Evangelism
Every Bible-believing Christian has the same duty in life to share the gospel. Speaking the story of God, man, sin, Jesus, and the Spirit’s work to an unbeliever must be a top priority in our lives.
But, why do so many of us (including myself) put the task of “sharing the gospel” on the back-burner? Why isn’t this evangelistic duty on the top of our lists?
Obviously there are many things that play a part in our “struggle” of sharing the gospel, but I want us to go to the heart of the issue. To do this, let’s first look at three reasons why we, as Christians, ought to share the gospel.
First, Jesus tells us to (Matthew 28:18-20). Second, how can anyone believe if they don’t hear the gospel? (Romans 10:14-15) And third, Jesus is the only way anyone can be saved (Acts 4:12).
The Heart of the Issue
So, realizing the fact that sharing the gospel is necessary in our lives, why don’t we do it as much? What’s the heart of the issue?
Unbelief.
You see, if we really believed that all authority is given to Jesus, then we’d obey Him. If we really believed that God chose us to literally “speak” the gospel, then we’d speak it out. And if we really believed that Jesus was the only way to be saved, then we’d definitely want to share salvation with those who are doomed to destruction. Obviously we fail to obey God every day, but the act of sharing the gospel is something we need to be striving to grow in.
Every action we make and every word we speak is a direct result of what we deem is true in that moment. It’s that persistent devil in our lives who can deceive us, causing us to believe something is true, even though we were fully against it moments before. And so often this happens to us without our awareness. Sometimes we even mask our unbelief with other “lesser” sins, like laziness. Or sometimes we mask the unbelief with saying, “I struggle with sharing the gospel.” What does that mean? You’ve just masked your unbelief with “struggle.”
Every sin, not the least being a lack of sharing the gospel, comes from a heart and mind of unbelief.
The core of sin is unbelief.
Take Action
So, how do we battle this? I believe the best way to fight unbelief is with persistent truth.
There are three truths that we need to believe that correspond with the three reasons for sharing the gospel above. If we believe these truths, then we will undoubtedly agree and start to live out Jesus’ command to evangelize.
Firstly, Jesus has all authority. Fight your unbelief with persistently believing in the fact that Jesus is in total control.
Secondly, God has called us to be His disciples to make disciples of the nations. Fight your unbelief with persistently believing in the fact that He’s called and chosen you for that task.
And thirdly, there is no other name on heaven or earth by which man can be saved. Fight your unbelief with persistently believing that Jesus is the only way that anyone can be saved from the tortuous, eternal torment of hell.
So, if you are one of those Christians (like me) that can “struggle” with sharing the gospel, humbly recognize and repent of your unbelief. After that, fight your unbelief with constant truth that Jesus is in control, that God has chosen you, and that Jesus is the only way.
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