We’ve all been asked at some point: “How’d you hear about us?”. Maybe we received this question on the paperwork at a new doctor’s office, or as part of the checkout process while making an online purchase, or in a survey after enjoying a new restaurant. No matter where the question is asked, often our answer is resoundingly: “I heard about it from a family member or friend”. When we are satisfied with a product or service, we want to tell others about it. We want the people we know and love to experience the good things we experience.
Our relationship with Jesus is no different. Jesus’ love, grace, and mercy are the most satisfying things we could ever be offered, and they’re free! Through Jesus, we have hope, joy, and the promise of eternity. There is no better product, service, or offer out there. If we are excited to share tips on sales, recipes, restaurants, or doctors, why wouldn’t we be bursting at the seams to share the news of salvation with those around us?
Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
He wanted His disciples to go ahead and tell everybody about His sacrifice and love, but He also reminded them that they aren’t in it alone. Jesus is with us as we go, tell, and make disciples.
The implication for our mission is clear. Making disciples means getting involved with people. Jesus’ disciples hung out with Jesus in order to be sent out by him. Who in your circle of influence is close enough to see how you live? Who’s close enough to see how Jesus has changed your life? What are they seeing? One of the best ways to share Jesus with others is through telling our story.
While not being a certified food critic rarely stops us shouting from the rooftops about an amazing new restaurant we experience, many of us stop short of sharing the Gospel because we are quick to think we aren’t qualified to do so.
To look at the outside of my life, you’d probably think I’m not in the right place for God to use me: newly divorced, single parent, handling autoimmune disorder, caring for a child with diabetes, and, honestly, barely keeping my head above water as I juggle the lives of 3 people alone. I doubt I look like a model for the good news of the Gospel in my life, but as I look at the lives of the men and women in the Bible I see things didn’t always go smoothly for them either. Joseph was sold as a slave, falsely accused, and imprisoned in a foreign country. David, after being anointed as God’s choice to become King of God’s people, spent years hiding in caves, hanging with the dregs of society, and fearing for his life. Mary, chosen and highly favored, was a virgin made pregnant by the Spirit of God. An unwed pregnant women? From all outside views, Mary’s life looked worthy of embarrassment and shame. Yet she was living an unprecedented miracle, bearing in her body the promised Messiah.
The same extravagant heart of God that called Joseph, David and Mary has moved heaven and earth to rescue me! So, when I don’t think this is the “perfect time” I remember the uncertainty of the stories included in the lineage of my Savior. Like them, amidst difficulties and unpredictability, I have discovered that being a vessel of good news isn’t determined by my circumstances, or my power, or my ability. It is about Jesus displaying His goodness, His power and His ability to make even the most difficult or dark places, spaces or seasons holy and beautiful. In fact, it is the stretching and growing of my faith in these times that enables me to loudly shout the truth of God’s heart towards us!
There is plenty of bad news, but there is a headline that we need to declare above all: there is a God in heaven who loves people enough that He has given His one and only Son to redeem us! You and I are the vessels God has chosen to shout this headline like we’ve been cast in Newsies. So! Who do you know that needs to hear about Jesus? What is keeping you from sharing the Gospel with those around you as easily as a favorite coffee spot or recipe? We have the privilege of bringing the message of the good news of Jesus to all! (And hey, we’re better together, right? Find a friend or two to lock arms with as you Shout It!)
💛 JFWomen
