Be F.I.T. in Your Witness

Be F.I.T. in Your Witness

We're continuing our "Be F.I.T." series, and today we're talking about being Faithful, Invested, and Trustworthy in your witness—sharing your faith with others.

The Immeasurable Value of One Soul

Most of you in this room are already saved. Somewhere in your life, someone introduced Jesus to you, and you made a decision to follow him. But here's a sobering truth: statistics tell us that very few Christians actually share their faith with anyone else.

Imagine having the antidote for cancer in your hand while 38% of people around you need it, yet you refuse to give it to them. Or imagine being a lifeguard who watches someone drowning 100 feet away but stays in the tower. That's the negligence we show when we know Jesus but fail to share him.

"If anyone would come after me," Jesus said, "you must deny yourself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man if he gained the entire world yet forfeited his own soul? What can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:34-37)

Jesus is asking: What is one soul worth?

The answer is clear: if you added up all the gold in Fort Knox, all the diamonds in Africa, all the cryptocurrency ever mined, all the wealth of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, every acre of land on earth, every treasure in every museum, and all the oil in the world—it still wouldn't equal the value of one soul coming to know Jesus.

What Makes a Person Valuable?

First: Desirability determines value. An appraiser measures value by what someone is willing to pay for it. What was Jesus willing to pay for your soul? He left heaven itself. He came to this planet, went to the cross, and shed his blood to redeem you.

"It is not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you are redeemed from your empty way of life... But you have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb that has no blemish and no defect." (1 Peter 1:18-19)

You sometimes think you're worthless, but Jesus looks at you and longs to have a relationship with you.

Second: Durability determines value. The Bible says God set eternity in the human heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Your soul, made in God's image, could no more cease to exist than God himself could. Your soul will go on forever—it is timeless, dateless, measureless, and priceless.

When the stars and suns of all the galaxies have faded away, your existence will just be starting.

The Clear Call of Christ

Why does our church exist? To reach people—not just locally, but around the world. Jesus gave this command at the end of his ministry:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

There are four verbs in this commission:

1. Go. The church gathers to worship, study God's Word, and pray—but ultimately we gather so we can go.
2. Make disciples. Pour your life into someone else and help them know Jesus as you know him.
3. Baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—not into a church or organization, but into relationship with the Triune God.
4. Teach them to obey everything Christ commanded. This seemed overwhelming to 11 disciples with no modern technology, but Jesus promised: "I am with you always."

Every believer should be baptized. And once baptized and taught to follow Christ, you become part of this great commission—going, leading others, baptizing them, and continuing to teach them.

The Courage to Speak Up

You must have the courage to share your faith. Paul writes:

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes—first for the Jew, and then for the Gentile." (Romans 1:16)

Sadly, we have Christians who are in "the secret service"—going to work, school, and hobbies with no one knowing they're believers. If someone spends time with you and doesn't know you're a Christian, doesn't know you go to church, doesn't know you believe the Bible, something is wrong.

Jesus said: "The reason I came is to seek and to save that which is lost" (Luke 19:10). The moment you gave your life to Christ, you should have the same burden Jesus has to reach this world.

Three Reasons You Need Not Be Ashamed

First: The gospel is Jesus's gospel. Of the 120 billion people who have walked on earth, only a handful have truly shaped civilization. But Jesus stands above them all. No one in history has demanded such attention, devotion, and adoration.

All of history is divided by his birth—BC or AD. Though he wrote no books, more have been written about him than anyone. He never wrote poetry or songs, yet more art, poetry, music, and messages are created about him than the next thousand people combined. He raised no army, yet millions would gladly lay down their lives for him. He had only a handful of true followers, yet 30% of the world's population today claims to follow him.

The greatest person who ever lived is Jesus Christ. He was born in a stable, raised in a carpenter's shop, and at 30 began his ministry—preaching, teaching, and performing miracles. At 33, he went to the cross, died, was buried, and on the third day, he resurrected. That's the gospel. There's nothing to be ashamed of.

Second: This is about salvation. What's more important than getting saved? Nothing. Not business, not fame, not pleasure. The most important thing is that we're sharing something that actually saves people—something that brings eternal life.

I was at a concert in the Netherlands celebrating my 40th anniversary with my wife. Suddenly, a man in the crowd had a massive heart attack. When I saw the emergency, I immediately stood up and ran to get security. The medical team came, revived him, and got him to the hospital. He's alive today.

Yet we have about 13,000 people attend Shepherd Church every weekend. Sometimes we come to church, sing a few songs, and leave—totally oblivious to the spiritual emergencies all around us. People in our city need to be saved. This isn't just counseling or theology; it's bringing eternal life into someone's heart.

Third: The gospel is for everyone. "The salvation of everyone who believes—first for the Jew, and then for the Gentile" (Romans 1:16). It doesn't matter if you're male or female, Jewish or Gentile, rich or poor, famous or unknown, educated or not. Every person you meet, the gospel is for that person.

Four Ways to Live Out Your Witness

First: Take a yard sign. Every person here gets a yard sign with the church logo—"Pray for America" or "God bless America." Put it somewhere people can see it.

Second: Send a text invitation. Open your phone and find someone in your contacts who doesn't normally go to church or doesn't know Jesus. Send them this:

"I am sitting in church right now and it is so, so good. The Lord put you on my mind and I was just wondering if there was any chance you would attend next weekend? No stress, but I would love for you to join me. Let me know."

Don't underestimate this. Ten or twenty years ago when we did this, people said yes and came for the first time. They experienced God's presence in a way they'd never experienced before. Someone's going to get saved next week because you sent this text.

Third: Carry a Lifesaver. Before you leave, pick up a Lifesaver candy. Put it in your pocket as a reminder: "I'm supposed to talk to somebody about Jesus, the only person who can save their soul." Once you've talked to someone about Jesus, then you can eat it.

Fourth: Pray this daily prayer: Stand with your hands up and pray with me:

"Lord, what are you up to today? Will you let me be a part of it?"

That's it. That's the question. Every single day, ask God what he's doing and ask to be part of it. When you do, you'll naturally find opportunities to share your faith, because God is always in the business of seeking and saving the lost.