by Nick Hall


Nick Hall is the founder of PULSE, a millennial prayer and outreach effort. | The Kairos Company

Over the years, I've met a lot of Christians who say things like, "I'm not one of those Christians who talks about Jesus." Maybe this is even where you're at right now. Many Christians tend to think to themselves, "I'm just going to live a good life. People will see that I am different, and they'll want to know why."

I get it. Sometimes we don't feel like getting out of our comfort zones and finding a way to turn a conversation about a work project or a basketball game into a sermon. Maybe we're concerned about it coming across as forced or awkward. Or maybe we just already know the person isn't going to want to hear it. Whatever the case, it can be tempting to believe our actions are going to preach a better Gospel than our words.

The problem with that type of Christianity is that it's just not in the Bible. Very rarely, if ever, do people come along and actually ask us why we're different. You see, the Bible says that we need to declare the Good News. We simply can't do this if we aren't willing to use our voice.

In Mark 16:15 (ESV), Jesus instructs the disciples, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."

Our mission is clearly outlined by Scripture, proclaim the Gospel. How then do we begin living this out in our day-to-day lives with the people around us? There are a lot of approaches we could take, but I think it really comes down to three simple steps: boldly bring Jesus into the conversation, actively listen to others, and pray for them continually.

Be bold about Jesus

One of the most beautiful things about walking with Jesus is that we have an opportunity to invite him into our conversations and relationships. Being a child of God doesn't just impact our inner-lives, it impacts every aspect of our lives! We are saved so that our lives can have eternal purpose and we can be sent out to proclaim the Gospel.

So in your relationships with your family, friends and acquaintances, how is God giving you opportunities to share his love? Have you seen God soften hearts or open doors? I want to encourage you—it's a process, and you're not going to get everything right, but the goal is to continue taking steps of faith in our everyday, ordinary conversations.

You see, when you take that step and boldly bring Jesus into the conversation, you're putting yourself in a place where God can use you to be salt and light to the world. This is precisely the place where we can begin to live out the instructions given to us in the Great Commission. If you aren't sharing Jesus, I want you to ask yourself—are you really following Jesus?

Actively listen

To share the Gospel, of course we need to talk about Jesus, but there is another step that people often overlook. After bringing Jesus into the conversation, it's time to get quiet and listen. The Bible instructs us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and one practical way we can do this is by hearing them out. When people feel heard, they feel loved.

One of the best tools in evangelism is listening. You can begin by asking a simple question, then sit back and pay attention. There is power in listening to someone's story. And the beautiful thing about getting to hear someone's story is that you don't have to finish the conversation there. Listening invites lasting relationships between people, and it opens the door to future connections.

Pray continually

After we've done our part by sharing the Gospel and listening to others, we can pray for them. As we commit to praying for people in our lives, God will begin to give us more opportunities to talk about Jesus with them.

It's important to understand that prayer isn't something we check off of a to-do list each day, but prayer should become a lifestyle for us. And a lifestyle of prayer will lead to increasingly more breakthroughs around us. We can start simple. I challenge you to ask some of your lost friends this week, "How can I be praying for you?" Just watch the kinds of conversations that begin after this!

In Philemon 1:6, the Apostle Paul says, "...I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ." The more we share our faith with the people around us, the more we ultimately own our faith. Be encouraged—the Holy Spirit is guiding and empowering us every step of the way.

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