Each new day is an opportunity in His Kingdom. There are so many confused, lost, and rebellious people in our midst who have not received the greatest gift of all time, Jesus Christ Himself.
When I was brand new in my faith, I wanted to talk to everyone about this wonderful God who showed me this love I never knew. And prayer? I was so excited to talk to my Father in heaven. I had lost so much time not believing He was real.
Do I still have that same level of excitement? I know there are times when the Holy Spirit’s fire in me is blazing, and I am sadly aware of the times when I am too far away to be abiding in His presence. However, as we grow in Christ, we learn how to surrender so that His power and glory manifest in our weak human selves. We know in our brains we are supposed to share the Good News. His faithfulness has proved true in our own lives. Yet, there is SO much more to living with and loving our Jesus. If you tend to think a lot, take a moment to breathe. Remember Holy Spirit dwells within you, release control to Him.
After you have allowed yourself to surrender, here are three questions to ponder with the Lord about this command to share Him with others:
1) Do I live my life differently than an unbeliever? Do others see His light, hear His truth, and know that I know my God? Oswald Chambers states plainly how we ought to be:
“As His disciples, our lives must be a holy example of our message. Even the natural heart of the unsaved will serve if called upon to do so, but it takes a heart broken by conviction of sin, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and crushed into submission to God’s purpose to make a person’s life a holy example of God’s message”
(March 10, My Utmost for His Highest). Remember, messengers of God are not created overnight, BUT we cannot wait for perfection. For if we do, it will be too late to tell someone else about His love and forgiveness.
2) Am I truly open to how God wants to use me to share His Son? Some of us are quick to justify why we are not good candidates to evangelize. Someone else can do it better; I am an introvert; I tithe and work in the food pantry, isn’t that enough? A second related question in this section points us to the person of Jesus: Is Jesus enough reason/purpose/wisdom for me to go tell others about Him? Jesus did the most selfless and amazing thing on that Cross, not just for you, but for all. We must keep seeking Him until we say confidently, Yes, Lord, I will speak Your name without shame or fear. When you are surrendered, He will lead you, for He knows exactly who needs a hug, a Word, or a friend to have coffee with. I have found that meeting people and talking with them is good, but it is not best for the Kingdom. Be alert for opportunities to carry a conversation in a spiritual direction. For instance, someone may have mentioned they went to church when they were young. Remember they said that. You have permission in the name of Jesus to bring it up again and ask a follow-up question. There is no requirement to quote Scripture, but you must be sincere in your right relationship with the Lord. Mario Murillo is an author/evangelist. He puts in bold,
“Be full of faith and vision: The Holy Spirit can reignite the American spirit through everyday people who choose to shake off the rampant pessimism and negative talk and who build great things for the glory of God. ‘Going beyond’ means living outside the mundane”
(p.129 in his book, Do Not Leave Quietly).
3) In Luke 7:18-19 we learn how John’s disciples are quite chatty:
“John’s disciples told him [John] about all these things [Jesus raising a widow’s son to life]. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”
Not only were they excited to share the miracles they witnessed, but the job did not end with excitement. John instructed them to go back, and ask questions.
Here, ask yourself when I do share about Jesus, am I excited/passionate/anticipatory, and am I asking questions? Think of the last blessing you received, the last prayer He answered in your favor, the last ‘only God’ occurrence in your life. Now, pray and ask with whom you shall share this.
As we read on in this Luke passage, Jesus answered the two who came asking:
“At that very time, Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.’”
(Luke 7:21-23)
Jesus never leaves Himself without testimony. We will forever have important, life-giving truths to share about Jesus. His Word provides a tool, not only to equip us for sharing but to speak to those in our midst. More often now, when I am ministering one-on-one, I will ask the other person to read the Scripture. Last evening, I had a zoom call with a broken soul who is struggling in the darkness. Though the reading assignment was in Hosea, the Lord led me to Psalm 23. This person read it aloud, and it provided a springboard for the conversation.
Each and every heart is different. Some may refuse altogether any spiritual conversation, but that does not mean we stop sharing. Rather, it means the opposite.
Take these questions in this blog to your Lord, to His Word. With trust in Him, seek His direction for where, for whom, and for how He wants you to share.
“This is how we know that we live in Him, and He in us; He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them, and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.”
(1 John 4:13-16)