Do We Have to Share the Gospel through Speaking?
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I had a relative I adored. She was the sweetest person I’d met to that point in my life. I had not yet surrendered to the Lord, but I had a feeling she was religious. Not until her funeral did I discover she was a Christian. She spoke not one word about Jesus or the Gospel to me and, years later, after my conversion, I felt a pang of disappointment. Why didn’t she say anything? Her good works led me nowhere except to respect her.
In Galatians 3:5, Paul is arguing against salvation by works of the Law. He says, “Does He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—?”
James 2 speaks much of works accompanying faith. Repentance and faith always come first. Then come the works prepared for us by Christ (Ephesians 2:10).
We’ve seen it’s not enough to just perform good works. This is evidenced in a very popular saying, which is “Love them until they ask you why.” What if a person never asks why?
The apostle Paul once again gives us our mandate to share the Gospel in 1 Cor 9:16-18. “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.”
The majority of us are able to speak. All we need do is open our mouths.
What if they reject me? (It’s not you they reject but Christ).
What if I stumble? (It’s okay to say, “I don’t know, but let me get an answer for you.”)
I don’t feel prepared. (Not to sound harsh, but get prepared. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:15 always to be prepared to share the hope we have. Read, study, and meditate on the Word. There are scads of books on evangelism and plenty of them are free through library apps and ministry downloads.)
I’m afraid (Why on earth should we be afraid of men? They may present a wall, but our only fear should be one of reverence for the Lord, Matthew 10:28; 2 Corinthians 10:5).
Sharing the entire Gospel is the most loving thing we can do. Author Randy Alcorn said, “The world is the closest to Heaven unbelievers will ever know and the closest to Hell God's children will ever know.”
Hang out with people and get to know them. Conversations come easiest with those we know.
The majority of us can also hear. Jesus said, “He who has ears…” five times in the Gospels and in Revelation, He said, “Let him hear” eight times.
We can also share the Gospel through the written word—the Bible and books by men who have been called to share the Gospel through that medium. And lest I forget, the faithful writers who share through Bible Study Tools spend hours in study and research in order to proclaim the Gospel by handling God’s Word rightly. The writers of evangelical books share the Gospel through the written word, too. And this writer came to faith through a series of fictional books.
What if: Jesus came to earth and said nothing about the kingdom or about His purpose during the whole course of His life?
A conversation many of us would like to have been part of took place in Luke 24:13-35. Two of Jesus’ disciples walked along the road to Emmaus, ignorant of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus, as yet unknown to them, came and walked with them and listened to them bemoan the things that had just happened. He asked them what happened and they filled Him in concerning Jesus’ death and their hope He was “the one to redeem Israel.” They shared the report of the empty tomb and Jesus rebuked them for being so foolish. And in an act of astounding grace, Jesus spoke. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
Can you imagine if He had said nothing?
May it break our hearts to think we may have said something and instead said nothing about the Gospel to our beloved ones before they died. Let’s proclaim the Gospel with joy.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/millann
