Have you ever managed to talk yourself up into finally talking to someone about Jesus and then found it not going nearly as well as you hoped, or even had it blowing up in your face?
I’ll bet we’ve all experienced this, and there are not a few who have sworn off ever witnessing again because of it. This is where periodically breathing in the oxygen of the book of Acts becomes a good thing.
Take the story of the apostle Paul’s first missionary trip. It’s a treasure trove of tips to encourage us in the art of sharing our faith. One of those tips that has been a big help to me over the years especially when I’ve made someone ornery with my efforts to evangelize is this: Be aware of the spectrum of faith.
In reading Luke’s story of that first missions trip (in chapters 13 and 14), we quickly see that people are all over the map when it comes to the their receptivity to Paul’s preaching. Some are eager to hear more, some are eager to start throwing rocks, and some are, “Meh!” This is what we mean when we talk about the “spectrum of faith”.
Visualize a numerical scale that runs from -5 to +5 where 0 is the moment where a person crosses the line of faith and gives their life to Christ. The minus side of the scale represents the various degrees of openness an unbeliever might have to the gospel. -1 would be a person who is right there at the cusp of faith. All they need is one more nudge and they’ll say, “Yes, Lord.” -3 might be someone who’s more on the “Meh” side, not hostile to the idea but not all that concerned about it either. -5 would be someone who’s reaching for the rocks, because they’re so filled with animus about all things Christian.
Jesus in the Parable of the Sower was getting at the same principle, by teaching that the “soil” of people’s hearts is all different, and so when the “seed” of God’s Word hits it, the outcomes will vary.
So how is knowing about the spectrum of faith useful when it comes to sharing our faith with others? One way is that it will toughen us up when we have that interaction with someone where things don’t seem to go well for us. It doesn’t mean our sharing failed, it may just mean that their heart is not ready yet. But what if that conversation took them from a -5 to a -4? Though outwardly, you saw nothing encouraging at all, what if inwardly you helped the seed of faith inside of them start to grow just the smallest bit? Wouldn’t you call that a win?
Think about your own conversion. How many conversations and interactions with other followers of Christ did it take before your defenses finally broke down and you believed? For argument’s sake, let’s say it took 50 different conversations or interactions with followers of Christ before it all made sense and you surrendered to the Lord. Each and every one of those interactions was necessary. And none were more important than the other. The person who happened to have that momentous 50th conversation with you just happened to win the spiritual lottery with you.
The same is true when we teach our children. You might think on a given day as a parent or a youth group teacher, “Well the kids didn’t get anything out of my lesson today. That was a waste! Maybe I’m not cut out for this.” But how do you know they didn’t get anything out of it? If your words and your lesson moved the needle in their hearts from a -4 to a -3, then that was far from a waste.
Knowing about the spectrum of faith reminds us that it’s not our job to save people. Jesus does that. It’s our job to be his witnesses. End of story. Paul wrote, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7).
So represent Jesus in as loving and as compelling a way as you can, and nudge people closer to him. That’s your assignment. And that will cause your Lord to smile and say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”