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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
4MAT Book Review - Share Jesus without Fear
Submitted
in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the completion of
EVAN 525
Abstract
Bill Fay, Linda Evans Shepherd, and William Fay in their book “Share Jesus
Without Fear” have laid down the framework which shows that Christians can turn to
Jesus Christ at any point in their life. The authors have written the book in a
conversational tone which helps the readers to be comfortable to share their faith in Jesus.
William Fay has presented his jaw-dropping story which shows that one has the
opportunity to turn to Christ for redemption
1
. In the book, the authors have presented a
number of questions and Scriptures that guide the readers to comprehend that they will
feel more comfortable by sharing their faith in the gospel. By sharing the faith in Christ,
individuals are able to get involved in a seamless process that strengthens their bond with
the Almighty.
In the book, Fay has devised a simple and distinct plan so that any conversation
can be shifted to the direction of the gospel. “Obedience” is one of the major themes that
has been used in the book. In fact, obedience has been used as the author’s keyword in
evangelism. The content of the book has been presented simply which helps the readers to
realize the importance of sharing faith in the Gospel with other people. The authors
strongly believe that sharing one’s faith is not about bringing souls to Christ but it is
about obedience through the faithfulness of the Christians or believers.
Fay has stated in the initial section of the book that “success is sharing your faith
and living your life for Jesus Christ.”
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Thus, by sharing the faith in Jesus Christ, one can
help others to strengthen their bond with the Almighty. They will basically get the
opportunity to place their faith in Christ who will lead them to the righteous path of truth.
1
Bill Fay, William Fay and Linda Evans Shepherd, Share Jesus Without Fear (B&H Publishing Group, 1999).
2
Ibid, 17
Response
The book is extremely personal to me in many ways. Fay has highlighted the six
common excuses that people give for not sharing their faith. The excuse “I don’t know
enough” is the excuse that generally comes from an individual who has been a Christian
for over a decade. The other excuses that have been highlighted in the book include I’m
afraid of being rejected, I’m afraid of what my friends will think, I don’t think can share
with my coworkers, I’m afraid of losing my friends and relatives, and I don’t know how.
There have been instances in my life when I have made these kinds of excuses so that I
will not share my faith. But with time, I have conquered must of them. f Today, I do not
have the fear that I will lose my family and relatives if I share my faith in the gospel.
Similarly, I am not conscious of what my friends will think about me when I share my
faith in Jesus.
Reflection
The book “Share Jesus Without Fear” has been an eye-opener for me in numerous
ways. But there are certain sections with which I do not completely agree. Fay has stated
that one of the vital methods to share the faith is to “Read it out aloud”. He has justified
it by stating that faith comes by hearing. I personally believe that faith is something that
comes from within. Just because someone is reading out aloud does not necessarily mean
that the other person is getting convinced by the views that are being shared. For
instance, if the person to whom the Scripture is being read out aloud is biblically
ignorant, then the process might have no meaning for him. f I personally believe that
instead of reading something loudly, it is necessary to share the meaning of something in
a clear manner as it can be more impactful for the listener.
Action Plan
In my life, I want to take a number of actions that the authors of “Share Jesus
Without Fear” have highlighted. The very first thing that I want to do is to memorize the
core themes and questions that have been raised by the authors. In the Appendix section
of the book, the authors have given multiple optional conversation joggers. These
elements can be used for initiating a spiritual conversation with someone. I am a bit
hesitant while sharing my faith in the Lord and the Gospel with strangers. I can refer to
these joggers so that I will be able to effortlessly interact with strangers and share my
genuine love and faith in Jesus.
There are other vital elements that the authors have shared in the book including
“The Five Share Jesus Questions”, “The Share Jesus Scriptures”, “The Five Commitment
Questions”, “Sinner’s Prayer”, “The Why Principle”, and “New Believer Questions and
Directions”. I want to go through all these vital portions of the book in great detail so
that I can share my faith in the Lod in the best way possible.
In the last couple of years, I have been teaching the “Share Jesus Without Fear”
book to community students in a local school. Most of the students are in their early teens
so they are really curious to learn about Jesus Christ. I selected this specific book as I
thought that it would be the appropriate book to increase the confidence in the young
learners to share their love and faith in the Lord in an effortless manner. The interaction
that I had with the students in the class was very personalized as they were asked to give
the common excuses that they generally give in their life so that they do not have to
share their faith in the gospel. In order to make sure that no student attacked others on
the basis of their faith, anonymity was maintained. After all the students had submitted
the excuses that they gave, a thorough discussion was carried out in the class. A highly
engaging session was conducted so that the young children could get an insight into the
common kinds of excuses that they and their peers give to avoid sharing their faith in
Jesus. A majority of the excuses that were given by the students could fit into the
categories that had been presented by Fay in “Share Jesus Without Fear”.
In the future, I want to have such an interactive session with the students. I would
be using “The Five Share Jesus Questions”, “The Share Jesus Scriptures”, and “The Five
Commitment Questions”. I further want to have an interactive session with the students so
that I will be able to know how they are growing and evolving in the spiritual context.
Thus, the next action that I wasn’t to take is to explore the spiritual side of the learners
so that they can be more forthcoming about their views and ideas on Jesus Christ and
Christianity. f I will also try to make sure that the students will be more matured in the
discussion and there will be no need to carry out the interaction in an anonymous manner.
It would be a major step that would enable sharing the real faith in Jesus without being
conscious of one’s individual beliefs and views.
Another action that I intend to take is to teach the “Share Jesus Without Fear”
book to my younger cousins so that they will be encouraged to share their faith in Jesus
Christ and the Gospel. While doing so I will try to create an open and interactive
environment so that each and every individual will be encouraged to share their faith in
the gospel with all of us. Such a step would be very useful in the lives of young people
as they will learn not to give unnecessary excuses to avoid sharing their faith. The
ultimate objective of the interactive sessions would be to encourage everyone to act in an
obedient manner so that faithfulness in the believers could be strengthened.
I have designed the action plan so that I can create a platform where I and others
can share the gospel, our faith in Jesus Christ and leave everything else to the Holy
Spirit. The action would basically help to move away from the sin of silence. So, all the
involved individuals could freely share their thoughts, beliefs, and faith in the Lord and
help in spreading the words of Jesus Christ. These actions would help each one of us to
overcome the fear that one encounters while sharing one’s faith with others. The
conversation could enlighten all of us and bring us closer to Jesus.
Bibliography
Bill Fay, William Fay and Linda Evans Shepherd, Share Jesus Without Fear (B&H
Publishing Group, 1999).
