Devotional - sharing the Gospel; our sacred duty
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." -Colossians 4:5-6 (NIV)
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about evangelism.
I don’t know about you, but when I look around me, I notice how many people desperately need the peace and comfort of Christ.
It’s a burden that God put on my heart the moment I was saved.
The more I develop my relationship with Jesus, the more I ache for those who have little or no knowledge of who He truly is. And, as a fairly new believer, I don’t have much experience with evangelism. Even though I’m pretty bold about sharing my faith, I’ve learned that the commission to share the Gospel is not an easy one. Over the years, I’ve experimented with various approaches and I’ve come to understand (sometimes the hard way) how nuanced and sacred this duty really is.
Thankfully, that burden isn’t meant for me to bear alone. God equips his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (Eph 4:12).
<< Test First Name >>, I don’t know how long you’ve been a Christian but, have you ever wondered what our faith looks like to an unbeliever who isn’t aware of or doesn't fully understand biblical concepts or principles? As much as I want to share the truth about Jesus, I also know (from being an unbeliever once myself) that many people don’t think faith (or even truth) is important and others simply don’t want to be challenged about their belief systems.
That’s why it’s important to start by finding common ground.
Given the life-altering times we are currently living in, I believe there is an enormous opportunity for the Body Of Christ in this regard. There isn’t a person on earth who can’t relate to this crisis. and by being alert to the needs of our community we can surely make use of this common experience to begin a conversation about faith.
It is not the time to slumber. It is time to be awake!
In this context, ‘slumber’ means inattentiveness; deliberate carelessness or not being intentional about how we approach our daily lives; making decisions that damage our future, or choices that emanate from our own preference. It means living from our history and not from our future of faith; it means being seduced by the things of this world.
For those who have no idea what ‘slumbering’ means or, more importantly, why these things can be harmful to them, I believe, as Christians, we are called to bring attention to them by offering the Godly alternative, through the pattern of our own lives. As Paul says in Romans 13;11-14, these are “urgent” times and “salvation will soon be here” so it’s imperative that we set a good example for what salvation through Christ really means, living “decent lives for all to see”.
So, << Test First Name >>, as you come upon others with whom you want to share the Gospel, you may find that you are not bold enough or perhaps, like me, you struggle to be able to find the right words to land in their heart. When that happens, it’s usually because we have not asked God for these qualities, which brings me to the power of prayer. If we are truly serious about evangelism, we must not forget how important the role of prayer is in producing spiritual awakening (Col 4:2-6) and how evangelism and prayer are inextricably linked. Whether it’s to equip ourselves with the necessary wisdom or for the hearts of others to be made ready for what we hope to share, we must be ready to pray! Pray for open doors, for the ability to speak with an understood message, for the right hearts from which to share and to make use of every opportunity for the advancement of the gospel.(Colossians 4:2-6).
And let’s not forget Faith.
Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and the assurance about what we do not see. So, let’s stand together as we send our faith forward with the confidence that our works and petitions will, indeed bear fruit.
I’ll be recording a podcast episode touching on this topic with my guest (and BTF premium member) Trish Walker. Stay tuned for updates about all Born To Fly podcast episodes on our platform.
With love,
Tracy & Born to Fly team