News from our field
Get involved and share the Gospel with BOTTLED
With the ‘Bottled’ app it’s possible to engage with people on any topic. That includes the Gospel! The idea behind the app is that you and other app users are on an island, and that you can write messages that you post to others ‘in a bottle’.
A number of people from GlobalRize are using this app to evangelize. Read below about contacting Rachel from Malaysia via Bottled.
Matthijs, one of our volunteers, uses this app and got into a conversation with Rachel from Malaysia. She is a Buddhist and interested in angels. Matthijs: “We got into a conversation about angels in the Bible, and what they said about Jesus. Rachel fired a lot of questions at me, about different church movements and about the Bible. She wanted to know if we can connect with angels. After a few weeks of chatting, she suddenly sent a message that she was in a bookstore. She wanted to buy a Bible and asked me for advice on what translation to get. She wants to get to know God!”
How does the app work? Once you have installed the app and registered as a user, you can put your message ‘in a bottle’ and throw it into the ocean – virtually, of course. You can accept bottles from others or throw them back. As soon as someone has accepted your bottle or vice versa, you can start a conversation.
The app allows you to exchange views with people all over the world, on random topics. A wonderful opportunity to tell them Who Jesus is for you!
An opening question could be: “Do you believe in life after death?” Or, “It’s almost Christmas (or Easter, Ascension, Pentecost), what does this mean to you?”
It is very common in many cultures to ask what religion people adhere to, so asking about that can also be a nice starting point. Of course, it is important to show genuine interest in what people have to tell you.
Naturally, starting the conversation in a more neutral way is also possible. If you see that someone is from Indonesia and you’ve been there, you might say something like, “Hey, I see you’re from Indonesia; I visited there x years ago.”
If your conversation partner wants to know more, you can refer them to one of our online courses: Bible Basics, The Life of Jesus and Teach Us To Pray.
People can also register for our daily devotionals.