“I don’t have any non-Christian friends. Who can I read with?”
Christine Armstrong tackles a common question we often hear from those thinking about getting started with Bible sharing.
Do you want to see the gospel shared and God’s Kingdom grow?
Are you convinced that God speaks through His Word, making the Bible the most valuable and powerful evangelism tool we have?
Are you willing to read alongside someone to help them get to know Jesus in the pages of Scripture?
If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, the next logical question is: who will you invite to take a look at a bit of the Bible with you?
For many of us, lack of desire to share the gospel is not the problem. The issue that many of us face is thinking that we don’t know any non-Christians to share it with.
Did you know that the 2022 ‘Talking Jesus’ survey found that 42% of practising Christians in the UK say that they don’t feel they know any non-Christians well enough to talk to them about Jesus? Another stat from the same survey says the number of people (non-Christians) in the UK who know a ‘practising Christian’ fell from 68% in 2015 to only 53% in 2022. This is undoubtedly in part a consequence of the pandemic: our routines have changed, and we generally have a shrunken network of friends and contacts.
We know those stats point to some real issues – but I want to encourage you that the ‘Talking Jesus’ survey also found that 1 out of 3 people who had a spiritual conversation with a Christian were open to finding out more. We just have to find them and ask!
Here are a few lessons I've learnt about finding people to read with.
Lesson 1: Don’t miss the obvious
Begin where you are with people you’re already in contact with.
Take a look at your calendar. Who do you spend time with, or who are you in touch with – even in your neighbourhood, workplace or on social media or text?
God is always at work in people’s lives, and it could be that someone in your life who you might not have considered is ready to say ‘yes’ to finding out more about Christianity.
For example, I’ve read with my brother, a cousin, a previous colleague, a best friend from university, and another from my old school! They know how much my faith means to me, and they were really up for looking at part of John’s Gospel together.
A wonderful woman in my church called Jinna started reading with her Mum over Zoom during the pandemic. By God’s grace, her Mum became a Christian, and now Jinna is reading with her Dad! You can read more about her story here.
So, you may not need to look far to find someone open to exploring the faith and gospel message that is so important to you.
“God is always at work in people’s lives, and it could be that someone in your life who you might not have considered is ready to say ‘yes’ to finding out more about Christianity.”
Lesson 2: You don’t have to know people well to invite them
One of the most exhilarating and joyful experiences I had of inviting someone to read the Bible with me happened during lockdown.
I’d spoken to some new neighbours in my block of flats for the first time through their window. A while later, I was planning to invite someone else I’d been chatting to at the local park to read with me. With a copy of The Word One to One, I headed out but they weren’t there that day.
On my way back home, my new neighbour called out to me. This was only the second time I’d spoken to her, and I took the opportunity to share that I’d been praying for her and her newborn twins, and she was touched. It led to a wonderful conversation where she openly shared about her struggles. Since I had The Word One to One with me, I showed it to her and asked if she’d like to go for a walk with me sometime and read the first episode. She was amazed that I wanted to spend time with her! We ended up having amazing times reading The Word One to One on park benches for the next few months, and our friendship grew from there with God’s Word right at the centre.
Real friendship can be hard to come by. Investing in people and sharing something as precious to you as the Bible can be such a valuable thing to others that we often underestimate.
“Real friendship can be hard to come by. Investing in people and sharing something as precious to you as the Bible can be such a valuable thing to others that we often underestimate.”
Lesson 3: Don’t overlook those on the edges of your church!
It can be easy to forget that not everyone that walks through the doors of your church is a Christian.
One of the first people I had the pleasure of regularly reading John’s Gospel with was a young woman who had come to a church service after being invited from our free English classes. We met at the start of a church service – I found out that it was her first time in a protestant church as she came from a Catholic background, which we both had in common.
I was looking for someone to read God’s Word with, so I decided to invite her during our first ever conversation, and she happily agreed. It helped that I had a copy of Book 1 in my bag so she could see what I was inviting her to look at and how it could also help her practise English over a coffee.
Over the next few months, it was a joy to help her grow in her English as well as in her knowledge of who Jesus is. She went from not believing that the miracles of Jesus were to be taken literally to understanding that Jesus is Himself God who created all things and so all things are possible for Him. It also gave her the opportunity to ask me personal questions about my life as a Christian.
As a ministry, we often hear of others who start sharing the Bible with those they meet through various community ministries like debt help, community cafes, foodbanks, and with parents and guardians attending toddler groups, youth group members and English-as-a-second-language students. The Word One to One is also offered by some who meet people through street or door-to-door outreach! It’s a fantastic thing to offer people who are new to church and it’s a natural next step for many after an evangelistic course or event.
Lesson 4: Ask those in your church leadership to use you in this way
Have you ever considered asking your church leadership team if they know someone who might benefit from reading with you?
For the reasons above, there may be people known to your church leaders who would be perfect reading partners.
I’m sure that your church leaders would be delighted to hear of your willingness and desire to serve in this way, and could potentially suggest or introduce you to someone or even a few people who could meet you in a small group.
If your church leadership team isn’t familiar with The Word One to One, please encourage them to look at our website for more information. A member of our team would also be very happy to have a phone or video call with them to explain more.
“Have you ever considered asking your church leadership team if they know someone who might benefit from reading with you?”
Lesson 5: Maybe you need to get out more?
Perhaps you’ve fallen into the trap so many committed Christians do (including myself!) – you spend most of your time with other Christians!
Of course, it’s a great privilege to serve and enjoy fellowship with our brothers and sisters. However, our Lord Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Jesus spent time with tax collectors and sinners so that they could get to know Him and the good news He came to proclaim. To be Christ-like involves spending time with people who need to know the gospel.
To expand your network, perhaps you could get more involved in places you already have connections. For example, if you have children or grandchildren, could you serve at their school or sports club?
Is there a hobby or community activity you could pick up? There could be a walking, reading, singing, knitting or litter-picking group you could try out. You could invite a Christian friend to do it with you if they will help you get over the nerves (but make sure they understand that the goal is to meet people who aren’t Christians!).
Another great thing to do is making sure to be friendly and to get to know the people who come across our paths. This could be with our neighbours, people we sit next to on public transport, or even those who deliver our parcels. I’ve found that taxi drivers and hairdressers are often up for a chat! The more we do it, the easier it will become, and the more doors will open for spiritual conversations.
“To be Christ-like involves spending time with people who need to know the gospel.”
Lesson 6: Merge universes
This is a phrase Sam Chan uses in his book, “How to talk about Jesus (without being that guy)”. It simply means: mix your Christian friends with your non-Christian friends and encourage others to do the same so that you meet your friends’ friends! Some of the most encouraging conversations I’ve had recently have been with people I’ve met at gatherings organised by my Christian friends.
This can be helpful from a number of angles: the Christian friend feels supported in not being the only Christian witnessing to their friends; the not-yet-Christians realise that there are other Christians out there who aren’t (too) weird, so faith in Jesus becomes more plausible to them. Plus, you meet more people, build relationships and perhaps the Lord will be preparing some of them to explore more about what the Bible says about Jesus with you!
Maybe this is something your small group at church could pray and be more intentional about?
Above all, remember that the Lord is at work in His world and in people’s lives. So let’s pray that He would guide us to those who He has been preparing to find out more about Him. This is a prayer that He loves to honour, but the only way to really know if people are interested is to ask them!
For more guidance on how you might invite someone, take a look at this article.
Find out how you can start sharing God’s Word today.
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