Part of the fear associated with talking about our faith is the fear of ‘not knowing the answers.’ We feel that if and when we talk about matters of faith, someone will inevitably ask a question that we will be ill-equipped to answer. That anxious scene is played out in our minds: There we are talking about how we feel that God comforts us, when all of a sudden the person asks “But how do you deal with the theological dilemma posed by the postmodern critique of all totalizing meta-narratives?”
Excuse me?
It is safe to say that things rarely turn out like that. Yet it is true that when we open up ourselves to talk about our faith, people may ask questions. How then do we deal with the fear of not knowing the answers?
The answer to this question lies in the recognition that evangelism entails talking about your story. That is to say that you are not to give a lecture on some point of biblical scholarship or theological doctrine. Let’s leave that to professors and seminary students, shall we. What we are called to do is be open about how we experience, understand, feel, or struggle with God’s presence in our own life. In this way, you (and only you) know all the answers! You are the best person to speak about how God interacts with your own life. You are the supreme authority in regards to what God means for you. You can speak pointedly about times and instances in which God made a difference for you.
To look at evangelism biblically, this is exactly what the apostles did. They shared their own experiences about the death and resurrection of Jesus. They went to people they knew in order to relate personal experiences.
It is your story which is effective. It is your story which you are called to share. It is your own story, your unique and one of a kind story that may encourage someone else to be open to God’s presence in your own life. So try not to dwell on any fear of ‘not knowing enough.’ You know everything that you need to know in order to effectively share your faith with others.