Most of us are not going to preach to thousands in filled stadiums, and most of us are not persuasive communicators or able to winsomely convince someone of his or her need for Christ in a single sitting. I’ve been around great proclaimers of the gospel, and others for whom every conversation seems to be a natural on-ramp to a talk about Jesus Christ. What about the rest of us? Can we, too, have the “beautiful feet” of those who bring good news as mentioned in Isaiah 52:7? In the next couple of posts, I’ll share some practical ways that the rest of us (the non-preachers and non-evangelists) can bring the good news of Christ into our everyday worlds.
Practical Way #1: Serving in Christ’s Name
It was late in the day and I was trying my best to get out of the office. Then the phone rang. Should I answer or not? Oh well, why not? On that call I met, for the first time, Ruth Ramona, an elderly woman who would become a part of our lives during those years in Lawrence, Kansas.
Several months earlier, a group of us had decided to organize “Project Serve,” an effort to mobilize university students in serving senior citizens in the name of Jesus. Students raked leaves, cleaned houses, and helped with home repairs. We served many senior adults and it opened many opportunities to represent Jesus.
Ruth Ramona had seen our ad in the paper and was calling to see if she could get someone to drive her to the grocery store. After checking with Pam, I decided to invite her over for dinner that evening with our family. I was amazed when this woman I had never met accepted our offer. In the years that followed, we helped Ruth in various ways and shared the good news of Jesus with her. In her final years of life, we visited her at her nursing home. We were a testimony of Jesus in her life and we received the blessing of her friendship. We lost touch after moving away, and honestly are not sure whether she embraced Jesus – but she had heard of and seen Him in our lives.
The apostle Peter, in his letter to the scattered churches of Asia Minor, wrote this about the effect of a good life, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12). Perhaps there is not a better way to obey Peter’s command as to simply reach out to serve those in our community. As we live, walk, and befriend those yet to know Jesus Christ, we draw others to Him.
What are some other ideas to share Christ through service?
* This post is an excerpt adapted from my book Making Waves.