COMMENTARY
Increasing the reach of God’s Word isn’t just a matter of evangelism or discipleship. It’s a matter of accessibility.
The fact is that the church is intimidating to a lot of people. And sharing church — and Jesus — is intimidating, too. There can be a lot of pressure on both sides!
But sharing your faith isn’t about saying just the right words, or being just the right sort of person. It’s not about the platform. It’s not about perfection. It’s about showing up and letting Jesus move through you.
One of the most important things to understand when seeking to share your faith naturally is that Jesus often works through relationships.
Overcoming a culture gap, a language barrier, or even a difference in worldview requires trust and real mutual insight. You can’t get those things without establishing a relationship first.
Jesus’ own ministry emphasized and leveraged relationship. Jesus didn’t seek to defeat opponents with superior arguments. He loved people. He saw them. He listened to them, healed them, and ate alongside them.
And one of the earliest examples of evangelism we see in the Bible is relational, too. In John 1:40-42, Andrew brings Peter to Jesus: “One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah.’ … He brought him to Jesus.”
This is our template. God has already shown us what we need to do, and how to do it!
But sharing Jesus, of course, doesn’t always bear fruit immediately — or at all. Our task, when sharing Jesus, is to plant the seed. God will make it grow.
When we share God’s Word, we share in God’s task of redemption. We become co-workers, along with all our brothers and sisters in Christ. But we do not ourselves redeem.
I like to turn to 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 to help clarify my role as I share Jesus with others.
“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
Sharing Jesus just isn’t about us. It’s about Jesus. It’s about planting the seed. It’s not for us to get anxious about what will grow – or when, or how.
Of course, it’s easy to get anxious! I’ve worried about how to share the Gospel more times than I can count. But what Jesus needs is for you to tell your own story, in your own words. Don’t force it — but don’t be shy about it, either.
And if you want to, use media that has impacted you to help connect. This could be a TV show, music, a movie or a book. If it’s touched your heart, share it. We see watch parties all over the world that use “The Chosen” as a way to bring people who might not go to church into community and regular contact with Jesus’ story.
Lastly, kindness will take you far. Listen well. Pay attention to others’ needs — and meet them when you can. In other words, build loving relationships with the people God has given you already.
Start small. Start today. Show up, speak up — and God will do the rest.
Stacey Baxter is Senior Director of Marketing: Growth & Engagement for the Come and See Foundation.
