Faith that spills over: everyday disciples in action

Faith that spills over: everyday disciples in action

I remember one Christmas, when I was an self-conscious 12 year old, seeing one of the neighbour’s boys playing with a new gift he had received. Dad and I stopped, and dad showed real interest. He asked the boy what it was and let him explain it all with the excitement only a child can bring.

Then dad did something I have never forgotten.

He gently turned the conversation toward the gift of Jesus at Christmas. It was Christmas day, after all.

I remember feeling awkward. On the way home, I told dad how uncomfortable I felt about what he had said. I thought it was dubious evangelism. Dad’s response has stayed with me ever since: “I prefer my way of doing evangelism than your way of not doing it.”

At the time, I did not know what to do with that. But over the years, I have come to appreciate what sat underneath it. Dad was not trying to be polished. He was not working through a script. He was simply willing to let faith spill over into an ordinary moment.

And perhaps that is where mission often begins.

For a long time, many churches have assumed that mission is mainly for the gifted few. It is for pastors, evangelists, or naturally confident people who always know what to say. But the gospel paints a different picture.

Mission is not just for the few. It is for all of us.

Not because every Christian needs to become an expert. Not because every conversation has to become a sermon. But because every believer is called to live in the love of Christ, and that love has a way of spilling over into everyday life.

That is what everyday discipleship looks like.

It happens in small moments. In conversations with neighbours. In care for a workmate. In listening well to a friend. In speaking about prayer, hope, forgiveness, or Jesus when the opportunity opens up.

For many people, that still feels intimidating. We worry that we will sound awkward. We are afraid of saying the wrong thing. We assume we need more knowledge or more confidence before we can speak naturally about faith.

But perhaps the goal is not to become impressive. Perhaps the goal is to become fluent. Fluent in the Gospel.

Fluency is different from expertise. It is not about having a perfect answer for every question. It is about growing more comfortable speaking the language of faith in the ordinary moments of life. It is about learning to notice where God is already at work and responding with gentleness, honesty, and grace.

That is one reason the Gospel Fluency workshop and resources available through the LCA can be so helpful. The LCA describes Gospel Fluency as helping people grow in the “vocabulary, context and practice” of sharing the good news in word and action. It is available through the LCA Congregational Life Hub – https://www.lca.org.au/clh/mission/.

Congregational leaders have an important role here. Not to make mission feel heavier, but to make it feel more possible. To remind people that witness is not only something the church does in organised ways. It is also something disciples carry with them into homes, workplaces, schools, sporting clubs, and neighbourhoods.

When that begins to take hold, faith does not stay contained.

It spills over.

Questions for Reflection

1. Do our people see mission as the calling of all believers, or mostly of a gifted few?
2. What fears most often stop people from speaking naturally about faith?
3. How can we help ordinary believers feel that everyday witness is possible, even if it is sometimes awkward?
4. What stories of faith “spilling over” have we already seen in our congregation?
5. How might Gospel Fluency help our leaders and members grow in confidence, language, and practice?
6. What could we do as leaders to create a culture where speaking about Jesus becomes more natural and less intimidating?
7. What other resources are people aware of? For example Sam Chan’s “How to Talk About Jesus (without being that guy)

Are you a leader? You’re invited to Explorations in Mission and MinistrY (EMMY): Online Conversations for Pastors and Leaders

July EMMY

📅 Tuesday 28 July
🕧 12.30pm (AEST)
🕡 6.30pm (AEST – repeated session)

Theme: Faith that Spills Over: Everyday Disciples in Action
Leader: TBD

🔗 Join Zoom Meeting  (Daytime Session)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3605615625?omn=85759882592

Meeting ID: 360 561 5625
Passcode: EmmY

🔗 Join Zoom Meeting  (Evening Session)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3605615625?omn=85918783498

Meeting ID: 360 561 5625
Passcode: EmmY

Photo by Nina Strehl on Unsplash.