If the idea of witnessing makes you a little nervous, take encouragement from what happened to the apostle Peter. When he started following Christ, he was a lowly, uneducated fisherman, ordinary in every respect. Yet after following Jesus for less than three years, Peter was one of three disciples closest to Jesus.

But all confidence and faith Peter had gained from Jesus was tested the night before the Lord was crucified. After Jesus was arrested and was headed toward death, Peter was asked publicly three times before sunrise that day if he was one of those Christ followers. Afraid of the consequences of the truth, the disciple denied knowing Jesus three times.

Having failed, Peter was soon redeemed. Less than six weeks later—after the resurrected Jesus ascended to Heaven—the Holy Spirit empowered Peter to preach a fearless sermon that moved 3,000 people to salvation and baptism in one day.

The act of telling others about Jesus is described using various words and phrases. These include evangelism, witnessing, spreading the Gospel, telling the Good News and sharing the faith. By any name, it is the act of telling others about the Lord, how He changed your life and how nonbelievers can make Him their Savior. Regardless of your status in the Church—from new believer to the oldest, most faithful member of a congregation—the Great Commission makes every believer responsible for spreading the Gospel.

No one is born a Christian. Someone has to share the message of Christ through personal testimony to each person.

So how can you do your part? Pray that the Holy Spirit will give you the courage and words you need. Then rely on God for the results.