Love cares about the destiny of others.
If you had the cure to Covid-19, would you want to keep that to yourself while millions suffered? Yet as followers of Jesus, we have a more important, urgent message to share with the world, and the eternity of people all around us is at stake. So how do we reach out to share Jesus with our friends, neighbors, co-workers and classmates? The starting point is to be intentional.
In Colossians 4:5-6, Paul says, “5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” In this passage, Paul shares four ways we can be intentional in introducing others to Jesus.
First, be wise in the way we act with people who are not yet believers. That means being aware that everything we say and do is a witness for or against Jesus. The way you handle disappointment, problems, irritations, and delays can attract or repel potential Jesus followers.
Second, make the most of every opportunity. To make the most of opportunity, we must be aware of them. We must ask God to open our eyes to see the daily opportunities He gives us to share a simple word about the impact Jesus has made in our lives.
Third, our words should always be kind and pleasant. People are never argued into the Kingdom of God. We are never persuasive when we are abrasive.
Fourth, be able to answer everyone. That does not mean we have to know every answer to every spiritual question. But we must always be ready to speak of the reason for our hope.
Be intentional!
-Mike Johnson