A few years ago I was given a few prophetic words around the idea of me being called to evangelism. I loved chatting to my friends about my faith but I didn’t love the idea of going up to a stranger and asking them if they knew Jesus. I would see others doing it and think it was brilliant, but it never felt like it came naturally to me. These prophetic words left me thinking that I needed to be up for chatting to random people in shops and on the street. I started to feel like a bit of an imposter. If I was really called to share my faith, why did I feel so uncomfortable?
What I came to realise is that evangelism does not just look like one thing. God has created us all to be unique and so mission isn’t always going to look the same for everyone. I went through a season wondering why God hadn’t created me to be more confident in those situations and I would beat myself up for not taking opportunities with strangers to talk to them about Jesus. But at the same time I was making more friends at work and talking to them about my faith and church, some of them even wanted to try it out! God has created me to be like that intentionally. He hasn’t made a mistake. He’s created me to be relational, to love people and to thrive in situations where I connect deeply with others.
Around the same time, another friend had a prophetic word for me, which was about people coming to faith through friendship with me. I loved that - that’s what I was all about! My journey over the last few years, as I’m sure will continue, has been about God showing me that mission doesn’t just fit into a box. Mission is about seeing the Kingdom of God come, and journeying with my friends who do not know Jesus yet is a huge part of that.
My friend Andreea at church is an absolute inviting machine. She might not be the loudest in a group, or absolutely love the idea of ‘mission’, but she is constantly telling her friends about church and inviting them along. I asked her whether she would describe herself as an evangelist and she said,
“I do consider myself an evangelist in some way. Sharing my faith is something I’m passionate about and I am always searching, praying and thinking of opportunities and ways in which to spread the gospel and reach people.”
There is such a risk in underestimating those around us who are a bit quieter and thinking that they won’t be natural evangelists, or love mission. But get this girl with some friends and she’ll be telling them all about Jesus!!
Have you ever felt pressure to share your faith in a way that doesn’t feel comfortable to you? Maybe you’re wondering what your strengths are and how to use them to bring about God’s kingdom. If you’re unsure of what they are, then the mission styles quiz is a brilliant place to start. It helpfully defines 4 different mission styles, for all character types. Of course it’s great to push ourselves out of our comfort zones, sometimes I enjoy challenging myself to speak to strangers about Jesus, even though it’s not the most natural thing for me! But what is really helpful is knowing what you’re really good at and owning it. To find out how to naturally share your faith, head to missionstyles.org.
