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In a world dominated by social media and 24-hour news, there are a lot of influencers claiming “expert” status with complex and loud opinions. It can be easy to feel the need to communicate our faith in the same way as the culture around us and make it more complicated than it needs to be. It can be easy to get stuck thinking that people need expert theological answers and end up leaving it to our pastors and leaders to share the truth about Jesus.

Your friends don’t need experts, they need real-life examples of Jesus.

Research says that people tend to believe those within their circle of trust much more than an “expert” opinion. Yet, we can be oblivious to the fact that our non-Christian friends and neighbours are craving sensitive and honest interactions with us much more than perfect or polished answers.

There are many examples in the Bible of how to approach speaking about God with others. Jesus was incredibly patient and sensitive with the Samaritan woman at the well; she thought she could avoid confronting her broken life by endless questions and distractions. Philip was sensitive to the genuine questions about faith from an Ethiopian eunuch. Peter was sensitive to cultural barriers faced by Cornelius, a Gentile, and become vulnerable himself to share about Jesus with the Gentiles.

Being sensitive simply means sharing who Jesus is to you personally and believing that the Holy Spirit will use you to do His work. It also means needing to overcome scepticism and becoming vulnerable to honestly share your struggle with sin, and the victory God gave you in Jesus.

Our world needs simple, sensitive examples of God’s wonderful grace and love a lot more than it needs experts to answer sceptics.