TALKING ABOUT JESUS
Why is it easier to invite someone to church than it is to invite them to follow Jesus? Talking about church is not the most comfortable thing in our modern culture. It signals a shift in our everyday generic conversation with neighbors and coworkers, for it moves from that which we have in common to that which we don’t. Talk about the weather, or sports, or some TV show is all fair game for discussion. But church talk crosses the unspoken cultural line.
Yet, there is no other shift in conversation as uncommon as the one that speaks of Jesus Christ. Calling out His name in conversation (not swearing, but sharing), often results in an uncomfortable silence, or a sudden need for the hearer to get back to some suddenly urgent task at hand. Since we have learned this, we often avoid talking about Jesus to others. When we want to talk to them about our faith, we hold back the Jesus talk, thinking maybe we’ll get to it later. Unfortunately, the longer we delay, the more uncomfortable we feel in bringing it up. If Jesus is the most important person in our lives, why have we waited so long in talking about Him? This is the tension we feel.
What if we became as Paul? What if we decided not “to know anything except Jesus Christ” in our daily conversations? Can we try it today? What would it look like to start telling others about Jesus today?
PRAYER: Father, we have been called to be witnesses of Your Son, yet we often speak of everything except Jesus. Forgive us. Help us to be empowered and enthusiastic to talk about Jesus today. We give You this day. Give us opportunities to talk about Jesus and the spiritual boldness to tell others of His life-giving love. In Jesus’ name, amen.