Sharing Jesus Without Fear

Introduction

Evangelism can often seem daunting, particularly when faced with the fear of rejection or confrontation. Yet, as Christians, we are called to share the gospel with those around us. In our latest evangelism training session, we delved into the concept of sharing Jesus without fear, focusing on practical methods to spread the gospel effectively and lovingly. This blog post will explore the key themes and insights from our session, providing you with the tools and encouragement to confidently share your faith.

The Importance of Evangelism: Called to Be Watchmen

Evangelism is not just a task for a select few; it is a calling for every believer. As we progress through our evangelism training course, we are reminded of the profound responsibility to share the gospel.

This calling carries weight. In Ezekiel 33, God uses the powerful imagery of a watchman on the wall to illustrate our responsibility. Imagine living in a walled city where the watchman’s job is to sound the alarm when danger approaches. If the watchman sees an enemy army and warns the people, their blood is not on his hands—whether they heed the warning or not. But if he remains silent, he bears responsibility for their fate.

As believers, we are spiritual watchmen. The most loving thing we can do is warn others of coming judgment and point them to the safety found in Christ. To remain silent—what Bill Fay calls “the sin of silence”—is to fail in our most basic responsibility as Christians.

Recognizing and Overcoming Fear: You’re Not Alone

When asked how many had experienced fear when witnessing, nearly every hand in our class went up. The testimonies that followed were both honest and encouraging:

One participant shared, “I have fear every time. Every single time. It never goes away for me, but I just think continuing to do it is the most important thing.” He went on to explain that while the fear doesn’t disappear, confidence grows through repetition: “The fear doesn’t go away, but you’re able to suppress it because you’re confident in the fact that you’ve done it so many times.”

Sometimes fear can cause us to miss opportunities to proclaim the gospel. Noticing opportunities is the first step, even when we don’t yet have the courage to act. We want to grow in our faithfulness so that we will make the most of every opportunity that comes our way.

Common strategies for dealing with fear included:

• Prayer – “Even as I’m in process with a person, just praying for God to help me”
• Preparation – “Having a prepared method of starting, knowing what to say”
• Fellowship – “Having other people around is helpful… witnessing by myself is very difficult”
• Scripture memory – Participants quoted verses like Jesus’s promise to be with us always

Bill Fay’s Method: Questions That Open Doors

One of the most practical tools we explored was Bill Fay’s questioning method. These questions create natural, non-confrontational conversations about spiritual matters:

The Five Essential Questions:

1. “Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs?” (Not “Do you believe in God?”—which can be more confrontational)
2. “Who is Jesus to you?” (Listen for personal vs. impersonal answers)
3. “Do you think there’s a heaven or a hell?” (An intellectual question)
4. “If you died, where would you go?” (An emotional question—interestingly, some who intellectually deny heaven still think they will go there)
5. “If what you believe is not true, would you want to know?”

The key to these questions is genuine listening. As Bill Fay teaches, when people share their beliefs—even beliefs you strongly disagree with—just nod and say, “mmm hmmm.” You’re not there to win arguments about secondary issues. You’re there to share the gospel.

One class member observed, “People respect the Bible… even just saying ‘the Bible says this’ tends to open up conversations rather than it being just your opinion.”

The Power of God’s Word in Their Hands

Perhaps the most revolutionary aspect of Bill Fay’s method is how he uses Scripture. Instead of quoting verses at people, he has them read the Bible for themselves. The principle comes from Luke 10:26, where Jesus asked, “What is written in the law? How does it read to you?”

Here’s how it works:

1. Prepare a small “witnessing Bible” with key verses highlighted
2. Hand it to them and ask, “Would you read this out loud?”
3. After they read, ask, “What does that mean to you?”
4. If they understand it, move to the next verse
5. If they struggle, simply ask, “Would you please read it again?”

One powerful example from class illustrated the importance of this method perfectly. I related witnessing to a Catholic family member who was greatly distressed after my born-again experience and conversion to being a “Protestant.” Using this method with a Catholic Bible, I asked her to explain to me, in her own words, how someone goes to heaven. After she explained to me that we basically hope we do enough good works, I asked her to read a verse about salvation. After reading Ephesians 2:8-9 aloud, she stuck her finger in the Bible and declared, “I don’t care what this says. I know what’s right.”

“That might not sound like a great story,” I reflected, “but something interesting happened. She was no longer arguing with me. She admitted with her own mouth that she doesn’t agree with God’s Word. The locus of authority had completely shifted.”

Redefining Success: It’s Not About the Numbers

One encouraging statistic shared was that people typically need to hear the gospel an average of 7.6 times before believing. I shared my own story of coming to faith all by myself in the middle of a rainstorm in Ann Arbor, but in that moment, God brought to mind all the people who had tried to share with me over the years—from a childhood VBS birthday party to a guy trying to witness to me while I tried to sell him a vacuum in his living room.

“I think I’m one of those people that drags this average up,” I admitted. “For many of those people in my life, they might have witnessed to me and thought, ‘Boy, that was the most stubborn guy I ever met’—and they weren’t wrong. But then eventually it took, and the Lord used their faithfulness.”

This reminds us that we never know if we’re the first person sharing with someone or the seventh. Our job isn’t to convert—it’s to be faithful.

A humorous story about D.L. Moody drives this home. When a drunk man approached the famous evangelist on a train claiming to be “one of your converts,” Moody replied, “Well, you certainly are one of my converts. You’re not one of the Lord’s.” We cannot manufacture genuine conversion—only God can do that work.

Practical Preparation: Tools for Success

The class emphasized several practical tips:

• Use a small New Testament rather than an intimidating large study Bible (“Have a derringer rather than a cannon”)
• Highlight verses in advance and write the next reference in the margin so you’ll never get lost and don’t have to worry about forgetting where you’re going next
• Consider creating your own verse list based on passages meaningful to you
• Keep gospel tracts handy for times when extended conversation isn’t possible
• Remember that 85% of believers come to faith through one-on-one conversations, not big events

Call to Action: Take the First Step This Week

As we concluded our session, the challenge was clear and specific: This week, pray for open doors and try asking at least the first question—”Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs?”—to someone in your life. You don’t have to go through all five questions or share verses. Just start a spiritual conversation.

Consider asking for accountability. Tell another Christian that you’re going to try this and ask them to check in with you next week.

Remember, you might be planting a seed, watering what another planted, or even harvesting what God has been preparing. You won’t know unless you open your mouth. And if you’ll be faithful to open your mouth, you can’t fail! God can use even your imperfect obedience to bring glory to His name.

Conclusion

Evangelism is a vital aspect of our Christian walk. By overcoming fear through preparation and prayer, using thoughtful questions to start conversations, and relying on the power of Scripture to do the heavy lifting, we can effectively share the gospel with those around us.

The most loving thing we can do for people headed toward judgment is to warn them—even if they don’t appreciate it at the time. Many of us are believers today because someone cared enough to push through their fear and share the truth with us, perhaps multiple times.

As we continue our training, let us remain committed to this calling, trusting that God will use our efforts to draw others to Himself. May we be bold in our witness, confident in the truth of the gospel, and filled with genuine love for those who need to hear it. The fields are white for harvest—will you be faithful to work in them this week?

Additional Resources

Listen to Bill Fay’s Teaching: Want to hear Bill Fay explain his method in his own words? Access his free audio teaching by clicking here.

Method Review: For a detailed review and analysis of Bill Fay’s “Share Jesus Without Fear” method, check out my comprehensive review available by clicking the link.

Watch the Full Class Session

If you’d like to experience the full evangelism training session that inspired this post, you can watch the complete video below: