What Is Jesus Already Doing?

‘How can I come alongside what you’re already doing to show this person that you love them?’ This was my prayer as I spoke with someone yesterday about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. They seemed satisfied with their life now and showed little interest in doing anything to change it, but as they shared more of their story and I learned more about painful events from their past, it became clear that God would need to disrupt the status quo to bring the redemption, forgiveness, and joy he wanted for them.

It can be so easy to get ourselves tied in knots when we think about speaking to friends, work colleagues, or family members about Jesus. But a good starting place is to ask God what he is already doing in them. Before we ever spoke to them, and even before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), how has he been preparing their hearts for his redemption? Of course, we can also ask the person what they would like God to do for them, ask the Holy Spirit to give us words when we speak, and then pray for God’s best for them.

Augustine said, ‘Without God, we cannot; without us, God will not.’ While God does most of the heavy lifting in these conversations, and there are wonderful exceptions to this rule when he intervenes to change someone’s life without any Christian ever speaking to them, most of the time he wants us involved. This is a privilege and a joy because we get a front row seat watching him change someone’s life!