Read and Grow

Talking about Jesus can feel weird or uncomfortable. Maybe you struggle to find the right opportunities to share, or feel that you lack the necessary knowledge. Perhaps you don’t want to cause tension in your relationships or be perceived as “pushy”.

Life is increasingly feeling like a warzone of competing worldviews. This is an intimidating landscape to navigate when you’re attempting to share Jesus with people you care about. So what’s your gameplan? How do you go about sharing Jesus?

Here’s a simple 3 step approach to help set you up for sharing Jesus…

1. Pray — Be a Christian

The starting point for authentic evangelism is a current, honest and intimate relationship with Jesus. Think about it – if you don’t know Jesus well, it will feel weird and forced to share about Him. In any relationship, familiarity comes through communication, and life with Jesus is no different. Our modern idea of prayer can often be reduced to a one way conversation with God. But when it comes to being a disciple of Jesus, your prayer life needs to be more than that.

You need to know His voice to respond to opportunities to share the gospel and navigate conversations. You need to be familiar with Him to know how to call out lies that dress up as Him. You need to be familiar with Him to talk about Him to all kinds of people, and to respond any time, any place to questions about Him.

2. Connect — Be a friend

It may be stating the obvious, but you can’t share Jesus if you don’t have meaningful relationships – or at least a connection point – with non-Christians. There’s no judgment here – it’s just a good question to ask. Many of us are passionate about our faith and open to sharing Jesus, but because of our passion, we’re serving at church and running small groups or organising events and before you know it we’re stuck in a Christian bubble with no friends outside of church.

So if you’re looking for a way to share Jesus, find non-Christians in your everyday life. Focus on where you are already personally connected and start by intentionally growing natural friendships with these people.

3. Respond — Be a messenger

When you’re filled with the Holy Spirit through prayer, and connecting well with the people in your world, you’ll start to see natural opportunities to share Jesus. The Holy Spirit is already working in the hearts of people around you. Staying connected to Him and responding to what he asks you to do takes the pressure off of you.

It might look like being ready to pray with someone, telling your story, explaining the gospel, or inviting people to church. You might get asked why you’re different, or a conversation might suddenly turn towards topics like God and faith. Perhaps you’ll see someone that needs help, or the Holy Spirit will challenge you to do or say something. It could be anything! Participating in someone’s journey towards Jesus is a super exciting way to live.

If you’re struggling to make a start sharing your faith, begin with these simple steps. Build an authentic, honest relationship with Jesus, meaningful connections with non-Christians, and a prayerful willingness to respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever felt completely unqualified? You are given a job to do at work or an assessment task at university. It can make you feel overwhelmed. You might feel at a loss of where to start, so you keep putting off the task. Perhaps you feel this way about sharing Jesus. You know the Great Commission exists, but the task seems too grand and unachievable.

The good news is you don’t have to feel unqualified, because you’re not. God made you on purpose and with a purpose. You are qualified to share Jesus because God created you with a unique personality, and skills and abilities to reach the specific people in your everyday life.

Here’s some truth to speak against the lie that you’re unworthy to share the gospel. You are who God intended and created you to be. You are not a mistake.

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb… I am fearfully and wonderfully made” . (Psalm 139:13-14)

God has given you gifts, passions, and a personality that are designed to do the work of sharing Jesus that He has prepared for you (Ephesians 2:10).

Here’s the bottom line. You don’t need to be someone else when talking about Jesus with your friends. Be the ‘you’, God made you to be. For example, if you love hosting parties and cooking for people, do that. Invite people to your place, cook for them and use that time to share your lives together. As you go, find opportunities to talk about Jesus. If you’re a creative person, find ways to share Jesus through your creativity. There are many ways you can translate your gifts, passions, and personality to sharing the gospel – the only limit is your imagination.

You are in the right place, at the right time. Your mission field is all around you.

Think about your friends, your family, the barista at your coffee shop, the people in your study group or sporting club. These are the people God has placed in your life to share Jesus with. Just like the words said to Esther in the Old Testament, you have been called for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). Open your eyes each day to the mission field you already find yourself in.

So, how do you start?

1. Start by praying for the people in your world and ask the Holy Spirit for opportunities to have conversations and build relationships
2. Be salt and light. Let God bring out His flavours and colours in your life, and when people ask what is different about you, be ready to give an answer to what Jesus has done in your life.

God has placed you where you are for a reason. Don’t try to be someone else, be yourself. Think about the people in your life that you have regular contact with, how can you get creative with your gifts, passions, or personality to share Jesus with them?

Do you remember how you felt when you first started following Jesus – when you first understood the gravity of the gospel? Not just in your mind, but deep in your heart? When the emptiness was filled with the fullness of love. Don’t forget that.

This gospel message of hope has been resounding throughout humanity since Jesus stood on that mountain and said to his 12 friends, “Go tell everyone! Don’t keep this to yourself.” This call wasn’t meant for them alone. It was meant for you. You’re not meant to keep hope to yourself.

You know you hold the answer. You know you have hope. So what’s holding you back? What would happen if you trusted Jesus and shared this hope?

Here’s 3 encouragements if you’re holding back from sharing Jesus and stepping into the calling of the Great Commission:

1. You have a purpose

If you’re feeling like your Christian journey could do with a bit more purpose, remember that sharing Jesus is not just an action – it’s a calling for all of us. By sharing His love, you’re stepping into the divine purpose that Jesus has for your life.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
– Romans 10:13-14

2. It starts with you

Evangelism is not just for a chosen few – it’s a call from Jesus to all of us. You have your own unique circle of people who trust and value your words. By sharing your faith in your own genuine way, you can make a significant impact on their lives.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
– John 20:21

3. You are not alone

Never forget that you’re part of something bigger. Sharing Jesus can seem daunting, especially when it feels like you’re swimming against the tide. But you’re part of a global movement of people sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Your contribution, no matter how small it may seem, is vital.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
– ‍‍Hebrews 12:1

As you share the hope that you’ve found in Jesus, you’re stepping into your purpose as a follower of Jesus and taking your place in the greatest movement the world has ever seen. Participating in the salvation of your friends and family and building God’s kingdom on earth is the greatest privilege. Don’t hold back! You’re not alone. You’ve got this!

As Christians, we’re all aware of the Great Commission. When Jesus stood on that mountain top and said, “Go into all the world and make disciples.” Often that can feel like it’s easier said than done. If you want to share Jesus but it feels awkward and contrived, the first step is to understand that sharing Jesus needs to come from a place of relationship with Him. A relationship that’s honest and intimate.

Do you desire a closer relationship with God, but sometimes feel distant and disconnected?

Just like any relationship, nurturing your bond with God requires care, attention, and intentional practices. God has given many practices and rhythms to help you cultivate that relationship with Him. These practices are the heartbeat of the Christian faith and build a relationship with Jesus from which evangelism flows naturally.

Here are 5 practices that you can start today:

1. Read your Bible

The Bible is God’s love letter, instruction manual, and manifesto all in one. Its contents and teachings are God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). In other words, the Bible is showing you the goodness of God, who He is and who you are to Him, and instructing you how to live a good life. So start reading the Bible today. If it seems daunting, just start with 15 minutes a day reading it and you’ll start feeling closer to God.

2. Pray

Prayer is how you communicate with God. You’re not bothering God when you pray; He loves it. It’s like a sweet aroma to Him (Psalm 141:2). And if you’re not sure what to say don’t worry, the Holy Spirit will intercede for you (Romans 8:26-27). As you read your Bible, include some time for prayer too. There are a bunch of different ways to pray: spoken prayers, journaling, praying the Psalms, praying for other people, silence and solitude, just to name a few.

3. Worship

Worship is more than just singing at church or a style of music on Spotify. Everything we do is designed to be worship to God. The way you treat strangers can be worship, the effort you put into your study or work can be worship, the way you love your family can be worship.

In the same way that God has given us music to worship Him (Psalm 33:1-4), He has given us our lives to worship Him (Romans 12:1). So, why not do both! Create a worship playlist for your morning commute or for your gym workout and choose songs which speak of God’s greatness. Also, endeavour to live your life in a way that pleases God. This will take time (a life-time, in fact), but you will feel closer to God, because it’s literally what He created you for.

4. Join a church community

Church is so dear to Jesus’s heart that He calls it His bride (Revelation 21:9-11). It is designed by God to help you–a community to support and encourage each other in the good way and in glorifying Jesus (Hebrews 10:24-25). Attending a church service is a great start but it’s when you get involved in the life of the church and in the community of fellow Christians that you begin to become more like Jesus. Find a healthy church, make deep friends and be involved in their lives. If you have trouble making friends (people can be cliquey sometimes) ask the pastor to help, or find a church where you connect easily.

5. Talk to people about Jesus

Jesus told His disciples to go out and share the story of Jesus to the whole world (Matthew 28:18-20). The foundation of growing your relationship with Jesus is cultivating obedience to Him. This means you’re a disciple of Jesus, and so you are called to share the Gospel with the world. This doesn’t mean you have to travel to a different country, but it may mean going into your neighbourhood, workplace or community.

If you’re feeling distant from God and want to go deeper with Him, start building these practices into your week; read your bible daily, pray daily, worship daily, join a church community, and talk to people about Jesus. And remember, take it easy. The best habits are built by the accumulation of small gains, so give yourself encouragement. And as you go, keep a prayerful outlook for opportunities to share Jesus. You’ll be surprised how they naturally come about.