But others were really kind. I was so grateful to the Christians who helped me –they studied the Bible with me, loved me, and discipled me. I’m sure they felt I was very different from them, but they were patient with me.

And that’s how we’re all called to be - people who cross social divides –both in the church and when we share the gospel with non-believers.

Jesus’ words in The Great Commission – “Go and make disciples of all nations…”– push us beyond our social circles, to share Jesus with those who don’t look like us.

If people never reached out across boundaries, then the gospel wouldn't spread, would it? If nobody had done that, I wouldn't have heard about Jesus. For example, even though Paul was a Jew, the backbone of his ministry was to reach the Gentiles.

But even when we know we should reach out, it can be tricky –and even intimidating –to know how to connect with new people.

Make the First Move

Making the first move can be nerve-wracking –but it’s often easier than we think. God can do a lot with a simple invitation or act of hospitality. Even if you’re not confident enough to invite someone over for dinner, perhaps you could invite them for tea.

There was one woman (now a friend of mine) – who I met at my church’s toddler group and invited round for a cup of tea. We ended up chatting and we read through the Bible together.

A few months later she gave her life to Christ, and I asked her: “What did you think when you first met me?”. I was curious, because on the surface we’re really quite different. And she shared that she was struck by my kindness. She had lived on the estate for 12 years, and I was the first person to ever invite her to their home.

So just take that step. You never know how God wants to use you to bless other people. Our modern culture often doesn’t practice hospitality, but that’s what makes it such a powerful witness when we do.

I’ve also realised that even asking someone to do you a favour can bless that person! A lady at our church invited people to help her stuff envelopes for her job, which allowed new friendships to blossom.

So, it’s worth thinking. What could you do to invite people into the things you’re already doing?

Find a Point of Connection

Making the first move is great, but we can still struggle because we fear we won’t have anything in common with that person. But when we stay curious about people, we can often discover at least one thing we have in common.

One day I walked past a mum I often saw at the school gate. I approached her, asking, “How are you?” She replied, “My sister passed away…”

It was one of those moments where I thought, I can’t talk to you about this right now.
So I said, “Why don't you come over for a cup of tea?” I didn’t really know her, but as we were walking to my flat, she opened up about her family. The more she told me –about a family member in prison, among other things –the more I felt that we had very different lives.

But we continued chatting about different things, and she began speaking about the food she loves to cook for her son. It was the same kind of food I like to cook. It was a small moment of connection, but I began to realise there were lots of ways we were really similar.

And before she left, I was able to offer to pray for her –and she accepted. It was a wonderful opportunity, as I don’t think anyone had prayed for her before.

Afterwards, I was just reflecting on how, if I'd seen it all on paper, I might have thought, We’re just so different. But actually, we’re not that different – we just have different experiences.

And this example is shown in scripture. In Acts 17, when Paul goes to Athens and walks around the city, he’s greatly distressed because it’s full of idols. He’s a Pharisee by background, and they’re totally different from him.

But he finds a connection point and says to them, “I see that in every way you are very religious.” And then he shares the gospel.

So even with people who are a million miles from him in many ways, he looks for something they have in common. And I think we can do that with people.

It could be that you’re both mothers, fathers, or you live in the same area, go to the same shops, watch the same Netflix shows. If you stay curious about the other person, you’ll find something to bond over.

Pray

Pray that the Lord would open your eyes to opportunities to connect with the people we meet.

And I pray that God would give us His heart for the ‘stranger’ –that He would remind us of the value of those who are different from us and remind us of the power of diverse community.

In the words of Paul:

‘And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ’ (Ephesians 3:17-18, NIV)

To hear more from Catherine, you can check out Episode 3 of our Everyday Evangelism podcast, where we discuss how to overcome a common struggle when sharing Jesus: "But I tend to hand around people like me".