Fear is one of the biggest obstacles members face in sharing the gospel with others. Some common fears are not knowing what to say, offending/losing a relationship or being ostracized for sharing your beliefs. No matter what the fears are, we must overcome them in order to fulfill the Lord's command to feed his sheep.
The fear of not knowing what to say is the most common when it comes to sharing the gospel with others. It’s a concern for those who feel they don’t know the doctrine well enough or won't be able to recite scripture references.
It’s important to realize that you don’t have to be a gospel scholar in order to share the gospel. That’s the world’s standards. It’s the world that looks at how many degrees a person has. The Lord only desires that you to be willing and ready to open your mouth. He will help you with the rest.
This doesn’t suggest that you don’t need to study the doctrine. Study the scriptures daily so that by the Holy Ghost you may be able to refer to those verses or principles when the opportunity arises. I can't count the many times I've studied my scriptures in the morning and then found myself sharing the principles I learned with a friend struggling with that same principle.
Sometimes you may still find it difficult to come up with the right words to say. When that happens, enlist the help of your ward missionaries. They will more than happy to speak to interested friends or family.
When it comes to the fear of offending or losing a friend, the truth of the matter is that not everyone will like what we share about the gospel. There will be many who will get upset and insulted by what we have to say, but we can’t allow that to stop us from sharing it anyway.
We can’t control how the person on the receiving end responds. The only thing we can control is how we present it to them. The main concern in that respect is to always share it in love. Be careful not to disrespect their beliefs: don’t be arrogant or argumentative.
It can hurt if your sharing the gospel leads to the end of a friendship or estrangement with a family member. In such case, I look to the Savior, who I’m sure lost many friendships because of who he said he was. Nevertheless, it was his mission to declare his divinity and teach the people correct principles so they could return to heaven. We too have a mission to proclaim that Jesus is the Christ and help others return to be with him and Heavenly Father again.
Finally, there is the fear of being ostracized. It’s the fear of being "that person." The person that when you walk into a room, everyone sighs, “Oh, no. Not her or him again.” It’s the fear that sharing the gospel will turn others away from you. That may happen in some cases, but don’t allow this to stop you.
The Lord has said many times throughout the scriptures, “Endure till the end." Be persistent but also perceptive.
If a person doesn’t seem to be interested, then don’t push it. We want to share the gospel, but that doesn’t mean we have to beat them over the head with it. Allow them to take the lead. Share how much or how little they are comfortable with. Invite them out to church or activities, but don’t push them in a corner where they feel obligated to attend.
The Lord wants to use us as instruments in his hands to move the gospel forward into the world. When we allow our fears to cripple us, we are getting in the Lord’s way. Just like David defeated Goliath, we too can overcome our fears. We then put ourselves in the position to allow great things to happen in the Lord’s vineyard.
