How wonderful it would be if all Christians were as
eager to share the good news of Jesus Christ. The message would soon get
around! A long time ago I
heard someone term this as “Gossiping the Gospel”. The phrase is a good
description and has stuck in my mind ever since.
This well known Old Testament scripture is
thought-provoking; why are we as Christians reluctant to share the good news of
the Gospel? As believers who love Christ we should be spreading the word!
Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is
a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves” 2nd Kings 7: 1
As Christians, we should be extremely grateful for
the cross of Calvary;
for we know it was there that Jesus paid the ultimate price for us. His
redemptive act of taking our sin upon Himself saves us from a lost eternity
when we decide to make Him Lord of our lives. This truly is a miracle.
When a person truly accepts Jesus they begin to
desire to read the Bible regularly, to pray - and their lives change. Things
which seemed unthinkable previously become possible – such as forgiving people
who have hurt them in the past amongst many other things. The changes inside
soon show outwardly, the evidence of the
fruits of the spirit like love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control are displayed in the new believer’s life become obvious to others.
Recently my wife and I had the great pleasure of
leading a lovely married lady to Christ, followed by her husband a few weeks
later. She was wonderfully saved and I will never forget her smile after we
prayed together, she beamed radiantly.
She is employed in a local hospital and was so
joyful at work the day after receiving Christ that one of her colleagues asked
her “Why are you so happy today, you
look as though you are in love, are you having an affair?!” Her answer
surprised them as she replied, “Yes, I have fallen in love with someone”. “Well
who is it?” Her colleague
asked, intrigued to know more. She responded simply - “His name is Jesus”.
The lady had received no training on how to
effectively communicate the Gospel in a real and relevant way. She just told
the truth. The fantastic news is that she still can’t keep it to herself! We
truly love it when she tells us her stories of “gossiping the gospel” to people
she knows. The point is, that it really should be no different for us. Just
like the lepers in 2nd Kings,
we should not withhold the good news.
As Christians we should keep the faith, but
we shouldn’t keep it to ourselves!
We all need to be active, ready and sharp
witnesses, ready to take the initiative to witness for Christ under the power
of the Holy Spirit.
People with an outgoing personality may feel quite
comfortable talking to people about Jesus. Others of a more reserved
disposition however, could be more likely to come over in a cold sweat at even
the thought of it, nervously worrying whether their listener will think they
are a Jesus freak or a Bible basher.
Key Point: When we step out in faith to
witness, the Holy Spirit will always go with us
Be encouraged – we have a helper in the Holy Spirit
who will help us to witness. When we step out in faith for Him, He always steps
out with us. Scripture says that without faith it is impossible to please God.
He is always there for us and He will bring scriptures back to our memory. He
is brilliant!
“But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said
to you.” John 14: 26
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who
comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who
earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11: 6
In order to witness, we must be willing to take
that step of faith. Make a point of praying, asking the Lord to empower and
strengthen you. Sincerely request that He gives you words in season that will
speak into your listener’s heart. (It is an amazing experience at moments like
that). Believe that as you trust Him, He
will do it. Amazingly He has chosen to entrust the Gospel of salvation to the
likes of you and me. From experience I can say that when we do what we fear,
the fear will start to disappear. It will become easier each time we take the
step.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that
witnessing is just for evangelists. Everyone who loves Jesus has a
responsibility to witness. If we truly love Jesus, part of the outworking of
that is demonstrated by obeying His commands. In the Bible, Jesus was speaking
to the disciples but also to every believer when He said, “Go” and “Compel them
to come in.”
If witnessing is a weak area for you, then pray,
knowing that He will answer if you ask Him to help you. God is pleased when you
believe and trust Him as you step out in faith to serve Him.
Truly was blessed by this post Moray. I love to hear about a new believer telling everyone around her about Jesus Christ. I think the key thing is that we can introduce Christ in any conversation if we are willing to do so and wait upon the Spirit to guide us. We just have to do it! Thank you for faithfully sharing the Good News and telling of the wonderful stories of salvation. It is such encouragement.
ReplyDeleteHi Barbara,
ReplyDeleteYou are right. we can make opportunities to share Jesus. For some it is easy while others find it difficult. My hope is to encourage the latter.
I am always delighted when I hear from you.
Every Blessing
Moray
They say that th best evangelists are those who have newly come to faith becaue it's all so fresh and exciting, AND they have a circle of friends who are not yet believers. Sadly those of us who have been on the journey longer often don't know many if any who don't share our faith.
ReplyDelete