Green Thumbs?

I once hosted a weekly radio program that featured a gardening expert. This man was a long-time television presenter and the author of twenty books on gardening, so there was little he did not know about the subject.

He took questions live, with no opportunity to prepare or research in advance, and provided reliable advice whether being asked about vegetables, potted plants, trees, or decorative bushes. While knowledge certainly helps, you don’t have to be an expert to successfully grow a garden. Anyone with a little space and sufficient time can grow a garden and produce fresh vegetables.

A seed, soil, water, and sunshine are all that even the least experienced gardener needs to have success. Green thumbs are not necessary.

The same is true for evangelism. While we thank God that there are people who have great experience in sharing the Bible and for the experts among us who can answer every question, the fact is that anyone can share their faith.

There is no need to wait until you reach a certain level of proficiency before you point someone to Christ. Jesus was once confronted by a naked, demon-possessed man who for some time had been living among tombs.

Even though the man had been bound with chains and kept under guard, he broke the chains and struck fear into the people nearby.

According to the Bible, “many demons had entered him” (Luke 8:30). When Jesus had cast the demons out of the man, he begged Jesus to be allowed to stay with Him. But Jesus told him to go home and tell people about the great things that God had done for him. And that’s exactly what he did.

Jesus didn’t tell him to read certain books or attend a certain class. He simply instructed him to tell others what Jesus had done for him.

Training is good, but you don’t need to be an expert to share your testimony or to point people to Jesus in some way. Jesus commissioned a man who moments before was demon-possessed. If He could use a man like that, He can definitely use you.