“Learning to Engage Others With Jesus”: What Does “Learn to Engage” Mean?

In the next five years, we will learn to engage others more faithfully with Jesus. The most important word of our synod’s mission statement is obviously “Jesus.” This simply reflects how Scripture presents Jesus as the center of everything, such as St. Paul says, “but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11). Christ Jesus is the cornerstone of our lives (Ephesians 2:20), the very reason for our existence (John 1:3), and the one constant in an ever-changing world (Hebrew 13:8).
I suppose one could make a case that the second most important word in the mission statement is either “engage” or “others.” Or perhaps we shouldn’t try to separate them! After all, if we’re going to set out to “engage,” we have to engage someone.
Let’s focus for now on “engage.” What exactly does that mean, that “we will learn to engage?” Here we see that we have pledged ourselves to some serious work. To “engage” someone means more than just casually telling them a story or making a passing reference to your church or religion. It means more than extending a friendly invitation to your church. It means more than hanging flyers on lots of doors. To “engage” someone means we’re going to have a meaningful discussion with them about an important subject, the most important subject in this case.
Indeed, all the “outreach” efforts we make—bringing up the subject of religion, invitations to church, hanging flyers on doors in a neighborhood—are aimed at getting the opportunity to share the gospel with someone. Our work as Christians is not merely to try and get more bodies into the pews on a Sunday morning, but to do what our Lord commanded us to do: “‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation’” (Mark 16:15). Engaging someone with Jesus is not just telling them about Jesus, but telling them what Jesus did for them. Jesus wasn’t just a fine example of someone living a good life, someone who was kind to others, someone who made promises he couldn’t keep. Jesus is your friend’s Savior, the one who lived a sin-free life in their place, who died to take God’s punishment for their sins, who rose to guarantee their eternal life with him in heaven.
We know all that about Jesus, right? So why have we pledged ourselves to “learn to engage others with Jesus?” It’s true that even young children know the content, the basic essence, of the Gospel. But how do we tell the gospel to someone in different situations? How should we be prepared “to make a defense to anyone who asks [us] for a reason for the hope that is in [us]” (1 Peter 3:15)? We become better prepared as we make use of opportunities for God to prepare us through His Word. As we listen to God’s Word in the divine service, in our personal devotions at home and on our iPods and iPhones, He uses that Word to make our faith stronger. When we daily recall our baptisms and what took place there and when we receive the Lord’s Supper often, God renews us and builds us up so that we are better equipped to share his Gospel.
Of course, all the faith-building actions in the world won’t really help us engage others with Jesus if we don’t make use of opportunities to do so. Are you looking for an opening in a conversation where you can share the reason you have hope in a seemingly hopeless world? Are you seeking out the chance to share a comforting word with your neighbor whose spouse just passed away?
Being ready for these opportunities, creating these opportunities, watching for these opportunities, praying for these opportunities—it all is part of learning to engage others with Jesus. Make a point of engaging someone you know with Jesus. You and your friend will be blessed by it.
Michael K. Smith teaches at Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary and serves as the chairman of the Board for Evangelism and Home Missions.