Joining Jesus.

When you think of the idea of “evangelizing” do you start to break into a cold sweat? Or are you at the point of knowing that this is just not your personality skill set and so you’ve dropped that Christian notion from your radar? Or are you at the point where you realize that this gift of heaven which we have is so amazing and so wonderful that you want to share Jesus but just don’t know how?

This book that we are diving into for February (Joining Jesus by Greg Finke) will give all our hearts a sense of relief. It breaks down evangelism into an everyday mindset that calls us to be aware of who is in our life and then be open and ready for that time when Jesus and spiritual thoughts or questions will come up.

Here is an experience that the book shared, which may help us to grasp both the sincerity and the ease of which we can share Jesus.

The author, one Saturday evening, was invited over for shrimp and a celebration with the neighbors. So he and his wife grabbed a bottle of wine and came on over for that impromptu gathering. Greg, the author, started conversing with a guy named Jim. After a few minutes, the conversation shifted from just typical platitudes to something a little more serious. So Greg, in his mind, asked this question: “Jesus, what are you up to here?“

Jim, the neighbor, wanted to talk about what was happening at work and things were getting very rough. There was a lot of stress and that stress was growing in the last several weeks. As this was happening, Greg recognized that here was a place to offer some hope and redemption for his friend's life. Jesus loves humanity; all of humanity. That means the kingdom of God is near and Jesus is using this opportunity to have Greg open up the kingdom of heaven to Jim. Jesus is with us for that same reason!

As Jim was opening up his life story and the challenges of work Greg started to ask the question, “How can I join Jesus in what he is doing here?“ That was an easy one to answer because Jim opened the door. So Greg just asked some basic questions: “Who do you know that can help you? What’s next? What will you do?”

Then Greg brought Jesus and God back into this. He said, “Have you invited God into this?“ Silence. Jim’s answer was “no,” but he was curious if this might help. Greg offered a quick response and said, “Yes, I think that would help.“

The conversation quickly got lost when a kid fell over and scraped his elbow. But thirty minutes later, Jim’s wife came up and said to Greg, “I don’t know what you said to my husband, but he seems happier than I have seen him in a long time.“

Jesus uses our personalities, our neighbors, our neighborhood, our culture, etc. to reach people. We shouldn’t be surprised by this because in Matthew 28 Jesus says, “I will be with you . . . go make disciples.”

I’m not convinced that you are convinced of this yet. But dive into the book with me and we will explore this over the next four weeks. When you start to open your eyes and the realm of possibilities becomes more apparent, you will find it exhilarating that God is with you and is working with you to touch these people’s lives and eternities. Trust the process that Jesus has already set up. Blessings to you as we pursue this.

Finke, Greg. Joining Jesus on His Mission: How to be an Everyday Missionary. Cover image Design by Inkwell Creative. TenthPowerPublishing, 2014.