Read and Grow

Do you ever feel that tug to share your faith but hesitate, unsure if you’re really ready? Many of us feel this tension—we know we should be stepping out to share Jesus, but we hold back because of fear. It might be fear of saying the wrong thing, or not knowing enough, or worrying about how the other person might react. But what if God wants to use us as we are, fear and all?

Recently, a member of the yesHEis community, Bella* shared her story with us, how she faced her fear head-on. She joined our “Overcome Your Fear” challenge, praying for courage to be authentic, to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and to be bold enough to share the love of Jesus with someone new.

Here’s how God worked through that moment of vulnerability and faith…

At the start of the challenge, Bella’s biggest prayer request was to let Jesus’ love shine through her and to be led by the Holy Spirit in sharing her story. When she prayed, she asked God not just for boldness, but also to help her truly connect with someone who needed to hear about Jesus.

Then one morning as she was praying, Bella felt a nudge to reach out to a new neighbour she’d only spoken to in passing. She arranged to go out for coffee and decided to trust God with the conversation.

Following the nudge

Over coffee, she asked her neighbour if she believed in God. The neighbour stated that she did believe in God and had even started praying for help with a difficult situation. Her neighbour also shared that while she has a Bible, she wasn’t sure where to begin in her faith journey.

Taking a leap, Bella shared her own testimony, describing the peace she found in Jesus and through prayer. “I’d never spoken to someone about God before, but I’m so glad I followed the Holy Spirit’s guidance,” she said. She walked away from that coffee catch up feeling encouraged and committed to praying for her new friend’s journey to faith.

What could happen if you overcame your fear?

This story is a beautiful reminder of what happens when we trust God to guide us, even when we’re afraid. The Holy Spirit doesn’t ask us to have everything figured out; He just asks us to be available. 

Are you facing similar fears about sharing Jesus? Don’t worry, we’ve got you! Here's some things you can consider:

1. Pray for Courage and Sensitivity:

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see the person in front of you as God does and to give you courage to follow His nudges.

2. Take a Small Step:

Evangelism doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Sometimes, it’s as simple as asking someone a question about their faith or offering to pray for them.

3. Trust the Outcome to God:

Your role is obedience; God takes care of the results. Remember, you don’t have to lead someone to faith on the spot. Just be a faithful presence and let God do the rest. When we step out, the Holy Spirit steps in!

Imagine the ripple effect your step of faith could have in someone’s story of coming home to Jesus! God is ready to work through your simple “yes”—take the step today and watch how He uses your story to draw others closer to Him.

Join the “Overcome Your Fear” challenge in the yesHEis app

If you’re ready to step out but don’t want to do it alone, the Overcome Your Fear challenge is a great place to start.

Here’s how to join:

1. Open the yesHEis app. (Download it for free from the App Store or Google Play if you don’t have it yet.)
2. Head to the “Challenges” tab.
3. Select “Overcome Your Fear” and tap Start Challenge.
4. Follow along at your own pace with practical, simple steps to build confidence in sharing Jesus — one action at a time.

Let your first step be a faithful “yes.” He’ll take care of the rest.

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*name changed for privacy

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Do you ever get nervous about sharing Jesus?

You know that sharing Jesus is part of your calling as a Christian, but just thinking about it makes your heart race. Thoughts flood in, “What if I say the wrong thing? What if it gets awkward, or worse, offensive?” You might even worry that sharing Jesus means coming across as pushy or forceful. It’s as if you’re carrying the weight of someone else’s salvation on your shoulders.

But here’s the truth: sharing Jesus isn’t something you do alone. You’re not the hero of the story — the Holy Spirit is.

Evangelism isn’t about a single moment or decision. It’s about the transformation of someone’s heart, mind, and soul. And guess what? Transformation is the Holy Spirit’s work.

People don’t need your perfect words, they need a new heart.

The Holy Spirit is in the business of changing hearts. In Ezekiel 36:26–27, God promises to give people “a new heart and put a new spirit” within them.

That’s not something we can do on our own. But when you step out and share Jesus in partnership with the Holy Spirit, He moves in that person’s heart, doing what only He can do.

That means the responsibility for changing hearts doesn’t rest on you. Your role is simply to be obedient and share the message.

So, how can you learn to rely on the Holy Spirit’s power rather than your own strength? Here are three simple ways:

1. Pray for a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit

Romans 8:26 reminds us that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” Before you share Jesus with someone, ask the Holy Spirit to help you trust Him. Pray for guidance and confidence, not in yourself, but in His ability to work through you.

2. Step out in obedience

Share Jesus, even if it’s scary. Step out, not in your own confidence, but with faith that the Holy Spirit is sending you. John 14:26 tells us that “the Holy Spirit will teach and remind us of everything we need to say.” Trust that He will equip you in the moment.

3. Pray over the seed

After you’ve shared, pray that the Holy Spirit will nurture the seed you’ve planted.
Pray that His words will stay in their heart and mind. Ask Him to keep moving in their life, drawing them closer to Jesus.

Imagine what sharing your faith could look like, knowing it’s not up to you to change hearts. Isn’t that a much more liberating approach to evangelism?

The weight of sharing Jesus doesn’t rest on your shoulders alone. The Holy Spirit is your Helper–guiding, equipping, and working through you. Your only job is to show up and let the Holy Spirit do His thing.

Inviting someone to church can feel intimidating. As a Christian, you understand the importance and value of an encouraging and supportive community of faith, so naturally you want your friends to have that too.

But what does it take to invite someone into that community? What does it mean to invite someone to church?

In today’s increasingly secular culture, inviting someone to church can feel like a big deal. In recent years, the rise of culture wars together with the public failure of prominent church leaders has heightened an already skeptical general cultural attitude towards the church. Plus, it’s a big deal for someone to visit an unfamiliar community, especially if they’re unsure if there’s any common ground. All this can seem too hard, and we end up putting it off and never even offering an invitation.

So let’s take a moment to remember why it’s an important and effective way to introduce someone to Jesus. Inviting someone to church opens an intentional space for the Holy Spirit to show up and do His work in people’s hearts. It welcomes people into a community where they can explore and grow in faith, serve and take their place in the body of Christ. It’s God’s design for us to live in life-giving Christian community.

So how can we make this process a little easier, and a little less intimidating—not just for you, but for the person you’re inviting to church? Here’s some practical steps that can help.

1. Recognise that church can be intimidating

If you’ve been a Christian for a long time, church will feel familiar and safe. But for many people, it’s a foreign concept, only influenced by what they’ve seen in media and entertainment.

Being mindful of the language you use is important. Rather than saying, “I’ll pick you up at 7pm for the worship night”, start by explaining what a worship night is, and share details—like who will be there, what the space will look like, and what they should wear.

By avoiding “Christian-ese” lingo and giving as many details as you can, you can help your friend make a more informed decision. They are less likely to feel overwhelmed, afraid or resentful of the situation they’re walking into. This leads us to point number two.

2. Start with something familiar

It’s way easier to invite someone to grab a coffee, or go for a walk, than to invite them to church! Take Sam, whose quick decision may have saved the relationship:

“I got my haircut recently, and when I mentioned my belief in God, the hairdresser said he’d been exploring faith more lately… I got to share a little with him about my faith story and he seemed really interested. I invited him along to church and he seemed hesitant, and I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to offer to grab a coffee with him before the service to help him feel more comfortable. He was really grateful for the offer and said he’d take me up on it.”

By meeting up in a neutral location, you can avoid the inevitable power imbalance that comes from inviting someone into an unfamiliar church environment that you are very familiar with.

Remember, there’s no need to rush this process. Meet them where they’re at, establish the relationship, then take the next step.

3. Invest time and energy

While it is up to the Holy Spirit to convict hearts and bring them to Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:6), we are responsible for sowing seeds of faith…and that requires investing time and energy!

Put simply, when you share Jesus, remember to care as well! Don’t tell someone about Jesus and then leave them stranded. Take them on a journey. This might look like:

• Spending an evening each week to do Bible studies
• Sacrificing time with your social group to make someone feel welcome
• Adding someone to your prayer list and praying for them each day
• Sending a message or calling regularly to check in

Remember, if you’re struggling to find time to care, you can always ask other Christians or people from your church to help you. Introduce them to your friends, and share the load (Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 10:24-25; Philippians 2:4).

4. Trust God with the outcome

If you take the risk and invite someone to church, remember: it’s okay if they say no. Declining your offer doesn’t mean that they’ve rejected you, or rejected God. Maybe they just need more time, or maybe they have baggage or biases that you’re not aware of.

Rather than giving up or taking it personally, pray about it. Ask God to give you clarity, discernment and comfort, and continue to pray for that person.

The important thing is that you tried. You strengthened those faith muscles and will be better prepared and more confident the next time the Holy Spirit prompts you to invite someone to church.

Inviting someone to church is an exciting opportunity. If you have a friend on your heart that you want to invite to church, be intentional about making a plan, take courage and jump in and do it. Imagine what it will be like when they say yes! The reward far outweighs the cost. Ultimately, their journey of faith rests in God’s hands. Your role is simply to offer the invitation.

Christians aren’t immune to struggles with mental health. It’s a fact. We might recognise we have hope, love and assurance that transcends any anxious thought. But we can’t escape the fact that we are mortal, imperfect, and the pressures of this world can consume us.

Even Godly people in the Bible struggled with their mental health. Consider the following statements:

“How long must I have sorrow in my heart?”
Psalm 13:2

“My tears have been my food day and night.”
Psalm 42:3

“I am a man who has no strength”
Psalm 88:4

Does it surprise you that these are the very thoughts and writings of faithful God followers?

The reality is that knowing and following Jesus does not safeguard you from mental health struggles. David, in the Old Testament, very clearly struggled with depressive and anxious thoughts – his psalms are filled with them. He was thrown into the limelight at a young age, His king/father-in-law attempted to murder him – that would probably come up in counselling – and his personal failings were made very public.

Despite all these things David had God’s favour and was still chosen to do His work. God himself called David ‘a man after my own heart’ 1 Samuel 13:14. David’s struggles with his mental health did not disqualify him, and neither do yours.

God doesn’t see you as ‘less than’ because of your struggles.

You are in no way disqualified from sharing Jesus because of your mental health. The path to moving forward might be to see yourself from God’s perspective – and this could be your biggest challenge.

You are loved‍

- Nothing you do or experience will keep you from the love of God.

You are forgiven

- His grace covers all your fears and failures.

You are cared for

- He cares about the details of your life.

You are not alone

- He is with you, and He will never leave you.

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How do we get God’s perspective?

1. Read your Bible. Scripture dismantles lies and sets your eyes on Jesus.

2. Worship. Placing Jesus as the King of your heart puts your anxieties into their right perspective.

3. Pray. Share your struggle with the Holy Spirit and ask Him to give you revelation on who Jesus is.

4. Share. When the opportunity comes, share about the inner transformation that Jesus is doing.

Overcome your mental health struggles by walking close with Jesus and witness your life from His perspective.

Lis is a passionate Brazilian, visual artist and mother. After losing her own mother, we spoke to her about the importance of empathy and how God can bring good things out of tragic circumstances...
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This Is Lis' Story
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I lost my Mum to cancer. Not long after that I found myself in a conversation with a woman who also had cancer. I was still grieving the death of my Mum, but I didn't want to let that pain get in the way of the Holy Spirit's prompt to pray for her. I also didn't want that woman to miss out on everything that God could do in her life.

The dilemma in that moment was how to be empathetic to what she was going through and not be insensitive just because I wanted to talk about Jesus. So I asked an open-ended question to gauge her response: “Do you believe in God?” This was a great question because it gave her the power to direct the conversation and gave me the opportunity to listen and hear things from her perspective.

The question opened up a great conversation. I was able to share about the tangible hope that Jesus had given to my Mum and family towards the end of her life and in the end I was able to pray for her!

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.
Romans 8:28

This experience reminded me how important it is to reflect on your past experiences, bad and good, because God can and does use both.

When you remember what God has done, you will be prepared to share when the opportunity comes.

Tayla is a former competitive surfer and self-confessed introvert. After an injury halted her surfing career, Tayla felt that God was prompting her to step outside her comfort zone and live life with a focus more on others than herself. She tells the story...
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‍This Is Tayla's Story
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I found that living for myself is actually quite comfortable. So when I felt challenged to step back and start looking for others, it was scary, but I found that that's actually what we are called to do.

When I was living in South Africa, I was surfing competitively for a while and I was just so focused on myself - until I had an injury that prevented me from competing. The day before a contest that I’d be training really hard for, I sliced my foot right open and I couldn't walk anymore.

And that's when I really felt God was like convicting me that I needed to step out.

I'm a super introverted person, which made it challenging for me to step out and share my faith. So it took a lot of courage, but it also brought a lot of fear when it came to actually doing something. So, I was praying for opportunities to come along where I could share my faith and one day I was in the water surfing and I came across these guys. I found out that they were ex street children and that one of my friends was going to start volunteering at the organization where these guys were from, called Surfers Not Street Children.

I just had the idea one day, you know, maybe I should start a Bible study. So a friend and I started one up with these guys which was really challenging because it was really out of my comfort zone. The first time we rocked up at Bible study, it was pretty scary as we didn't really know what to speak about or how to engage with them. They were late teens/young adults, and were pretty sceptical.
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I found their push back hard, but it was then I had to remember, you know, everyone comes from a different background, so just showing love towards them was the most important thing. Sometimes we have no idea where people have been or what they're going through, and sometimes they just need to be shown love. These guys were from the streets and they grew up on the streets. So we would try to choose topics that would relate to them.

There was this one really skeptical guy who came for the first few weeks. After a while he became a bit more engaged in the study and asked more questions. It was so cool to see him interested in wanting to know more. One day he came to Bible study and just showed us his chest… he had ‘God is good’ tattooed across his whole chest - just like the ‘No Ragrets’ meme - which was really cool to see.

That’s when I was like ‘this is so awesome’ and this is why I'm doing this. It was so encouraging because I had been so scared in starting the Bible study. It was so awesome being able to see how God can even use an introvert.

I realised it's so important to be obedient to God's calling even when it’s something that's scary and we have a lot of fear towards. It’s encouraging knowing that when we are obedient, God is with us and he has put the opportunity in front of us for a reason. He’ll always go before us and be with us through it all.

We live in a world full of restlessness, fear, and instability. Yet, as Christians, Jesus offers us peace amidst it all. As Christians, not only do we have access to this peace, but we are also called to reflect it to others who are longing for stability and hope in a chaotic world.

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“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

Peace is one of the greatest gifts God gave to mankind. And it’s a gift we can share with those around us who are searching for meaning and rest. Yet, often we can feel far from peace. So how do we as Christians live from the place of peace that Jesus describes? Erwin McManus illustrates it well when he speaks about worship, and how genuine worship can create a shift of responsibility in our thinking.

When we are feeling overwhelmed by life, feeling the stress, anxiety, and the despair, McManus says it’s because we have taken on responsibility for things that we do not have the power to carry. So how do we shift the burden and draw on the peace Jesus offers?

Let it Go

Erwin explains when we take on the stressors it’s like we pitch a horizontal roof over our life. When the rain falls, it gets heavy and our roof collapses. Yet, if we shift our roof to be more vertical, aka, connect with God. It causes the rain to pour off to the side and water all the fields around it, growing a harvest that eventually bears fruit. When we live from a place of peace, it becomes evident to those around us. Our lives can spark curiosity and open doors for conversations about the source of our peace—Jesus.

Re-align

Worshipping God teaches our soul to shift our roof vertically. This helps us to re-align our internal narrative too, “This is bigger than me. This is not mine to bear. I’m going to give it to God.” which can provide a sense of peace even in the chaos. As you re-align and experience God’s peace, consider how you can gently point others to Him through your own example and words.

Practice

When the stressors of life start to take over your peace, practice the art of refining your soul worship so that when the rain comes, you can continue to be peacemakers who create fruit within the storm.

In practicing the art of resting in God's peace, we not only nurture our own souls but also demonstrate to others the hope and security found in Jesus. Who in your life might benefit from hearing about the peace that Jesus offers?

How are you practicing the art of resting in God's peace in this season?

Brian is a regular guy who loves Jesus and has a heart to share him with the people he meets every day. A chance encounter at a gas station became an opportunity to share Jesus in a miraculous way. Brian was ready for that opportunity because he made one simple life choice…

The other day I was at a gas station. I noticed a dude who seemed to be limping, he looked like he was in pain. So I went up to him and I said “Hey man, can I pray for you?” he replied, “Sure, yeah, you can pray for me.”

It turned out he was a Muslim so he wasn’t bothered by me praying for him at all. I prayed that all his pain would go away. At first, nothing happened but after a few moments, he turned back to me and said that his pain had gone away! I said “That’s because Jesus loves you and cares for you.”

It was a super quick moment. He didn’t trust in Jesus at that moment but it planted a seed. And maybe further down the road, he’ll be open to hearing the Gospel.

An easy way I’ve found to start talking to people about Jesus is to ask “Hey, does that hurt?”because there are people everywhere who are in pain. I don’t always have the right words to say but I just try to build their connection to Jesus.

There is one decision I’ve made that has been super helpful in sharing the Gospel, when I go out into the world I simply keep my eyes open. Too often we’re so focused on ourselves we miss opportunities that are right in front of us. Sometimes there are things going on around you that the Lord wants you to see. He might want you to move in on someone else’s life. Right there at that moment. We need to learn to take our blinders off and ask God “What are you doing in this place around me?”

Pretty soon when you do this, you’ll start to see the needs of those around you. Everywhere you go, there’s somebody who needs a word of encouragement, kindness, an act of charity or healing through the gospel.

Anyone can do this.

You’ll be amazed at what comes across your path as you simply begin to move about your world with your eyes open.

Do you ever feel like your phone owns you, and not the other way around?

Through DMs, phone messages, and social media notifications you are connected with hundreds of millions of people around the world. Each ping from your phone is a demand of your attention, and every post, comment, and message you send comes from a desire for attention back. Instant attention from anonymous people on the other side of the world.

Thanks to the internet, our society is hyper-connected. Whether you like it or not we are plugged into the largest communication hub ever known to man. But the cracks are starting to show.

We are bloated with hyper-connectedness yet we hunger for a connection that is true, genuine, and personal.

Humans are hardwired for genuine connection.And it’s in that space Jesus calls you to share him with the world.

After His death and resurrection, Jesus gathers his disciples together and sends them out, saying, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Notice the progression of Jesus’ instructions; Jerusalem followed by Judea and Samaria, and finally the ends of the earth.

For the disciples, Jerusalem was the immediate area, the centre of their culture and society. Judea and Samaria were regions beyond the immediate, and the ends of the earth were… well, as far as you can go.

So if you’re looking for a way to share Jesus, start in YOUR Jerusalem.

Start in your immediate area where you are already personally connected. Start with your friends, family and the people you see every day. Cultivate a friendship that is personal and genuine and share Jesus in that space. It could be as simple as starting a conversation with your barista or someone at uni, or in a friendship you already have but want to take deeper.

As you grow your friendship, find ways to demonstrate the fruit of the spirit. Let peace, love, and joy shine out like a light on a hill pointing to Jesus. In the context of your close relationships, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and take opportunities to open up conversations about Jesus, church, and faith.

People are hungry for genuine connection.

Share Jesus by limiting your hyper-connection with the world and explore true, genuine connection with the people already around you.

Who can you reach out to in genuine connection today?

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References
https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/the-human-connection/201912/making-real-connections-in-the-age-social-media

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

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How can God use me in my secular workplace?

Have you ever felt like you’re not living a life “on mission” because you work in a secular career? Perhaps you have a burning desire to make a difference in the world, but you feel confined by your day to day responsibilities of work/study.

As Christians, it’s easy to develop a mindset that our “Christian life” is separate from our “Monday-Friday life”. Sometimes we can have the perspective that the spiritual practices in our life are important to God, but the secular ones such as going to work, don’t matter (or at least, not as much). We can assume that God is nearer when we’re doing spiritual things, but not as close when we’re going about our day-to-day lives. But God is omnipresent; He is with you wherever you go, and He cares about every aspect of your life. You don’t have a “spiritual life” and a “secular life”- the Holy Spirit lives in you, so your whole life – including your career – is spirit-filled!

Your job can be your ministry and your workplace can be your mission field.

You don’t have to be a missionary to be on mission. You might be the only Christian that your workmates encounter, so that’s a great opportunity for you to be an example of Jesus. This could look like making choices to act above reproach in all circumstances, including at work. Or not engaging in office gossip, choosing to be a peacemaker when conflict arises, or being kind and generous to those you work with. These are good examples but the opportunities are almost endless for you to be an influence for the gospel within the arena of your career. As you grow in awareness that your workplace is your ministry, you will naturally begin to notice opportunities to share your faith.

Know that your gifts are God-given; therefore, do everything as if you were doing it for God. God isn’t just with you in the big moments; He is with you in the everyday, mundane tasks of life. You can serve Him in everything you do! In the book of Romans, Paul puts it like this:

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him Romans 12:1

God created you with individual gifts, talents and skills, to be used for His glory. So whatever your sphere is, own it! Do great work - be an amazing IT specialist, graphic designer, carpenter, nurse etc. Allow your dedication and the beauty of your craft to be an act of worship.

3 tips to owning your sphere:

1. Spend some time in God’s presence on your way to work. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you opportunities to be Jesus to your workmates.

2. Write out a mission statement which highlights your purpose/values in the workplace (hint: ask yourself “what do I want to be known for after I leave?”)

3. Reflect on your gifts, talents and skills. How could you use them for God’s purpose?

Whatever sphere you find yourself in, you can be an influencer for Jesus. How can you own your sphere this week?

Social media has changed the landscape of how we share Jesus forever. It used to be rallies, cable TV shows, and church outreach events, now you can reach large crowds with your social media account. Of course, it’s not always that simple.
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Social media isn’t always an effective space to talk about things like faith and Jesus. Have you ever wondered why you can post a picture of your cat falling off the couch and it basically goes viral, but a post about your faith makes you feel like people are scrolling with their eyes shut?

How can you leverage your socials to share Jesus in a way that’s effective and engaging?

To do this, it’s helpful to understand the nature of the environment in which you’re communicating.

The Social Space

When posting online, the first thing to recognise is you’re operating in a ‘social space’. A social space involves a large audience, for example, a lecture, a church service, or even a YouTube video. Information can be shared with a large audience, but often at the expense of meaningful engagement and personal transformation.

The Personal Space

Talking about Jesus in a way that results in ongoing life change is most effective when you’re operating in the ‘personal space’. A personal space takes place in one on one conversations or small group interactions. Here emotional guards can be lowered, trust can be built, and meaningful life transformation takes place.

We can learn a lot from observing how Jesus communicated in these two spaces. Although He operated in both spaces, he invested heavily in the personal space. Most of his time was dedicated to his 12 disciples and as a result they were the most impacted by him and had the most meaningful life change. We still experience the effects of this investment over 2000yrs later.

So how does that apply to posting about Jesus on your socials? Here’s a helpful strategy: speak to the large audience of your social media space, but prioritise drawing people into your personal space to share Jesus with them.

Here are 5 tips on how you can maximise meaningful engagement with your social media account.

1. Be a Normal Person

- Intersperse your posts about Jesus, with posts about your everyday life. People are primarily interested in who you are as a person. Your relationship with Jesus is best shared in the context of your everyday life. Also, if people always scroll past your Jesus posts, the social algorithms will cause them to eventually not see your posts at all.

2. Ask Questions / Polls

- Engagement is gold! There’s plenty of engagement tools built into social platforms like questions, polls, sliders and video replies. Draw people in by asking intriguing questions and utilise polls in your stories for interaction.

3. Challenge The Norm

- You can grab people's attention by using language that challenges normal cultural ideas and their perceptions of what it means to be a Christian.

4. Speak To Need

- There are many needs out in the community. Raise the topic and share how Jesus, church, and faith intersect with those needs.

5. Follow Up In DMs

- When people engage with what you post in meaningful ways, follow up with them in DMs, or ideally, in-person.

Let’s follow Jesus’ example of drawing people from the Social Space into the Personal Space.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

Matthew 4:19

Keep in mind that while it’s nice to get a lot of likes on our posts, every number is a person. Be intentional and prayerful about taking people deeper, even if it’s just one person.

Bella is a graphic designer and has spent most of her working life in ministry and church. Stepping out into a secular work environment was a challenge, especially when it came to bringing up her faith. But Bella discovered a simple secret that made all the difference…
   

In my life, I’ve only ever worked in Christian ministries and churches. But recently I started a new job in a totally secular environment. I’ve wanted to be serious about living life on-mission but I felt nervous about talking to people about Jesus in a natural way. The Holy Spirit challenged me to just be honest when the moment arises and I wanted to be obedient to that.

Well, the other day I was having lunch with a new friend from work and we were talking about life outside of work. I showed her some photos of my friends and my housemates, and she asked me where I met them. It was such a simple moment, but I said, “Oh, I met them all through church.” I explained how we grew close by serving on teams together for a long time at church. I mean, it’s not like I shared my testimony or led her through a prayer of salvation or anything like that, it was just a simple moment of obedient honesty.

I felt pretty nervous as we were having the conversation. I didn’t know how she was going to react. I didn’t know what her past experience of church was like. I was feeling on edge.

But as the conversation went on I kept reminding myself that I wasn’t trying to convince her of anything, I was just making a plain statement about my life. I was just sharing who I am and how I live, and that thought was really calming for me.

I realized that just being casual, honest and authentic took the pressure off. I could be obedient to the Holy Spirit and the outcome meant we grew closer as friends because we know more about each other.

The Bible says that ‘all things work together for good for those who love God’ Romans 8:28. So sharing my faith doesn’t need to be complicated, I can just be honest about my life and trust God to work out the good.

This whole experience reminded me that I don’t need to change the whole world, I just have to do my bit and be true to myself, display the heart of Jesus and be honest when Jesus comes up in conversation.

I realized that if I’m being honest and real, Jesus is going to come up in conversation because he’s such a big part of my life. So when someone says “Why do you do this? Or say that?” I can honestly answer with “Oh, it’s because I love God and I love people.”

And there it is, simple honesty.

Be honest when someone comes up to you with questions. Be honest when you’re in a conversation – if God’s a part of your life He’ll come up.

Just be honest, it doesn't have to be more complicated than that.