Matthew 28:18-20 – “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
As Christians, many of us are aware of the command given to us to proclaim the gospel to all the nations.
However, for several reasons we are hesitant to make a practice of this explicit commandment on a consistent basis (me included).
How often do we go to work with the intention to speak to someone about Christ?
On the school bus?
In our neighbourhood?
For me personally, I often only got involved during church congregational evangelism events rather than making a daily practice of it.
To put it plainly, evangelism can be a scary thing for various reasons. You have absolutely no idea the type of response you will receive upon sharing the Gospel.
Will they ignore you?
Will they laugh at you?
Will they stare at you so intensely that they almost convince you of being crazy?
Or..will they listen and believe?
The above responses (and countless others) are all a possibility.
Here is the good news.
Regardless of how awkward or terrifying an experience may be when we share God’s word, the following promises are always true:
- All authority in heaven & earth has been given to Jesus
We are not the ones in control as we tread the deep unknown waters of evangelism
Jesus is.
He quite literally has all the power.
He is the one who ultimately transforms a heart. We are simply His mouth piece.
One of greatest mistakes in evangelism is believing that we are the ones in control of conversion.
No amount of human effort or intiuition can compare to even a fraction of God’s power.
I say his is not to discourage us in preparation, but to remind us ultimately of Who holds the power. Trust in the power of the one who saved you, not your lofty speech.
- Christ is with you always
Jesus does not just simply show up during the good fruitful portions of our evangelisms when souls are being transformed.
But even in the darkest moments, when you are witnessing to people, who in turn are mocking you for your faith in the Gospel… Christ is with you.
When coworkers, neighbours or friends look at you like you’re crazy….Christ is with you.
When it feels like that one person you’ve been witnessing to and praying for years has not changed one bit…Christ is with you.
Jesus did not assure us that we would be successful in converting the hearts of all the people we spoke to.
He assured us that He would be with us…His presence is always with us.
Let’s wrestle with this truth until our hearts grasp this reality.
The greatest privilege of spreading the Gospel is the assurance of His presence.
Soli Deo Gloria 