I had a recent conversation about sharing the good news with people who are not Christians. Just that term, sharing the good news is problematic. It has so much baggage associated with it. So do evangelism, witnessing, etc. When we use terms like this we bring our baggage into talking about Jesus into these conversations. We bring our fears, anxieties and insecurities.
And you know what. The people we are talking to have their own problems with the Gospel too. I think it usually is because they have had a bad, painful, hurtful, or just plain awkward presentation of the Gospel.
It’s kind of like brussels sprouts. Growing up I did not like brussels sprouts. They were gross and I didn’t ever want to eat them. I knew this to be true because of th bad presentation of brussels sprouts that I grew up with. They were gross and they were always going to be gross.
Then one day I ate brussels sprouts that were prepared really well, and presented with care. It changed my perspective on brussels sprouts. It all came down to the preparation and presentation.
I think when it comes to talking about Jesus, we need to take greater care in our preparation and presentation. We prepare through prayer and building our own relationship with Jesus. And the presentation cannot simply be a quick and careless discussion. If we are going to change the way people think about the Gospel we need to take care with our presentation.
The greatest presentation of the Gospel is a life that supports our words. If you want people to try something that they think they won’t like, you have to change the presentation. You have to give them a reason to try something old in a new way.
JasonDeuman.com 