“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has doneâ€Â Psalm 105:1

What if God gives us opportunities to get the word out about Jesus, without speaking a single word?

What if there are some creative ways to share the Gospel?

Would you breathe a sigh of relief if you knew that you didn’t have to give a 20-minute dissertation (every time) in order to share the Gospel?

I know I would!

As an introvert, knowing that there are times when I can share the Gospel without having to have an awkward conversation with someone about it is amazing news!

Besides, let's be honest, how many times per year do we actually share the Gospel with people?

If we are honest, I think most of us would answer zero.

It’s scary! It’s awkward! It’s hard!

We either chicken-out, make excuses, never find the right time (or the time in general) and before we know it, we’ve gone through life without sharing the Good News to a single person in this broken and dying world.

Fortunately, God is patient AND creative!

In the process of helping me overcome my own awkwardness, He has asked me to share the GOOD NEWS in ways I never expected!

The first time He asked me to share the Gospel in a creative way was about two years ago.

I had just received an email from the alumni office at my high school asking people to submit a class note for the school's bi-annual magazine. This magazine goes out to all of the alumni, faculty, students, and businesses around town (about 5,500 people).

The moment I read their email, the Holy Spirit asked me to submit a class note testifying about Jesus and what He has done in my life.

A split second after the Lord asked me to do this, I deleted the email, slammed my computer closed and said, “Are you crazy?!? There’s NO WAY I’m doing that!â€

After rejecting God’s command, I sat there and I justified why I was right and He was wrong. After all, coming out of the closet for Jesus in a town that rejects Him would be a terrible idea! That’s social suicide in a town like this!

Right?

I continued my defensive rant, “Lord, people in this town HATE Jesus (or at least the Jesus they think they know). I’m not about to tell 5,500 people that I love Jesus and that He has changed my life. If I do that, they’ll hate me too! I can’t do that, this is a small town, everyone knows everyone, and everyone knows me. I’ll for sure be the outcast. NOPE, I can’t do it! Sorry!"

After I talked myself out it, I chose not to think about it again.

A few weeks passed and I had forgotten all about what God asked me to do that day until the Holy Spirit brought it up again.

His timing was impeccable (it always is). 

I was driving home one night and worshiping my little heart out when the Holy Spirit came to me and said, “Kristin, I need you to submit a class note testifying about what I have done in your life and sharing the good news of Jesus.â€

Friends, I wish they had an emoji for what my insides went through in that moment. The level of anxiety that washed over me was unexplainable. It felt like my hair turned white in a split second and like my body was on the brink of a heart attack.

“Lord, you want me to come out of the closet for Jesus? In a town that hates you? You want me to testify about YOU when no one here knows you or wants to know you?â€

….

I pondered those thoughts a few minutes until the Holy Spirit flooded me with a sense of urgency. He said, “Yes, I need you to do this and I need you to do it TONIGHT!â€

I knew in that moment, I couldn’t say no. I’ve experienced that urgency before and I’ve said no to Him before. But when I have suppressed the Spirit, I’ve witnessed first hand the deadly consequences that can follow.

I finally cracked under the pressure and said, “Ok Lord. I’ll do it!â€

The moment I got home I pulled out my computer and I prayed that God would tell me what to write.

Moments later, the Holy Spirit came and filled me with inspiration on what He wanted me to say and how to say it.

In less than five minutes (with His help) it was written, edited and ready to send.

I sat there, staring at my screen, watching my blinking mouse hover over the send button, and I tried not to hyperventilate. Beads of sweat started dripping down my brow and before I could start to talk myself out of it I prayed once more that His will would be done and I hit the SEND BUTTON!

The moment I hit the send button an unexplainable JOY filled every cell of my body. It felt as though God had poured out gallons of JOY into my heart and I danced and laughed and praised Him in my room.

Despite the possible social consequences of hitting the SEND button, God reassured me with His JOY that I had done the right thing.

That night we celebrated together!

After I sent the message, I realized that I had barely made the deadline. When I looked back at the original email they sent me, I learned that the deadline to submit a class note was that night at 10 pm! God knew that night was the deadline! Hence His urgency!

A few months later, the school published the magazine and much to my surprise they printed my testimony!

Here it is!

I’ll never know the extent to which God used (or is using) my submission but He did give me a small glimpse into its impact.

One day, while I was sitting in a women’s bible study, a mother of one of the boys I went to school with rolled her chair over to me and leaned forward to tell me something.

Before saying anything, she gathered herself, choked back tears, and then took a deep breath before she said,

“Kristin, a few months ago my son called me after he read your submission in the Community School magazine. He told me how weird it was that you openly love Jesus (she and her family were all Jewish). At the time, neither of us understood why you’d submit something like that. I didn't understand where you were coming from until one day, Jesus revealed Himself to me too and changed my life forever. Now, instead of making fun of you, I am sitting next to you as your sister in Christ.â€

Tears welled up in my eyes as she told me her story.

I don’t know what God will do or has done in the hearts of everyone else that read my submission but I am eternally grateful that He showed me a small glimpse of what He has done in her heart.

Maybe you can relate? Has God ever asked you to do something REALLY scary and you obeyed His command and then you witnessed the fruit?

Or maybe He has recently asked you to do something and, like me, you initially said no but now He is asking you to reconsider? If so, is it too late to YES? If not, then I encourage you to GO FOR IT!

Friend, we never know how God is going to use us. And, we may never fully know WHY He asks us to do certain things.

The longer I walk with Him, the more I realize that I don’t need to know, I just need to trust Him and say YES.

A year after submitting that class note He asked me to submit another one that let people know He loves them and that introduced people to the Gospel.

I still battled anxiety the second time around but after taking the first leap of faith; the second submission was easier!

Someday, when we are with Him in Heaven, I believe He will show us the impact our obedience had on people’s lives.

For now, we must walk by faith and not by sight.

The class notes I submitted aren't the full Gospel, but they are introductions to Jesus. God has put it on my heart to submit another note for 2018. This time He wants me to let people know that He asked me to create Simply Love for them because He loves them! He asked me to write the full Gospel on my website so if I do submit a third class note, people can read the Gospel here! :)

So, what are some creative ways we can obey the Lord and fulfill the Great Commission?

1. Submit it in a magazine!

Do you have an alumni newsletter or a magazine? If so, you could submit your testimony and the Gospel!

2. Write it on a card!

God has asked me to do this before and it’s a wonderful way to share the Gospel with someone who might not be ready for a full conversation. You can either write it and give it to someone specifically, OR you can pray about what to write, write what the Holy Spirit tells you, and then ask Him to show you where to leave it. From there, you just have to trust that God will have the right person find and open the card! (I’ll share a specific story about this next week!)

3. Submit it in the newspaper!

I haven’t tried this yet but God keeps putting it on my heart. I get a kick out of reading the misc. posts in the classifieds and each time I do I think to myself, “What if I posted the Gospel here? What if I testified about Jesus and shared His love?†I'll keep you posted! In the meantime, try one of these!

With Love and Gratitude,

Kristin