Who was it that first shared Jesus’ gospel message with you? Can you see the connections of others with whom Jesus used to give you greater understanding of Himself and His story?
Because you are called to love God and love others, the natural result should be to share the hope you’ve found with people everywhere.
Yet, so many of Christians are intimidated to do so. We don’t feel knowledgeable enough. We aren’t sure who we should share it with. We’re nervous of people’s reaction to it. So, we freeze up in fear. We grow quiet and wait until we gain more knowledge and confidence in our faith. The problem is, over time we become lax in our comfortable life of going to church, serving in ministries, and being surrounded by other believers. Most times, it’s safe and life-giving.
What are we missing out on by not sharing the gospel with others? How many are lost because we haven’t shown them the way to be found?
I struggled with this for years. My brother is a Spirit-gifted, extroverted, evangelist. You can put him in any room and he’ll be happy to connect with people and find ways to point them to the truth and love of Christ. I on the other hand am more gifted in exhortation. I love to come alongside other believers and help them grow in their faith. Though I wasn’t able to identify the titles of these gifts when I was younger, I could tell the Lord had equipped us in these ways. My brother would get so frustrated that I wasn’t bolder in witnessing to others. I would share and defend my faith to people I knew, but froze when it came to strangers. I loved God but let fear win out when it came to the gospel. However, I would also explain to my brother the importance of discipleship after someone started a relationship with Jesus. Had we learned how to work together better in this, we would have made a really great team.
All Christians have various gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit to equip us to do the things the Lord has called us to do.
“4 Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. 6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; 7 if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8 if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.” – Romans 12:4-8
These are important to note and even more important to learn to work together on. You may be gifted in mercy/compassion while your friend is equipped in serving. God has created you both to work together to love others on His behalf and to help believers grow in their faith. This comes in many forms. It might be helping the homeless with meals and accommodations. It could be helping in the fight of justice against sex-trafficking and abortion. Or, you might love having people in your home for tea or giving them a gift that made you think of them. Other times you can listen and encourage them, pray for them, or teach them what you’ve been learning.
Every gift is equally needed to show the fullness of Christ’s love and nature to the world. But no matter what gifting you’ve received; you still have the united command to:
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” – Matthew 28:19-20
I heard it put recently that if you’re a new Christian, you already have more knowledge and understanding than an unbeliever. If you’ve been a Christian for years, you should have that much more. No matter how smart you think you are or not, you have the power of God within you, equipping you with the words to say. The Lord wants people to have a relationship with Him. He loves them more than anyone in this world. He’s asking you to partner with Him in sharing His great news with the world, to be His physical hands and feet to show those who are broken and hurting the answer to the healing they are desperately desiring.
Did you know that you can find the gospel message hidden within every story of the Bible? You don’t just have to depend on John 3:16, though that is a great place to start. If you’re actively reading your Bible, there’s something you can share with others about the heart of God and the gift Jesus brought for the world. Someone shared the gospel with you at one point. It’s time for you to give the best gift you’ve received to someone else.
As we start this new year together, I’m going to be taking you on a journey with the weekly faith posts, guiding you into a deeper understanding of the relationship you share with the Lord and how it all points back to the hope He’s given us all. I pray these devotionals will help you gain confidence in your Saviour and challenge you to shine His light and share His truth more brightly with those you come in contact with this year. Praise the Lord for a fresh start.
“Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for his mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness!
24 I say, “The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in him.””
Lamentations 3:22-24
