Book Review of "Sharing Jesus without Fear"

William Fay was once a president and CEO of a business that owned one of the largest houses of prostitution. He also had ties with the mafia and was deeply caught up in a life of sin and found Christ through meeting a Christian on a racquetball court in Colorado. Since then, Fay has taught his clear approach to witnessing in churches worldwide in addition to sharing his faith personally with over twenty-five thousand people on a one-to-one basis. He graduated from Denver Seminary in 1987 and has written the series called, “Share Jesus Without Fear” for Lifeway Christian Resources. Sharing Jesus without Fear helps every day Christians communicate the gospel in a clear way so that people can understand the message of Jesus Christ.

Having a heart for the lost is the most important starting point in the process of reaching people with the gospel. The terms that were used to describe people in church, “those who talk about the lost and those who talk to the lost” have large ramifications if Christians are to impact lives. Passion is important to reveal the gospel in a way that shows people that Christians have a relationship with Christ that is transparent and real. The book contains William Fays’ incredible testimony and he shows the simple, but effective way to reach the lost. One good observation, on page 13, was the more a person witnesses, the deeper a person’s faith becomes. The encouraging reminder from this book is you can take the practical steps laid out and start right away. The method used is practical and the principles can be applied to both the scared believer and the seasoned soul-winner.

Learning how to share Jesus goes along with a heart for the lost. Knowledge of the gospel must lead to action in our daily lives. Using questions is a wise decision in finding out where God is working in a person’s life. The book clearly states that we should be willing to dialogue with people and their spiritual backgrounds as we share the gospel with them. The person’s answers will reveal their need and will help in guiding them into understanding the gospel. Connecting the person’s questions to the truth of God’s Word is vital in impacting lives for eternity. The method of Fay’s book points the lost person to a guided look at specific verses that reveal man’s sin and show the need for salvation. The book also encourages believers to refuse to go on the defensive but continually ask people the question, “why?” after they respond with a “no.” The book encourages believers to not respond with frustration if the person is not open to the gospel, but to dispel their defensiveness by showing that you care about their life and not just their accepting Christ right away. According to the book, it takes many times for someone to hear the gospel before they finally accept Christ. It reminds us that Christians are sharing Christ for the long haul and not just quick times of sharing the gospel.

One of the most important aspects that one can learn from the book is that if believers are faithful and obedient to witness, they are successful. The guiding factor of the last chapter is that the Holy Spirit is the one that shows us the spiritual side of someone that needs Christ and each person needs to be sensitive to the lost and the challenges that it brings in witnessing. The section on “Responding to the Challenge to Share Jesus” was good in pointing out that lost people must understand that becoming a Christian is based upon a faith relationship with Christ. It is good to remember that as Christians we are to communicate the gospel in a way that is realistic and accurate to God’s Word. The Christian life is not an easy road and there is much room for pain and struggle. The importance of knowing and loving God is the correct way to share with lost people. The importance of responding with love is beneficial to see life-change happen in a person’s life.

The author was incredibly successful in this book explaining the difficulty of sharing Jesus in today’s postmodern culture. Many people have a universalistic beliefs and how it often clouds their view of Christ. This clear demonstration of questions is a relevant way to bring out people’s true inquiries about knowing Christ. The quote, “success is living your Christian life, sharing the gospel, and trusting God for the results (pg. 21)” is a powerful statement that reminds Christians of the joy of being His ambassadors.

Sharing Jesus without Fear is a book not only built upon a standardized outline, but reliance upon the Holy Spirit to work in a person’s life. It does reflect the importance of knowing Scripture and applying it to real life situations. The book was quite clear upon the reality of Heaven and Hell and real people go to either place. The author clearly states his purpose of explaining the importance of viewing people as either lost or saved and from that comes the truth to witness with passion. One of the important aspects of the book was that we must not just enjoy the “act” of witnessing, but we must love people and obey Jesus’ command to share the gospel with a dying world. As Christians we are not the deciding force on people’s eternity and it is ultimately up to God to change and redeem fallen mankind. The book successfully communicates the philosophical and practical basis for witnessing to the lost.

One important aspect of sharing Jesus is that one must not discount the needs of the lost. The book is clear on understanding people’s needs and in obedience, sharing Jesus with them. The “harvest is plentiful and the workers are few” was solidly explained in illustrations from pastors in farming communities and adequately painted a clear picture. The author clearly illustrates throughout the book of real stories of people that came to know Christ through his process of sharing Jesus without fear.

It is important to note that many biblical characters were used to communicate the need for evangelism. One of the most noted verses was, “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). The book shares the importance of knowing Satan’s tactics and his goal to destroy our witness and to be silent about the gospel. The author dispels certain beliefs and some tough issues so that the reader can be confident to know how “give the reason for the hope.”

It is good how the author has placed many objections that lost people have in the book so there is a better understanding of how to respond. In order to see people saved, Christians will be bombarded with the questions and arguments of those who do not believe. The book helps in explaining the need for relational bridges to be built between people so that one can have the opportunity to turn the conversation towards the gospel. The book completes its goal by explaining the importance of using everyday conversations and being wise to turn them towards Christ. It is not the easy road to take in today’s culture because more and more people are less willing to be open. The book does speak some of the postmodern culture, but seeing that it was written in the 1990’s, there are more objections and issues when it comes to sharing the gospel. If only there were more emphasis in dealing with people of different religions it would be a complete look at evangelism. The reality is the book is for people to pick up and learn with relative ease and so going deeper into understanding many of the world’s beliefs would be a daunting task to say the least.

In teaching this process of evangelism, it would be a great example of leading people to own their faith. This book clearly encourages people that they can and should share their faith on a regular basis. This no-nonsense, clear-cut approach to spreading the good news of the gospel would be effective for the local church. Not only would this study be effective; but it would be helpful in using illustrations that resemble every day life. People need to know they can be successful in sharing the gospel and this book helps aid them in lifestyle evangelism.

As you read this book, the reminder of being available to God to share with the lost and leave the results up to God resounds throughout. The importance of moving beyond the facts about Christ to a personal relationship with Christ is communicated in a fresh way in this book. As we reach the world with the gospel, we must surrender ourselves to His Will and allow His spirit to move in our hearts so we can see what He sees. This book helps the everyday Christian see with Jesus eyes, hear with Jesus’ ears and respond with Jesus’ heart to this world. The joy that comes from obedience to God will help people know that we do not need to fear sharing Jesus with the world, but know that we, “will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…” Every Christian should read this book and apply its biblical applications, the result would be more people coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ!