Fears Hindering Evangelism
Are you hesitant to share your faith? Do feelings of inadequacy, or rejection, or the unknown hold you back from telling others about what Jesus has done for you? The fear of evangelizing is not only a common experience for Christians, it is an ongoing concern as you grow in your faith. Let’s begin a study on eight significant fears that hinder sharing your faith. At the end of each study are questions you can use in a group discussion, ask yourself, or use as prayer bullets as you seek God’s help in overcoming any fears you might have that discourage personal evangelism.
Thousands of human fears have been identified. If you printed them on a scroll it would stretch more than fifty feet!
There is the fear of taking a bath (ablutophobia) and the fear of being dirty (automysophobia). There is the fear of marriage (gamophobia) and of remaining single (anuptaphobia). There is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth (arachibutyrophobia). There is the fear of confined spaces (claustrophobia) and of being left out in the open (agoraphobia). There is a fear of cats (felinophobia) and dogs (cynophobia). There is the fear of meat (carnophobia) and vegetables (lachanophobia). There is a fear of belly buttons (omphalophobia) and of bald people (peladophobia). There is the fear of the number 666 (hexakosioiherxekontahexaphobia). But that is not the longest term for phobias. That word is Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia, which is the fear of long words. There is a fear of Church (ecclesiophobia), of saints (hagiophobia), of heaven (ouranophobia), of hell (hadephobia), of Satan (satanophobia), of crosses (staurophobia), and of God (theophobia). There is even the fear of being afraid (phobophobia).
Harmful and Healthy Fears
Fears can be harmful or healthy. Harmful fears irrationally take control. They, for unjustified reasons, make you afraid of what is not normally fearful. Healthy fears are natural and keep you safe. They anticipate something dangerous and stimulate you to move away from or avoid a fearful thing. Both types of fears awaken in the presence of a superior person when a power greater than yourself is manifested (Josh 4:24, Ps 33:8-10).
The Bible often speaks of fear having two aspects (over 250 references). It is either terrifying or awesome. The Hebrew word for fear is “Yirah,” which usually refers to the fear of God (Elohim yirah) (Gen 20:11, 2 Chron 19:9). The Greek word for fear is “Phobos,” which is where the suffix on English words describing fears comes from. A third word “Deleeah” is translated timidity or fear (2 Tim 1:7) and is a mild but influential feeling of being afraid.
The first two terms can refer to harmful or healthy fears. The most intense fears: facing death, speaking in public, or the loss of a spouse, however, are not the most common fears. Fears everyone faces are feelings of being alone, of failure, of rejection, ridicule, of what others might think or do to you, or of the unknown. A person can actually be afraid of being afraid. There are relationship fears and many people fear to be close to God. The Bible has a lot to say about how unbelievers and believers respond to their fear of each other and God.
When the Bible speaks about the fear of God (or the Lord) it refers to either feeling reverence, awe, and respect for him as the all-powerful Creator (Lev 19:3, Eph 5:33, Eph 6:5, Heb 12:28-29) or it describes a sense of dread as one faces his judgment upon their disobedience (Ex 20:18, 1 Sam 28:20, Mic 7:17, Zeph 3:7, Lk 12:5). Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia is like God in that Aslan is said to be good but not safe. In other words, he is benevolent but also one to fear.
Faith in God includes a healthy dose fear, but faith does not originate from fear. The fear of divine judgment will cause a person to distance themselves from God. No one wants to encounter a powerfully scary individual, let alone an almighty God! However, when God is redemptively encountered by a repentant person, faith replaced fear (1 Jn 4;18). Fear drives a wedge between people and Almighty God (Mt 1:20), Love unites (Eph 4:16).
The Side Effects of Fear
One side effect of fear’s control is that it wastes resources (Gen 32:7). Fear negatively influence the desire to share the gospel. Many Christians are too afraid to speak about Jesus to anyone–even their closest friends for fear of rejection or failure. This is an unhealthy fear. Everyone experiences some form of fear when they share their faith, but it doesn’t have to dampen your desire or ability to share confidently what Jesus has done for you.
A positive fear is to fear what God thinks more than what others think (Ex 20:20, Deut 5:29). A healthy fear of God is a deterrent to sinning. By faith, the desire to obey God is a stronger motivation than fearing what people think of us or our message. The fear of the Lord overcomes fears that hinder personal evangelism. Christians are not to fear what unbelievers fear, but are to set apart Christ as Lord of their fears (1 Pet 3:14-15). Managing fear is part of sharing our faith.
Fear must be overcome if we are to obey Jesus and proclaim the good news of the Gospel (1 Thess 2:8, Jude 3-4, Rev 14:6). Unaddressed fears will diminish confidence that Jesus is in control of principalities and earthly powers and squelch evangelism (Isa 24:21, Eph 6:12, Col 2:15, Heb 3:14). A lack of assurance that Jesus is greater than our fears indicates that fears rule our hearts. To the contrary, Christians work out their salvation, which includes sharing the gospel with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12). Paul used strong emotional words, like as fear and trembling, to describe the passion behind maintaining a vibrant faith. He had no sympathy for a cold or dead orthodoxy, or with people who entertained a non-emotive formal religion. The Philippians were to “work out,” that is, to invest in faith with strong feelings and energetic actions.
There is a reverse correlation between fear and sharing our faith in Christ. Fears, whether justified or unjustified, can influence and squelch the preaching of the Gospel (Jer 10:5, Mt 10:7). Jesus came to preach the good news of the Gospel (Mk 1:38, Lk 4:43). As his followers, we are to take up the baton and do likewise (Ac 10:42, 16:10).
In this study eight of the most commonly experienced fears that limit and discourage sharing faith are identified. As you read about these fears, try to identify which one most influence your faith. Take time to pray as you offering to God your fears. Make this an offering of repentance. This will begin a journey of faith that overcomes unhealthy fears and replaces them with godly feelings of divine awe and holy reverence for Jesus as King and Lord (Col 3:10, 14, Eph 6:11-13).
Personal Time: Read a number of the Scripture references and ask God to help you identify what fears hinder you sharing your faith with others. How does fear negatively affect Christ’s command to tell others about what he has done for you? What part does fear play in your comfort level in sharing your faith with family, friends, or with people you don’t know?
