In this episode of the Witnessing Christ Podcast, Mike and Molly are joined by Pastor Pete Myers of Manchester Lutheran Church for a conversation about contextualizing the gospel—communicating the unchanging good news of Jesus in ways that people can actually hear and understand.
Through his ministry in Manchester, England, Pete began having conversations with people experiencing homelessness, addiction, poverty, and shame. As he listened, he discovered that simply saying, “God loves you” didn’t always communicate what he intended. Many people assumed their circumstances were evidence that God was angry or frustrated with them.
That led Pete to a simple way of expressing the gospel: “God is in a good mood with you, and you see that when you look at Jesus.”
The conversation explores what Christians can learn from that approach when witnessing to Latter-day Saints. Rather than beginning with assumptions about what another person believes, Christians can listen, ask questions, identify where someone is placing their trust, and then bring the objective good news of Christ directly into that person’s situation.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- What it means to contextualize the gospel without changing its message.
- Why listening is one of the most important skills in witnessing.
- How to approach someone as a human being rather than an evangelism project.
- Why Christians shouldn’t assume they already know what another person believes.
- How law and gospel help us understand what someone needs to hear.
- Why theological debates can sometimes distract us from actually sharing Jesus.
- How to respond when someone comes into a conversation with prepared arguments.
- Why you don’t need to have every theological answer before witnessing.
- How failure and awkward conversations can actually help us grow as witnesses.
- Why Christians themselves continually need to hear forgiveness and the gospel.
- How Christian community can encourage and strengthen us in our witness.
- Why the best preparation for witnessing isn’t mastering every argument—it’s returning to Jesus and what He has already done.
Throughout the conversation, Pete reminds Christians that the power of witnessing does not depend on our ability to craft the perfect argument. We are weak people carrying an incredibly powerful message. That gives us the freedom to say, “I don’t know,” to ask genuine questions, to listen, and even to make mistakes.
For Christians witnessing to Latter-day Saints, that means we don’t have to enter every conversation determined to correct every false belief. Instead, we can begin by listening. Ask questions such as, “How does God feel about you?” or “Why do you believe God will reward you?” Then listen carefully enough to understand where that person is placing their confidence.
And when the opportunity comes, give them what the world cannot give them: the gospel.
Jesus has already acted for sinners. Our forgiveness doesn’t rest on how well we witness, how much theology we know, or how effectively we defend our beliefs. Christ died for us, and our sins have been dealt with completely in Him.
That same gospel gives Christians the freedom and confidence to witness. We don’t go because we’ve finally become qualified enough. We go because we have peace with God through Jesus.
Jesus is Lord. Not our strategies. Not our arguments. Not social media algorithms. Not our ability to say everything perfectly. Jesus is Lord—and He continues to work through His Word.
Music used in this episode under license. License code: BSIPX0EWJ87RCGZL
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