Two The Hopeful Community

How does one of your spiritual gifts enable you to share the reason you have hope?

While it is true that some people are more naturally gifted at witnessing, evangelism or faith sharing, all apprentices of Jesus can and do share their faith with others, whether they are conscious of it or not. There are two ways to share our faith: with our life and with our mouth. Our life is the most profound witness to our connection with God. Most of the time we are witnessing to others by our actions. But there are also times when people give us permission to explain what we believe and why we believe it. In this chapter I want to address the two ways we share our faith by looking first at how we can better speak with our lives and second, at how we can learn to “give an answer to everyone who asks [us] to give the reason for [our] hope” (1 Peter 3:15 niv).

False Narrative: Only Certain People
Can Share Their Faith

It is true, there are people who are particularly gifted in the area of witnessing to nonbelievers. They typically have an unwavering confidence, an undaunted courage, to speak the truth to people who may reject them. They also are typically gifted with words. But the narrative that only some people have the gift of evangelism can become an excuse for those without the gift to refrain from evangelism. To be honest, sharing our faith can be intimidating. The following is a list of statements I have heard Christians make through the years:

• I am not good at it. I have tried, and I just stammered and stuttered.

• I have seen people witnessing, and I would be embarrassed to try.

• I am afraid I will offend if I share my faith.

• I would feel like a hypocrite if I shared my faith—I am not a perfect Christian.

• If I bring up my faith, I am afraid they will reject me.

• I cannot share my faith with others because I am not educated enough.

These are real concerns. Sharing our faith can be embarrassing, and at times it comes across as offensive. None of us are perfect, so we all could be accused of hypocrisy. And there is always the possibility of rejection.

Think of a person whose life was a witness to you. What was it that you found winsome about his or her life?

Still, none of these objections are completely true. Even if we are not good at evangelism, we can get better. Though it can be embarrassing, it does not have to be. There is the possibility of offending someone, but not if we do it well. We are not perfect, but our own perfection is not our claim; we are pointing not to ourselves but to One who is perfect. We run the risk of rejection, but the sacred worth of the person we are sharing with, and the potential life-changing gain, makes it a risk worth taking. Though it may seem intimidating, in truth, we are already sharing our faith every day, and it is something that we can improve on. The secret lies not in learning new techniques or special arts of persuasion or in becoming so perfect in our life that others marvel and ask, “How can I be like you?” The answer, ultimately, is found in our story. The story shapes our actions, and when we know it well, we can tell it well with words.

True Narrative: All Christians
Share Their Faith

When I was a fairly new Christian, I remember hearing the cliché “You are the only Bible some people will read.” I thought it was profound, but I have to admit that I also found it intimidating. I didn’t feel up to that assignment. “Jim, you are the only hope for so-and-so. They won’t read the Bible; they don’t even have one. So we are counting on you.” The implication was that my life was the only witness to Jesus this person would have, and I knew that my life did not measure up. Still, the cliché is true. There are a vast number of people who are not following Jesus, and we see them each day; they have not opened a Bible recently, if ever, so their only connection to the faith is us. It is challenging, but it need not be intimidating. There is a solution.

In every aspect of our lives, we know that there are ways to improve, to get better at something, from learning a language to playing an instrument to doing a job. Over the last several years my wife, Meghan, has done a lot of things to improve her ability to teach. Through classes, books, seminars and trying new techniques, she has become a better teacher. My son, Jacob, plays baseball. He trains his body through exercise and practice; with that and some excellent coaching, he has improved each year as a pitcher. One coach taught him a new grip, which made a vast improvement. My daughter Hope is a pretty talented artist for her age, but it was only when we enrolled her in an after-school art program that we began to see what she was capable of. With excellent instruction and guidance, her technique improved quickly. After the course, her drawings were markedly better.

These stories illustrate a fundamental fact of our lives: there are ways to improve what we do. But when it comes to our faith life, we seem to think it is “a mystery wrapped in an enigma.” I hear people say, “I am not a good pray-er, like so and so,” as if prayer were a sacred skill given to certain people. Prayer is an activity we can get better at. The same is true with sharing our faith. We are already doing it, though not always well. So we might as well find ways to improve. But before we examine the two ways we share our faith—words and actions—I want to turn our attention to their foundation: the story. The more you understand that story, the more it becomes your story; the more it becomes your story, the more naturally it will come forth in your words and actions.

The Story That Inspires Hope

Sometimes when we read the Bible we gloss over some of the words, especially the ones we hear a lot, like faith, love and hope. This happened to me while memorizing Colossians 1:5: “the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven.” In order for me to fully understand the verse, it had to be connected to the verses that precede and follow it. Paul writes:

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. (Colossians 1:3-6 niv, italics added)

Here is the main point: faith and love come from hope. Hope is seldom thought of as the origin of faith and love, but that is what Paul is saying here. Bible scholar N. T. Wright puts it this way: “The solid facts about the future hope of Christians are a powerful motivation for constant faith and costly love in the present.” Note his words solid facts. That is the key.

By definition, hope is “confidence in a good future.” Faith does not live in a vacuum; it must attach itself to something. We must believe in something. That is why Paul says, “we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus . . . because of the hope . . .” Our hope is rooted in heaven (v. 5), where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Every time Paul wrote “you” or “your” in the Colossians passage, he used the second person plural: “the hope that is stored up for you” is the hope we share as a community. Hope is not just mine. Apprentices of Jesus share in that same hope. It binds us together and increases our love for one another. It is not just the hope of an individual but of a community.

What do you hope for?

The Christian community “has its roots in the future and its branches in the present,” writes John D. Zizioulas. The ecclesia (church, community) of Jesus finds its origins in the future. And that future is bright, certain and unshakable because of Jesus and his finished work. Hope is the bridge from the future into the present, and the branches of that hope are faith and love.

N. T. Wright says that “a mission-shaped church must have its mission shaped by hope; that the genuine Christian hope, rooted in Jesus’ resurrection, is the hope for God’s renewal of all things, for his overcoming of corruption, decay, and death, for his filling of the whole cosmos with his love and grace, his power and glory.” Roots in the future, roots in the resurrection, roots in the eternal victory of Jesus, roots that are firmly planted in eternal life, roots that nourish the trunk and the branches, and ultimately produce the fruit that draws others into the story. Wright concludes, “To be truly effective in this kind of mission, one must be genuinely and cheerfully rooted in God’s renewal.” We have a real reason to cheer. The more we know the story, the more we rejoice.

The Four-Part Story of Hope

Paul told the Colossians that their hope was contained in “the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you” (Colossians 1:5-6). What exactly is the gospel they heard? If we look closely at the rest of the epistle to the Colossians, we discover that the gospel is best told in story form. The gospel is a metanarrative, that is, a dominant story that has the power to transform. The Christian metanarrative has four basic parts to it: death, resurrection, ascension and return. It is the story of Jesus and also our story.

We are grafted into Jesus’ story. And we are unified by the story. I want to unpack the four elements of the story and show how each part draws us into the larger narrative. Notice how each of these four verses in Colossians tells about Jesus and what he did, but also includes us in his story.

1. Death. “You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Jesus died on the cross. This we all know. But the fact that we, by faith, participate in that death is not often taught, even though it is mentioned in many of Paul’s letters. Paul is reminding the Colossians that they have died and that their life is hidden with Christ. Though they were not on the cross with him, they participate vicariously in his death. In another sense, they have died. Their old way of life ended. They have died to the narratives that once controlled them, the ones told in the kingdoms of this world, the ones that tell us “might makes right” and “money gives you joy” and “sex is the way to fulfillment.” Those old idols have been smashed by the Christ narrative, and we enter into that story.

Before I came into a living relationship of love and trust with the Trinity, I was living for myself and was guided by the principalities and powers of this world. When I gave my life to Jesus the “old Jim” died. But a new Jim emerged, and that new life is largely unseen to me because it is “hidden with Christ in God.” For now I live by faith and am caught up in the story of Jesus. Jesus invites us to die, not on a cross but to ourselves (Luke 9:23). The old way of life, built on competition and vanity, dies with Jesus. What emerges is a new life, hidden from us, but no doubt real, safe and secure. It is our true self.

2. Resurrection. “When you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12).

Many Christians are not aware that they also participate in the resurrection of Jesus. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead also lives in us. The old you and me were dead, but the new you and me have been raised. Elsewhere Paul wrote, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are new people, in whom Christ dwells. This awareness not only gives me strength as an individual, but it binds me together with other Christ-followers. In Brazil I felt very alien due to the language and cultural barriers. But when I went to church there and we began to sing, I knew I was home. I was with sisters and brothers who had died and risen with Christ, just as I have.

There emerges a new me, a new self, established by Christ. We have put on a new self (Colossians 3:10), which is being renewed constantly. I have a new identity: one in whom Christ dwells and delights. This is not my doing; it is by the power of God, the same power that raised Jesus from the tomb. I go forth in that power each day, as one who died but has been reborn. Jesus’ resurrection is also my resurrection. That is my new story.

3. Ascension. “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1 niv).

Jesus died and rose again, and then ascended. Some people think the ascension of Jesus was the day Jesus flew away, never to be seen again. In fact, the ascension of Jesus is an important part of the story. Jesus is now enthroned as the supreme Lord of all. Jesus now reigns, and one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. Paul tells the Colossians to set their hearts on things above, which he explains is “where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” Notice that Jesus is seated. That is because his work is complete. To set our minds and hearts on “things above” means to focus on the finished work of Jesus, the source of our hope and strength. We find our unity in that common vision.

We are called to set our hearts on the victory established by Jesus. Walter Brueggemann notes that this victory, like our new life, is
often hidden from us, which is why we need to work hard to see it in our midst.

The victory of God in our time over this deathly idolatry is hidden from us, as God’s decisive victory is always hidden from us. We do not know exactly when and where the victory has been wrought. It is hidden in the weakness of neighbor love, in the foolishness of mercy, in the vulnerability of compassion, in the staggering alternatives of forgiveness and generosity which permit new life to emerge in situations of despair and brutality.

Jesus defeated the things that oppress us, which is the reason for our hope. It is not flashed by neon signs but is still all around us. We see it when a neighbor serves another and when people forgive or extend hospitality or generosity. When we do this, we are participating in the victory of Jesus.

4. Return. “When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).

The final part of the story has not yet occurred. The church proclaims, “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.” The return of Jesus is the promise of ultimate healing and justice. All of the wrongs will be made right, all of the pain will end, and our joy will be made complete when Jesus comes in final victory. That hope binds the Christian community together as we await the final consummation of this divine conspiracy.

The Story Becomes Our Story

We are members of Christ and of the kingdom of God because we have entered into the larger story of Jesus. This is not merely to make us feel special or secure (though it certainly does); it should also lead to a change in behavior. The story creates a new identity, which in turn leads to new practices. Jesus’ story becomes my story; I am then in Christ, and as one indwelt by Christ my behavior begins to change.

I am not perfect, and I will struggle with the “old Jim,” who was and is influenced by American culture, narratives and values. But the key is that identity comes before behavior. We almost always do the reverse: we define identity on the basis of behavior; we tell people what they must do (imperative) to find out who they are (indicative). Paul does the opposite: he tells them who they are and then how they should live. The more we grow into the story, the more the story grows into us. Stanley Hauerwas, who is a Christian pacifist, confesses in his great book The Peaceable Kingdom: “My wholeness, my integrity, is made possible by the truthfulness of the story. . . . Only by growing into the story do I learn how much violence I have stored in my soul, a violence which is not about to vanish overnight, but which I must continually work to recognize and lay down.” I appreciate his honesty, and I relate to it. As we grow into the story, as he puts it, the integrity of the story clashes with our lack of integrity. When William Penn began growing into the Christ story, the elitism stored in his soul became unsettling. He wore the sword as long as he could or as long as his story-shaped soul could handle it

“Identity comes before behavior.” Journal about how you perceive the relationship between identity and behavior.

For Hauerwas the story and the new identity unearthed the violence stored in his soul; for Penn it was his pride. It will be different for each of us, but the point is that the integrity of the story remains true. The main point is that the story, and the identity it creates, must take the lead in changing our behavior and not the reverse, which is so common. In this world we determine identity on the basis of behavior, which leads to frustration and legalism. Again, Hauerwas explains it well: “The question ‘What ought I to be?’ precedes the question ‘What ought I to do?’ ” The order is crucial. The indicative (who we are) must precede the imperative (how we should live). To understand who we are, we have to realize that we are a people whose roots are from another world. That is precisely why we are so peculiar.

What changes have you seen in your narratives and your story?

Hope in Action

The often-quoted dictum attributed to Saint Francis is certainly true: “Preach the gospel wherever you go. When necessary, use words.” Our lives are preaching all of the time. This can be an intimidating thought, especially on those bad days when we grumble and whine. While we are not called to be perfect, we are called to be a witness to the larger story that has produced hope in us. Faith and love spring from hope. Let me explain how that works and then offer some examples of how we might improve our witness through our actions. The key, however, is remembering who we are (one in whom Christ dwells), where we live (in the unshakable kingdom of God) and to what we are destined (eternal glory with Jesus).

When I get out of bed tomorrow morning, I will arise with the sense that I am okay. More than okay, actually. The world around me, the one I step into when I leave my house, will tell me that my value and my worth are found in my abilities or performance. But I know better now. I have died to that old way. And I have risen with Jesus, who lives in me and loves me (Galatians 2:20). In other words, I am safe and secure. The old me that needs to compete, to impress, to dominate and to control has died. I am putting on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of Jesus (Colossians 3:10). So I don’t need to worry today, for example. I am at peace, because my life is securely hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3). So I will set my mind and heart on the victory of Jesus, my Lord and King and Teacher, who has created me for something wonderful.

I once asked the legendary basketball coach—and wise witness to Jesus—John Wooden what he thinks about as he begins each day. He said, “I have this one thought: Make today a masterpiece.” That is the opportunity each of us has each day. We can make this day a masterpiece, something beautiful, extraordinary, magnificent and certainly peculiar. What exactly would that look like? In Paul’s epistle to the Romans he lists a number of ways we can demonstrate our hope in our relationships with one another:

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:10-18 niv)

This is one of my favorite sections in the Bible. It paints a picture of how we preach the gospel without words. What might that look like in a normal life? And what does it have to do with hope?

Today a friend of mine shared with me some difficult news. I listened carefully, and let him know that I am with him through this trial. He does the same for me, for we are “devoted to one another,” as Paul said. We don’t need to proclaim it; you could see it when we bowed our heads and prayed. We were able to laugh, even in the pain, because we are “joyful in hope.”

On Sunday our church invited people to stay after the service and fill boxes of food and clothing for the Haitian people, who had been devastated by a recent earthquake. They were “[sharing] with God’s people who are in need.” Two of my friends have begun befriending people at the homeless shelter. My friends have good jobs and good incomes and are highly educated, but in establishing these friendships they are “willing to associate with people of low position.” Not out of pity but out of love.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” How have you seen these signs of community at work in your church or fellowship group?

Remember the wisdom of Dallas Willard: “The true social activist is the person who lives as an apprentice of Jesus in his or her ordinary relationships.” It means living with a kingdom mind and heart in our marriages, with our parents and our children, with our coworkers, our neighbors and the guy at the hardware store who is blocking the aisle.

The new self lives in new ways, and this is seen—and smelled—by those around us. Paul said to the Corinthians, “We are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15). But the aroma of Christ is not a cologne or perfume you can buy at the mall. There is no “Eau de Jesus” aftershave. However, when we tell the truth when it is hard, when we sit in the waiting room with a hurting and scared friend when we have pressing things to do, when we strive to stay in harmony with people who disagree with us, when we find a way to spend less so we can give more, when we offer a blessing to someone who curses at us, the essence of Jesus, who lives in and through us, is emerging.

I once ate, without knowing it, eight garlic cloves. I thought they were little, tasty potatoes sautéed in butter. When I got home that night and got in bed, the odor I was exuding was so strong that my wife shot up and said, “What did you eat?” “Some roast beef and little buttery potatoes,” I answered. “No, you ate garlic. Those little potatoes were garlic cloves.” I ended up sleeping on the couch. The next day I brushed my teeth twice, rinsed with mouthwash and chewed gum. During church she leaned over and said, “You still smell like garlic.” The problem was that it was in my system, in my blood and in my lungs, and coming out of my pores. I think of that story when I think about being the aroma of Christ. When we know and live and breathe the truth that we are people indwelt by Christ, the reality of Jesus is in our lungs and on our lips and in our pores. We cannot help it. Fortunately, unlike garlic, when people catch the scent of Jesus on us—through our actions—they don’t ask us to move away. They usually want to know the reason for our hope.

Hope in Words

While our actions speak the loudest, we are also called on to share the gospel of hope in words. Peter wrote to the early Christians, “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15-16).

There is a lot of wisdom in this verse. First, Peter encourages us to be prepared. This assumes that we have spent some time thinking about the four-part story and reflecting on how to share that story if and when it is needed. I love the next phrase: an accounting for the hope that is in you. That is all people really need to hear. They don’t want a lengthy explanation about the authority of the Bible or why the Muslims are wrong. They just want to know what happened to you, how you got caught up in a new story and a new set of practices.

The last phrase is also a gem: do it with gentleness and reverence. Far too often people share their faith with harshness and condescension. Some Christians act like arrogant bullies when they evangelize, and it is always counterproductive. How do we give the reason for our hope with gentleness and reverence? By telling our story. It is difficult to argue with your story, and no one but you can tell that story. It is the story of your own life, how you became aware of the larger story of Jesus and how your life was written into that story, so that Jesus’ story is now your story as well. That is the gentle way. The respectful way is to do so only when people are interested. Timing is important. In addition to being gentle, we also need to be patient. Jesus told his disciples, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16 kjv).

Dallas Willard once quoted this verse and then asked me, “What is the ‘wisdom of the serpent’?” I had actually never thought about it, though I knew the verse well, even in the King James Version that Dallas had practically memorized. “Well, have you ever seen a snake chase someone?” I answered no. He said, “That is because the wisdom of the serpent is to wait until someone comes to them.”

What responses are stirred in you as you read Frank Laubach’s story?

Of course, we are not trying to kill or bite anyone, which is why Jesus adds being harmless as doves. Doves are about as harmless as you can get. They are even symbols of peace. When we combine the wisdom of the serpent and gentleness of the dove, we have found the right approach to evangelism. Frank Laubach waited nearly a year before speaking to the people he had come to evangelize in the Philippines. He simply did his work faithfully and kept his mind on things above. In time the Muslim leaders told the people, “Go spend time with that man. He knows God.” He waited and was gentle. He also respected the people and cared for them by teaching them how to read. Laubach was a man of hope, and from that hope sprang faith and love.

Getting Hope

My wife and I both teach, but on different sides of town. Each day at 4:10 p.m. I pick up my daughter, Hope at her elementary school. I leave the university a few minutes before 4:00, and on my way out I usually see three or four people who know me. They will say, “Headin’ out for the day?” and I reply, “Yeah, I have to go get Hope.” Each time I say that I smile. I have to get Hope. On one level that is true. I am going to pick up a little girl by that name. On another level it is also true. She is the embodiment of hope for my wife and me, a living reminder that God is worth trusting, which is why we named her Hope in the first place. On another level it is also true that I am going to get hope because hope is what I live by. It is where my roots are planted. But in another sense it is entirely not true. I don’t get hope; hope has gotten ahold of me. Every day I get a chance to make a masterpiece, each brushstroke of faith and love witnessing to the God who overcame death and in his great mercy offers that eternal life to you and to me. That hope is alive and will never die.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)

Soul Training

Sharing Your Faith
(Without Embarrassment or Coercion)

Who should you witness to? What are the criteria in deciding who to share your faith with and when to share it? And finally, how do we go about it? As noted in this chapter, we are always witnessing, whether we know it or not. People are watching us, and our actions communicate something, for good or for ill. Having said that, I want to offer an exercise that will help us when we become more intentional about reaching out to others and drawing them into the life of faith. There are seven activities I have found helpful in the process, some of which will look different depending on our current relationship with the person we are witnessing to. If we know the person well, and he or she already trusts us, we can move more quickly through the process, even jumping all the way to the last act. Still, all of the previous parts are necessary because they remind us that we are not doing this alone but are relying on God at every juncture.

1. Pray

The first thing we can do is pray for God to send us someone. This is a powerful prayer that nearly always gets answered, and soon. The Holy Spirit is far wiser and more knowledgeable than we are. He knows the needs of those we know. Pray not only for God to send those people your way, pray also that you would have eyes and ears to know it when they come. Perhaps there is a person who is already on your heart. Pray for that person and for God to create an opportunity to take a step toward faith sharing.

2. Watch

Once you have prayed, keep watch. Ask God regularly, “Help me see who you are bringing me. Give me eyes of compassion. Let me know who it is and when I can take the next step.” Remember the wisdom of the serpent.

3. Reach Out

Once you have a sense about who that person is and have sensed God preparing the relationship, find ways to reach out to the person in nonthreatening ways. Ask him or her to have coffee or to go to lunch. If this person is already someone you spend time with, reach out by asking nonthreatening yet searching questions, such as “How are you feeling about life right now? What is working? What is missing?” If you do not know the person well, these questions will be too personal. Keep the conversation at a more basic level, but keep listening for clues to their heart.

4. Listen

Listen well. This is so seldom done in our harried and hurried culture that it almost seems like a lost skill. Simply by listening you are demonstrating love. Listen for clues to the condition of the person’s heart. What is he or she longing for? Struggling with? The best thing to ask yourself privately is, “Where do I think God is working in this person’s life?” It may be healing from a divorce, the joy of a new job or the grief of losing a loved one. Whatever it is, try to discover what the person cares about.

5. Connect

It is at this stage that your understanding of the gospel (our God reigns and our God is with us) comes into play. If you have discerned what is pressing on the person’s heart, try to connect his or her situation with the message of the gospel. Let’s say you sense that a friend is struggling with grief over the loss of a loved one. Ask yourself, How does the gospel apply to her (or his) situation? There are many ways, but three come to mind: first, Jesus defeated death; second, God stands with us in our darkness; and third, God can do great things through our pain.

If the relationship is strong enough to bear it, you may want to make those connections verbally by asking questions such as, “What is giving you hope right now? What keeps you going?” If the person is open, you will probably get a long answer. Try to continue making connections between the person’s condition and the good news you know, without preaching. You are in a dialogue at this stage. At some point you might be able to more explicitly draw the connection between what is happening in his or her life and what God has done and will do.

6. Share

At some point you might be asked to tell your story or share your thoughts. If that happens, do not be afraid. There are some false narratives that prevent people from sharing their faith.

While each of these is worth examining, let me simply say this: God is not asking us to be perfect or have all of the answers. God is asking us to invite people into an interactive life with the Trinity. The kingdom is not in trouble, as I like to say. It does not need a PR expert. The kingdom is just waiting for people to give it a chance. Please forgive my nonpastoral tone, but I would simply say, “Get over it. Let go of your inhibitions.”

Remember Peter’s advice: “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15-16).

What I love about this verse is that it does not say, “You must go to seminary and study systematic theology, church history, apologetics and philosophy. Only then will you be fit to witness.” It simply says, “Be prepared to tell people why you have hope—and do it with gentleness and respect.”

This means explaining how the message of the gospel has intersected your life. This is not a time to explain. Just tell your story, how you came to know God, how God has been at work in your life. Be honest. Let the person know that you are not perfect, that you have struggled, but you nonetheless have put your confidence in God. One way to help you do this is to memorize the verses from Colossians in the section of this chapter titled “The Four-Part Story of Hope.” The more you become familiar with that four-part story and how it is your story, the more you will be able to articulate your message of hope.

7. Invite

At a certain point in your relationship, invite the person to join with you and other Christ-followers in some capacity. It may be in church. This is usually not very threatening, but it can be for some. You might want to invite him or her to spend time with you and some of your Christian friends in a social setting (dinner or a movie), and perhaps even a small group Bible study. Some people find it less threatening to be with a group of five or six in a home than in a church with five hundred strangers. Another idea is to invite your friend to join you and other apprentices in a service project. This can be a powerful witness.

Above all, keep praying for this person. And be prepared for it to take time. The average time between when someone first begins seeking and when he or she actually makes a commitment of faith is twenty-eight months. At a certain point you should invite the person to church or help him or her find a church. Though we may experience a key moment we call conversion, in truth we go through many conversions and develop new facets of our life with God, and the church is the only place that can do this. Finally, trust God. The journey this person is on will have twists and turns you and I could never imagine, just as mine did. God will bring the right people at the right time. For now, you are privileged to be one person on that journey, telling your story and pointing your friend to the God who reigns.