365 Dad Mentor Coaching Lesson #3

Sharing Your Faith Without Doing a Presentation

For most of us, we enjoy the vast majority of our Christian walk. Knowing Jesus, experiencing His peace, blessing others, caring for widows and orphans, and helping the less fortunate are all experiences that we enjoy and find great satisfaction in. There’s nothing quite like doing something Jesus would do. However, sharing our faith has always been something that strikes fear in the hearts of most Christians. We’ve all seen the confrontational witnessing videos and training that are little more than effective sales and debate techniques. We learn how to overcome objections and close the sale by convincing someone to pray a prayer they may or may not mean or totally understand. Those who are not comfortable with public speaking or making presentations, however, are left with the notion that they either have to do something that is totally out of character with who they are or live in willful disobedience because they just can’t bring themselves to do it. Others who are comfortable speaking don’t want to live with the awkwardness and tension that such presentations bring. There is another way and I believe it’s a way that is much closer to how Jesus actually did it.

When you look at the way Jesus shared about Himself, several points come to light:

1. He did it primarily through relationships. Just look at the number of times He shared the gospel message while eating dinner at someone’s house. Jesus spent time with people and let them get close to Him to understand more about Him and how He wants us to live.

2. He never backed off the message. Jesus was relational, but He spoke about the Kingdom of God and aspects of following Him often and without reservation. He was consistent about the message and consistent about the relationships.

3. He truly cared for people. He cared for the woman caught in adultery more than He cared about punishing her for the act she committed. Same with the woman at the well. Jesus loved people so completely, they were open to what He had to say, even when it might condemn the lifestyle they were living.

4. He saved judgment for the religious establishment. Jesus was quite hard on the Pharisees and Sadducees but loving and understanding to others. He was open and honest about their sin, but loving toward the person.

5. He discipled people prior to their conversion. Matthew, Zacchaeus, and really all the disciples were taught His ways and about the Kingdom of God before they were actually born again believers. He invested time and effort into people prior to their conversion.

6.  As you mentor your young dad, I want you to realize that each time you meet, you are teaching them what it looks like to follow Jesus. You don’t have to be an expert theologian or an A list speaker to be able to share your faith. Live it in front of them and don’t be afraid to talk about it. Pray with them if they will let you. Let them know you’re praying for them when you’re not together. Above all, be aware that each moment you spend with them you are teaching them what it looks like to follow Jesus. Show them the love He has for others, drop His name in the conversation and see where it goes. If your mentee blows it off, no problem. Jesus told a lot of seed planting parables, so just see it as planting the seeds of the gospel in their life. Be just as intentional about your faith as you are about helping them reach goals, realizing that God is the one who saves them. You just need to be available to do your part.

The bottom line is our mentoring is incomplete if we don’t point them toward the one Person who can ultimately give them peace and joy. They may say no to God’s invitation to know Jesus. If they do, keep loving them and helping them, knowing you’re showing them what it looks like to follow the One who saved you.

Scripture for the week:

As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” So he got up and followed Him. While He was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests to eat with Jesus and His disciples. - Matthew 9: 9-10

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