Much of what we discuss here is about personal discipleship. Almost nothing is more important in the life of a believer than growing in their relationship with Christ. But if all we’re doing is growing in our faith, we won’t be doing everything Jesus told us to do. Our primary mission is to reflect God’s light into a dark world, and we can’t do that well unless we tell someone about Jesus.
The last command Christ gave before ascending into Heaven was to go throughout the entire world telling people about Him (Matthew 28:18-20). This passage of Scripture has come to be known as “the great commission”. Notice Jesus didn’t say to isolate ourselves, devoting all our time to prayer and Bible study. He said to tell everyone about the good news of His life, death, resurrection, and salvation.
Prayer and Bible study are vital components of our discipleship. You can’t be a fully committed follower of Christ without a rich prayer life and spending regular time in His Word. These are the key disciplines. We must also understand that the purpose of growing deeper in our knowledge of Him is to prepare ourselves to tell someone about Jesus. Remember, we should devote our lives to Jesus first, others second, and ourselves a very distant third. Discipleship is a means to an end for the sake of God’s Kingdom, not just our personal holiness.
Telling someone about Jesus can evoke horrors akin to the fears of death or public speaking for many. While there are untold numbers of books, articles, and even courses on how to tell someone about Jesus, there is no one way to do it. How you tell someone about Jesus will differ from how I share the Gospel. Just as everyone’s relationship with Christ is unique, so will be the way you talk to someone else about Him. My point is to be yourself. Don’t try to use a cookie-cutter method because people aren’t cookies!
My advice to you is to tell someone about Jesus while making certain you aren’t neglecting spending quality time with God in prayer and through His Word. When His Word gets inside you, it can’t help but flow out of you. The more you experience God, the easier it will be to tell someone else about Him because you won’t be able to help yourself! Knowing Jesus becomes pointless if we don’t share Him with others.
If we are going to devote our lives fully to Christ, we’re going to have to move beyond our happy place and get a little uncomfortable. We’re going to have to tell someone about Jesus. What good is finding the greatest treasure on earth if all we’re going to do is hide it away (Matthew 5:14-16)? We’ve got to share it. Having Jesus means we’ve got to give Him away.
Get in the habit of working what Jesus means to you and has done for you into your conversations. Yes, people will mock you, and you’ll probably lose some friends. But Jesus is constantly seeking those who will accept Him. They will know His voice and respond if you will only be bold enough to tell them. Jesus was not ashamed to endure humiliation and death for your sake. Don’t be ashamed or afraid to do the same for Him. We have been commissioned. We have our orders. Go and tell someone about Jesus.