Read and Grow

Bella is a graphic designer and has spent most of her working life in ministry and church. Stepping out into a secular work environment was a challenge, especially when it came to bringing up her faith. But Bella discovered a simple secret that made all the difference…
   

In my life, I’ve only ever worked in Christian ministries and churches. But recently I started a new job in a totally secular environment. I’ve wanted to be serious about living life on-mission but I felt nervous about talking to people about Jesus in a natural way. The Holy Spirit challenged me to just be honest when the moment arises and I wanted to be obedient to that.

Well, the other day I was having lunch with a new friend from work and we were talking about life outside of work. I showed her some photos of my friends and my housemates, and she asked me where I met them. It was such a simple moment, but I said, “Oh, I met them all through church.” I explained how we grew close by serving on teams together for a long time at church. I mean, it’s not like I shared my testimony or led her through a prayer of salvation or anything like that, it was just a simple moment of obedient honesty.

I felt pretty nervous as we were having the conversation. I didn’t know how she was going to react. I didn’t know what her past experience of church was like. I was feeling on edge.

But as the conversation went on I kept reminding myself that I wasn’t trying to convince her of anything, I was just making a plain statement about my life. I was just sharing who I am and how I live, and that thought was really calming for me.

I realized that just being casual, honest and authentic took the pressure off. I could be obedient to the Holy Spirit and the outcome meant we grew closer as friends because we know more about each other.

The Bible says that ‘all things work together for good for those who love God’ Romans 8:28. So sharing my faith doesn’t need to be complicated, I can just be honest about my life and trust God to work out the good.

This whole experience reminded me that I don’t need to change the whole world, I just have to do my bit and be true to myself, display the heart of Jesus and be honest when Jesus comes up in conversation.

I realized that if I’m being honest and real, Jesus is going to come up in conversation because he’s such a big part of my life. So when someone says “Why do you do this? Or say that?” I can honestly answer with “Oh, it’s because I love God and I love people.”

And there it is, simple honesty.

Be honest when someone comes up to you with questions. Be honest when you’re in a conversation – if God’s a part of your life He’ll come up.

Just be honest, it doesn't have to be more complicated than that.

"I want to talk to people about Jesus, but I just don’t know where to start".

Life is full and it's easy to forget you have a helper the Holy Spirit - John 14:26 for moments like this! Listening to the Holy Spirit is the place to start. He will speak to you and guide you when you need Him.

Let's face it, listening to the Holy Spirit is a pretty weird concept. How exactly does it work? When does He talk? How do I know if it is Him or my own mind talking? Or did I just drink too much coffee at lunch time?

In the same way you know the voice of your mum or a good friend, you can learn to know the voice of the Holy Spirit by listening to Him, understanding more about Him, and good old fashioned trial and error.

Let's set some foundations: 

The Holy Spirit IS God and shares in the God-head with God the Father and Jesus - that’s the Trinity. He spoke to Christians throughout the Bible, is our helper John 14:26 and He is a good gift from God. The Holy Spirit definitely is a mysterious expression of God, but this is exciting and should cause us to be curious and learn more about Him.

The Holy Spirit will give us guidance when we need Him. There are many examples of the Holy Spirit moving and guiding people in the Bible Luke 2:27-32, 2 Peter 1:21, Acts 8:29-31, if you talk to enough Christians you will discover that He continues to do so today. So, spend time listening to Him. He may speak through a Bible verse that suddenly stands out to you or it might be a thought or emotion that hits you as you’re praying. When it comes to sharing your faith He may guide you in a moment or conversation, encouraging you to say or do something. Sometimes you might suddenly recall a Bible verse, or a story or something your pastor once said. Sometimes it’s a strong feeling or urge to talk about a particular topic. Try following that guidance and see where the Holy Spirit leads the conversation.

The Holy Spirit is trustworthy. Although you might be cautious of whether the Spirit is speaking, you can be sure to trust Him when He is. God promises to work together all things for our good Romans 8:28, but that doesn’t mean you always get what you want, it means you always get what is good. So, trust the Holy Spirit to guide your life and conversations about Jesus knowing that God is good and He is working all things for good.

The Holy Spirit should be pursued

The Bible tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit Ephesians 5:18 To “be filled” in the Greek (the original language in the Bible) means that it is an activity that is ongoing, it’s something that happens to you and you are commanded to pursue it. But how do you do this? Spend time being thankful to God Psalm 100:4 consider the times he has been good to you and thank Him for it. Repent and apologise to God for the wrong things you have done Psalm 66:18 and trust that God has more grace for you than any sin you might commit.

In your conversations about Jesus, be aware that the Holy Spirit might be speaking to you. Listen to His voice and follow it the best you can.

Henry lives life at 120%. He works hard to become an expert in whatever field or topic that he sets his mind to. From coffee to social media management and now garden maintenance, Henry is an entrepreneur with a big heart for people.
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He shared with us a recent opportunity he had to talk to a client about Jesus.

I was mowing one of my client’s lawns. He came out really excited about showing me the mirror in his house. He asked me to go look at the mirror and as I walked in I noticed the Bible. Then he showed me everything in his house. As we were walking back outside I saw the Bible again so I said, "Do you read the Bible?" And he said, "Not really. I used to. I mean I believe in God." I told him that I go to church. That just started a whole conversation about Jesus.

This Is Henry's Story

Fast forward a few months…

Now every time I mow his lawn we pray. We’ve caught up a few times and we pray as well. He says, "I can feel the Holy Spirit." Now he’s at the point where he really wants to come to church.

Opportunities like this are linked to how much you’re pursuing God at the time. I love what Paul says in Romans 1, "I am unashamed of the Gospel." You can hear it in his blood. I can’t wait, every morning to share the hope and the strength that His goodness brings. The more I pursue God, the more I see the opportunities.

So, when I saw the Bible sitting there something jumped out. It was a split-second moment where I realised that this was the time to share. You become more aware of moments like these and God gives you a boldness to carry through with it.

This God-breathed boldness has made a way for many more conversations about faith and Jesus.

Henry shared another story about a workmate

‍He found a cross necklace when he was at work and was so excited to give it to me. I wanted to try and restructure the way he saw Jesus so I said, "Did you know that back in the day the cross wasn’t necessarily a nice thing for Christian’s, but their symbolism was a fish or an anchor because the hope that Jesus brought was the anchor for their life. So for Christianity our biggest symbol is hope." He said to me, "I could go for some hope!"

From there it was a natural conversation talking about that and how Jesus is what you wake up for and He’s what gets you through the hard times. So that opened us up to talk more about what he’s struggling with and how Jesus could be the answer to his life.

The way you share Jesus with people who don’t yet know Him, is by talking about what He’s changed in you. You can argue the theology or why He’s real, but people see Jesus through the change in you. So sharing what He’s done in your life is always the best way.

We experience change through our own personal devotion and intimacy with Jesus. The result is life just like Henry has described — awareness of the opportunities all around us and a story of our own transformation.

Having a friend tell you that they want to learn more about Jesus is a really exciting experience. It can feel like a huge and wonderful responsibility; like you're finally living out your purpose as a Christian (insert an adrenaline rush and praise songs here).
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Easter is a common time for people to start asking questions about Jesus. While you might feel prepared to begin this journey with them, have you thought about the long-haul, or the potential for future disappointment? It's important to prepare yourself for that, too.

What to do when a friend loses interest, When your friend first asks you about Jesus, you'll naturally want to expose them to everything—Bible studies, church services, paying them a visit, giving them a Bible, or sending them sermons to watch online. In fact, you might have to "play it cool" and hold yourself back from bombarding them with too much information.

If your friend is receptive, you'll get to witness them engaging with church for the first time and seeing their eyes light up when they learn new truths about the Bible, and about themselves. This can bring intense joy and fulfillment—both to them, and to you.

But sometimes as they journey with you, they might stop replying to your messages. They might stop turning up to Bible studies, asking questions, or showing interest. This can be really disappointing. You might start to wonder if they were offended by something you said, or if you came on too strong. You might even doubt God and His plan.

When spiritual conversations or relationships lose momentum, what should you do?

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Step 1: Learn from the disciples

Firstly, you can take encouragement from the disciples’ experience. Walking with Jesus for 3 years, the disciples witnessed incredible miracles, teachings and grew in their relationship with God. But even though Jesus preached about a heavenly Kingdom and His death, they didn't understand what He meant.

When Jesus died and lay in the tomb on Saturday, the disciples didn't know what to do. They were devastated and began to doubt. How could their Messiah be the Son of God if He was dead? Were the last three years of their lives all a lie?

If a friend loses interest in their Christian journey, you might start to doubt and question too. Did your friend actually like coming to church, or were they just being polite? Were the revelations they experienced genuine, or just emotional highs?

When Jesus rose again on the third day, suddenly the whole gospel message made sense. Jesus was the Son of God because He had conquered death! This spurred the disciples on and they began to spread the Gospel with their communities, and the wider world. God had been in control the whole time.

Step 2: Get practical

If you have a friend who has lost interest in Jesus, take heart.

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world"

John 16:33

God's still in control, and He's doing everything in His power to bring them back into a relationship with Him. But there are practical steps you can take, as well:

Pray

Pray that the Holy Spirit will open your friends' eyes to the importance of Jesus, the Bible and being in Christian community. Pray that their desire for Jesus will be revived.

Connect

Send your friend a DM asking if they want to catch up for a meal or coffee. If you're afraid you might scare them away, you can even say, "I promise I won't be pushy or talk about church if you don't want to, I just want to see how you're going."

Invite

If you think your friend would be open to it, invite them to your church's Easter service. Easter is a popular time for even nominal Christians to attend church, so it can be a non-threatening opportunity.

If you have a friend who's lost touch with your church community recently, Easter is a great time to get in contact. Tomorrow is Easter Sunday—don't waste the opportunity! And who knows—just like Jesus rose on the third day, there could be a wonderful spiritual journey still in store for your friend too. You just wait and see!