…that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
  - Philemon 6

...it is true that there is an obligation to fish well and diligently...we are obliged to spread our nets so that we can catch a great shoal and multitude for God.

  - Patrick, Confession, Irish, 5th century[1]

Sharing your faith is good for you. Whether you share it with a lost person or another believer, the more you talk with others about Jesus, the more effective that sharing will be in firming up your knowledge of the Lord, and of the many good things that are yours in Jesus Christ.

Sharing your faith with others deepens your understanding of and love for the Gospel. It draws you more deeply into the knowledge of God, stokes the embers of compassion in the heart, fortifies the priorities of the conscience, and bathes the entire soul in the warmth of assurance, conviction, and love for God and neighbor.

Sharing your faith also establishes the fact that the secular worldview is not the last word. God exists, and He reveals Himself to and blesses those who diligently seek Him. The more we share our faith, the more real our faith becomes to us, and the more likely it will be that our neighbors will set aside the delusion of secularism and begin thinking about spiritual matters.

Sharing your faith encourages other believers, and helps in equipping you and them for those open doors of opportunity to bear witness that the Lord brings our way from time to time.

The Lord Jesus has commanded us to make disciples “as we are going,” or, as Patrick has it, “to fish well and diligently.” The Lord has assigned each of us a Personal Mission Field, and has provided us with “nets” of grace and truth sufficient to “fish” that entire sphere. Everyone needs to hear the Gospel – saved and lost folks alike – and the person most likely to reach those in your Personal Mission Field is, well, you.

Bearing witness to the people we encounter each day – whether they are believers in need of instruction and encouragement or lost souls in need of salvation – begins in prayer, is grounded in a life of grace and truth, and comes out at every opportunity in bits and pieces of testimony, praise, and Gospel explanation. Evangelism is a process and not an event. Sharing your faith with others should be the natural outflow of the Spirit’s work in your life (Jn. 7.37-39).

But only the power of the Spirit can enable us to be witnesses for Christ (Acts 1.8). No program, tool, or rigorous resolve will move us regularly to spread our nets over the whole field to which we have been sent for the sake of bearing witness to Jesus. If we seek the Spirit daily, pleading with Him to fill us and use as witnesses for Christ, we will find He is most willing to do both.

And as He does, we will know the joy of talking about the One Who is making all things new in our lives; we will be renewed and confirmed in our faith and confidence; and we will experience more of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

We believe the Good News to be true and vital. It only makes sense we would talk about it more frequently than we do. If we begin our day listening to the Lord in His Word, and thinking about the day ahead in prayer, God will give us words to share with the people to whom He sends us each day. All we have to do is cast the line of God’s love, and see if anyone will bite.

Friends, let’s push out into the deep water and put out our nets today, that we may fish well and diligently.

Psalm 145.1-6 (Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want)
I will extol You, God, my King, and ever praise Your Name!
I bless You, Lord, for everything each day, and e’er the same!
Great are You, Lord, my praise I bring; unsearchable Your fame!

To ev’ry generation we Your wondrous works shall tell.
The splendor of Your majesty we contemplate full well.
We speak of all Your mighty deeds and all Your greatness tell.

Lord, You have called me to follow You, that I might become a fisher of men. Help me to take up this calling anew, beginning today.

Mission Partners Outreach
Need some help jump-starting your “fishing”? Why not sign up for the Mission Partners Outreach? This is a six-month training program that will show you how to identify your Personal Mission Field and begin working it diligently and well. Watch this brief video (click here). Then download the information brochure, share it with a friend, and both of you register to begin this exciting growth adventure together. The materials and training are free, and you can study at your own pace.

Praise the Lord with us
It is our privilege to serve you, and our joy to have you share with us in this work. The Lord supports our work through the prayerful and generous gifts of those who share our vision and are served by our ministry. Please join us in praising Him for His kindness in supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe. I ask you to seek Him in prayer, and ask Him whether He might be pleased to use you in this way. You can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction VT 05452.

T. M. Moore
Principal
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All psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.