Jesus is Calling: Sharing Your Faith Without Embarrassing God

When Your Faith Speaks Louder Than Your Words

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2dU027ez1ty3LnpqX8nsFh?si=ybSFV8k2QNi5VAZ5xQybyw

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/de70PuxyLlk?si=_hhDQrHvHPyLwFm2

The Art of Gracious Witness

You don't need a megaphone to share your faith—you need wisdom, grace, and the kind of life that makes people curious about what you believe.

Have you ever cringed watching someone share their faith? Maybe they were aggressive, judgmental, or so awkward that you wanted to disappear into the floor? We've all seen it—the bumper sticker theology, the street-corner shouting, the Facebook rants that make Christianity look harsh and uninviting.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: sometimes Christians can be our own worst PR problem.

But Paul understood something crucial when he wrote to the Colossian church. Sharing your faith isn't about winning arguments or cornering people into uncomfortable conversations. It's about living with such wisdom and grace that people actually want what you have.

In Colossians 4:5-6, Paul writes: "Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person." These two verses contain a masterclass in effective witness—one that honors God and draws people toward Him rather than pushing them away.

Let's explore what it really means to share your faith without embarrassing God.

Walk Your Talk: Acting Wisely Toward Outsiders

Paul's first instruction is simple but profound: act wisely toward those who don't share your faith. Notice he doesn't say "act perfectly" or "act religiously." He says act wisely.

Wisdom recognizes that your actions speak volumes before you ever open your mouth. When you treat your server with genuine kindness, when you handle workplace conflict with integrity, when you remain calm in the grocery store checkout line—these moments are evangelism in action. People are watching how you live when life gets messy, not just when you're on your best Sunday behavior.

This wisdom also means understanding your audience. You wouldn't explain quantum physics the same way to a five-year-old and a college professor. Similarly, sharing faith requires discernment about where people are in their spiritual journey. Some need apologetics and evidence; others need compassion and presence. Wisdom knows the difference.

The apostle Peter echoes this principle in 1 Peter 3:15-16: "But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience." Notice that sequence—live with such hope that people ask you about it. Your life should raise questions before your words provide answers.

Redeem the Time: Making the Most of Every Opportunity

Paul urges us to make "the most of the time." In the original language, this phrase carries the idea of redeeming or buying back opportunities. Every interaction is potential sacred ground.

This doesn't mean you turn every conversation into a sermon or ambush your coworkers with tracts. It means being present and attentive to divine appointments—those moments when someone shares a struggle, asks a genuine question, or simply needs someone to notice them.

Think about Jesus. He redeemed ordinary moments: a conversation at a well, a dinner with tax collectors, a walk through a grainfield. He didn't wait for formal religious settings to reveal God's heart. He was fully present in the everyday rhythms of life, and people encountered the divine through simple, authentic interactions.

Making the most of your time also means investing in relationships before you need them. You can't share meaningful truth with people you've ignored until you want something from them. Build genuine friendships. Show up in people's lives during ordinary moments, not just crisis moments or when you have an evangelistic agenda.

Season Your Words: Speaking with Grace and Salt

Now we come to Paul's beautiful metaphor about speech. Your words should be "gracious, seasoned with salt." This pairing is brilliant—grace and salt seem contradictory, but together they create something powerful.

Grace means your words are attractive, welcoming, and kind. You're not beating people over the head with Bible verses or condemning them for their lifestyle. You're speaking truth wrapped in love, offering hope rather than harsh judgment. Grace acknowledges that you're a fellow traveler, not a spiritual superior looking down from a moral high ground.

But grace alone can become bland—this is where salt comes in. Salt adds flavor, preserves, and creates thirst. Your words should have substance. They should be memorable, honest, and compelling. Salt doesn't shy away from truth, but it makes truth palatable. It's the difference between saying "You're a terrible sinner headed for hell" and "I understand that emptiness you're describing—I've felt it too, and I found something that finally filled it."

Jesus demonstrated this balance perfectly. In John 8, when religious leaders brought him a woman caught in adultery, He showed grace: "Neither do I condemn you." But He also brought salt: "Go, and from now on do not sin anymore." Truth and love, seasoning and grace, holding tension together.

This also means watching your tone. Sarcasm, self-righteousness, and condescension are the quickest ways to shut down spiritual conversations. Proverbs 15:1 reminds us: "A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath." Your delivery matters as much as your message.

Know Your Audience: Answering Each Person Individually

Paul's final phrase is crucial: "so that you may know how you should answer each person." Not every person. Not people in general. Each individual person.

This means really listening. Most of us are mentally preparing our response while others are still talking, waiting for our turn to deliver our points. But effective witness requires genuine curiosity about where someone is coming from. What are their real questions? What experiences have shaped their view of God and church? What hurts or disappointments color their spiritual perspective?

Your coworker wrestling with cancer needs different words than your neighbor celebrating a promotion. The friend dealing with a prodigal child needs a different response than the one questioning whether God exists. Colossians 4:6 calls us to thoughtful, customized engagement rather than one-size-fits-all evangelism.

Consider how Jesus engaged different people. He challenged the rich young ruler about his wealth but never mentioned money to Zacchaeus. He spoke in parables to crowds but had direct conversations with individuals. He asked the Samaritan woman about her relationships but talked theology with Nicodemus. He knew His audience.

This personalized approach also protects you from embarrassing God with canned responses that don't match the moment. When someone shares genuine pain and you respond with a Christian cliché, you've just associated faith with being out of touch and uncaring.

The Foundation: Living Connected to Christ

None of this works if it's just technique or strategy. Paul's instructions in Colossians 4:5-6 assume something foundational—that you're abiding in Christ.

Earlier in this same letter, Paul wrote: "As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith" (Colossians 2:6-7). Your witness flows from your walk. You can't share a faith you're not actively living.

This takes us back to Jesus's teaching in John 15:5: "I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me." Effective witness isn't about perfecting your evangelism technique—it's about staying connected to Jesus and letting His life flow through you.

When you're genuinely experiencing God's love, grace, and transformation, sharing faith becomes natural rather than forced. You're not trying to convince people of something you're not convinced of yourself. You're simply inviting others to taste what you've found satisfying.

Sharing your faith without embarrassing God isn't about being louder, pushier, or more aggressive. It's about being wiser, kinder, and more authentic. It's about living in such a way that your life raises questions your words can answer.

The world has seen enough of angry Christianity, judgmental Christianity, hypocritical Christianity. What people desperately need to see is gracious Christianity—faith that makes you more human, not less. Faith that softens your sharp edges while strengthening your backbone. Faith that offers hope without shame, truth without condemnation, and invitation without manipulation.

When you act wisely, redeem your opportunities, season your words with grace and salt, and truly listen to each person, you're not just sharing information about God—you're revealing God's heart. And that kind of witness doesn't embarrass God. It honors Him and draws people toward the One who loves them beyond measure.

Your Action Plan

This Week:

• Examine your interactions. Pay attention to how you engage with people who think differently than you—the store clerk, your family members, your neighbors. Are you treating them with wisdom and grace, or are you dismissive and judgmental? Ask God to show you one specific area where you can act more wisely toward outsiders.

• Prepare one faith story. Write out a brief version of how God has made a difference in your life recently—not your whole testimony, just one specific way you've experienced His presence, guidance, or comfort. Keep it conversational and relatable. Practice telling it in two minutes or less so you're ready when opportunity arises.

  
  

This Month:

• Build bridges before you need them. Identify one person in your regular life who doesn't know Christ—a neighbor, coworker, or acquaintance. Invest in that relationship with no evangelistic agenda. Invite them for coffee, help them with a project, or simply be available. Let them experience Christian friendship before Christian witness.

• Practice gracious disagreement. Find opportunities to discuss topics where you hold different views from others without becoming defensive or preachy. Work on listening more than talking, asking questions rather than making statements, and maintaining relationships even when you disagree. This skill will serve you well in spiritual conversations.

  
  

Ongoing:

• Stay connected to the Vine. Make daily time with God non-negotiable. You can't share what you're not experiencing. Whether it's morning prayer, lunchtime scripture reading, or evening reflection, establish rhythms that keep you rooted in Christ. Your witness will overflow from your walk.

• Seek divine appointments. Start each day by asking God to open your eyes to opportunities He's orchestrating. Then pay attention. Who needs encouragement? Who's asking deeper questions? Who seems open to spiritual conversation? Redeem those moments with wisdom, grace, and salt.

  
  

Remember, you're not responsible for converting anyone—that's the Holy Spirit's job. You're simply called to live and speak in ways that accurately represent the God you serve. When you do that faithfully, you'll never have to worry about embarrassing Him. Instead, you'll have the profound privilege of introducing others to the grace that changed your life.

Blessings,

Donna