Get Your Voice Back (Part 5): Be Afraid, and Do It Anyway!

The world is increasingly divided over a growing number of contentious “hot topics.” As followers of Jesus, we have the truth – but we’ve lost our voice. People aren’t interested in what we have to say, and we are often to blame.

Jesus spent His time with everyday people. He was loving and merciful, yet He spoke the truth with clarity and boldness. Too often, we are isolated. We answer questions people aren’t asking, and we are harsh and judgmental. 

We complicate our witness and pollute the name of Jesus by combining the Gospel with politics, self-preservation, and nationalism. 

We are all guilty of this to some degree, but we can change! The first step is to initiate deep conversations with people outside the Church. Far too many Christians are talking about nonbelievers and not talking to them. This only deepens the divide between those in and outside of the church. 

The truth is, there are people all around you who don’t know Jesus, and though it may appear that they don’t care about the deep subjects of life, they do. But having conversations like this requires courage. 

As part of our ministry, we often go to university campuses and do interviews, asking the students deep spiritual questions. As an introvert, I dread these days. I deal with all the typical lies in my head like, “No one will want to talk to you!” or “People aren’t interested in these subjects.” 

Recently, we set out to do another round of interviews, and once again, I didn’t want to go. Over the years, I’ve learned to push through the fear, and just a few minutes after arriving, I found myself talking to a girl who told us she was not religious. 

I explained how I didn’t consider myself religious either and talked to her about who Jesus is, what He did for us, and how she could know Him. She said she had never heard anyone explain the Gospel in that way before, and was deeply touched by it. 

This was one of many amazing conversations we had that day! 

I was still afraid, but that’s OK! 

Even the Apostle Paul dealt with fear. In writing to the Corinthian church, he confessed, ”I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.”

How was Paul able to be so effective, despite being so afraid? He understood the true meaning of courage. 

Courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to do what is right, even when afraid. It’s a decision, not an emotion. 

Does this mean I just have to grit my teeth and make myself talk to people? 

While willpower is part of courage on some level, it is not where it comes from. 

Courage is the result of an intimate relationship with Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit at work inside of us.

We see this illustrated in the lives of Peter and John in Acts 4:13: 

“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.”

It was clear that their courage was not a product of their talent, or their grit, but their intimacy with Jesus. 

The same goes for you and me today. 

So seek God, allow Him to fill you with His power, and then ask Him to give you opportunities to talk to people who are far from Him. When He leads you to someone, ask good questions, like, “What are you passionate about? What makes you angry? What would you change about the world if you could?”

Be patient, listen carefully, and speak boldly. You’ll be amazed at what happens! 

Our voice is desperately needed in the world today. If our hearts break for those who don’t know Jesus, and this compels us to speak the truth in love, we can rest assured that God will do the rest!