Helping You Reach Your World

It’s a big world out there. There are 8.2 billion people worldwide, more than two-thirds of whom don’t have a relationship with Jesus. That’s billions of people separated from God who don’t know the joy of a vibrant relationship with the Savior and the precious gift of salvation.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few,” Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew 9:37. “Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Who are those laborers? Well, if you’re a follower of Christ, it includes you. One of the last things Jesus did while on Earth was give His followers a command. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you,” he says in Matthew 28:19-20.

Indigitous believes all followers of Jesus are called to His mission. We believe everyone has a unique way to take part in God’s mission. You can do that by reaching your world.

Identify your world

Some of us are called to reach the unreached, those people groups who have never heard the name of Jesus. This might mean relocating to a remote part of a foreign land or using digital strategies to cross geographical boundaries. But that’s not most of us.

Others are called to make a more localized impact. You don’t have to travel the world to find someone who doesn’t know Jesus. There are people in your neighborhood, workplace, school, and clubs who need to hear about Him.

It doesn’t have to be something big. Think of living on mission as taking small faith steps when opportunities arise. Each of us has certain areas where we have influence. For all intents and purposes, this is our world. It’s where we live, where we shop, where we hang out after work, and where we post online. Indigitous believes that, as Christians, we’re all called to share Jesus in these places, and we want to help you reach your world.

Look around you and see who you can reach. What’s one thing you can do to help them discover Jesus? It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Big impacts are often made through small steps of faith.

Listen to those in your world

In the digital age, “your world” is more than the people you regularly see face to face. There are also your followers and friends on social media. Some are people you know personally, while others are people you’ve never met, but for some reason, the content you post resonates with them. Whether you spend your time on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or some other platform, there are opportunities to use your social media presence to make an impact.

Whenever Amy uses social media, she does so with intentionality. She pays attention to what’s going on in her friend’s lives. It could be celebrating a milestone, mourning the loss of a loved one, or venting about a child who got in trouble at school. She looks for people she can congratulate or comfort. Does anyone seem like they need someone to talk to?

Sometimes it’s subtle. One time, she noticed her friend Annie sharing a lot of travel photos on Facebook. The photos showed her family in a lot of exciting locations, but something seemed wrong. Despite the fun locations, Annie didn’t look happy in any of the photos. So Amy reached out to Annie, said she doesn’t seem happy, and asked if anything was wrong.

That simple message meant a lot to Annie. People can often be self-centered, especially online, so the fact that Amy noticed something was wrong and took the effort to ask about it was a big deal.

“She was amazed that I could see her unhappiness and confessed that she was facing some challenges in her marriage,” Amy says.

The two talked on FaceTime about Annie’s martial difficulties and Amy shared a biblical view of marriage. Amy then prayed for her, perhaps the first time anyone had prayed for Annie. Because Amy paid attention and took a chance, they’ve grown closer together and Annie is getting some encouragement, prayer, and practical help. Someday, God may water the seed that was planted and bring Annie to Christ, but that’s not something Amy can control. She knows she can’t change someone’s heart; all she can do is take a step of faith and trust God for the results.

Any Christian can do what Amy did on Facebook to reach their world. It just takes dedication and small steps of faith. Don’t just use social media to post. Use it to listen. Learn what’s going on in the lives of your friends, family, and others in your sphere of influence. Look for ways to celebrate with them and look for those who need help or someone to listen. Keep an eye out for ways to take a small step of faith, which can be as small as sending a message asking, “Are you okay?”

Messaging those in your world

But we don’t just listen and respond on social media. We share, too. When you post online or message your friends, you can be intentional about that as well. Do you ever share about your faith? If you do, do you share in a way that will speak to your connections?

Try to go beyond just copying and pasting a Bible verse or adding a verse to a stock photo of a sunset. Make it personal. To reach your world through your social media posts, think of two people: yourself and your audience.

First, what do you want to share about your own life? Be authentic. Most people post idealized versions of their lives online; try to avoid that. Christians have struggles, too, so you don’t have to pretend your life is perfect. Your walk with God will have peaks and valleys, so don’t be afraid to post about the ups and downs. If you’re struggling with something, you can share about that while sharing how your relationship with Jesus plays a role in getting you through the struggles. If you’re in a good place, use that opportunity to praise God for His blessings.

If you want to share a Bible verse, don’t share it without context. Share why that verse means something to you. Why is it important? What does it mean to you? Why did God put it on your heart to share that verse? That personalizes it and helps people understand you better while also helping them see the verse’s relevance.

But it’s not just about you. When you post about God on social media, who are you trying to reach? Do you want to encourage other Christians? Do you want to correct misunderstandings about Christianity? Do you want to comfort those who are hurting? Do you want to introduce nonbelievers to a biblical principle? If you have your audience and goal in mind when you post, you can tailor your message to that audience and have a greater impact.

You can also say things to draw other people into conversations. Ask questions that invite discussions and get people talking about their own life and experiences. “People want to talk about themselves,” says Mariana Pando-Romero, a social media strategist with OneHope. “They want someone to hear them. They want safe spaces where they can share their heart, they can share what they think without being judged.”

Sharing your story

One of the best ways to introduce someone to Jesus is by sharing your story of how God is working in your life. This is sometimes called your “testimony.” Sharing their story comes naturally for some people, while other people need some help.

One traditional way of doing this is telling your story in three parts:

Your life before giving your life to Jesus
How you came to God
How your life changed after

That works well if you’ve had a dramatic conversion experience, but that’s not the case for many people, and that’s okay. You don’t need a dramatic story to share how God’s working in your life. In fact, a less dramatic story might work better.

Karl Udy, a missionary in New Zealand, talks on The Indigitous Podcast about how he trains people to share their personal stories. “What I try to focus on when I’m doing the training is helping people think about one particular way that Jesus changed your life and being able to put that in a story structure,” Karl says.

Your first step is to think, what is that one thing? It doesn’t have to be a huge, dramatic change, but what is an area where Jesus has changed your life? Take time for prayer and introspection and you might end up with a list of things. That gives you multiple stories that you can tell, and you can tell a different story depending on who you’re talking to. “One day you might give one particular … testimony about one way that Jesus changed your life,” Karl says. “Another day, talking to a different person, you’re telling another testimony about another way that Jesus changed your life.”

An app that helps you talk about your faith

To reach your world, at some point you might want to explain the gospel. Sharing your story might accomplish that, but your story is more personal. After sharing how Jesus has impacted your life, it’s natural to transition to a story about who Jesus is and why He’s important. That’s the gospel. But how do you share it?

For some people, that’s easy. But for most people, it’s a struggle. The gospel is a complex story, so how can you make sure you get it right? How can you explain it clearly and simply? What if someone asks questions?

The GodTools app is a mobile app that was designed by Campus Crusade for Christ International to help you have conversations about Jesus with the people you care about. It has a variety of tools, including lessons that help you learn to get more comfortable with spiritual conversations.

“We have lessons that help you learn how to think about evangelism and overcome some of these obstacles. We have tools that are designed to help you in a conversation to talk about the Gospel,” says Justin Sooter, the Director of External Products at CCCI.

GodTools also has Openers, which are tools that help you break the ice and start conversations that can lead to deep spiritual topics. “They are very natural and honest and authentic ways to start talking about Jesus,” Justin says. “They’re natural ways that we’re seeking to help people get into those conversations.”

The app also has gospel presentation tools, which present the gospel in a few key points that are easy to explain, understand, and remember. There are several different presentation tools, such as Knowing God Personally, which is made for guilt/innocence cultures, and Honor Restored, which is made for honor/shame cultures. You can choose one that works well for the worldview of the person you’re talking to.

The harvest is plentiful. All around you are people who need to be encouraged, people who need a friend to listen, and people who need to hear about the gospel of Jesus. Though evangelism may seem like a daunting task, it doesn’t have to be. If you take small steps of faith, you can make a difference by reaching your world. God has put certain people in your life—your coworkers, classmates, friends, WhatsApp contacts, and TikTok followers. How can you take small steps to reach them?

It’s a mindset shift. Indigitous believes all Christians can and should live on mission. It doesn’t take any special skills that you lack. God made us all unique, and we all have unique ways that we can engage in His mission. If you listen to those in your world, are intentional in your messages, and learn how to share your story, you can take simple steps of faith that can have an eternal impact.