“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did’.” -John 4:39

Who shared Jesus with you?  Was it intentional, or by accident?  Were they seeking you out, or were you looking for Jesus?  Or did you just happen to stumble upon your faith in Christ without the assistance or guidance of any other person?  It is possible, but highly unlikely that the last of these questions is true for you. Most often, it was an individual, whether a parent, a teacher, someone in the church, or a friend who dragged you to Vacation Bible School, or camp, or youth group… who introduced you to Jesus.

Jesus’ command to his disciples was to, “Go, and make disciples of all nations…” it meant they were sent to share the story.  They were called to be bringers of good news – “evangelism” is based on the Greek word “evangelion”, meaning, “good news”. Evangelism is a scary word for many of us.  We don’t want to be thought of as a crack-pot, standing on a street corner with a bull-horn. We don’t want to be confused with a particular religious political group. We certainly don’t want to offend or damage relationships by getting too religious or personal either in our families or in our workplaces. So how can we share Jesus with other people?

The key lies in being intentional and authentic with sharing our faith.  The Samaritan woman at the well didn’t need to know much about who Jesus was.  She didn’t need to be informed about the prophecies concerning him. She didn’t even know where he came from, she just told people her experience with Jesus, “He told me everything I ever did!”  Her introduction provided the opportunity for them to meet Jesus and come to faith on their own. That is evangelism. It isn’t scary if we break it down to that simple fact of telling people about our experience of Jesus.  We don’t have to be experts. We don’t have to be perfect Christians (of which there are none, by the way, so stop trying and pretending, or beating yourself up).

Here are some ideas to help with being intentional and authentic in your evangelism.  Do we hide our faith from others while in conversation or do we intentionally find ways to bring up our experience with God?  How has your faith informed your decisions in business? How has God brought you peace and hope in the midst of difficulties and heartache?  Even everyday conversations can become opportunities for evangelism if we have that intention and share in an authentic way. God doesn’t only want us to BE disciples – God wants us to MAKE disciples.  If you don’t see someone in your life right now, whom God is calling you to mentor or disciple in their faith, spend some time in prayer. Ask God to bring that person, or people, or group to mind and then give you the courage to share your faith, help them meet Jesus, and make a disciple.

Living God, In Jesus Christ, we have been given Good News of saving and sacrificial love. This news is the very breath that offers us life. It is the unmerited salvation, the gift of grace, and the hope of an eternal home in your kingdom. In times of suffering or sorrow, in times of rejoicing and rest, this is indeed the Good News of our entire being. But, we forget that sometimes, Lord. We separate it from daily news. We hide it away so we don’t offend. Lord, make your will our will, your intent our intentionality. Forgive us our complicity in sinful systems and policies.  Give us courage to fight the evils of racism and hatred. Make intentional authentic evangelism who we are, unapologetically. Make it so that we cannot help but share this good news in authentic relationships with others. Lord, this we pray to the one who gave life so that we might live, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Warmly in Christ,
Rev. Hanna Peterson Shearer