How to share Jesus when you don’t know what to say

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.