Americans love to watch others share their lives. While Americans are voyeurs, we are also deeply private people. Popular is the opinion in American culture that our faith is not only a personal matter, but also a private one.
Some family members have expressed confusion about why I am so free in sharing my faith with others. It confuses them that I am so adamant about everyone hearing the gospel. They assume that this is part of a foible of mine: the need to share my opinion on everything with everyone. While I do struggle with the sin of hubris, this is not the source of my evangelism.
When driving through fast-food drive-thrus, I often give evangelism tracts to the cashier and the worker handing me my food. Exhorting Christians is part of what we do in this ministry. All of this is to say that I am constantly try to talk to people about Christ, in one way or another, not because there is anything good about me, but because I am convicted to the work of building His kingdom.
While our faith is a personal matter–a very personal matter–because it is about our personal relationship with God, it is not at all private, especially if we are Christians.
Keeping the gospel private is a selfish act, and therefor is not a Christian behavior.
Christ commands us to share the gospel in Matthew 28:19-20.
Christianity–being a disciple of Jesus Christ–demands that we share our faith with others.
Christian Faith is Personal, Not Private
