Talking about Jesus with someone: a conversation, not a speech
Talking about Jesus with someone may be the quest that scares you most in the whole app. Yet it is nothing heroic. It is a conversation between two people, in which one simply says what they have found in Jesus. This weekly quest comes after prayer, acts of love and listening: you are ready.
What it looks like in your day
Here is one way to go about it, in four steps:
- Choose one person. Someone you already trust and who trusts you: a friend, a colleague, a relative. You may have prayed for them already (the list of three people).
- Set the scene. Pray beforehand, and pick a quiet moment: a coffee, a walk, a car ride. Not in front of other people who might make them uncomfortable.
- Open the conversation with a question or a fact. "Something happened to me recently, and I'd like to tell you about it." Or: "You asked me why I go to church."
- Talk about what Jesus has changed for you. No grand theological presentation: a story, a moment, what he has brought you.
Then, and this is very important, listen. Ask questions. Let the person react, even if they push back. A good conversation about faith looks more like an exchange than a demonstration.
If the conversation is going well, you can offer to keep going: "If you like, I can lend you a Gospel" or "We could talk about it again." If they close up, accept it: "Thanks for listening to me." You will have planted something, and your relationship stays intact.
If you are short on time, a few minutes can be enough. If you are shy, prepare your opening sentence. If you are afraid, go back to your prayer for courage.
What the Bible says
Andrew, one of the first disciples, does something very simple after meeting Jesus:
“One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”
He finds his brother, tells him what he has found, and brings him to Jesus. No strategy, no speech: he says what he has lived, and he brings his brother along. Philip, with the Ethiopian, starts right where the man is:
“Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”
He begins with the text the man was reading, and tells him about Jesus. He adapts to the person. And Paul, who knows what it costs to proclaim the message, declares:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ”: not out of arrogance, but out of trust in its power. It is not your eloquence that saves, it is the power of God.
Pitfalls to avoid
Preaching. A ten-minute monologue wears people out. Keep the conversation short, simple and open.
Arguing to win. If the discussion turns into a debate, you risk putting the other person on the defensive. Your goal is not to be right, but to bear witness.
Pushing. Respect the person's pace. Don't come back to the charge every time you meet. Their freedom is sacred.
Hiding your own struggles. If you present your faith as a flawless success, the other person won't see themselves in it. You can say what is still hard for you.
Making friendship conditional. Whether the person believes or not, you remain their friend. If they sense that your relationship depends on their answer, you lose their trust.
This week, choose one person. Pray for them, then look for a moment to tell them simply what Jesus has changed for you.