Effectively Sharing The Word

I have been involved in some chats, discussing and sharing the Word regarding a lot of different topics. Whenever it came to sharing truth (i.e. what God’s Word says), the people in the chat almost always immediately set about degrading, insulting or discounting what I said. I’m sure that if you have shared God’s truth with others you’ve had the same reaction. At first, I became frustrated because I think I do a pretty good job at sharing concepts in an easy to understand way (at least in my opinion).

1 Cor 2:13-15

These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

No matter how many times or in how many ways I began sharing God’s Word, it appeared the results were always the same. I wasn’t  feeling that I was making any progress. After praying about it for a little while the title Scripture came to my mind and I began to see things from a different perspective. I needed to understand that the lost don’t simply misunderstand the things of God, they can’t understand them – even the basics! Why don’t they see the obvious? Because they are lost! Sharing thoughts and concepts about God’s Word will likely not impress or influence them because these things are not understood with the mind, they are understood with the heart! Until a person becomes sensitive to the Spirit of God, they will never allow these thoughts to take hold. They are ignorant of God and His Word because they are spiritually blind;

Eph 4:17-18

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.

New King James Version

My frustration was getting the best of me because I just couldn’t understand how someone could not believe the gospel! Little did I realize that I was “putting the cart before the horse.” The only way people will believe the Word is if they have a tender heart. The only One Who can make a human heart tender is God, and the only way people will get a tender heart is if someone prays for them! I was trying to get them to believe without doing any preparation. I immediately started praying for these folks, and within a couple days one of them started asking some very sincere questions. My relationship with this person has changed, all because of prayer.

Ever since then I spend as much time praying for someone to be able to hear God’s Word unhindered than I spend actually sharing with them. In some cases, more. I want to encourage all of you to do the same. Take a minute or two every day to pray for someone in particular, and then look for the opportunity to speak life to them. I believe you will be amazed at the results.