I was very encouraged by C. John Miller’s A Faith Worth Sharing: A Lifetime of Conversations about Christ. Even though Jack Miller (1924-1996) taught practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, was founder and Director of World Harvest Missions, and founded New Life Presbyterian Church, he was a very ordinary man.I found myself easily relating to Miller as I read about his failures, blunders, and God dependent successes when trying to share the gospel. He appears to have been a very humble man and this emerges as Miller laments missed opportunities while illustrating his attempts to share the gospel over the course of his lifetime.
A Faith Worth Sharing is a compilation of Jack Miller’s evangelistic conversations over the course of his life, from when he was a young believer to a mature Christian. In the introduction, Miller’s daughter says the book is “about the power of the gospel to change anyone” (p. 12). Miller illustrates this as he shares the gospel in boarding houses, with hitchhikers, businessmen, and his own family.
Miller’s book had three effects on me: (1) it made me want to share the gospel more often; (2) it built my faith in God who can use anyone; (3) I learned some practical lessons from Miller’s example. Let me summarize the sevenimportant lessons I learned.
First, the importance of taking time to build relationships.
Some Christians want to rush in and confront others with the gospel without taking the time to build a relationship of trust. Others are wonderful at building relationships, but never take the next step and lovingly confront their friends with the claims of Christ. I have been guilty of both mistakes. This is when we learn what prayer is all about. –page 24.Second, the importance of telling non-Christians about Jesus.
He was close enough to me to see the effect of the gospel on my life, but I should have let him one step closer. I should have let him hear my words of confession and faith. –page 29.Third, the importance of trusting God when doing evangelism.
The message of the cross as applied by the Spirit saves souls. Nothing else can do it, but the cross can break the hardest souls. It broke mine. It broke John’s. This is the humbling strategy of a sovereign God. –page 34.Fourth, the importance of sharing the gospel imperfectly rather than not sharing it at all.
Many Christians fail to share their faith because they are trying to do it perfectly, and since they cannot do it perfectly, they remain silent. But what we learn from my story is that God is pleased to use imperfect people like me. –page 44.Fifth, the importance of humbly relating to people as sinners saved by grace.
We have made a conscious effort to move with humility into the lives of other people, to love them from below, rather than from above. Our weaknesses have become our point of contact, and this openness and vulnerability causes people to open up to us in return. –pages 124-125.Sixth, the importance of trusting that God is sovereignly bringing people into your life.
Throughout my life God taught me the supreme importance of believing that I do not meet people by accident. It is part of his wise and perfect plan, and I can be confident of this as I speak to them. –pages 127-128.Seventh, the importance of building our own faith in the power of the gospel.
The people you encounter daily are the ones Jesus wants you to share the gospel with. But make sure that you are understanding and loving the gospel more each day yourself or you will not be able to love and understand the friends at your “breakfast table.” -page 34.
