This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Everyone Outreach! (WATCH HERE)
Loving people opens doors.
Listening to people builds trust.
But finally the only way a person is going to spend an eternity in heaven is connecting them to the Gospel, the good news about Jesus.
Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Perhaps this is the most challenging. Often we comfort ourselves and just say, “I will show them love and that will be my witness.” True, it is a witness. Showing love expresses the heart of Jesus to people and that is attractive. However, witnessing someone’s acts of love is not the way the Bible describes someone coming to faith. Only exposure to the Gospel through the Word of God, spoken, read, or heard does the Holy Spirit work saving faith in the hearts of people.
So eventually, we must be courageous enough to share the message of Jesus. Here’s three reminders as we do.
First, remember the Gospel is GOOD news!
The very definition of the Greek word implies the announcing of good news to someone. It’s like the angels at Jesus’ birth who couldn’t wait to tell the shepherds good news!
Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Certainly our culture likes to skew the message of Christianity as judgmental, limiting, or made up. But remember with certainty, when you share Jesus with someone…it is 100% good news!
Second, if you don’t feel comfortable with a certain conversation, invite the person to where the good news is. Your Gospel-centered, church family is a great asset for your witness opportunities. Inviting someone to come with you to hear the Gospel from someone else is a completely legitimate form of sharing your faith. Philip worked this approach with his brother Nathanael. He didn’t try to answer Nathanael’s questions. He just said, “Come and see.”
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
Third, just share what you know and have experienced about Jesus. Tell your story with Jesus. We can make sharing our faith complicated if we feel like we need to answer every question with a Bible verse or have every point of theology down in our minds before embarking on a conversation. Jesus simply directed his followers to “Be his witnesses.” (Acts 2:9) Being a witness is simply sharing what you have seen and heard. It doesn’t answer every question, it just shares the reality which you have experienced. Personally, this approach makes sharing my faith easier. I often preface what I say (after listening and gaining trust), “I understand what you are sharing, what I’ve found is that…” (and then I go on to share what Jesus has meant to me and make connections to the story the person has shared about their life.)
Fourth, remember that changing hearts is the work of the Holy Spirit. He alone works the change. We get to share the message. He gets to change a person’s heart.
So give it a try. Take a deep breath. Say a quick prayer and lead a person to Jesus!
Apply: Pray for a conversation with someone in which the Holy Spirit makes it easy and obvious how to speak about your faith and lead a person to the good news about Jesus.
Prayer: Lord, give me courage to speak boldly and clearly about the good news you have given to me so that one more person might call on you in faith and be saved. AMEN.