The first two points of Bellevue’s Mission Statement–Love God. Love People.–come from the Great Commandment; the last two points–Share Jesus. Make Disciples.–come from the Great Commission.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19–20
So, what does it look like to Share Jesus in our everyday lives?
Sharing Jesus can look like reading Bible stories to your kids before they go to bed, taking part in a Bellevue Loves Memphis Workday, or sharing the Gospel as you talk with your waiter/waitress at a restaurant. Regardless of how you Share Jesus, it is important that we all obey this command and intentionally work to make Jesus a regular part of our daily conversation with others.
Brent Danielson described the importance of Sharing Jesus in this way: “Simply put, Sharing Jesus means sharing with people around us the Good News of the Gospel–that Jesus died for us, was buried, and rose from the grave, so we can be forgiven and have a personal relationship with Him. It also means living out the character of Christ in our daily lives. It’s allowing Him to live through us and allowing Christ to be the boss as we seek to bring Him glory. It’s critical that His character lives out through us. Sharing the Gospel is what He commands us to do. If we really love Him, we will want to obey Him, and when we obey Him there is so much joy in seeing Him work in your life and the lives of others around us.”
Sharing Jesus also brings a deeper relationship with Christ Himself. “As I learned how to share the Gospel, the reality of what Jesus has done for me began to take on a far deeper and personal meaning,” said Terry Vreeland, Brent’s wife.
“Telling others about Jesus brought me greater insight and intimacy with Christ, which is the greatest blessing of all,” Terry said.
Brent and Terry Share Jesus in a variety of ways including through the Jail and Prison Ministry, at Bellevue Loves Memphis events, through the Christian Mobile Dental Clinic, at block parties, during organized door-to-door events, participating in missions projects, and more. They also look for divine appointments to Share Jesus with people they meet as the Lord prompts their spirits.
In many cases, Sharing Jesus is a lot easier and a lot less intimidating than people originally imagine. “Most people are open to hearing the Gospel. God prepares the hearts of people all around us to respond to the Gospel if we would just be obedient to share, and 1 Timothy 2:4 tells us that God will speak through us if we are willing to just step out in faith,” Brent and Terry shared. “If we really love our neighbors, we will tell others about Christ because people everywhere need Him.”
If you would like to be trained on how to Share Jesus, email Bill Street, Minster of Evangelism, Discipleship, and Prayer, at bstreet@bellevue.org.