Paul was wary (with good reason) of those who had it in for his infectious attitude towards Jesus, the Messiah, and for spreading the good news about Him:
I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. May the God of peace be with you all. Amen. – Romans 15:30-33
As an Aussie, it seems like it’s ok to be passionate for just about anything, except for Jesus. Australian culture is steeped in Christian heritage, since Jesus has had His day in the sun, but we are most certainly a post-Christian nation (not that that lets us off the hook for evangelism). Although most people hold an opinion about Jesus, that hardly qualifies them as biblically literate. In fact, of the many of the non-Christians you know, you may be the only person they are acquainted with who has picked up the Good Book. As such, rightly or wrongly, they will keep a keen eye on your life to see how it measures up (so it matters how we live).
If we haven’t asked them, we should never assume someone isn’t interested in Jesus. There are simple questions any of us could ask. Like, “Have you heard about Jesus?” If they answer yes, you might ask a follow up question like, “What have you heard about Jesus?,” and just see where it leads. On the other hand, they might say, “No, I haven’t heard of Jesus.” Now there is danger here, of rushing headlong into it, “Well then, let me tell you all about Jesus,” when we have skipped a crucial step. They might not want to hear about Jesus yet. That’s their choice and we need to respect that.
However, we could ask a different question, like, “Can I tell you about Jesus?,” or, “Would you like to hear why Jesus is important to me?” Of course, if you are introverted like me, you might not be brave enough to venture there, but here’s an easier option, “I’m going along to hear about Jesus this weekend, would you like to come along?”
Father, help us be passionate about Your dear Son, even when it’s not fashionable. When we a tempted to be afraid of people making life difficult for us, give us courage to pass on what we have heard about Jesus to anyone who is interested.
Sparks 