Although the growth of God’s church is not as evident among us, signs of spiritual interest and receptivity abound. Spirituality is on the agenda in corporate boardrooms. Religious book sales are at an all-time high. And most encouraging of all is the fact, evidenced by Celebrate Jesus and other evangelism strategies, that disciples are being made. During October 2000, 513 congregations submitting their Operation Evangelization updates reported receiving a combined total of 1,063 people on profession of faith. The harvest is not only ready, but God has called and deployed many laborers into the field, here in Florida and around the world.

Yet, the fact remains that Christians are made one by one. For each of those 1,063 people, as for every person reading this article, there was one person who served as midwife in their new birth. For me it was a pastor; for others it was a family member, friend, neighbor or business associate. For some it was more than one person. In each case, someone shared their faith with us and invited us to follow Jesus.

Personal faithsharing is "numero uno" in the toolbox of evangelism strategies. Vital Christian faith is infectious. It is caught from the personal life style and witness of ordinary Christian people who have developed a competence and comfort in sharing their faith. Such persons live by 1 Peter 3:15b and 16, "Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet, do it with gentleness and reverence."

Faithsharing can be learned. There are several good resources available for pastors and lay teachers. One is an excellent book by Asbury professor Bob Tuttle, "Can We Talk? Sharing Your Faith in a Pre-Christian World." Another good resource is "Becoming a Contagious Christian" by Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg.

From January to May the conference’s Operation Evangelization office will be offering training in five locations, using the Faith-Sharing resources developed by Eddie Fox, George Morris, Shirley Clement and me. More than 100 lay speakers, other laity and pastors have taken the training. Regional training sessions for local church leaders will be offered in Chaires (Feb. 16, 17), Cocoa (March 2, 3), Boca Raton (March 23, 24), Inverness (May 4, 5), as well as a training in Spanish in the Miami area April 27 and 28. For further information call Operation Evangelization at 1-800-282-8011.

There is no higher privilege or greater joy than to be present at the new creation as Christ is offered and received. Won by one!