Faith ConversationsНамуна

I once saw an electric flyswatter on the counter next an unplugged toaster. I became curious. Can I power a toaster with an electric flyswatter?

The answer is no. You can blow the fuse in the toaster with an electric flyswatter, but you won’t be turning any bread into toast.

When we are having conversations about Jesus, we want to be ‘successful’, and to be ‘successful’, we need to recognise that our own ability to speak clearly, boldly, or persuasively is like an electric flyswatter. We might sow a seed, but it is God who makes it grow. We have no control over how people respond, so we can’t measure how well our conversations go by how well people respond to us. Bill Bright once said that ‘Success in evangelism is taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.’

The most important factor in our conversations is not how much we know, how charming we are, or how well we listen. It is the Holy Spirit’s power to convict people of their need for Jesus and draw them to the Father. The Holy Spirit works through our words to bring people to a knowledge of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit also works through our prayers. We need to pray, not just for others to believe, but for ourselves to have the courage to take the initiative. We need to pray because we need to depend on the Spirit. If we need words that the Spirit will use to bring new life and faith, of course we should pray! Paul, one of the greatest evangelists and theologians in history, recognises that the gospel is a mystery, and he needs help to explain it! The Spirit helps us by empowering us, giving us words, but also making us wise and gracious in our conversations.

Spend some time thanking the Holy Spirit for his work in your life, for the work he does through you for the sake of others and asking him to help you speak with boldness and clarity, and live with grace and wisdom, so that you might have the joy of seeing others reconciled with God.

If you want to keep growing in your confidence talking about Jesus, you can find helpful resources for explaining the gospel, thinking through your friend's next steps, and fun spiritual conversation aids at Agapé UK