We all have those moments when we feel compelled to pray or say or do in the name of Jesus. You pass someone whose face is coated in worry, or out of the blue your friend from another lifetime pops into your head and you wonder what they are up to. Maybe you know of someone in your community that is struggling with health and has lost their faith. These times and situations might be The Holy Spirit prompting you to be a little bit of Heaven on Earth.
As followers of Jesus, we know how His love and grace have given us hope and eternal life. We know how valuable we are because of Him. We also know that accepting Jesus is only part of what He hopes for us. After Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to his disciples and told them: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15 NIV
(GULP) We are also called to make Jesus known to others.
How are you doing?
Some of us are great at tuning into The Holy Spirit and are quick to be the hands and feet of Jesus. You smile and say ‘hello’ to a stranger; maybe ask them how you can pray for them. You take a moment in your busy day to call that friend who’s been on your mind and you reach out to those who are hurting. Others of us are not crushing it and we have ignored these prompts to share love and be the light. The idea of going up to a stranger and talking to them about Jesus is overwhelming. The idea of talking about Jesus to a friend might be worse!
“What if they judge me?”
“What if they ask questions that I can’t answer?”
“How can I talk about Jesus when I am such a mess?”
Fortunately, God continues to be faithful and knows that we are works in progress. He will provide more opportunities to love those in our lives.
Have hope.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to tell others what we know and share in His promises. Philippeans 1:5-6 reminds us that we can be confident that Jesus will equip us with all that we need. “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:5-6
God created you and He knows you. You can walk in confidence knowing that God is always with you. Look for Him in the people and places you surround yourself with. Get into His word and find strength and hope in your Christian community.
Lean into your gifts.
Not all Jesus conversations look alike because none of us are exactly alike. God has given each of us our own spiritual gifts. We all know that friend that can have an eloquent conversation about Jesus and answer all of the questions without hesitation. We know the worship leader who can get even the biggest skeptic on their feet singing praises.
If we are not keeping our eyes on our own paper and leaning into our God-given gifts we may find ourselves trying to communicate in ways that make us uncomfortable and then we hesitate. A Jesus conversation is not from a script, it is from the heart. How do you express love to Jesus? Song, poetry, blogs, stories? Now, use that same expression to share His love with others. Your Jesus conversation is as unique as you are. Lean into your gifts. Lean into Jesus.
The Re-Gift 