Sharing Christian content with someone who doesn't believe
Philip has just met Jesus. He runs to his friend Nathanael and tells him he has found the one Moses and the prophets wrote about. Nathanael, skeptical, answers with a doubt: “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip's reply is astonishingly simple: “Come and see.” This quest invites you to do the same with a piece of content: a testimony, a video, a podcast, an article.
What it looks like in your day
Sharing Christian content means saying: “I came across something that touched me, and I think it might speak to you.” Here is how to do it wisely:
- Think of the person. What are they interested in? What questions are they asking? What hardship are they going through? A piece of content should answer their thirst, not yours.
- Choose something short and accessible. A ten-minute video, a half-hour podcast, a one-page written testimony. Avoid long sermons, jargon, and very “churchy” settings.
- Favor stories. A life testimony touches people more than a presentation.
- Add a personal word. “I thought of you while listening to this, because of what you told me about your father.”
- Leave them free. “No obligation. If you ever feel like talking about it, I'm here.”
Examples of content: the testimony of an athlete or an artist, a podcast about the meaning of life, a short video about the life of Jesus, an article about coping with grief, a song that moved you.
If you are short on time, send the link with one sentence. If you are shy, a written message is easier than a conversation. If the person is uncomfortable with faith, start with human content (a story of resilience) that is not explicitly religious.
What the Bible says
Here is the scene:
“Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.”
Philip's answer is not a speech: it invites them to experience it. A shared piece of content does the same thing: it opens a door without forcing it. Paul describes his own method for reaching people:
“For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”
He adapts to each person: “unto the Jews I became as a Jew… to them that are without law, as without law…” He becomes all things to all people, “that I might by all means save some”. Choosing content that speaks to the other person's sensitivity applies this same principle.
Pitfalls to avoid
Mass sending. The same link sent to twenty contacts is cold-calling. A personal message to one person is worth more.
Insisting. If the person doesn't react, don't follow up. They may have watched it, they may not: give them space.
Choosing by your own taste. What overwhelmed you won't necessarily overwhelm them. Adapt your choice to their world.
Using the content as an argument. “Look, this answers everything you told me” sounds like a demonstration. Offer, don't prove.
Sharing without having seen it. Check that the content is serious, respectful and faithful to the common core of the faith before you send it.
Today, think of one person and one piece of content that might speak to them. Send it with a personal word.