“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20
We are called, as followers of Jesus, to make him known. The what and why of our mission as disciples is clear, but how do we do it?
Have you ever thought about sharing your faith in a different way? Have you thought about using everyday parts of our lives to engage people in Christianity?
Culture affects our choices; what we wear, watch, listen to, post on social media, and so on. There is a balance between being a Christian and engaging in culture though, in Romans 12 it advises us to “not become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking” but that doesn’t mean we completely remove ourselves from it.
Instead, we can seek to engage with culture to bring God’s kingdom into it, to transform it.
In the bible, Jesus used imagery of agriculture when he was teaching: sowing seeds (Matthew 13:3-9), growing plants (Luke 21:29-33), tending to sheep (Matthew 18:12-14) and working in fields or vineyards (Mark 12:1-11). These types of jobs and tasks were part of the people’s daily lives. They lived in an agricultural society, so they would be able to relate and engage with Jesus’ words because He used images that they could understand.
So if Jesus was here today on the earth, what pictures or examples would He use to spread the gospel? How would he relate to culture to tell people about His love?
Well, obviously we don’t know exactly how he would do it, but here are some ideas that we came up with:
Wear it
There are great fashion labels around who create clothing with slogans or designs that declare God’s truth. Check out the clothing lines with Truth not Trash and Anna Seven London. Also check out our recent post about Feathers + Wings here. They are bound to serve as conversation starters. Wouldn’t it be awesome to hear someone say “I love your top! Where did you get it from?”
Play it
Worship music comes in so many genres! Whatever your style of music, you can find it out there with thought-provoking words that praise God. My favourites currently are Fresh Life Worship and Gateway Youth for some great tracks to play whilst out and about.
Post it
We all spend a lot of time on social media, so why not use it to share our faith? Perhaps you could share posts from Christian speakers, or you could pick a favourite verse of the bible and make it look pretty on apps and upload to Instagram, or maybe you could even vlog your testimony.
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16 (The Message)
