Most of us feel unqualified and ill prepared to tell people about Jesus. We can list all of the reasons why someone else is better suited for the mission.

Imagine if we truly embraced the Great Commission and we learned to take the gospel to a broken world in spite of our limitations and inadequacies. Imagine what it would look like if we were intentionally sowing gospel seeds all week. Imagine if everyone in the church was trained to turn everyday conversations into gospel conversations!

Everyday Conversations

The average person has 27 conversations per day. A recent study revealed that both men and women utter an average of about 16,000 words each day. We can talk about sports, weather, clothes, shoes, movies and TV shows. We’re even willing to debate the nuances of politics, the intricacies of health issues or the complexities of national economic matters.

However, when it comes to bringing up the simple gospel, we shy away. We break out in hives, our palms sweat, our tongues are tied and we find ourselves talking about everything but the gospel. The idea of injecting Jesus into our conversations causes great anxiety and fear for ordinary believers and pastors alike.

Many believers are afraid that gospel conversations will be confrontational or argumentative. We think we have to be trained for every possible theological perspective we may encounter before we can share the gospel. We’re often overwhelmed by the need to memorize a dozen verses or anxious that someone might ask a question we can’t answer. Sadly, sharing the gospel has lost its simplicity. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Be a BLESSing!

We believe God wants to use us to be a BLESSing to those around us. Our mission to go and make disciples of all the nations (Matt 28:18-20) finds its roots in the original mission to go and be a blessing to others (Gen 12:1-3). This means that blessing others and seeing people come to know, love and serve Jesus are linked together! If you do at least one of these BLESS practices every day, you will not only look more like Jesus, but you will help others find Jesus too!

Begin with Prayer
Who do you live, work, and play with that is far from God? Pray that God would create spiritual curiosity in them, and then spend time with them. Praying for places: Where does pain exist here? Pray for healing. Who makes the decisions here? Pray for integrity. Who throws the parties here? Pray for community. Where are the pennies spent here? Pray for provision. Pray that God would give you opportunities to BLESS them.

Listen
Before you can help others find Jesus, you need to listen to them first – their hopes, pains, challenges and dreams. In your interactions with others, take the posture of a learner. Lay down your assumptions, and practice being present. Pay attention to the local news and ask God how you can meet those needs.

Eat
Eating is one of the fastest ways to move a relationship from acquaintance to friendship. Who can you eat with (or have a coffee with) that is far from God? A co-worker over lunch? A neighbor during the day? A friend or family member over the weekend? Is there a place that you regularly visit (coffee shop, gym, etc.)? Ask God to grant you opportunities to eat with people.

Serve
Before jumping into serving, have you taken the time to pray for, listen to and eat with these people? Doing these things first helps you discover the way that you really need to serve them. Who can you serve this week? Who do you know that has a practical need? Ask them how you can help them.

Share My Story
You can’t spell BLESS without the second S. In other words, sharing the story of God with others is necessary to participate in God’s mission (Matt 28:18-20). Start by sharing how God has made a difference in your life.