Natural para sa ibang tao ang pag-share kay Jesus at mukhang napakadali lang nito para sa kanila. Pero, maaaring disheartening ito para sa ibang tao. Be encouraged, kapatid. Here’s some ideas about how to share Jesus if you can’t seem to find the right words.

Think about this. Lahat tayo ay surrounded by a particular culture. Maaaring hindi madaling mapansin sa una, but the values, language, attitudes, and shared experiences within a people group or location determine a culture, and this shapes the way we view the world. Kapag ang missionaries ay pumupunta sa isang foreign culture, gugugol sila ng maraming oras para mag observe at maunawaan ang kultura at wika muna. Ginawa ito ni Paul sa Atenas, nang simulan niya ang isang pag-uusap tungkol kay Jesus sa pamamagitan ng pagturo sa altar ‘To an unknown god’, introducing Jesus as the God who could be known. (Acts 17:23)

Here’s the big idea: sharing Jesus begins by observing the culture around you and looking for ways to reflect his nature back to that culture.

Ugaliing mag-observe. Look for concepts and language within culture that encapsulate the core characteristics of Jesus; love, mercy, hope, redemption, salvation, and sacrifice. Halimbawa, madaling makahanap ng mga pelikulang may ‘Jesus figure’ —isang taong nagbuwis ng buhay para sa kapakanan ng iba. Take time to observe your culture at tingnan kung paano mo magagamit ang cultural language and ideas to point towards Jesus.

In his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells His followers (that’s you) that they are to be ‘salt of the earth’. You put salt on food to bring out the flavour and make it taste better. In The Message paraphrase of the Bible, Eugene Peterson puts it this way:

Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. …Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.

Matthew 5:13-14

Live your life on display. Pero, hindi sa paraang nagbibigay ng atensyon sa’yo, kundi sa paraang nakakakuha ng atensyon sa kabutihan ng Diyos. You might want to start sharing your faith on social media, record a video testimony of how God has been good to you. Maging transparent ka sa mga friends mo kung paano sinagot ni God prayers mo o kung paano ka niya kinakausap personally.

Jesus also tells his followers to be a light on a hill. The amazing thing about light is that darkness has no power over it. Light will always penetrate through and overwhelm the darkness if it is given a chance to shine. The very fact that we can see starlight from millions of light-years away is proof of this. The same is true for the light that you shine.

Let the goodness and power of God shine through you like a light on the top of a hill. Let the fruit of the Spirit be seen in your life; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. People will see it and some will ask what’s different about you. Being salt and light naturally sets up opportunities to talk about Jesus.

As Christians, gusto natin mag-share ng gospel - kaso mahirap. Ayaw natin maging preachy, manira ng vibe, or mag-mukhang weird. So anong pwede mong gawin?

Wag nating kakalimutan na may helper ka to guide you - si Holy Spirit mismo! (John 14:26). Ang susi dyan ay dapat malaman kung paano maipapasok si Jesus through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to work in tandem with Him.

Sa simula, medyo scary and intimidating makinig sa Holy Spirit. In fact, minsan di mo din sure if yung ginagawa mo ay galing kay Lord, sa akin, or… doon sa kinain ko kaninang umaga.

Dapat matuto tayong ma-discern ang boses ng Holy Spirit from the noise around us.

Ito yung ilang foundations:

1. Ang Holy Spirit ay Diyos: Para makilala sya, need nating makilala sya. Sabi sa Bible, Siya ay isang persona ng God-head kasama ng Ama at Anak. Hindi man natin sya tuluyang maintindihan, Siya ang kapangyarihang gagabay sa atin. In fact, madami na syang na-guide sa Bible (Luke 2:27-32, 2 Peter 1:21, Acts 8:29-31) Bilang member ng God-head, ang Holy Spirit ay mayroong same character as God the Father and God the Son - so ang sasabihin niya ay aligned sa nature ni God Galatians 5:22).
2. Gusto ng Holy Spirit na hilingin natin ang tulong Niya Sabi ng Bible, kapag hinanap natin sya, makikita natin siya! Paano gagawin yun? Spend time with Him by reading the Bible, try to think about God’s character - and ano yung mga sinasabi niya sa Bible (at mga hindi niya pinapagawa). Ang fruit nito? Peace. If tayo ay may impression na tingin nating galing sa Holy Spirit - ask for peace first! Ipag-pray mo na din na bigyan ka niya ng clarity. Gaya ng isang kaibigan, if we really know God - ma-di-distinguish natin boses niya.
3. Gusto ka nyang puspusin: Medyo malalim ito ha. Pero stay with me. Ang idea ng ‘puspos’ ay: tuloy-tuloy kang in communion with the Holy Spirit. Ibig sabihin: ang mindset mo ay mindset nya, ang tingin mo sa sin ang tingin nya sa sin, and yung katotohonan nya ang nagpapa-kalma sa ating mga utak. Mahirap ba? Oo naman. Pero kaya ng Holy Spirit! Actually, gusto nyang iyan yung maranasan natin.
4. Gusto niyang pansinin mo Siya: Sabi sa Bible: basta open ang puso natin sa kanya, maririnig naatin sya at magiging ‘doers’ tayo ng Word ni God. Usually, ang nangyayari dito ay: may prompting ang Holy Spirit (from the preaching or your Bible reading) then, may action na papasok sa isip mo. Pwedeng may kailangan kang sabihin, gawin, or pag-usapan. Gusto ni Lord sundin mo sya even in these moments! Gusto ka ni Lord gamitin sa buhay ng iba.

Kung di ka pa din sure, maganda ang sinabi ni CS Lewis: madali si Lord pasayahin kahit na mahirap sundin lahat ng pinapagawa nya. In short: okay lang kung di mo pa sya gets na gets. Mahalaga nakikinig ka - or at least nag-ta-try.

Ang maganda dito: whether alam mo or hindi, He’s been leading you already! Actually, siya nga dahilan bakit ka naniwala kay Jesus.

Kung alam mo na may Holy Spirit ka, we’re less pressured when it comes to evangelism. Bakit? It’s simple as pakikipag-usap kay God sa mga conversations at interactions mo with others. Pwede kang maging confident na saving people is His work - ang work natin ay maging sensitive sa leading nya.

If you find yourself in a situation where you want to talk about Jesus but you don’t know what to say, just remember na may kwento ka. Your story is a celebration of what Jesus has done in your life and when people hear how God is at work in our lives, it makes an impact. Stories have power; they have the ability to change and challenge you. Stories are often God’s chosen method for transformation.

Sharing your story is as simple as telling others how Jesus has changed your life–sometimes we call it a testimony. It is something Jesus often encouraged those who he healed to do (Mark 5:19). Ang pagsusulat ng ating testimony ay worth the time. This is a powerful tool para maka-connect tayo sa tao to share Jesus.

Here are some helpful tips on how to build and clarify your Jesus-story.

Construct a statement and story for each of the following points:

1. WHAT your life was like before Jesus? Kung wala si Jesus, wala rin tayong identity and purpose. Think of 3 phrases that can give a clear picture of what your life was before Jesus. Perhaps you were filling your life with an addiction (social media, alcohol, bad relationships) because you lacked purpose. Or you felt lost in the world because you had no place to belong.
2. WHY did you follow Jesus? Sharing how Jesus changed your life is a powerful story. This helps you avoid cliches at mas nagiging personal ang pag-share ng gospel. Magandang focus sa mga internal na nangyayari sa buhay mo hindi lang sa sequence ng events when sharing your story. People will be impacted by hearing about your change of heart. For example:

I really believed that no one could ever love me but I was looking for it everywhere. It wasn’t until I heard the story of Jesus’s death that I started to comprehend that I was loved–even cherished.

3. HOW your life has changed since following Jesus? Jesus transforms us. He gives us a new identity and purpose. Share how Jesus has impacted and changed your life. Magandang mag focus kung paano binago ni Jesus yung life mo base sa mga naibahagi mo sa section one. Share how His love and mercy has shaped your emotions (no longer angry, anxious, etc), or changed your actions for the better (love helping people, don’t react, forgive quickly).

5 Tips For Sharing Your Story

Be Fresh — Ibahagi kung ano ang ginagawa ni Jesus sa iyong buhay ngayon. Jesus is always changing us, so take notice and be ready to share a recent story.

Be Honest — Authenticity is often the make or break for people. You don’t need to embellish or exaggerate. Instead, trust that the Holy Spirit will guide you in sharing your story.

Be Specific — Wag kang matakot maging vulnerable. You can include details–about the journey of your heart and the truth and lies that rose to the surface of your mind; this will help make your story relatable.

Be Normal — Gumamit ka ng everyday language na mauunawaan ng iyong mga kaibigan. Iwasan ang mga Christian cliches.

Be Sharp — A story that has a point is powerful. Be careful not to explore too many tangents, instead focus on the main thing Jesus has done in your life.

May kwento ka at ang Holy Spirit ang helper mo. Get out there and start sharing your story. Trust the leading of the Holy Spirit as you share your testimony. Siya ang gagalaw sa buhay ng kaibigan mo.

Crunch time na. Ibinabahagi mo si Jesus sa isang kaibigan. Interesado sila at gusto talaga nilang malaman ang tungkol sa pag follow kay Jesus. Alam mo na time na din to share the gospel. But how do you summarise the Gospel? How do you tell it in a way that’s more helpful than confusing? Walang script para dito at ayaw mong mag mess up.

A simple way to share the gospel meaningfully, is to memorise these 4 words: position, problem, provision, part

Each word describes an important section of the gospel message and is partnered with questions to help start the conversation and simple ideas to give you helpful language to unpack each section.

POSITION: Love is God’s position towards us

Ang Diyos ay pag-ibig at Siya ang lumikha ng lahat ng bagay. As an outflow of His abundant love, He created the universe, the world, and all things in it. Dahil ang Diyos ay pag-ibig, mahal Niya ang bawat tao at ang desire Niya ay ang magkaroon tayo ng personal relationship with Him and the people He created. For us, his people, relationship with God means life, wholeness, fulfilment, and living in harmony with others.

Question: What do you think love is?

God is love. God doesn’t just show love as an action. He is love. God loves all of His creation.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

1 John 4:7–8

Ang pag-ibig ng Diyos ay walang kondisyon. This is not a love that must be earned or achieved, it’s given unconditionally.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”

John 3:16

PROBLEM: Sin is our problem

Nilikha ng Diyos ang lalaki at babae upang mamuhay nang may relationship sa Kanya at sa isa’t isa, however, when humanity sinned, our sin cut off our relationship with God. Ngayon lahat ng tao ay may spiritual heart problem, this is what we call sin. Sin is any choice we make that goes against God’s design for our life and these choices fundamentally break our relationship with God.

Question: What do you think sin is?

Sin is an “own way” attitude. Sin isn’t just bad things we do, it’s a fundamental attitude that makes choices against God’s design for our life.

We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned his own way.

Isaiah 53:6

Question: What are the consequences of sin?

Sin separates us from God. Making choices that go against God’s design for our lives break our relationship with him. No one can earn their way back to God with good deeds because we are all sinners. Sin cuts us off from God, our source of life, so sin is the reason that we all eventually die.

Your sins have cut you off from God.

Isaiah 59:2

PROVISION: Jesus is God’s provision

Gusto ng Diyos na maibalik ang relasyon natin sa kanya kaya gumawa siya ng paraan. Jesus entered into the world. He is God, so He lived the perfect life we could not live and died the death we deserved. He lay dead in a tomb for three days, and on that third day, He rose again proving He was God and that His sacrifice was acceptable.

Question: Who do you think Jesus is?

Jesus is God. Jesus is God in human form. He lived a perfect life and did not sin.

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

John 14:9

Question: Why did Jesus have to die?

Jesus died as our substitute. The consequence of sin is death. However, Jesus died on the cross in our place, cancelling humanity’s debt of sin.

But God demonstrates His love for us in this; while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

PART: Turn and trust is our part

Ang paniniwala kay Jesus ay nangangahulugan ng pagtalikod sa kasalanan at pagtitiwala kay Jesus bilang iyong Panginoon at Tagapagligtas. The Bible calls this repentance and faith. You can’t just say the words or go through the motions, God knows your heart. You can do this by praying to God.

Question: What do you think it means to follow Jesus?

Our response is to turn away from our sins. This is repentance. When we own our brokenness and turn away from our sin to Jesus, he forgives us.

Here I am, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door, I will come in.

Revelation 3:20

Our response is also to trust that Jesus is God and defeated death for us. This is faith. We can trust Jesus because he loves us unconditionally, which he demonstrated by dying in our place. When we trust that Jesus is God and that he defeated death for us, his undefeatable life now lives in us.

…if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

Kung gusto ng iyong kaibigan na magdecide i-follow si Jesus, matutulungan mo sila sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay sa kanila ng mga salitang sasabihin. Try a prayer like this (get them to repeat the sentences after you):

Dear God. I know you love me. I’m sorry for my sin and that I have gone my own way. Thank you for your son Jesus who died on the cross for my sins and rose again. Today I turn from my sin and trust in Jesus alone. Amen.

Reinforce to them that these are not magic words, they’re an expression of the heart and that God sees their honest heart.

This framework is designed to help you articulate the gospel message. Don’t feel the pressure to share it all at once. In fact, it would be rare that you would do that in one go. More often it’s a helpful structure to keep in mind to help you diagnose what your friends might need to hear. For example, do they need to understand more about who God is? Or perhaps a helpful definition of the nature of sin. Often sharing Jesus doesn’t come down to one conversation where you explain the whole gospel. It can be helpful to gradually explain it over time, based on the needs and questions of your friend.

Spend time over a week committing these 4 words and the related questions, ideas and verses to memory so that you feel prepared to articulate the gospel story with meaning and clarity next time you have an opportunity to share it.

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