Forward
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Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners -- of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was
shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might
display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would
believe on Him and receive eternal life. -- Paul ( I Tim. 1:15-16) NIV |
Jesus Christ transforms lives.
Just as He dramatically redirected the life of the apostle Paul, the Lord
continues to change the lives of men and women today. Bill Fay, the author
of this booklet, is one of those people. He was pursuing his own goals when
the Lord brought him crashing to his knees.
Early in life Bill had determined that he
was going to be number one in whatever he did -- no matter what it took. In
college he discovered ways to cheat to reach his goals. But more important,
he learned how to gamble. In fact, his exceptional talents as a card shark
helped pay his way through college.
After college he landed a sales job and
rapidly moved up the corporate ladder. But his life took on a new dimension
when he visited Las Vegas, the gambler's mecca. Because of his card skills
he was noticed, and he made connections with prominent people in the
underworld. While keeping his corporate job intact, he began to be a channel
for mafia money around the country.
Bill moved from city to city, job to job,
wife to wife, pursuing his self-centered goals. He thought he had it made
when he became the president and chief executive officer of a large heart
pace-maker company. He had limousines, big expense accounts, recognition,
Rolexes, diamond rings, and gold on his hands and around his neck. BUT
amid all the money, power, and glamour, life was
lonely and empty.
In addition to his regular corporate job,
Bill then decided to get involved in another enterprise that would make use
of his marketing skills. He built one of the larger houses of prostitution
in the United States. This business, however, got him into trouble. He was
arrested on charges relating to his new venture, and his corporation fired
him. But Bill started an executive search business and began making money
again.
As a relaxing diversion during his
high-rolling, high-stress life, Bill would escape to a vacation spot in
Colorado called Lost Valley Ranch. He didn't know it at first, but the place
was staffed by believers in Christ. He did notice, however, that there was
something different about the place.
Bill could out-argue any believer who dared
to take him on, but one Easter morning he heard something that would eat
away at him until he gave his life to Christ. During a service in an open
field, a young man about 22 years old talked about the difference between
happiness and inner peace. Bill listened intently because he knew he didn't
have inner peace. But when the young man said that peace comes only through
a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Bill got on his horse and
muttered, "I don't need that kind of junk in my life." And he rode out
of the meadow.
Some time later, Bill walked into a
racquetball facility and met a man who would play a key role in his coming
to faith in Christ. Dr. Paul Grant had gone to play racquetball that day
after asking the Lord for an opportunity to share his faith. The two men
met, and Paul lovingly told Bill about Christ.
Paul invited Bill and his wife, Peggy, to
church. After the service he invited them to his home. Paul and his wife,
Kathie, radiated a personal relationship with Jesus. Although moved by their
testimonies, Bill was not ready to give his life to Christ.
Still on probation from his previous arrest,
Bill was caught in a police sting. After a weekend in jail with a bond of
$250,000, his life came to a crisis point. Bill sat around his house for 2
days in tears. The pain in his life was surfacing. He considered escaping
through drugs, alcohol, and even suicide. By God's grace he didn't take any
of those options.
Bill's wife suggested that he call the
pastor who had married them. After some initial reluctance, he picked up the
phone. What he had heard 7 years before at the ranch was on this mind. He
told the pastor he wanted inner peace. The next day he drove 85 mile to a
little country church. Kneeling on the dusty floor, he came to know Jesus
Christ in a personal way. That was on March 4, 1981. He left that church a
different man.
He returned home and stood trial, but the
case was dismissed. As he left the courthouse he determined never to go near
a jail or prison again. But the Lord had other plans. For the next several
years he visited prisoners to tell them about Jesus.
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"I pray that you may be active in sharing your
faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing
we have in Christ." -- Philemon 6 NIV |
Since then, Bill has shared his faith with
people from all walks of life and has taught many others to do the same. But
in Bill's own words, "The greatest miracle of all is not the change in what
I do but in what I have become. The pursuit of power, money, and women has
been replaced by the pursuit of the virtues I had once scorned: love,
honesty, loyalty, self-sacrifice, self-discipline, humility, faith, patience
and endurance. And because I know that the only life worth living is through
Christ, I have made it my life's work to share Him with others."
In the pages that follow, Bill will explain
how he shares his faith with confidence, and how you can too. ~~ The
Editors
| About the author: Bill Fay is a
graduate of Denver Seminary, is the chaplain of several police
departments, works as a chaplain in cooperation with the Colorado
Sectional PGA and the PGA of America. has an internationally
syndicated radio program "Let's Go", and is a national speaker
and seminar leader. |
Overcoming Obstacles:
Have you ever wanted to share your faith but chickened out? When I ask that
question in meetings at churches, ever the pastor's had goes up. That's
normal.
What makes it difficult for us to share our
faith? During a seminar I was leading, people gave these replies:
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A) I'm unsure how to guide the discussion
to the Scripture.
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B) I fear rejection.
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C) I don't know how to start a conversation
about spiritual issues.
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D) I lack
confidence that the Lord will speak through me.
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E) I can't imagine that some people would even care to hear what I
have to say.
We're going to deal deal with the how-to
questions in the pages to follow, but we first need to clarify our role and
the proper attitude.
We need to get away from a
"win them" mentality. People do not put their
faith in Christ because we cleverly "force"
them to believe. We must realize that if we "win"
someone to Christ, he's probably not saved. D.L. Moody, the evangelist, was
riding on a train when a drunk came up to him and said, "Mr. Moody, I'm one
of your converts." Moody replied, "I'm afraid you are, because you're
obviously not a convert of the Lord's."
We also have to believe that success in
God's eyes is sharing our faith and living out our Christian life.
He does not measure success by how many people we
lead to Jesus Christ. Our job is to be faithful to Him.
Still we fear failure and rejection. There
is no stronger feeling in the world than that. It hurts. But we must
remember that it's the gospel people are rejecting, it's Jesus they're
rejecting. It's not us. It feels like us sometimes, but we have to get free
from that desire to cause the conversion. Jesus said. "No one can come to Me
unless the Father who sent Me draws him" (John 6:44).
"Success isn't leading someone to Christ. Success is
acting out your Christian life, sharing the gospel, and trusting God for the
results."
The apostle Paul wrote to the believers at
Corinth, "I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling" (I
Cor. 2:3). But that didn't stop him. In fact, most of the New Testament was
written by that "coward."
God understands that we might be afraid. But
we have no excuse not to tell others about Christ, because His strength is
made perfect in our weakness (2Cor. 12:9).
I dread every hospital visit I have to make.
It's hard for me. But it doesn't excuse me not to go to see the people that
God puts in my path in hospitals. We've got to go ~ whether we like it or
not.
Remember Moses. He stuttered. Moses would
not have been a good TV personality today. God chooses the weak things of
the world to shame the wise and the strong. And if anybody qualifies for
that, it's me.
And finally, If you are thinking that the
person you are considering talking to is an impossible case, you've got to
trust that God is the God of the impossible. You and I need to remember our
part and God's part in the process of sharing our faith.
Our Part
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"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of
all nations'" (Matt. 28:18-19).
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"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God
were making His appeal through us" (2 Cor. 5:20).
God's Part
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"'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the
Lord Almighty' (Zech. 4:6).
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"My message and my preaching were not with wise and
persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power" (I Cor.
2:4).
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"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me
draws him" (John 6:44).
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"No one can come to Me unless the Father has enabled him"
(John 6:65).
How Can I
Share My Faith Without an Argument?
I would like to outline a simple step-by-step approach
that I have used in sharing my faith with others. By following this method I
have avoided unnecessary arguments that would have hindered a complete
presentation of the gospel.
First, I ask five questions to determine the
other person's spiritual condition. During this time I am probing for
information, not presenting my case.
Next, I have the person read several key
Bible verses and ask what the verses say to him or her. The goal here is not
to preach but to allow the Holy Spirit to bring conviction as the person
reads and thinks about the truths of Scripture.
The third step is another series of five
questions. These summarize the truths of the verses the person has just
read, and they call for a decision to receive Christ.
1. Do you have any kind of
spiritual belief? The first question does not ask people if they believe in
God. That'll give you the response, "None of your business." But if you ask
them if they have any spiritual beliefs, they'll talk to you, some for 5 or
10 minutes. Let them talk, because when they're done they'll have very
little to fight with you about. If they simply answer yes without
explaining, go on to the next question.
2. To you, who is Jesus?
When you ask a person what he thinks of Jesus, he will usually respond. "The
Son of God." or "The man who die on the cross." But if I were to ask one of
you who Jesus is, I hope your response would reflect your personal
relationship to Him. I hope you would say, "My Lord and my Savior." So
listen carefully to the person's answer.
3. Do you think there is a
heaven and a hell? The third question is safe. It is an intellectual
question. It simply asks what they believe about the life to come.
4. If you died right now,
where would you go? If heaven, why? I asked a woman, "Do you think there is
a heaven and a hell?" Her exact words were "Absolutely not." But the forth
question is personal. So when I asked her where she would go when she died,
she said, "Heaven of course." The issue went from her head to her heart.
When you start talking about the personal aspect of a person's life, he or
she will get very serious.
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If people answer, "Heaven," you ask, "Why?" The answer
they give will pinpoint their true beliefs. If they say, "I don't know,"
continue on to the next question.
5. If what you believe were
not true, would you want to know it? The last question is a tough one. Jesus
drove the Pharisees and Sadducees nuts with hard questions, so I make no
apology for asking them.
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What are the two possible answers to questions number 5?
Yes or no. If it's yes, you go on. If the answer is no, stop. And I'll tell
you what will happen almost every time you stop. The person will say, "
Well, aren't you going to tell me?" Very rarely will you ever get a no that
sticks. If you do get a no, remember, it's not your problem, it's God's.
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