Monthly Thought

October 2008

We’re often told that we need to be telling people about Jesus. We’ve all heard those sermons that tell us to read Matthew 28, where Jesus commissions his disciples to go and spread the good news about him to the world.

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matt. 28 v 19-20

And yet, no matter how often I hear this, I still find it near impossible to actually open my mouth and tell people. Is it just me, or does it sometimes feel embarrassing to speak to people about Jesus? Well if the answer is yes, then we have to ask ourselves why this is. What are we embarrassed of? Maybe it’s because we don’t want to offend people. Or we feel we know what their reaction will be, and they won’t be interested so there’s no point trying. Or maybe we’re scared that they’re going to have some tough questions to fire at us in order to disprove God.

What we have to realise is that, no matter what excuses we have, our friends need to be told about Jesus. Their eternal life depends on it! The Bible says:

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? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10 v 14-15

If the only way for our friends to gain eternal life is for them to believe and trust in Jesus, then we need to tell them about him first. And though this may seem like a cringingly embarrassing thing to do at the time, it is actually an extremely loving act. After all, we’re offering them a chance to get to know God.

Now the main obvious question here is “How the hecky pecky would I start a conversation about God?” Well, here’s a number of practical tips to consider:

• It’s often easiest to have some kind of Christian event to invite people along to. This might be an alpha course, or a Church service etc. The act of inviting someone somewhere can often lead on to a conversation, especially if they agree to come along!
• Have some questions prepared that you can ask, to get them to open up to you and discuss what they believe. For example: “What do you think happens when you die?” or “How do you think someone becomes a Christian?” If the person you’re talking to has shared what they believe, then its going to be easier for you to share what you believe. Asking questions is the best way to keep a conversation going (so I’ve been told. To be honest, I’m not exactly the best person at making conversation).
• If someone asks you a question and you have no idea how to answer them, then don’t be afraid to say that you don’t know how to answer that at the moment, but that you’ll find an answer for them. And then make sure you do find an answer; whether that’s by talking to someone with more knowledge, or by reading a book or whatever.
• If someone really doesn’t seem interested and is getting annoyed, then leave it. It’s not our job to convert people. Only God can do that. All we can do is share what we believe, and let them decide if they believe it too. Also, we never know what’s going on inside someone’s head. They may put on a defensive front so it seems like they’re not interested, but you may have nudged them another notch closer to God.
• Don’t be afraid to let God influence what you do/say. It’s good to be praying before/during/after we evangelise to someone. Sometimes we can get the feeling that God wants to nudge the conversation in a certain direction. Make sure you’re open to that. After all, it’s God who’s in charge.

Now, can I make it clear that I’m feeling a little hypocritical here. I mean, it’s easy for me to type this stuff, but it’s not so easy to do it, especially when it comes to friends that I’ve already tried speaking to. However, I guess we have to approach this subject from God’s prospective rather than our own. Yes, we may feel embarrassed sometimes, and yes we may feel that we don’t really know what to say, but as long as we’re allowing God to use us to speak to people, then we’re doing his work. So here’s a challenge for us, me included: let’s lose our inhibitions, let’s forget our embarrassment, and let’s tell our friends about Jesus.

Jonny Barthow