Would you invest with Jesus?

Startup founders share several qualities. They have a vision, a solution to a problem, and a plan to bring it to life. 

Have you ever thought about Jesus as a founder and whether he would be investable or not? Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). His mission is to bring hope and salvation to all people. 

In the article below, we’ll briefly consider Jesus’ mission with this lens, and the ways that his mission is growing today.

A compelling introduction

Jesus entered the stage that is this world and announced: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6). A cynical person may assume Jesus is being hyperbolic. Jesus didn’t allow for this option. C.S. Lewis’ pithy knife through butter helps. Jesus is either telling the truth, lying and should be ignored, or he is a lunatic and should be locked up. Jesus’ introduction helps us realise the grand scale he is working on, and we can assume that the problem is big too.

A problem stated

The scriptures are like Jesus' pitch deck, and he uses them to share the problem with us. They say: “all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and that the result is “death” (Romans 6:23). Sin is pervasive and destructive, and it creates a barrier between people and God. This is the problem beneath every other problem, and in need of an even greater solution.

A solution offered

Turning to his pitch deck once again we read that “the free gift of God is eternal life in me (Jesus)" (Romans 6:23). “God showed his love for all people in that while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us" (Romans 5:8). And now, "If people confess their sins, he is faithful and just to forgive their sins and to cleanse them from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Through His death on the cross and resurrection from death to life, all people are offered forgiveness and eternal life, providing the ultimate solution to the problem of sin and separation from God.

Let’s consider how people in the UK are coming to know Jesus.

At a recent JustSow Sowers Forum, Phil Knox outlined five ways people in the UK are coming to faith:

1. Digital Highway

There is a small confession here. The author has criticised social media and how people seem to be constantly using the internet on their devices. They have been humbled. Research is showing that people who are curious about Jesus are turning to social media to learn about Christianity. People often start their search for faith by turning to Google. Much like the roads of Rome which paved the way for the gospel, the internet speeds up the sharing of God’s good news. Anecdotally, some churches are seeing more people come to Jesus through TikTok than through a personal invitation.

2. Relationships

Another lane on the highway of people coming to faith in Jesus, is friendships. The most significant human influence in someone becoming a Christian is a Christian friend, neighbour, colleague, or family member. Relationships exist as a plausibility structure. Interestingly many Christians don’t feel like they have non-Christian friends to invite to church. To address this, Christians are being encouraged and trained to grow their relational muscles. We don’t become friends with people to convert them, but because we are made in the image of a loving and friendly God. We’re made for relationships.

3. Mercy & Gospel Ministry

Something many churches and individual Christians do quite naturally is reach out to those in their community who are in need. These mercy ministries play a crucial role in non-Christians coming to faith. The church is doing an amazing job of blessing communities all over the world. The most fruitful, in gospel terms, is where there's a strong connection between doing good and connecting the doing to giving people an opportunity to a step towards following Jesus.

4. The Bible

You may have put Bible reading higher up the list, but here it is. The Bible is a powerful tool in people's journeys to faith. When asked how they came to follow Jesus, many people cite reading the Bible as a key factor. After Google, the Bible is where many non-Christians turn to find answers about Christianity. It's a powerful way for people to come to faith.

If you’re not already encouraged, we are going to look at one more way that people in the UK are coming to faith. 

5. The founder is still at work

When Jesus created a sense of urgency by saying that the harvest is ripe but there aren’t enough workers, did we think he would stop working the field himself? Jesus remains the best evangelist the world has. There have been and continue to be many stories from people who have had dreams, visions, and experiences that are drawing them to Jesus. God is doing the work, and we’re invited to join Him.

If you are considering where to give your missional time, energy and resource, these insights about the current missiological landscape in the UK might help you to discern what Jesus is doing, and support Gospel Entrepreneurs who are trying to make the most of those pathways to share the gospel.

How JustSow are investing with Jesus

JustSow enables those with ‘giving portfolios’ to give liberally to enable Gospel Entrepreneurs to turn their evangelistic dreams into reality, so mission can multiply. These risky, enthusiastic and dynamic entrepreneurs are often outworking ideas that more conventional funding routes are unable, or unwilling, to support.

Suitable projects are published online to www.justsow.org and generous Sowers - anonymous donors - select the projects they'd like to fund with a seed gift worth either £1,000 or £10,000. It could be described as Venture Giving which requires risk-taking generosity.

We can probably agree that Jesus is a very investable founder, and with eternal returns, who could hold back?  

References:

[1] JustSow Sower Forum, YouTube video, October 2024, accessed November 13, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVisokCQGZs

[2] Talking Jesus Report 2022, accessed November 13, 2024, .https://talkingjesus.org/research