When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
Luke 2:15-18

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I walked across the green of my college campus, and the older man with the bullhorn was standing on his milk crate, ranting and raving about how all of us college students were going to hell if we didn’t repent and accept Jesus. He wasn’t the most warm and inviting messenger of the Gospel. 

Fast forward a few years, and it appears the guy from the green at my university has a relative on the streets of downtown Chicago. This guy had a sign with him, though. Maybe he was more effective.

In all fairness, I may have a bit of a sarcastic tone in my writing voice right now, but please don’t hear that as disrespect. While I have strong convictions as to why I would never approach evangelism this way, maybe they had strong convictions as to why they did. 

Nonetheless, the bullhorn duo didn’t sit well with me then, and they still don’t today. When I look at the first messengers of the Good News, the lowly shepherds, I’m convinced it was joy and excitement that rang from their voices—not condemnation. Why? Because the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God came in baby King Jesus. The New Kingdom was being inaugurated, and they were the first to know. That is Good News!

Do you find it difficult to share your faith with those around you? If so, first, know that you are not alone. I think many of us struggle because we haven’t really been taught how. Unlike the shepherds running to share the news with people who already expected their Messiah to come one day, we live in a world of relativism where your truth is your truth and don’t dare tell me what mine should be. And yet, I’m convinced all the more that this is why your story has more value than gold. 

No one can argue with your story and what God has done for you. This means when we engage with people and enter into their stories, we can share the parts of our stories that mirror theirs. And, if you’ve spent time processing how God showed up in your story, you can easily share in those moments just how he did and why you think He will for them, too. This way of witnessing only requires a heart longing to love well and a desire to serve those around you by entering into their pain (and joy) with them. 

Baby King Jesus has come. That is very, very Good News. But how will anyone know what the Good News means for them if we are too timid to share how it is and has been great news for us?

Next Steps

Do a little investigating of your own story. Think about the times when you knew God had done something (big and small). Where were you? How long had that season been? What did God showing up look like in that moment? And how were you different afterward—not your circumstances, but you? After you do this, revisit this exercise on occasion and be attentive to the struggles you see around you so that you might see just how God met you in similar struggles.