and the whole experience can feel weird and challenging. What if we could get to the place where talking about God was a regular part of our conversation? Sharing your faith isn't about making converts or proving a point. Sharing your faith is about giving a reason for the hope so someone else can experience it too. It's an act of love. I mentioned I love food. If I have an amazing pizza, I would tell someone about it and tell them they should try it. Share our faith doesn't have to be any different. As we get a taste of God's goodness we can share that and invite them to try it. 

How do I share my faith? I think we know the ways to not share our faith. We have seen or experienced ineffective, negative, and hurtful ways. Yelling at people on the street, being judgemental or finger-pointing, or speaking in big religious words can often isolate others and turn people off. The best way to share our faith is through relationships and sharing our faith in normal conversations. Don't be weird. Be yourself. Here are a few insights we found in the book of Acts during our Share Your Faith seres:

BE BOLD. BE AVAILABLE
If you look through the book of Acts, the boldness of the disciples and other followers is often mentioned. They face being stoned or put in prison so it requires serious courage. Most of us aren't facing persecution like that. We are often just worried about their reaction and what they might think about us. Let's prioritize other people's eternal destination over our feelings. This is going to require acts of boldness. Boldness doesn't mean we have to stand on the street corner or move to Africa to be a missionary. Boldness is a moment of courage when we feel like we should say something. It just having a moment of courage. It starts with making ourselves available. Would you pray this prayer: "God show me opportunities today to share my faith."? If we pray this and then look for opportunities and listen to others and God's nudges, we will have moments to be bold.

BE INTENTION
We all have unique relationships and opportunities. What if we were more intentional with them? Every people we connect with is an opportunity. Consider going to the same check-out person at the grocery store, going into the gas station and connecting with the people who work there, and building relationships with other parents on your kid's team inside of just sitting off by yourself. Beyond our normal friends, families, co-workers, and neighbors, these are all opportunities to connect with others and share our faith. Be intentional in this relationship. When we build this relationship, be intentional and look for opportunities to share. One thing I used to do when I worked in a shop was to read my Bible on my lunch break. It was an open door but people would ask me what I was reading and they would open to door to a conversation about God. 

BE PREPARED
1 Peter 3 says to be prepared to give a reason for the hope we have. I think this verse because it doesn't say we have to have all the answers. If someone asks you odd religious questions, you can easily say "I don't know about that but here is a way I have hope". People can argue or disagree with your story or experience. Think through these questions: What is something you know or have learned about God? What is something you have seen or experienced? If we have a couple of answers to these questions and we think through them ahead of time, it helps us to be prepared. Then when we have a moment of boldness, we have something to say. 

For more insight, check out our series on how to share our faith here.