Three Ordinary Encounters That Changed How I Think About Sharing Jesus

Written by Gail Ficken

On the other side she drew a simple stick figure labeled Us. Between the two cliffs she wrote one word:

Sin.

She gently explained that our sin separates us from God. She then described how people naturally try to bridge that separation themselves. We try to be good. We become more religious. We serve others. We give generously. We promise to do better. But none of those efforts can remove our sin.

Then she drew a cross spanning the chasm. She explained that because of God’s great love, Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died the death we deserved.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8

Finally, she wrote one word across the cross:

Faith.

She explained that we cross from death to life not by earning God’s favor but by the Spirit stirring trust in Jesus Christ.

It was biblical, simple, clear, and gracious. As I listened, I found myself quietly thinking, She is doing a wonderful job.

When she finished, she paused and asked, “What do you think?”

The other woman gently slid the napkin back across the table.

“Thank you… but I don’t know you.”

I’ve never forgotten those words.

At first, her response surprised me. Later, I realized she had identified one of the greatest challenges facing evangelism today. The Gospel wasn’t the problem, and neither was the presentation. The missing ingredient was trust.

And the person that she trusted most likely did not feel confident to share the Good News.

That conversation sent me back to two other encounters from that same day—moments I almost overlooked but now see differently.

“That’s the Church for You.”

Earlier that day, I was standing in a long line when two mothers began discussing something that had happened at the Christian school their children attended. No names were mentioned, but the disappointment was obvious.

As their conversation ended, one of them shrugged and said, “Well… that’s the church for you.”

That sentence stayed with me.

I wasn’t looking for reasons to criticize the church. I love the church. In fact, I had recently served several years in senior leadership, helping lead adult ministry and discipleship. But I couldn’t ignore what I heard.

Many people outside the church don’t automatically associate the church with hope, healing, or good news. Many begin with skepticism.

That forced me to ask a difficult question:

Have we spent more time inviting people to church than equipping believers to build genuine friendships and be confident sharing with people who don’t yet know Jesus?

---

---

If that finding is accurate, many people are not beginning spiritual conversations with curiosity. They’re beginning with caution. I didn’t realize it then, but trust had quietly become part of the evangelism conversation.

“Jesus, I Love You… Protect Me From Your People.”

Later that day, I pulled up behind a car at a stoplight. Its bumper sticker read:

Jesus, I love You… Protect me from Your people.

I sighed.

Somewhere behind that bumper sticker was a story. Maybe church hurt. Maybe hypocrisy. Maybe disappointment. Whatever the reason, someone had concluded that Jesus was trustworthy—but some of His followers were not.

That matters.

The message we proclaim and the lives we live are connected. When our lives reflect the character of Christ, trust grows. When our words and actions don’t match, trust crumbles. The issue wasn’t Jesus. It was the credibility of His followers.

“Thank You… But I Don’t Know You.”

The conversation at Panera now looked different.

The Gospel presentation had been excellent. The explanation was faithful. The invitation was clear. Yet the response revealed something important: truth can be communicated with clarity and still not be readily received when relationship is missing.  

Only then did the pattern become impossible for me to ignore.

The three encounters were telling the same story. People often don’t begin by rejecting Jesus. They begin by wondering whether they can trust His followers.   And, too many followers do not confidently engage because they’ve never been trained!

My Takeaway

Having a simple way to explain the Gospel matters. Tools like the Bridge Illustration, Evangelism Explosion’s “Five Fingers,”  and other Gospel presentations are valuable because the Gospel must eventually be spoken.

Paul reminds us:

“Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
—Romans 10:17

People cannot believe a message they have never heard.

But before many people are willing to hear the message, they often need confidence in the messenger. Before they ask, What do you believe? they’re often asking:

The Gospel has never needed a new message. But in a culture where trust is increasingly scarce, it often needs trusted, confident messengers.

Perhaps that’s why Jesus spent so much time around tables before He preached to crowds. He listened. He noticed people. He entered their world. He built relationships. He was the Truth.  He spoke truth.  

Maybe that’s where evangelism begins today.

Not by finding better arguments.

Not by creating better presentations.

But by becoming the kind of confident people our neighbors are willing to trust.

Because sometimes the first bridge that needs to be built isn’t between people and God.

It’s between people and us.

If you’d like, share your thoughts or call me.

Bring Awaken to Your Church This Fall

Onsite Awaken trainings will be happening in churches and groups across the United States this fall. If you want to get “all of us” starting to think about those outside the faith and becoming confident and intentional Good News sharers, Nate is ready to chat!

👇 Take the Next Step:

Explore Onsite Awaken Trainings
and
Schedule a Call with Nate