“Could you pray for us?” asked the French woman sitting next to me on the airplane. We were experiencing violent turbulence. Just minutes earlier this med student and I had been having a lively discussion about God and science. With my broken French and her broken English, I had used a Chinese-English pamphlet to share the good news about Jesus with her. To my new friend, the gospel message seemed like a fairy tale; but when our airplane began to dip and shake, her inclination was to ask God for help, allowing me the opportunity to share my faith and pray with her.
Sharing the good news is a great privilege. In the book of Romans, the apostle Paul describes his passion for sharing God’s plan to rescue people from the effects of sin and spiritual death through faith in Jesus (Romans 1:15-17). He was not at all ashamed; rather, he was compelled to share the gospel.
On another occasion, Paul was in the public square in Athens speaking “to all who happened to be there” (Acts 17:17). As a result, he was asked by the high council of the city to tell them about this new teaching. This gave him the amazing opportunity to share with those who believed in many gods about “the Lord of heaven and earth, [who] doesn’t live in man-made temples and . . . gives life and breath to everything” (Acts 17:24-25).
Followers of Jesus today continue to have the privilege and challenge to share His good news with those they meet (1 Peter 3:15). At times, as with the woman on my flight, people may even call out to us for spiritual help. May we prayerfully and intentionally look for God-provided bridges to the gospel in everyday situations. As we listen to those around us and carefully take in their stories, God will open doors for us to share His good news.