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Evangelism. Sharing the Gospel. Telling others about Jesus. Whatever you call it, for many Christians it can be a nerve-wracking topic. Even if we are fully convinced that we have been commissioned to the task (Mt, 28:16-20), we can be reluctant to do it.

However, as I was reminded recently when reading through the Gospel of Matthew, sometimes our focus on evangelism strategies and tactics can distract us from the essence of what we have been called to do. When John’s disciples came to question Jesus about whether He was the Messiah, He told them to go back with John with 2 things – what they have heard and what they have seen. These two things are helpful to us when we want to share about Jesus too.

What We Have Heard

We can share with others what we have learned at church or through a biblically-based book or podcast we are listening to. This is one of the strategies I often use in my classroom. I tell my students how God is challenging or shaping me through a book I am going through or what I learned from my pastor’s weekend sermon. I do this through devotionals to start the class, weekly “announcements,” and through conversations that will occur spontaneously as we discuss that day’s scheduled topic. This doesn’t require a public platform though. Every Christians can share what they have heard; it can be as easy as answering the question “how was your weekend?” by focusing on what you learned at church rather than responding with a simple “fine.” The “fine” may get you out of the conversation quicker but if our goal is to reach lost people with the message of salvation, ending the dialogue with rapidity really shouldn’t be our objective. Instead, let us use every opening we have to share what we are learning about Jesus. When we share what we have heard from the Word of God, rather than from the latest TV show or the most recent political gossip, not only will our conversations likely be richer and more full of meaning, they will help another person have a better understanding of who God is and how much He loves them.

What We Have Seen

Another way to start an evangelistic conversation is to share what we have seen. When we tell people how we have witnessed Jesus at work in our lives or the lives of others, this is inevitably going to incorporate Gospel truths. Again, this doesn’t have to be a planned presentation with 4 key points. It can be as simple as telling others about the grace of God that I experience through my kids or how I have seen a friend going through a tough time rely on Jesus to be their comfort and strength. We frequently tell stories about our lives; how much more powerful will those accounts be if we focus on Who is at the center of those stories, rather than giving a canned and trite response that avoids vulnerability or transparency? When a Christian truly shares what is going on in their lives, rooted in the truth of God’s Word and confident in His goodness and love, the answers to everyday questions that are part of normal conversations will necessarily point people to Jesus. We can see God at work through the beauty of His creation, through our joys, and through our pains. And we should share what we have seen of God’s goodness, power, majesty and love, with the people whom God has sovereignly ordained for our lives to intersect.

In sharing what we have seen and what we have heard, we, of course, should also be prepared to present the Good News of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf and His resurrection from the grave. However, while this may be where the evangelistic conversation gets to, it is likely not where they conversation will start. Commencing that conversation may just depend on us sharing what we have seen and what we have heard, conveying how God is at our work in our lives, responding thoughtfully to those who ask how we are doing or how we invest our time. Answering conventional questions about our day with a mind that is fixed on eternity, may just help the person you are talking to see their need for the hope we have in Jesus. Sharing what you have seen and what you have heard may help someone turn and put their faith in Christ.

“We all put our pants on one leg at a time.”

Or so the old saying goes. We often hear this quip when one person is intimated at the success or talents of another. In our timidity, it reminds us that while someone else may be smarter than us, more skilled or more attractive, we all share some pretty basic commonalities. One of them is that we all have the need for clothes, and when it comes to how we become attired, we each follow roughly the same process. 

This reality of our shared characteristics can be an important reminder in our relationships. Often it is what provides the courage for someone to ask for help, or to make a bold approach. Remembering the similarities that we share can give us courage and confidence when we lack it. And while the saying is helpful, it does not reflect some of the most important shared attributes; namely that each person that we interact with is fearfully and wonderfully created by God and that each of us is a sinner in need of a Savior. More than our method for getting dressed, this is what truly binds us together. And it is these two shared attributes that are important for every follower of Christ to remember. It is these commonalities that should give us boldness and confidence to share the good news of Christ. 

For many of us, it is far too easy to go through life and put the people we encounter into two categories: there are the people that we interact with who make our lives fuller, and the people who seem like a hindrance. We have a tendency to consider others in light of how they affect us, rather than in considering them as image bearers of the most High God. Each individual has been intentionally and beautifully created by the King. Each of them has value and worth because they are fashioned by Him. While the artistry of our Creator may be obscured by the effects of sin, it does not negate the fact that every individual comes from Him. And as a result, each person is treasured by our God. 

While the fact that we are all God’s creation may increase our affection for other individuals, it is also important that we remember that this isn’t the only commonality that we share. Because each and every one of us have violated God’s law, we are all sinners. And because we are sinners we are separated from our Father, unless we repent and put our faith in Christ. Therefore, out of love for those God’s created, if they do not yet know Him, we should be compelled to share this message of faith and repentance. Our concern for others should motivate us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

If we are God’s child, we should constantly be reminding ourselves of these two shared commonalities.  Everybody that we talk to is not just a person who either helps or hinders us along life’s path. Instead, every person we talk to is either someone who knows and has embraced the saving grace of Jesus Christ, or someone who hasn’t. There is no one that we interact to whom this doesn’t pertain. Every person is a sinner in need of a Savior. And because each person was purposefully and beautifully created by God, each person is someone that is special to Him. Every individual is a soul that He created and that He longs to redeem.

This too should give us confidence, but far greater confidence than we may obtain by recalling that we all get dressed the same way. Remembering that every individual is created by God and needs His grace to spend eternity with Him, should give us boldness in telling them the message of salvation. The fact that we all share the same need should make us eager to proclaim the good news of how this need has been met in the person of Jesus Christ. We are all the same – not only in how we attire ourselves, but because we all need to be clothed by the grace and righteousness of our Savior.