Sharing Yourself

I was flipping through the pages of the local weekly newspaper The Reflector this morning while eating my breakfast. I paused over the obituary page and glanced through each listing to see if the person was a member of a church. The thought in my mind was how many of these faces, representing people like you and me, knew Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? I think we agree: It is not OK for anyone to go into a Christless grave. This applies also to your neighbor and work associate sitting beside you every day at the office. But what are we supposed to do about it?

Jesus has already answered that question. Here is His answer: “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:18). The “them” is you and me! And why was Jesus sent into the world? He said it like this: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

This means you and I are to continue the ministry Jesus engaged in on this earth.

Finding People

How are we supposed to find people needing to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior? By “sharing ourselves” with those we meet every day. Here is what “sharing yourself” looks like.

Jeannie handed me a “cross in the pocket.” It is a small handmade pocket cut from cloth, with a “cross” representing the crucifixion on the inside. Inserted with the cross are three items: a poem about the cross of Christ, the Roman Road plan of salvation, and a statement about the importance of a relationship with Jesus. Jeannie has made by hand thousands of “crosses in the pockets” and distributed them. This is Jeannie’s passion and ministry, and she has personally been blessed, as well as the recipients.

Jeannie is involved in what is known as personal ministries. Personal ministries is simply an individual sharing their love for Jesus with others in a way that fits their passion—the way they choose to share comes from their heart.

Rather than giving a formal definition for personal ministries, I prefer a list of characteristics.

• Personal ministries is singular—it is your ministry. Something you do!

• Ministry means you are impacting others positively. They don’t run the other way when they see you coming.

• Your chosen ministry is your passion—no one can stop you!

• Your purpose in your ministry is to help people meet your friend Jesus. They meet Jesus through your attitude, what you verbally share, through acts of love, compassion, and caring.

• Your ultimate goal is that people will accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives and become fully devoted disciples of His!

Personal ministries is a story of God’s action in your personal life that is shared by “doing” and “speaking.” The one involved in ministry is telling the story of Jesus’ life in them personally. Through their witness the recipient catches a glimpse of Jesus. Our “doing” is inadequate without the spoken word, and our “speaking” is never adequate unless it is backed up by one’s life. Personal ministries is a matter of combining the two items in a manner that the Holy Spirit directs, as you tell others about Him.

What Should I Do?

What should you do in personal ministries—how should you tell others about Jesus?

How are we supposed to find people needing to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior?

I have found that the best personal ministry is the one that you are passionate about. This one thing you must do, and no one can stop you. God puts a burden upon your heart, and you will do whatever it takes to use your ministry to change lives for eternity. We each might express the message in different ways. For example:

• My friend Ron has a ministry for a group of villages in Uganda, Africa.

• My buddy Joe copies CDs of the evangelistic sermons that changed his life, along with magazine articles that have blessed him. He has shared more than 2,000 CDs with people he meets in the supermarket or while walking his dog.

• Janeth, as an Uber driver, kept a literature display hanging over the back of the front seat and offered free literature to the riders.

• Another friend leads a small group Bible study weekly in her home.

• A church in my area has a diaper ministry, providing disposable diapers for new moms.

• A youth group feeds the homeless warm meals every Sunday afternoon.

• A group of church members provide Bible studies to those requesting them through their local church’s Discover Bible School.

Your local church exists to continue the work of Christ on this earth. Of course, “church” refers to you and me, the members. Personal ministries means that we intentionally hang out with people who need Jesus. It is simple. Invite a neighbor or friend to join your family in things you are already doing, such as going to a ball game, joining you for a picnic, hiking, or . . . you get the idea: mingle!

As you interact, remember: 1. God is already working in the person’s life before you show up. 2. Listen. You may find out how God is already working on their behalf. 3. When they ask or when prompted by God, connect their life story to a Bible story. 4. Leave them feeling positive about meeting you. Make a difference by showing love, kindness, understanding, and a listening ear. Move them one step closer to Jesus or, hopefully, all the way there!

Why Should I Get Involved?

You will grow spiritually: “The only way to grow in grace is to be interestedly doing the very work Christ has enjoined upon us to do.”[1]

God has given you something to do for Him: “Christ commits to His followers an individual work—a work that cannot be done by proxy. Ministry to the sick and the poor, the giving of the gospel to the lost, is not to be left to committees or organized charities. Individual responsibility, individual effort, personal sacrifice, is the requirement of the gospel.”[2]

Someone’s eternal life depends upon you: “To every one work has been allotted, and no one else can be a substitute for another. Each one has a mission of wonderful importance, which he cannot neglect or ignore, as the fulfillment of it involves the weal[3] of some soul, and the neglect of it the woe of one for whom Christ died.”[4]

Yes, it might seem difficult to move from your circle of comfort into the unknown, but the good news is that God has already gotten there first. God walks with you when you follow His calling. So why not get started today?

Remember these profound words of Jesus: “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (John 4:35).

[1] Ellen G. White, Christian Service (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1925), p. 101. (Emphasis supplied.)

[2] Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905), p. 147. (Emphasis supplied.)

[3] “Weal” means blessing, now and for eternity.

[4] E. G. White, Christian Service, p. 10. (Emphasis supplied.)