There is definitely a negative stigma in our society about “forcing” your beliefs on others. And yet, an important facet of following Jesus is sharing him with others. Jesus commissioned all disciples to “Go and make disciples of all [people groups], baptizing them…and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Disciples make other disciples who love following Jesus. Here is a list of some traditional and non-traditional ways to share Jesus with others.

1. Prayer in the Factory

A friend of mine works as a manager in a steel factory. It is pretty often that people will share with him some of the difficult life circumstances they are walking through. In his managerial role, he takes the posture of a caring pastor and asks them if he can pray for them in his office. No one has turned him down yet. Many of the colleagues he’s prayed for have had very emotional responses to being cared for and prayed for. That kind of concern for their well-being is a demonstration of God’s compassion and undermines the frequent stereotype of judgmental Christianity.

2. Piano in the Lobby

In Israel, it is against the law to share your Christian faith and attempt to convert a Jewish person. A few years ago, I was in a 4-star hotel when an African American pastor in our group sat down at the grand piano in the lobby and started playing very soulfully. The lyrics to the old gospel spirituals were explicitly loaded with Scriptural truths about Jesus’ death and resurrection and the hope we have in him. It wasn’t long before a crowd of non-Christian onlookers gathered around, clapping, cheering, and asking for an encore. Art has a way of wrapping the truth in emotional clothing for our culture to empathize with and enjoy.

3. Food for Widows

The world can be harsh. Poverty, war, disease, hunger, or human trafficking can each feel like an insurmountable weight when it starts crushing down on you. One of our friends who works with those experiencing hunger says, “First we feed the body, then we feed the soul.” When the church relieves a person’s physical oppression, it is an act of tangible kindness. Many people, such as one particular Muslim mom of two children, have said, “I don’t know why the Christians are helping me. Why do the Christians care about me? I’m only a Muslim woman.” The generosity of God’s protective care through the church is both the fruit and free advertisement of his character as a Father who loves his children.

4. Having fun for the love of God

About twenty years ago, there was a real shift in younger people to “belonging before believing.” The invitation was to explore the community and later decide about faith. Jesus himself was relational and invitational. Of course, Jesus believed in the narrowness of Orthodoxy. He wasn’t watering down the truth when he said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Yet, he constantly spread the picnic blanket so anyone could sit and eat with him. People need relational invitations to our basketball tournaments, women’s nightouts, and Bible studies. More people than we’d like to believe are lonelier than they realize. They won’t show up to a community of people they’ve never met. They need a personal friendship and invitation to join a friendly group of people who love life and care about each other. Belonging before believing is another way to help people discover that Jesus is the true source of joy in life.

5. Tasty Fruit

Spreading your faith to others will never rise above the quality of your own faith. A man was having difficulty selling watermelons at the train station. So he cut one open and enjoyed the refreshment in front of everyone. Seeing him enjoying his watermelon made others thirsty for their own, and people started buying. In the same way, when everyone else is freaking out, and you project calmness, peace, and clarity—that’s appetizing. When others are divisive and critical, and you demonstrate encouragement and loyalty—that’s special. The fruit of your love, peace, joy, wisdom, and life in Jesus whets people’s appetite and reflects the quality of Christ’s love in your own life.

6. Overflow

Both Apostles Peter and John remarked that we are witnesses of these things; we have seen them with our eyes and touched them with our hands. When you walk with the Lord Jesus and see how he takes care of people—the answers to prayer, the healings, the peace that he brings, the healthy reprioritization of our lives—you want to tell others about his goodness. We become expert witnesses of things we’ve seen God do in our lives. Sharing the gospel is not only about sharing the historical truth of Jesus’s life and death on the cross. It is also about sharing the ongoing goodness of our living King among us—today!

7. Institutional

Planting new churches and building a vibrant church community remains a significant way we continue to practice Jesus and reproduce faith in the next generation. The local church is the queen bee around which all kingdom activity swarms. Through the Middle Ages, monasteries became an essential bastion of true faith and preserving knowledge and worship. The more prevalent our Christian communities are, the more chance people will be exposed to the message and fruit of the gospel. Our businesses can also be vehicles for exposing people to healthy spiritual culture: whether through mentoring, company prayer, Bible studies, Biblically based company values, or motivational speakers.

Conclusion: 

Not everyone will accept the message about Jesus. We do not need to force it on those who don’t want it and don’t have to stand on street corners and shout drive-by messages of fear or guilt. The job of the seed spreader is to share the seed and focus on the good soil that receives the truth. I end with Paul’s great confession,

“I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”

Tags: community, prayer, jesus, evangelism, disciple, living, gospel, hope, salvation, king, witness, fruit, preach, integrity, belong, proclaim, declare, social gospel