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amorousTopic: Matthew 28:16 - 20
Evangelism. Does the word make you uncomfortable? It makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Sharing our the good news of the gospel is sometimes a thankless job. Yet Jesus calls us to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). Don't we have an obligation to share the message of God's grace and love with others? Paul says "woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16, KJV) It would be rather selfish to keep such amazing truth to ourselves!
Why then is evangelism so uncomfortable? One reason is that we're worried that we'll fail. We know that often people don't accept the gospel. Sometimes people refuse to believe even what's right in front of their face. Read the passage from Matthew again about when Jesus appeared on the mountain to the disciples: "When they saw him [Jesus], they worshiped him - but some of them doubted!" (Matthew 28:17) Did you catch that? Some of the disciples even doubted! When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee, Jesus lamented that we Christians "speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony" (John 3:11). We shouldn't feel that we've failed when people do not accept the gospel, for it is only through God's grace, not our own efforts, that someone may be saved. By sharing our faith and giving someone to think about, we may have helped alter their life course to bring them one step closer to knowing the living God.
A second reason is that we may have negative images of what evangelism is like. Street evangelism (such as handing out tracts or shouting "Repent sinners!") is surely not the only way to share our faith. The internet, for example, gives us an incredible new method to reach people all over the world. Over one billion people worldwide now have access to the Internet, and this is an amazing opportunity to share the gospel all over the world regardless of whether you are shy or outgoing. Your talents and God - given gifts can be used for ministry online. See below for some resources on how you can start leading others to God today, online! Let's use the internet for God's glory!
"Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!" (Psalm 107:2, NLT)
Darren Hewer
