Have you ever found the perfect gift for someone special in your life? A gift that seems perfectly made for them and makes you excited to give it? It is a wonderful feeling to be able to give someone something you think they will really enjoy and cherish. Giving a meaningful gift that makes a person feel seen and known is a gift to you, the giver and to them, the receiver.
Sometimes, the opposite happens and you have no idea what to give someone. Nothing seems “good enough” or “right”. It is a terrible feeling! How will they know how much we love them if you are unable to give them a gift that shows how much you care?
What if I told you, you may already have this gift to give? It’s free for you to give away although it takes work and obedience to keep. You can offer it to anyone, anywhere, at any time and they get to decide if they want it. What might be this “one size fits all” gift for everyone in your life? The gift of the gospel. The gift of Jesus.
At the end of the book of Matthew, after Jesus has died on the cross and has risen from the dead, He meets with eleven of his disciples and gives them instructions, known as “The Great Commission”-
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20, ESV
The gift of the gospel, the news of Jesus’ life and death for our sins is the best and most important news we could ever share with anyone. Yet sometimes we hesitate in sharing because we aren’t sure how it will be received. Oftentimes, we don’t even know how to start this conversation. What do we say?
Conversations about Jesus and faith can start organically, not something that you plan but naturally come up when you are chatting with someone. I have found these talks to be the easiest to navigate because I don’t feel like I am preaching “at” someone; instead I am sharing my life and faith with them in the flow of conversation.
Three Simple Ways to Share Our Faith
Here are three suggestions on ways to share your faith. These responses can be a way to alert others to your faith in Jesus and can spur on future talks.
Speak Specifically About Your Church Attendance
I find this happens to me often when making plans with others. Friends will make plans on Sunday mornings or a classmate of my child’s will host a birthday party. It is difficult to say “no” to these events and when I do, I mention why we can’t be there.
“We are so sad to miss Johnny’s birthday party. We go to church on Sunday morning”.
This is an easy and truthful way to decline events that interfere with worship services while also reminding others that you attend church. Eventually, many people remember your commitment and will try to work around it so you can attend their gathering. This is also a gentle reminder to them about how you spend your time- worshipping the one true King!
Offer to Pray For People
When people share the hard time they are going through, verbally offer to bring their trial before the Lord and ask for his help and guidance.
“I am so sorry to hear you are going through a difficult time. I will pray for your comfort and for God to provide guidance in your next steps”.
Truthfully, not everyone will be excited about you offering prayer. Prayer is often misunderstood and underappreciated. It is not the vending machine of problem solving that many people, including Christians, wish it were. If they don’t appreciate your offer of prayer, even more reason to pray for them! You can pray for their difficult situation and also for their heart to be opened so they can hear the message of Jesus’ life and death. It will also give them the chance to think about going to you the next time they are facing trials- you are their friend who will petition for them.
Show Your Gratitude To God
When we are experiencing great blessings or deliverance in a situation, give the praise and glory to God! Too often, it is easy to take credit for the wins in life, pointing our fingers towards us instead of up to our Creator.
“We are thankful to God for delivering us through the job loss and providing a new job”.
Giving God glory is not only a way to share Him with our friends, it also helps us build up our humility muscle. Speaking these truths reminds us that deliverance is not due to our greatness but God’s.
The difficult truth is we won’t take every opportunity presented to us to share with people about Jesus. We are all a work in progress and some of these suggestions may work really well for you and others may not. However you engage with the people around you, try to find ways to bring your life back to Jesus and glorify Him at every possible turn. Bringing Him into everyday conversations will strengthen your faith and will show those around you that Jesus is front and center in your life.
The message of Jesus is the best gift we can give anyone in our lives. Many will not be ready to hear the message the first time you mention Him; it may take months, years, or they may choose to never listen at all. A Christian’s job is to share the great news, give the greatest gift- the opportunity to hear about and know Jesus.
