Read and Grow

If you find yourself in a situation where you want to talk about Jesus but you don’t know what to say, just remember you have a story. Your story is a celebration of what Jesus has done in your life and He wants to use it to impact and change the people in your world. Stories have power; they have the ability to change and challenge you. Stories are often God’s chosen method for transformation.

Sharing your story is as simple as telling others how Jesus has changed your life–sometimes we call it a testimony. It is something Jesus often encouraged those who he healed to do (Mark 5:19). Taking the time to consider and construct your testimony is time well spent. It can be a powerful tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit as He guides you in conversations with your friends.

Here are some helpful tips on how to build and clarify your Jesus-story.

Construct a statement and story for each of the following points:

1. WHAT your life was like before Jesus? Without Jesus, our lives are void of identity and purpose. What was an area of identity or purpose that was lacking before you met Jesus? Perhaps you were filling your life with an addiction (social media, alcohol, bad relationships) because you lacked purpose. Or you felt lost in the world because you had no place to belong.
2. WHY did you to follow Jesus? The moment Jesus broke into your world and changed your life is a powerful story. Sharing it helps you avoid cliches and it personalises the Gospel. When you share your story, focus on what was happening internally for you, not just the sequence of events.  People will be impacted by hearing about your change of heart. For example:

“I really believed that no one could ever love me but I was looking for it everywhere. It wasn’t until I heard the story of Jesus’s death that I started to comprehend that I was loved–even cherished.”

3. HOW your life has changed since following Jesus? Jesus changes us. He gives us a new identity and purpose. Share how Jesus has impacted and changed your life. Focus particularly on the identity and/or purpose you were lacking in section one, then share how Jesus filled that lack. Share how His love and mercy has shaped your emotions (no longer angry, anxious, etc), or changed your actions for the better (love helping people, don’t react, forgive quickly).

5 Tips For Sharing Your Story

Be Fresh — Share what Jesus is doing in your life now. Jesus is always changing us, so take notice and be ready to share a recent story.

Be Honest — Authenticity is often the make or break for people. You don’t need to embellish or exaggerate. Instead, trust that the Holy Spirit will use what’s true to change the hearts of your friends.

Be Specific — Be vulnerable and include details–about the journey of your heart and the truth and lies that rose to the surface of your mind; this will help make your story relatable.

Be Normal — Use everyday language that your friends will understand. Avoid Christian cliches.

Be Sharp — A story that has a point is powerful. Be careful not to explore too many tangents, instead focus on the main thing Jesus has done in your life.

You have a story and the Holy Spirit is your helper. Get out there and start sharing your story. Trust the Holy Spirit will use your story to change people’s lives, just as He did with you.

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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“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!

In Romans 8:28 it says,

‘We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.’

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.

You live in a world of fences. It’s all too easy to live inside your secluded home, stream on-demand TV, and lock away the world outside.
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These fences aren't just physical; they're emotional as well. People like to keep others away because they feel safer. This can make sharing Jesus with your next-door neighbours a challenge. So how can we change that?

Jesus told a story about a good neighbour. A Jewish man was robbed and beaten and left on the road. After a priest and temple worker walked right past, a Samaritan man stopped to help him. Samaritans and Jews had a bad history and more or less hated each other. But when the Samaritan saw the robbed man, he had compassion for him despite their differences and helped him. Jesus said this Samaritan man was a good neighbour and tells all of us to do likewise Luke 10:29-37.

You have the opportunity to be a good neighbour. The Samaritan man helped the Jewish man despite the differences they shared. Differences don’t need to be a barrier. Reach out and have compassion for them. Find some common ground and serve them.

Start by paying attention to what’s going on in your street. If you take the time, you’ll be surprised to see what’s going on in the lives of the people living around you. Try taking some time to walk around your streets and observe. Pray as you do so. Some families are very busy and struggle to keep up with the yard work. Some people are lonely. Some people struggle with health. Don’t be nosy, but be observant.

If you observe someone that could use some help, approach them humbly and sincerely and offer to serve them. You might offer to mow their lawn or help them with their garden. Take their dog for a walk once a week. Offer to serve them in a tangible way that lets them know you care for them. Even if they don’t accept, they may still feel encouraged that you offered.

Some people will just love your company. Loneliness is a big problem in our culture today. Spending one hour a week talking with a neighbour can mean the world to them. Listen and care for them, and if a chance to share Jesus comes up, do it.

God has placed you where you live for a reason. Listen to the words of Jesus and be the good neighbour he wants you to be. Take initiative, show compassion, and love them the way Jesus would.

Take time today to observe the streets you live in. Choose one person in need and reach out to them.

Do you remember how you felt when you first started following Jesus – when you first understood the gravity of the gospel? Not just in your mind, but deep in your heart? When the emptiness was filled with the fullness of love. Don’t forget that.

This gospel message of hope has been resounding throughout humanity since Jesus stood on that mountain and said to his 12 friends, “Go tell everyone! Don’t keep this to yourself.” This call wasn’t meant for them alone. It was meant for you. You’re not meant to keep hope to yourself.

You know you hold the answer. You know you have hope. So what’s holding you back? What would happen if you trusted Jesus and shared this hope?

Here’s 3 encouragements if you’re holding back from sharing Jesus and stepping into the calling of the Great Commission:

1. You have a purpose

If you’re feeling like your Christian journey could do with a bit more purpose, remember that sharing Jesus is not just an action – it’s a calling for all of us. By sharing His love, you’re stepping into the divine purpose that Jesus has for your life.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
– Romans 10:13-14

2. It starts with you

Evangelism is not just for a chosen few – it’s a call from Jesus to all of us. You have your own unique circle of people who trust and value your words. By sharing your faith in your own genuine way, you can make a significant impact on their lives.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
– John 20:21

3. You are not alone

Never forget that you’re part of something bigger. Sharing Jesus can seem daunting, especially when it feels like you’re swimming against the tide. But you’re part of a global movement of people sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Your contribution, no matter how small it may seem, is vital.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
– ‍‍Hebrews 12:1

As you share the hope that you’ve found in Jesus, you’re stepping into your purpose as a follower of Jesus and taking your place in the greatest movement the world has ever seen. Participating in the salvation of your friends and family and building God’s kingdom on earth is the greatest privilege. Don’t hold back! You’re not alone. You’ve got this!

It’s crunch time. You’ve been sharing Jesus with a friend. They’re really interested and they want to know more about what following Jesus means for them. You know it’s time to share the Gospel. But how do you summarise the Gospel? How do you tell it in a way that’s more helpful than confusing? There’s no script and you don’t want to mess it up.

A simple way to share the gospel meaningfully, is to memorise these 4 words: position, problem, provision, part

Each word describes an important section of the gospel message and is partnered with questions to help start the conversation and simple ideas to give you helpful language to unpack each section.

POSITION: Love is God’s position towards us

God is love and He is the creator of all things. As an outflow of His abundant love, He created the universe, the world, and all things in it. Because God is love, He loves every human being and His desire is to be in relationship with the people He created. For us, his people, relationship with God means life, wholeness, fulfilment, and living in harmony with others.

Question: What do you think love is?

God is love. God doesn’t just show love as an action. He is love. God loves all of His creation.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
– 1 John 4:7–8

God’s love is unconditional. This is not a love that must be earned or achieved, it’s given unconditionally.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”
– John 3:16

PROBLEM: Sin is our problem

God created man and woman to live in relationship with Him and each other, however, when humanity sinned, our sin cut off our relationship with God. Now every person has a spiritual heart problem, this is what we call sin. Sin is any choice we make that goes against God’s design for our life and these choices fundamentally break our relationship with God.

Question: What do you think sin is?

Sin is an “own way” attitude. Sin isn’t just bad things we do, it’s a fundamental attitude that makes choices against God’s design for our life.

“We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned his own way.”
– Isaiah 53:6

Question: What are the consequences of sin?

Sin separates us from God. Making choices that go against God’s design for our lives break our relationship with him. No one can earn their way back to God with good deeds because we are all sinners. Sin cuts us off from God, our source of life, so sin is the reason that we all eventually die.

“Your sins have cut you off from God.”
– Isaiah 59:2

PROVISION: Jesus is God’s provision

God wanted to restore relationship with him so he made a way for that to work. Jesus entered into the world. He is God, so He lived the perfect life we could not live and died the death we deserved. He lay dead in a tomb for three days, and on that third day, he rose again proving He was God and that his sacrifice was acceptable.

Question: Who do you think Jesus is?

Jesus is God. Jesus is God in human form. He lived a perfect life and did not sin.

“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”
– John 14:9

Question: Why did Jesus have to die?

Jesus died as our substitute. The consequence of sin is death. However, Jesus died on the cross in our place, cancelling humanity’s debt of sin.

“But God demonstrates His love for us in this; while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
– Romans 5:8

PART: Turn and trust is our part

Believing in Jesus means turning from sin and trusting in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. The Bible calls this repentance and faith. You can’t just say the words or go through the motions, God knows your heart. You can do this by praying to God.

Question: What do you think it means to follow Jesus?

Our response is to turn away from our sins. This is repentance. When we own our brokenness and turn away from our sin to Jesus, he forgives us.

“Here I am, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door, I will come in.“

– Revelation 3:20

Our response is also to trust that Jesus is God and defeated death for us. This is faith. We can trust Jesus because he loves us unconditionally, which he demonstrated by dying in our place. When we trust that Jesus is God and that he defeated death for us, his undefeatable life now lives in us.

“…if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.“
– Romans 10:9

If your friend wants to make the decision to follow Jesus, you can help them by giving them the words to say. Try a prayer like this (get them to repeat the sentences after you):

Dear God. I know you love me. I’m sorry for my sin and that I have gone my own way. Thank you for your son Jesus who died on the cross for my sins and rose again. Today I turn from my sin and trust in Jesus alone. Amen.

Reinforce to them that these are not magic words, they’re an expression of the heart and that God sees their honest heart.

This framework is designed to help you articulate the gospel message. Don’t feel the pressure to share it all at once. In fact, it would be rare that you would do that in one go. More often it’s a helpful structure to keep in mind to help you diagnose what your friends might need to hear. For example, do they need to understand more about who God is? Or perhaps a helpful definition of the nature of sin. Often sharing Jesus doesn’t come down to one conversation where you explain the whole gospel. It can be helpful to gradually explain it over time, based on the needs and questions of your friend.

Spend time over a week committing these 4 words and the related questions, ideas and verses to memory so that you feel prepared to articulate the gospel story with meaning and clarity next time you have an opportunity to share it.

Conversations about faith and religion always bring important questions and objections to the surface. These objections can often be misinterpreted as scary, discouraging, negative moments. In reality, an objection isn’t something to be feared; it’s an opportunity to engage.

When it comes to addressing objections, often it’s as much about how we respond as it is about the response we give.

For example, someone might be resistant to faith because of the violence involved in the Crusades. But as you listen more closely you realise that behind their question is a personal experience where they were hurt by the church. Why would people who claim to love in the name of Jesus act so hurtfully? Often resolving a question doesn’t just mean giving “the right answers”.

Ever heard the old adage: “people don’t care what you know until they know that you care”? How we speak speaks volumes. At the same time how we discern what’s behind the question can hold more value than a masterful apologetic response.

Here are 4 tips so you can respond rather than react when objections are raised:

1. Don’t be surprised

If challenging questions are raised, don’t assume that you’re being attacked. There are many reasons that objections to Jesus and the Bible are raised. They can come from a place of hurt, misunderstanding or from competing worldviews. And often the most alienating way we can respond is with surprise or alarm. Don’t be surprised: invite conversation.

2. Engage

Don’t avoid objections when they’re raised, engage with them. Good questions are your superpower. They are an excellent conversational tool that you can bring out when an objection is raised. Ask often: “What makes you say that?” It slows down the conversation and makes the thought process more of a dialogue.

It also gives you space to listen, think, and pray. Let’s say someone says “I just don’t understand how a good God can allow so much pain in this world.” By asking “What makes you say that?” you will uncover the heart behind the objection. You might discover they have an illness, or a loved one died recently. Ultimately, you’re not answering a question, you’re answering a person.

3. Learn as you go

Getting completely stumped in a conversation is an opportunity to learn. Don’t try to be an expert or “get it perfect.” Admitting that you don’t know an answer can sometimes be the best answer to give. Say you’ll look into it and get back to them. This keeps the conversation going, shows humility, and helps build your knowledge and resources.

Remember – there’s more going on behind the scenes than just a conversation. The Holy Spirit is always at work. Be honest and trust Him.

4. Be ready

The Bible says to be ready to “make a defence to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). Sharing Jesus and loving your neighbour means engaging in difficult conversations.

Spend time thinking about why you believe in Jesus–specifically. Why do you believe in Jesus rather than Buddha or Mohammad or nothing? Study the Bible and listen to a wide range of good apologetics podcasts (apologetics means defence of the faith). Include them in your weekly listening and study. Consider these things for yourself, and be ready to respond in gentleness and respect.

As Christians, we’re all aware of the Great Commission. When Jesus stood on that mountain top and said, “Go into all the world and make disciples.” Often that can feel like it’s easier said than done. If you want to share Jesus but it feels awkward and contrived, the first step is to understand that sharing Jesus needs to come from a place of relationship with Him. A relationship that’s honest and intimate.

Do you desire a closer relationship with God, but sometimes feel distant and disconnected?

Just like any relationship, nurturing your bond with God requires care, attention, and intentional practices. God has given many practices and rhythms to help you cultivate that relationship with Him. These practices are the heartbeat of the Christian faith and build a relationship with Jesus from which evangelism flows naturally.

Here are 5 practices that you can start today:

1. Read your Bible

The Bible is God’s love letter, instruction manual, and manifesto all in one. Its contents and teachings are God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). In other words, the Bible is showing you the goodness of God, who He is and who you are to Him, and instructing you how to live a good life. So start reading the Bible today. If it seems daunting, just start with 15 minutes a day reading it and you’ll start feeling closer to God.

2. Pray

Prayer is how you communicate with God. You’re not bothering God when you pray; He loves it. It’s like a sweet aroma to Him (Psalm 141:2). And if you’re not sure what to say don’t worry, the Holy Spirit will intercede for you (Romans 8:26-27). As you read your Bible, include some time for prayer too. There are a bunch of different ways to pray: spoken prayers, journaling, praying the Psalms, praying for other people, silence and solitude, just to name a few.

3. Worship

Worship is more than just singing at church or a style of music on Spotify. Everything we do is designed to be worship to God. The way you treat strangers can be worship, the effort you put into your study or work can be worship, the way you love your family can be worship.

In the same way that God has given us music to worship Him (Psalm 33:1-4), He has given us our lives to worship Him (Romans 12:1). So, why not do both! Create a worship playlist for your morning commute or for your gym workout and choose songs which speak of God’s greatness. Also, endeavour to live your life in a way that pleases God. This will take time (a life-time, in fact), but you will feel closer to God, because it’s literally what He created you for.

4. Join a church community

Church is so dear to Jesus’s heart that He calls it His bride (Revelation 21:9-11). It is designed by God to help you–a community to support and encourage each other in the good way and in glorifying Jesus (Hebrews 10:24-25). Attending a church service is a great start but it’s when you get involved in the life of the church and in the community of fellow Christians that you begin to become more like Jesus. Find a healthy church, make deep friends and be involved in their lives. If you have trouble making friends (people can be cliquey sometimes) ask the pastor to help, or find a church where you connect easily.

5. Talk to people about Jesus

Jesus told His disciples to go out and share the story of Jesus to the whole world (Matthew 28:18-20). The foundation of growing your relationship with Jesus is cultivating obedience to Him. This means you’re a disciple of Jesus, and so you are called to share the Gospel with the world. This doesn’t mean you have to travel to a different country, but it may mean going into your neighbourhood, workplace or community.

If you’re feeling distant from God and want to go deeper with Him, start building these practices into your week; read your bible daily, pray daily, worship daily, join a church community, and talk to people about Jesus. And remember, take it easy. The best habits are built by the accumulation of small gains, so give yourself encouragement. And as you go, keep a prayerful outlook for opportunities to share Jesus. You’ll be surprised how they naturally come about.

Have you ever wanted to share your faith with someone, but that little voice inside of you stopped you in your tracks? The problem is when we give fearful thoughts power in our mind they start to influence our behaviour, and can even stop us from being able to say yes to what the Holy Spirit wants us to do.

Overcoming fear leads to greater freedom but also greater obedience to the will of the Holy Spirit. As Christians we are called to be strong and courageous; to step out in faith and trust in God. But how do we do this when that voice of fear can feel so loud?

Have you heard of the principle, you reap what you sow? Whatever thoughts you pay the most attention to will grow. Literally! Your brain is constantly changing and evolving. Your thought patterns create physical neural pathways, and the pathways that get stronger and more automatic are the ones that get used the most. Whereas the pathways that are ignored or not used will eventually fade away.

Which thoughts are you watering? Thoughts of hope, grace, love, and courage? Or thoughts of fear, insecurity, and negativity? When it comes to talking about Jesus, are you giving power to the thoughts of fear, or the thoughts of who you are in Christ?

You have power over your mindset – you can choose to strengthen the right thoughts by filling your mind with the things of God. Paul the Apostle talks about this:

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realised. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”
– Philippians 4:8-9

Here’s some helpful tips on how to overcome fears and strengthen pathways of life:

Step 1: Notice and name the thought

By noticing and naming the thought, you are able to recognise it as a lie and speak truth to it. Doing this will help you separate yourself from the fear and break its power over you.

Step 2: Let the thought go

Don’t give the thought power by paying attention to it; simply let it go and bring your attention back to the present moment. Sometimes there’s value in getting someone else in for this step.

Step 3: Do something brave and courageous, no matter how small

Every action you take that goes against the instinct of fear is a step on the neural pathway that leads to Christ.

The next time you feel prompted to share your faith, don’t let fear hold you back. You are in charge of your thoughts! Take a deep breath and step out of your comfort zone – you never know what impact your courage could have on someone.

Talking about Jesus can feel weird or uncomfortable. Maybe you struggle to find the right opportunities to share, or feel that you lack the necessary knowledge. Perhaps you don’t want to cause tension in your relationships or be perceived as “pushy”.

Life is increasingly feeling like a warzone of competing worldviews. This is an intimidating landscape to navigate when you’re attempting to share Jesus with people you care about. So what’s your gameplan? How do you go about sharing Jesus?

Here’s a simple 3 step approach to help set you up for sharing Jesus…

1. Pray — Be a Christian

The starting point for authentic evangelism is a current, honest and intimate relationship with Jesus. Think about it – if you don’t know Jesus well, it will feel weird and forced to share about Him. In any relationship, familiarity comes through communication, and life with Jesus is no different. Our modern idea of prayer can often be reduced to a one way conversation with God. But when it comes to being a disciple of Jesus, your prayer life needs to be more than that.

You need to know His voice to respond to opportunities to share the gospel and navigate conversations. You need to be familiar with Him to know how to call out lies that dress up as Him. You need to be familiar with Him to talk about Him to all kinds of people, and to respond any time, any place to questions about Him.

2. Connect — Be a friend

It may be stating the obvious, but you can’t share Jesus if you don’t have meaningful relationships – or at least a connection point – with non-Christians. There’s no judgment here – it’s just a good question to ask. Many of us are passionate about our faith and open to sharing Jesus, but because of our passion, we’re serving at church and running small groups or organising events and before you know it we’re stuck in a Christian bubble with no friends outside of church.

So if you’re looking for a way to share Jesus, find non-Christians in your everyday life. Focus on where you are already personally connected and start by intentionally growing natural friendships with these people.

3. Respond — Be a messenger

When you’re filled with the Holy Spirit through prayer, and connecting well with the people in your world, you’ll start to see natural opportunities to share Jesus. The Holy Spirit is already working in the hearts of people around you. Staying connected to Him and responding to what he asks you to do takes the pressure off of you.

It might look like being ready to pray with someone, telling your story, explaining the gospel, or inviting people to church. You might get asked why you’re different, or a conversation might suddenly turn towards topics like God and faith. Perhaps you’ll see someone that needs help, or the Holy Spirit will challenge you to do or say something. It could be anything! Participating in someone’s journey towards Jesus is a super exciting way to live.

If you’re struggling to make a start sharing your faith, begin with these simple steps. Build an authentic, honest relationship with Jesus, meaningful connections with non-Christians, and a prayerful willingness to respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever felt completely unqualified? You are given a job to do at work or an assessment task at university. It can make you feel overwhelmed. You might feel at a loss of where to start, so you keep putting off the task. Perhaps you feel this way about sharing Jesus. You know the Great Commission exists, but the task seems too grand and unachievable.

The good news is you don’t have to feel unqualified, because you’re not. God made you on purpose and with a purpose. You are qualified to share Jesus because God created you with a unique personality, and skills and abilities to reach the specific people in your everyday life.

Here’s some truth to speak against the lie that you’re unworthy to share the gospel. You are who God intended and created you to be. You are not a mistake.

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb… I am fearfully and wonderfully made” . (Psalm 139:13-14)

God has given you gifts, passions, and a personality that are designed to do the work of sharing Jesus that He has prepared for you (Ephesians 2:10).

Here’s the bottom line. You don’t need to be someone else when talking about Jesus with your friends. Be the ‘you’, God made you to be. For example, if you love hosting parties and cooking for people, do that. Invite people to your place, cook for them and use that time to share your lives together. As you go, find opportunities to talk about Jesus. If you’re a creative person, find ways to share Jesus through your creativity. There are many ways you can translate your gifts, passions, and personality to sharing the gospel – the only limit is your imagination.

You are in the right place, at the right time. Your mission field is all around you.

Think about your friends, your family, the barista at your coffee shop, the people in your study group or sporting club. These are the people God has placed in your life to share Jesus with. Just like the words said to Esther in the Old Testament, you have been called for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). Open your eyes each day to the mission field you already find yourself in.

So, how do you start?

1. Start by praying for the people in your world and ask the Holy Spirit for opportunities to have conversations and build relationships
2. Be salt and light. Let God bring out His flavours and colours in your life, and when people ask what is different about you, be ready to give an answer to what Jesus has done in your life.

God has placed you where you are for a reason. Don’t try to be someone else, be yourself. Think about the people in your life that you have regular contact with, how can you get creative with your gifts, passions, or personality to share Jesus with them?

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.

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.