What do you do when someone says “You won’t get me inside a church!”?

One of my favourite speakers is the evangelist J.John. He says, “In general, people go to church three times throughout their lifetime. Once to be christened, secondly to be married and finally the third time is for their funeral. The point being that on two of the occasions that they do go, they have to be carried in!”

“And the lord said unto the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.'  Luke 14:23

The scripture above is very clear and there is no doubt that it is also a command. Jesus is once again using the word ‘Go’ as He did in Matthew 16: 15 “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation.”

So what should we do when we follow the command of Jesus but get the reply “You won’t get me inside a church!”? I believe that the answer is to be more creative and more intentional in our approach towards those that don’t know Jesus as Lord. That means being deliberate about a number of things in order to be successful in this very important area.

Most churches offer meetings that are less formal, particularly for specific groups, such as The Business Men’s Fellowship, Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International, and the Women’s and Men’s Aglow organisations. These are really great for taking a two step approach towards giving a person a chance to hear the Gospel. By two steps I mean inviting a person to a less churchy type of function before them visiting church.

I have been involved in this type of evangelism for many years now and know from experience that inviting someone to a breakfast, dinner or lunch is much easier that asking them to come to a church meeting. I have seen many lives changed through them.

In this kind of meeting, the Gospel is usually shared through the life experience of someone’s testimony. It is not like being preached at, plus they will have had an opportunity to chat to other Christians. I often speak at such functions as well as organising them.

Key Point: Being intentional prayed up. planned and rehearsed will increase your effectiveness at inviting people to church

From experience, I believe that there are three important areas to focus on so that when we invite a person to an event, similar to the ones I have mentioned, that the person invited says ‘Yes’. These areas are:

·        Decide who you are going to invite

·        Pray before you invite them

·        Rehearse how you are going to invite them

Being definite: Experience has shown that being intentional and focused on a number of specific people proves to be more fruitful than randomly inviting many to come along. I spent many years in sales and recruitment where we had saying – “If you throw enough mud at the wall some will eventually stick.” It’s true, but we have to remember how many people get put off by this type of approach. In evangelism training, I teach the vital importance of always keeping the door open for another opportunity. It is also absolutely essential to pray and rehearse your approach.

I have worked with people who witness effortlessly on the streets. It is their gifting to be able to stop someone and within a minute or two they are explaining the Gospel followed by a prayer of repentance. It truly is a gift, because it is evident in the results that follow the way they share with others.

With this in mind, make a list of people that you want to invite to an event. Think and pray about it before you actually speak to them.

Praying: One of my mentors in evangelism is one of the most gifted people in this area, a lady called Marilyn Harry. She always states emphatically that prayer and evangelism go hand in hand. She is absolutely right.

A Fervent prayer about the people on your list will make a difference. Ask God to prepare their hearts to break down barriers as well as creating opportunities to give you uninterrupted time to speak to them - this will yield results.  “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5: 16. I believe that scripture and as Paul said in Timothy 2: 4. “God desires that all men should be saved.”Do we need any more encouragement? When you invite a person along to an event, or share Jesus, you are doing what God desires. What a thrill!

Rehearsing: This point is often overlooked. Some people ask nervously, others ask in a way that is jumbled up and hard to understand, some come across as boring, some talk too much and talk the person out of coming along!

This is why it is necessary to practice what you are going to say and importantly how you are going to say it. This comes down to being intentional once again. Practicing with the intention of improving is the mother of learning.

I often practice rehearsing my messages. My pastor of many years would say that it takes at least twelve hours to prepare a message; this includes (d ,) praying and waiting on God, writing out the notes, practicing it and continuing to pray. Very often I preach the message to the wall in my office as if I am preaching to a thousand people. It makes a difference!

If possible, pray just before you invite and during the time you are speaking. I will often walk up to a person praying quietly under my breath. “Lord, help me here, open the door.” I will also be thinking a prayer like this while I am talking. If you don’t do so already, have a go.

Here are some things you could do:

·        Write down a few notes so that you know what you are going to say

·        Practice it on your own

·        Ask a friend to listen to what you are going to say

·        You could even record yourself. You may be surprised at how you sound.

·        Go and do it knowing you are intentionally prayed up and rehearsed!

 

Is planning personal evangelism effective

On a recent missions visit to Russia I had the great pleasure to visit and preach at the evening and morning meetings at the thriving and rapidly expanding New Life Church in Kirov, Russia. During that Sunday God moved powerfully over the congregation where many souls were saved. Glory to God! The memories of my visit, the love and welcome of the people there will stay with me forever.

I spent two days with Pastor Alexander and his wife discussing in depth about his church, evangelism and related subjects. At one point in our talks I asked him, “Why do you believe that your church has grown so quickly?”

I must admit I expected an answer that would bowl me over. However the answer was very simple and to the point. “Oh, we encourage our members to invite their families, friends and work colleagues to church”. I thought to myself, “We do that at out church”. The truth is that many churches do the same as well.

I wanted to discover if there was anything different about the way that they went about doing this so I asked him exactly what the church did. What he told me may come across as radical to some, or could even make you feel under pressure if your church adopted the same programme.

What was undeniable when I was there was seeing the love and passion in the people as a whole to win souls for Christ. The church had what I believed was an evangelistic lifestyle. This stemmed right from the top to the bottom and Pastor Alexander exemplified this.

The question I want to ask you is, “Shouldn’t all of our churches be like that?”

“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him” John 4: 28-30

Key Point: All churches should have an evangelistic lifestyle so that the lost can find Christ. Otherwise how will they find out about Him?

The scripture above really is a true representation of what we should do as believers in Christ. Thinking about it, the lady didn’t need to be told by Jesus to go and bring people to Him. Rather she was so impacted by what He said that she immediately went off to encourage others to meet him.

So then what is the method that this growing church uses? Is it just simply asking and inviting people along to meetings? Yes it is, but the difference is that go about it in a planned and strategic way.

From what I gathered there are four important key elements to their activities. Are the methods really different from your own church’s evangelistic activities?

Encouragement and training: The first area that the leaders in the church concentrate on is to encourage and train people in simple and effective ways to invite people to church meetings. Pastor Alexander made the point that they don’t train people to preach at people because it can put up barriers and make it difficult to go back to the person in the future.

Added to that, my own thoughts about are that the person who invites people will clearly be showing that their life has changed and from that comes an enthusiasm for people to hear the good news.

List writing: The second element involves writing a list of people including, family, friends work colleagues and acquaintances. On completion of this the list is broken down to months with contacts placed in each month.

Some of these months may involve using the church calendar for periods like Easter and Christmas. In addition there are Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day meetings, outreaches, special events, guest speakers, men’s events, ladies’ events, youth, and children’s meetings.  

Praying: This is very important and links in with the prepared list. The people in the church then pray regarding the people being invited each month. This provides a prayerful focus for the people written on the list. Church leaders and house group members join in with the prayers for the lost. In addition to this the church holds all night prayer meetings five nights a week from 11pm to 6am from Mondays to Fridays every week.

Having thought about this, it in all likelihood this section explains the rapid growth of the church.

Strategic and planned invitations: Finally the fourth part of the plan, involves inviting the people whose names were initially listed, placed into months and prayed for. Prayer makes a way for this as the church members use a proven method of asking people to come along to meetings.

Having looked at this, the three elements of encouragement,  training and making a specific plan of invitation backed up by regular prayer, makes the difference. It was really very refreshing to be in a church where there was an overall passion for the lost. Newly saved will quickly recognise that it is a natural thing to invite people to meetings. They will do the same. My old boss used to say, "Moray, like breeds like, so set an example for people to follow. Don't just tell people what to do. Show them and encourage them to do the same". Pastor Alexander has done exactly that. There a plenty of examples and roll models in scripture that can inspire us to step out in faith. Jesus being the best of all.

I personally learned a lot from being there and will never be the same.

Is planning important?

 

On a recent missions visit to Russia I had the great pleasure to visit and preach at the evening and morning meetings at the thriving and rapidly expanding New Life Church in Kirov, Russia. During that Sunday God moved powerfully over the congregation where many souls were saved. Glory to God!

I spent two days with Pastor Alexander and his wife discussing in depth about his church, evangelism and related subjects. At one point in our talks I asked him, “Why do you believe that your church has grown so quickly?”

I must admit I expected an answer that would bowl me over. However the answer was very simple and to the point. “Oh, we encourage our members to invite their families, friends and work colleagues to church”. I thought to myself, “We do that at out church”. The truth is that many churches do the same as well.

I wanted to discover if there was anything different about the way that they went about doing this so I asked him exactly what the church did. What he told me may come across as radical, or could even make you feel under pressure if your church adopted the same programme.

What was undeniable when I was there was seeing the love and passion in the people as a whole to win souls for Christ. The church had what I believed was an evangelistic lifestyle. This stemmed right from the top to the bottom and Pastor Alexander exemplified this.

The question I want to ask you is, “Shouldn’t all of our churches be like that?”

“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him” John 4: 28-30

Key Point: All churches should have an evangelistic lifestyle so that the lost can find Christ. Otherwise how will they find out about Him?

The scripture above really is a true representation of what we should do as believers in Christ. Thinking about it, the lady didn’t need to be told by Jesus to go and bring people to Him. Rather she was so impacted by what He said that she immediately went off to encourage others to meet him.

So then what is the method that this growing church uses? Is it just simply asking and inviting people along to meetings? Yes it is, but the difference is that go about it in a planned and strategic way.

From what I gathered there are four important key elements to their activities. Are the methods really different from your own church’s evangelistic activities?

Encouragement and training: The first area that the leaders in the church concentrate on is to encourage and train people in simple and effective ways to invite people to church meetings. Pastor Alexander made the point that they don’t train people to preach at people because it can put up barriers and make it difficult to go back to the person in the future.

Added to that, the person who invites people will clearly be showing that their life has changed and from that comes an enthusiasm for people to hear the good news.

List writing: The second element involves writing a list of people including, family, friends work colleagues and acquaintances. On completion of this the list is broken down to months with contacts placed in each month.

Some of these months may involve using the church calendar for periods like Easter and Christmas. In addition there are Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day meetings, outreaches, special events, guest speakers, men’s events, ladies’ events, youth, and children’s meetings. 

Praying: This is very important and links in with the prepared list. The people in the church then pray regarding the people being invited each month. This provides a prayerful focus for the people written on the list. Church leaders and house group members join in with the prayers for the lost. In addition to this the church holds all night prayer meetings five nights a week from 11pm to 6am from Mondays to Fridays every week.

Having thought about this, it in all likelihood this section explains the rapid growth of the church.

Strategic and planned invitations: Finally the fourth part of the plan, involves inviting the people whose names were initially listed, placed into months and prayed for. Prayer makes a way for this as the church members use a proven method of asking people to come along to meetings.

Having looked at this, the three elements of encouragement,  training and making a specific plan of invitation backed up by regular prayer, makes the difference. It was refreshing to be in a church where there was an overall passion for the lost.

I personally learned a lot from being there.

What can God do through you?

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself the question “Why would God want to use me?” To be honest with you, I was completely unable to think of any reason in my own case! It never ceases to amaze me What a privilege it is to be used by the Lord to witness, to pray for someone who is sick, with someone in a desperate situation or to lead someone to Christ. What an undeserved honour!

Amazingly, God chooses to accomplish His divine will through men and women like you and me. He does this in many ways and it is an exciting experience when you make yourself available to God to be a vessel for the Master’s use.

Another consideration in regards to this is His timing, which is perfect. There will occasions when He will use you to speak ‘a word in season’ to someone who is in difficulty, or is away from God, or to pray for a person who is sick. God can also prompt you to give, perhaps of your time or even financially to a ministry that is reaching the lost with the Gospel. Whenever you do what God has led you to do, will always of value.

Sometimes the way that He chooses to work through you may be unusual or it can even seem insignificant. I would even go so far as to say that sometimes we may even be unaware of how He is working through us.

“As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, The Lord needs it.” Luke 19: 29-31

Reading the scripture above must mean that the Lord organised for the man with the colt to be in a certain place, at a specific time, with the colt. In fact the timing of this must have been right down to the second. This man was available to be used by God so that the Lord was able to make His entry into Jerusalem. He isn’t mentioned at all by name, but his obedience and availability is remembered by Christians every year on Palm Sunday.

The question for you today is, what does God want to accomplish through you?

One thing is certain - that He has a plan for your life to give you a hope and a future. Also part of that plan will involve you being ready, willing and available for Him to call upon. No, not someone else, but you!

Key Point: It is often used as a cliché, but the saying is true. “It’s not about your ability but rather it is about your availability.”

These blogs are all about how we can win the lost to Christ in an ever-changing world. There are many things that you can get actively involved in that don’t involve preaching on the streets or doing radical evangelism. You may feel called to that type of witnessing, but there are many other ways that you can help that are proven to be effective. Here are just a few:

What can you do?

Pray: You can pray of course - for your own family, friends and for people that you know are in need in your community. If your church has an evangelistic ministry you could pray for them. They need it because they are on the front line. We are in a battle with an enemy that does not want to lose. We have to be intentional in prayer and do battle with the kingdom of darkness.

"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.” Matthew 11: 12

Witness: You can make yourself available to God to witness for Christ. If you ask the Lord to provide you with opportunities to witness, you will soon find yourself bumping into people who are ready to hear the message. As the saying goes, “When you pray coincidences happen. When you don’t pray, they don’t happen.” God will equip you and empower you do it. Step out in faith and say to God, “Here I am send me!” Sending you could mean speaking to neighbour next door. Oh, and the Holy Spirit will go with you. Wow!

Get involved in compassion ministries: This is a fantastic way of reaching people in need.  Acts of kindness break down all kinds of barriers. Feeding and helping the poor, helping the aged, working with the homeless, refugees, working with groups and individuals who have special needs, all open the door for the Gospel. These are ways to show the love of Jesus in your community. 

Give: You can give to evangelistic teams or organisations that “Go” with the message of salvation. That can be in your own country or overseas. As I write this we are in the process of finalising a missions trip to Russia where I will visit four cities sharing my testimony “A Fall From The Top” and much of the cost of this has so far been met by people with a heart to give. In my mind they are just as important as those people who actually preach and lead people to Christ. Without them the vision for mission wouldn’t happen.

What can God do through you?

The moment of realising who Jesus is

As we witness to people about the Gospel, we must remember that it is about the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It does not concern how much money we can get and any other benefits. Yes of course God can do that, but the reason people need salvation is to save them from a lost eternity in a place of torment created for Satan and not about things or benefits they can receive.

The jailer in Acts 17 didn’t fall on His knees in front of Paul and Silas and say,  “What must I do to get God to give me a new donkey?”He asked “Sirs, what must I do to be saved”?

There will be a moment when a person realises in their heart who Jesus is and why He died for them. That pivotal point comes only by revelation from God. When it happens, they will be changed forever.

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” Matthew16:16-17

At our local fellowship every month, we have a visit from David, a exceptionally gifted Bible teacher who is able to expound the word of God in such a way that I am always left stunned as he shares from the scriptures. It is a joy to witness one of the five fold ascension gifts of teaching in operation on a regular basis, as well as being able to become more rooted and established in the word of God.

In our session yesterday evening he explained that unless a person receives revelation by the Spirit of God they do not appreciate who Jesus really is.

As I sat there listening, I pondered on his words, that people can know about Jesus, read about Him and even sing about Him, all of which is good – but it is only when a person receives revelation by the Holy Spirit that they are able to move into a real relationship with Him and become a sinner saved by God’s grace.

I have written, taught and preached about this many times over the years, very often using the example above of Peter when the disciples were asked by Jesus, “Who do you say that I am”?

Another example of this was shared in our session when the example of the Centurion at the Cross when Jesus was crucified.

“The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” Luke 23: 47

Reading that scripture must mean that as the centurion watched the events unfold, he must have realised at some point that there was more than just an ordinary man hanging on the cross. When we receive revelation from God it becomes a life changing event.

In my own case from the very moment I realised who Jesus was and most importantly what He had done for me, I asked Him into my heart, made Him Lord of my life and started to tell people about Him much to the embarrassment of my then un-saved wife. Nothing has changed since that time. I still have a passion and a desire to see people come to know Him in the way that I do now.

As we share the message through our testimonies (which must be Jesus- centered) or, by sharing scripture we need to remember that it the Holy Spirit who convicts hearts of sin, opens spiritually blind eyes and breaks down the barriers in peoples hearts.

Key Point: The Holy Spirit convicts hearts and reveals who Jesus really is.

He is able to penetrate the toughest of hearts and the most stubborn minds. He can change the lives of people who are far from God. This happens when the heart and mind of a person truly understands who Jesus really is. As an evangelist I have seen it happen many times and I never tire of it. I love it, and of course it the reason that I want people to know Him.

Therefore, as we witness for Jesus we must intentionally rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us. There are a few essential points that we need to remember:

We need to be prayed up before we witness: This is essential. We must ask God to provide us with opportunities to share and then take them when they arise. Also we must be ready to make opportunities for the Gospel.

Pray as you witness: We need to be quietly praying in our hearts and minds as we share. I often speak to the Holy Spirit in my mind in situations like this. Saying things like “Lord, give me the right words to say” or “Speak through me Lord”. If you are witnessing for Christ the Holy Spirit is right there with you.

Continue to pray for anyone that you have spoken to: Ask God to continue to speak to the person. He can do that in many ways. Sometimes it can take some time for the seed of the word to germinate in a person heart.

It is God who gives the increase, not us. We are vessels that He works through to accomplish His will. Wow!! That is just fantastic! The God of all creation working through you to save people from a lost eternity. Yes, and He wants to work through you and me!

What about the “S” word? Do I have to talk about sin when I witness?

 

If you share the gospel on a regular basis, inevitably the subject of sin should come up in your conversations. That is because Jesus died and took our sin upon himself at Calvary to make a way so that we can spend eternity with Him. It is a subject that we shouldn’t gloss over - and must be covered at some point.

How then do we talk about this vitally important subject in a way that is relevant, understandable and above all means that when you see a person that you have witnessed to before, they don’t want to avoid you like the plague?!

There are ways of explaining the truth that will not offend people which importantly don’t involve watering down the message to get the point across. I teach adults how to communicate effectively with people in a number of ways. Many I have learned from others more experienced than myself, but others by experience – including from making mistakes. These techniques work if you use them, when you include scripture, because that is what convicts hearts.

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”(.) Romans 3:23

“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57

The simple fact is that we all need forgiveness. There is no way of getting around it, because we need to repent and turn away from our sin and thank Jesus, who died in our place, for the grace He shows us.

Over the years I have helped people to witness; it appears that the subject of sin is one area that people particularly struggle with. This can be because of fear of rejection or causing offence. As a result people dance around the subject, often failing to explain adequately that we all have sin in our lives. The undeniable fact is that people are lost without Jesus. They are heading to a place created for Satan and the fallen angels that follow Him. It’s a truth that cannot be swept under the carpet.

Here are some points we must remember:

Forgiveness revolves around love: When we talk about sin, we must communicate the fact that Jesus died for our sins because God loved us so much. Yes - forgiveness of sin is all about LOVE.

“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

We must always include ourselves as sinners: We are sinners saved by grace. Praise Him! I always explain that I asked for forgiveness of my sin when I realised the truth. I would then go on to ask questions like “have you ever done things that you know were wrong, like lying, coveting, stealing, hating?” When the person admits the truth I always remark, “That means you are just like me.” I then go on to explain about why we need forgiveness, using myself as an example. Rather than the very direct approach of “You are a sinner”, “You are going to Hell”, “You are condemned”.

If someone has not received Jesus as Lord and asked for forgiveness, then those statements are true.  When you say something like “that makes you like me”, “I realised that I needed forgiveness”, “I realised that because of the things I had done in my life I was headed for a lost eternity”, they will realise that they are in the very same situation. You are telling them the truth using your life as an example.

Key Point: Use yourself as an example, explaining why you needed forgiveness - this will get people to think about their own sin.

Be honest with your answers to questions: If the conversation is going the right way, it is very likely that you will be asked questions like “Are you saying that I am sinner? I have done nothing that bad!”

You could be direct and confrontational and say “Yes”, but doing that (it) can sound very condemnatory. So I explain this way: “That is a question that is often asked. I will answer it honestly and explain why”, then I pause for a second or two, because at that point I have their full attention.

I continue with , “I can only answer your question based on the truth that I now know from scripture. One short passage in Romans 3:23 says that “we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God - that means everyone and it is a fact that can’t be denied”.

I keep talking here and start using the word “You”. Communicators will confirm that the word “You” is one of the most powerful words in verbal and written communication today. Looking directly in the eyes of my listener, I say, “But I have got some really fantastic news for you. God made a way so that all of the wrong things we have ever done in our lives can be washed away. He did that by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for us” I then continue with “He did that because ……………….”

The technique of using yourself as an example is very effective and will get the message across. The requirement is that you of course get talking to people about Jesus.

There will always be times that you will have to be direct and give straight answers to get through to a person heart. The key in both areas is being able to rely on the Holy Spirit. He is the one who will guide you if you are willing to listen to His promptings.

God has given you a vital ministry. What are you doing with it?

I have been thinking about the light bulb moment when a person having heard the Gospel message and decides to put their faith in Jesus Christ. What is at that actually happens at that moment in the persons mind and much more importantly, what is that happens in the person’s heart?

Firstly we have to remember that God has chosen to use us to share the gospel with those people who don’t know Him. He wants us to tell people about the relationship that he longs to restore with them, because He gave us the ministry of reconciliation. In simple terms witnessing for Christ is our responsibility. We must obey the command that Jesus gave us to go and tell people about Him.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." Romans 1:16-17

The Gospel has a power like nothing else. The message of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a life changer. As an evangelist I have seen the power of the Gospel at work on a one to one basis, in large groups and while sharing on the streets or speaking at dinners. Something incredible happens when the Gospel is shared and I never tire of seeing its impact on the lives of people.

The point to notice is that the Gospel becomes a life changer when a person decides to believe. It is clear from the scripture that “It is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”. We know that some people can hear it but still decide and choose not to believe it.

What happens before that decision making moment, when a person hears scripture, a message or a testimony of salvation in Christ? What is it that opens a person’s heart, so that they decide that they want to obey the Gospel, repent of sins committed and put their faith in Jesus Christ?

Making a decision for Christ always involves the work of the Holy Spirit and His work is essential to conversion. He convicts hearts of sin through the Word of God and proclamation of the Gospel. In every instance of conversion in the New Testament, the Spirit and the Word are never separated. The word of God was spoken to every person who was converted to Christ.

We can and should pray for friends, family and others to have a revelation of who God is and how He sent His only Son to die for them. Sometimes amazing things happen when we do this, as God moves upon a person’s heart. But the onus is really on us to talk to people about Jesus, communicating and engaging them with the word of truth.

I hardly ever quote from the Message version f the Bible, however its interpretation of the scripture regarding the ministry or reconciliation that has been given us by God, is very clear.

“God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now.” 2 Corinthians 5: 20-21 Message Bible.

This made me ponder, “What am I doing with the task that God has given to me”? It is also a question that I must ask you. What are you doing in your role as an ambassador for Christ? Very likely you would agree that many of us could do more, step out of our comfort zones more often and take risks in sharing Jesus. Many of us need constant reminding to do this. When we do, the Holy Spirit goes right along with us. Incredibly He works through us.

The scripture speaks of God making His appeal for reconciliation through us. He has given both you and me that ministry and it is fact that we should not ignore.

Key Point: God had entrusted each of us with the ministry of reconciliation. 

We should let Jesus light shine through our lives and actions. This is vital because when the opportunity comes along to witness, we have credibility. In fact, we cannot make Gods appeal without actually saying something. At some point we have got to talk to people and tell them what Jesus did for us, through sharing our testimony, or sharing the Gospel in some way. 

This message is not intended to make people feel guilty, but rather its a reminder of what God says He wants us to do. Looking at scripture we will find clear commands from Jesus to tell people about Him. He always spoke with encouragement, pointing out our relationship with Him saying, “Do it because you love Me”.

When we share the Gospel the Holy Spirit is always there working through us and He has the power to open the hardest of hearts. We just have to believe this as we share it. Gods Word is alive and working! We are living proof of the fact. The Holy Spirit opened your heart, and mine at some point. Yes, our own light bulb moments.

Scripture that spoke about Jesus opened my heart. As you share, scripture will have the same impact on others. Make a concrete decision to believe God, believe the scriptures and share the message - then watch the power of the Gospel do its work.  

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” Hebrews 4: 12

Pray asking God in prayer to use you. If you mean it, He will do it.

Oh, and what was the scripture that opened my heart?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. John 3: 16