Sharing the Hope We Have in Jesus
A battle of the heart.
The heart is a tricky thing. For the Christian especially, the tug of war that happens with our desires is a daily (if not moment by moment) experience. And this battle is not relegated only to certain areas of our lives. We find that, at one time or another, every aspect of our lives comes face to face with our sinful flesh. Whether in our parenting, our marriages, our friendships, or our work, the battle to live righteously is relentless. But among all the areas of our lives that in which we strive to honor the Lord, there is one specific area in that I wonder if many of us are tempted to simply give up and wave the white flag: Evangelism.
From the great commission to the disciples in Matt 28, to the focus and commendation found throughout Acts and the epistles, it is clear that the act of sharing the gospel has always been central to the life of a Christian. But for many of us living in the United States in 2022, the thought of evangelism being central to our lives might feel foreign. We are tempted to think of it as idealism from a time long gone.
I think of the business-person who is consumed by their career. Or the parent who is just trying to keep their head above water with their children. Or those whose main goal in life is slowly becoming a life of comfort and entertainment. Or even the person so involved in church ministry that the thought of reaching the lost outside of visitors on a Sunday morning may never even cross their minds. Maybe, if you’re anything like me, there are seasons of life where any one of those descriptions might be true of you.
A beautiful calling.
And yet, we read something very sobering in Romans 10:14-17:
“14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
Paul couldn’t be clearer: believing comes by hearing, and hearing requires the proclamation of the good news of salvation in Christ alone. God has chosen us, His people, to be a means by which He calls His sheep to Himself. He has put the good news on our lips to tell the world about Him. About forgiveness and salvation from the penalty of our sins. About the hope of eternal life found only in Jesus Christ. He has chosen us to be lights shining in the dark. To be messengers of the only One who can heal the wounds of the soul.
But we know this doesn’t come without its hurdles. Fear of man grips all of us at times. Laziness, comfort, and materialism relentlessly whisper their tempting lies into our ears. We have no shortage of distractions in our lives as we strive to keep our eyes focused on our Savior and the need this world around us has for Him.
Gospel Primer.
With this being the case, I’ve put together a short list of reminders from Scripture to help us all grow in our evangelistic efforts:
Proclaiming the gospel is something for which we should be prayerfully relying on God’s wisdom (Colossians 4:2-4).
Remember, it’s a beautiful calling (Romans 10:15).
The One you are proclaiming is the only hope of salvation (John 14:6).
Jesus hand-picked the church for this mission (Matthew 28:18-20).
We have been made a people whose purpose is to proclaim Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:28; 1 Peter 2:9-10).
Every treasure on earth will pass away, but there is eternal treasure for which we should be living (Matthew 6:19-21).
Suffering and adversity should not stand in the way of our call to evangelize (Acts 6:40-42).
I hope this spurs you on to share the hope you have in Jesus, the Savior of the world!
In Christ,
Joey.