What is your personal mission field?

‘It can sometimes feel like the core business of church, sharing the gospel, is taking second place.’

When I talk to Christians about sharing their faith with unbelievers, they usually agree that this is important, but at the same time, they find it difficult.

Jesus makes it clear in Scripture that a sign of our love for him is our ‘witness’, but it’s hard to turn conversations towards spiritual things when we are in the company of sceptical people. We can live with a tension that we are not doing enough to share our faith.

This was my experience for a long time until I realised I needed to approach things in a new way. If you can relate to this tension, let me offer some suggestions.

Changing hearts is primarily the Lord’s job, not yours

I am a junior partner in this arrangement.

Without realising it, I was trying to be a witness for Jesus rather than with him. I needed to relax and let him take the lead.

He is the Lord of the harvest, actively drawing people to the Father. The Lord has paid the price for reconciliation and softens the hearts of people. It was a relief when I realised he was inviting me to join him as a junior partner.

Now, when I move among all these people God loves, I listen for his prompting. He shows me who to spend time with and what to say, but the real change in others comes from the work of the Holy Spirit. I might be one of several Christians he is using to reveal himself in that person’s life. It will be interesting when we get to heaven to see how our small acts of obedience were part of God’s plan.

Focus on the process, not the outcome

This shift of understanding was also very important.

I used to focus on the need to engage people in a God conversation (whether they were interested or not) without attending to the relationship. There were times that I would be talking to a stranger (or neighbour) and felt that if I didn’t say something ‘spiritual’ each time, there was no value in the interaction.

I now focus on being the sort of person that others feel comfortable opening up to, trusting that I’ll know what to say about Jesus (and when).

If we hope to share our faith with others, it is more likely to happen when an unbeliever confides honestly about something that concerns them. This provides a context to speak into.

The measure of my personal ‘mission field’ is the openness of the unbelievers around me.

Take a minute to check who has confided anything to you lately.

There are ways we can significantly grow this mission field (with some prayerful intention).

What are the qualities in us that encourage this openness in others? Can we learn some new practices – like being a good listener?

As we prayerfully give attention to connecting well with people for their own sake, the miracle of God’s love starts to flow into our hearts. With God’s perspective on someone, my sharing becomes more relevant and natural.

The following are some life practices that foster relationships (growing your own personal mission field), which you might find helpful.

Cultivate a heart to bless strangers (we don’t connect well with people we are criticising)

People respond when they sense you approach them with goodwill.

If you are familiar with the Luke 10 passage, Jesus gives the 70 several instructions as they interact with strangers. The first instruction is to start by blessing people (declaring Shalom – peace be with you). Normal human interaction is transactional – we weigh up whether a person deserves our attention. Jesus calls us to show unconditional favour to others (like he shows us).

If we are honest, part of our human condition is to critique those around us – often expressed in critical thoughts and words. Living with a critical (superior) posture limits our ability to pray for strangers or approach them, but with God’s help, we can habitually think and speak blessings. People sense this before you even open your mouth.

People respond when they feel valued

There are various ways we can signal that a person is valued.

Truly listen: People rarely feel that anyone is interested in them for their own sake; therefore, when we take a little more time to listen, it demonstrates that we think the person is valuable.

A common trap I fall into is listening just long enough to express my own opinion. Often, this just shuts the conversation down.

What we are aiming for here is ‘curious’ listening (without judgement) to draw forth more honesty about the real issues of life. Take a curious posture and ask questions that encourage a person to talk.

Remember: A sign that we value what we have just heard is to remember the important bits. Remembering people’s names and other details can be very impactful the next time we see them, and this helps the transition from strangers to friends.

Of course, this type of engagement means there will be many more things to remember. If you habitually say, ‘I’m not good with names’, ask for the Lord’s help. I find it helpful to write things down (immediately after the conversation), and I carry a small, indexed book for this purpose. Another easy solution could be using the notes function on your phone to achieve the same thing.

This behaviour might seem artificial, but the practice of noting things reinforces my sense that the Lord is working in hearts and each person is valuable – it helps me remember, enhances my empathy for them, and increases the likelihood I will pray for them.

Hold back on your urge to correct: A common instinct among Christians is to quickly correct the opinion of an unbeliever before they know you really care for them. Honest expression can be messy, but we can rest knowing the Holy Spirit brings people to conviction.

Share your struggles

Many unbelievers have the impression that Christians are a bit self-righteous and judgemental. (I don’t know where they got that idea from!) We can dispel this notion (that we ‘have it all together’) by sharing our own struggles when appropriate – this invites the other person to share.

Don’t use overtly religious language

Life is filled with situations where groups of people use specialised terms that are only meaningful for those in the group. If our goal is to connect, we will find terminology that unbelievers can understand. This is becoming more necessary as casual church attendance drops away, and we have a whole generation with little exposure to Christian talk.

Keep the things people share confidential

Imagine a work context when a coworker shares something personal with you, and it ends up doing the rounds as ‘office gossip’. People will withdraw if they don’t feel safe. Be prayerful about what to share and what to tuck away in your heart.

Spot situations where you can interact more than once

Building trust is usually a process and not achieved in a single conversation.

This means we start to look for situations and contexts that allow relationships to build. Most of us are already in contact with unbelievers at work or in our neighbourhoods. Beyond that, we all have a rhythm of life that takes us to supermarkets, petrol stations, restaurants, hairdressers, doctors, etc. Why not make someone’s day by showing an interest in their life?

Spend time with people who hunger for relationship

Our (western) culture can promote the idea that we are successful when we don’t need anyone. Then if we do have a need, we ‘pay for service’ (and control the interaction). This has a certain appeal but is a lonely existence.

Not everyone will be ready for honest interaction, but the Lord is often ‘using’ the difficulties people experience to soften their hearts. He will direct us to people who are ‘ripe’.

Conclusion

After reading this article, you might conclude that I’m just suggesting we try to be likeable and kind to people. What we are aiming for is far richer than this and relates to the whole purpose of our existence. We have a part to play in God’s big plan for humanity, and getting into step with him gives our lives meaning.

While we are being kind and prayerful, other important things will happen. We start to hear the prompt of the Holy Spirit and experience divine appointments. He leads us into situations that match our personality, for example. God’s love starts to germinate in our hearts, which takes us beyond our human limitations.

When I am sensing the Lord’s presence, I am less concerned about myself and what people might think of me. These are the times I am more likely to share my faith with others.

Further reading suggestions

• How to talk about Jesus – without being that guy by Sam Chan
• Joining God, remaking church – changing the world by Alan Roxburgh
• How to reach the west again by Timothy Keller

Craig Heidenreich is the LCANZ’s Cross-Cultural Ministry Facilitator.