Liberty Theological Seminary

SHARE JESUS WITHOUT FEAR

A Paper Submitted to Professor David Wheeler In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Course Contemporary Evangelism EVAN 565

By Johnny Carter June 8, 2013

EVAN 565

Bibliographical Entry Shepherd, William Fay with Linda Evans. Share Jesus Without Fear. Nashville, Tenn.: B&H Books, 1999.

Author Information William Fay or Bill as his friends call him is a graduate of Denver Seminary and a nationally known evangelist and author of the Share Jesus without Fear series. His work from the Share Jesus series has inspired the notes in the Share Jesus without Fear New Testament. He has also written a How to Share Your Faith without an Argument pamphlet which has 3.5 million copies in print. William Fay has shared his faith with more than twenty-five thousand people on a oneto one basis. However, before finding Christ, William was involved in some shady business deals such as racketeering, bookmaking and gambling. He also ran one of the largest house of prostitution in the United States and he had ties to the mob. William was also once the CEO of a multimillion dollar International Corporation. William had everything you could think of at his disposal, an unlimited expense account, chauffeur driven limos, diamond rings, Rolexes, gold jewelry and women at his beck and call. As far as William was concerned he was on top of the world and living the good life. While in Las Vegas his house of prostitution was raided and a warrant was issued for his arrest. After basically getting a slap on the wrist from the judge, the Colorado police department put a plan in motion to get him. Just like a beautiful woman in the bible took Samson down, an attractive police woman posing as a prostitute took Williams down. While in prison William was able to reflect on his life and he knew that something was missing 2

EVAN 565 in his life. After finding Christ, William began to share his faith everywhere he went. Since 1981, he has taught his no argument approach to witnessing in churches around the world, prompting 30 to 100 percent of his listeners to share their faith within the following week. Since his conversion God has continued to open doors for William he can now be heard on hundreds of radio stations from Nome Alaska, to Valdosta, Georgia. Content Summary William Fays book Share Jesus without Fear is an informative four step guide that gives readers a step-by-step approach to evangelism. His book helps the believer share their faith with the world in a way that is simple and non-argumental. By using these simple steps in his books Williams believes it will lead to more evangelism and more souls won for Christ. Step One is in chapter 4 - The Share Jesus Question - William starts off by suggesting that the reader ask probing questions. These questions can be used to gage the spiritual state of the person they are trying to reach for Christ. It will also help to determine if God is at work and to see if the persons heart is open to the word of God.1 Asking these types of questions gives the believer a better opportunity to stay in control of the conversation. It also helps the believer to ease into a God- pointing conversation on their own terms2 and avoids the defense mechanism from the other person. William believes that by following this approach it allows the Holy Spirit to being to work in the heart of the person you are trying to reach. Step Two is in chapter 5 - Sharing Scriptures William tells the reader that the Bible represents the believers commitment to Christ. It tells the non-believer that they are living under the anticipation that God is moving in their life.3 William quotes Hebrews 4:12 as a guide for every believer to realize that no matter
1 2

William Fay with Linda Evans Shepherd, Share Jesus Without Fear (Nashville, Tenn.: B&H Books, 1999), 30. Ibid,32 3 Ibid,43

EVAN 565 how hard a persons heart is the word of God can penetrate even the hardest of hearts. The word of God reveals who a person is and what a person is not. It penetrates the moral and spiritual core of each person.4 When sharing scriptures Williams says that there are two basic principles at work. Number one is Romans 10:17- faith comes from hearing, there has to be someone talking about the word of God in order for a person to have faith in what they hear. Number two is Luke 10:26- What does it mean to you? (my interpretation) when presented with the word the believer asks the non-believer what they believe the scripture is saying. By sharing scriptures in this type of format it opens up a dialogue and gives the believer the chance to listen and the Holy Spirit a chance to work. Step Three is in chapter 6- Bring to Decision- In this chapter William states that the believer must look for every opportunity to present the gospel to the world.5 After the gospel is presented the believer now has the chance to give the non-believer the opportunity to accept life or death. While Jesus was doing his ministry on earth he always gave people a choice6 To accept or rejected eternal life. If they accepted his invitation then Jesus would lead them to the family of God. If they reject his invitation he would go on his way. Jesus never forced anyone so the believer must not force anyone either. Nevertheless, it takes more than hearing the gospel to become born again; it comes down to making a decision about what was just presented to the non-believer.7 Williams shares a story about D.L.Moody preaching in Chicago in 1871.That night Moody was preaching to one of the largest gathering ever in Chicago. After his message Moody told everyone to think about the message and come back on Sunday with their decision then he sent everyone on their way. That night the great fire of Chicago broke out and a lot of lives were lost. Moody was hunted by this tragedy for the rest of

4 5

Study Notes, The Application Study Bible, 2nd ed. (Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004), 2003. Ibid,59 6 Ibid,60 7 Ibid,60

EVAN 565 his life because he failed to give the people a chance to decide if they wanted to accept Christ as their personal savior.8 Moodys story shows how important it is to not only share the message but its equally important to give the receiver the opportunity to make the decision to accept Christ into their life. Step Four is in chapter 7- What to do When Someone Receives ChristWilliam uses this chapter to encourage follow-up after the new believer comes to Christ. The new believer is like a baby, who will need lots of care and feeding and it is the believers responsibility to provide everything the new believer needs in order to grow.9 Williams also use this chapter to answer any questions the new believer may have and to help them understand what just happened in their life. The new believer is encouraged to share their testimony with others and the importance of having a prayer life is explained. The new believer is encouraged to pray for the believers that were praying for them and then the new believer is encouraged to a call a friend to let them knew that they made the decision to accept Christ into their life and to encourage their friend to accept Christ and to invite them to church. Most importantly the new believer is encouraged to find a good bible base church to fellowship with so their spiritual life will begin to grow. Evaluation Out of all the evangelizing books I have in my collection I have to say this is the first book that I have come across that is straight forward and simple to follow. Not only does William provide a step-by-step guide for personal evangelizing he provides life like scenarios to pique the interest of the reader. After all that William has been through it is pretty obvious that he is on a mission to see souls won to Christ. His passion for evangelism and spreading the Gospel around the world is his new multi-international business. Share Christ Without Fear is a must read book for

8 9

Ibid,60-61 78

EVAN 565 everyone. Everything William provides in the book is backed up by scripture and its a foolproof method that is guaranteed to work. Whoever reads this book will notice that this is something very personal to William. This book can be use many times over and over and there are plenty of methods that can be used for evangelizing. Dal Shealy President and CEO of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, says it best when he says- Share Jesus Without Fear, lays out the game plan for young and old alike to communicate the truth of the gospel in a non-threatening and nonintimidating manner. This book is a must read for all who desire to give witness of their faith.