When it comes to telling others about Jesus, we often make it harder than it really is.

What if it wasn’t so complicated after all? And what if one of the most unlikely people in the Bible shows us the way?

If we head to Jesus’ tomb on the day of His resurrection, as we did in Pastor Jon’s sermon recently, we find Mary Magdalene peering into an empty tomb and weeping because not only is she grieving her friend’s death, but now she thinks someone has stolen the body.

(Mary was one of Jesus’ friends, who, we learn from Luke’s gospel, had been healed of seven demons and had followed Jesus.)

As she continues to weep, Jesus appears, and though she doesn’t recognize Him at first, once Jesus says her name, she realizes He is the friend who earlier had been crucified. Jesus tells Mary to go and tell the other followers that he was alive.

And here is where Mary Magdalene shows us what evangelism is all about. Listen to what she tells the others: “I have seen the Lord!” This is the Good News in five words. So concise. So to the point. So profound.

Now, you and I have not seen the Lord visibly, but all of us who follow Jesus have had an encounter with Him. We have seen Him forgive our sins. We have seen Him quicken our hearts to follow Him.

And there’s more. There’s a phrase that “everybody has a story,” and it’s true for Jesus’ followers. You have seen the Lord. I have seen the Lord.

You’ve seen Him in your illness, carrying you through days when you didn’t know if you’d make it. You’ve seen Him in broken relationships that have been healed. You’ve seen Him when you haven’t known the way but somehow you got some peace about a decision. You’ve seen Him when your fellow church members support you in some way. You’ve seen Him when sun rises or the waves crash or the snow falls on an open field.

You’ve seen the Lord.

And that’s what He asks you to tell others. It’s not about proving a doctrinal statement or winning an argument or taking back the culture. It’s about telling others how you’ve seen the Lord.

If you’re following Jesus, the Lord is at work. He is showing Himself to you. When you get the opportunity, tell somebody. You may just show them the Lord. And then they can say with you: “I have seen the Lord.”