You Can't Hurt a Dead Person

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world...

Ephesians 2:1-2

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...

I Peter 3:15-16

Have you ever taken a CPR course? I've taken four or five and one thing I've heard instructors address is people's reticence to perform CPR in a real world scenario. Often people are afraid that they will do it wrong somehow. "What if I do the chest compressions too fast or too slow?" or "What if I get the number of breaths wrong?" Good instructors point out the obvious. If a person needs CPR then their heart has stopped and they are dead. You can't hurt a dead person! You can't. Maybe you can't remember how to do everything exactly right in the moment. That's okay. Do something! They're dead. Anything you do is going to help.

The same is true when it comes to sharing your faith. Many believers struggle with the idea of sharing the gospel. They say, "I'm not good at talking; I might share the gospel wrong." or "I might confuse or offend them and push them farther away from Christ." But the Bible tells us that those who have rejected God are not only lost in their sins but are also spiritually dead. They are on their way to Hell. Guess what? If you somehow mess up your gospel presentation they are not going to become any more spiritually dead than they already are. They are not going to go to "Hell 2.0" because you drove them farther away. They are spiritually dead. You can't make it any worse, so do something! Say something! 

It's great that we want to share the gospel the right way. And that's a good reason to prepare and practice to do it well. We want to be ready to give an answer when the opportunity comes. But don't ever use that as an excuse to not share the gospel. So prepare yourself, memorize some verses, but above all don't be too afraid. You can't hurt a dead person. Just do something to try to help.