“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Acts 2:21 (NIV)
“If you declare with your mouth, ’Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded,” Hebrews 10:35 (NIV)
My young friend, Michelle, has recently headed to Bosnia where she will spend the next year developing friendships with college students. They will spend much of their time in neighborhood cafes, sharing life stories over cups of coffee and munching pastries. Sounds simple, yes? Could you do that?
Michelle is actually serving in an international evangelistic college ministry. Besides making new friendships, she will be praying for opportunities to share her faith in Jesus. She will be alert to pray for new contacts that the Lord brings her way, to bless them, and to introduce Jesus’ work in their lives.
When she met a local pastor, she was touched by the joy he expressed about evangelism. She asked him what it was like being a Christian and sharing about his faith. He happily responded, “Evangelism is just talking about the thing I love most!”
When we add “evangelism” to the picture, many Christians will lift their hands and back away saying things like, “Whoa, that’s a special calling or a spiritual gift that I have not been given.” Hmm…it is true that some people have a calling as evangelists, like Billy Graham. However, that doesn’t excuse the rest of us from Jesus’ final command in Matthew 28 known as The Great Commission. Jesus has equipped us to do our part. He just asks us to partner with Him and let Him lead. We know the message of salvation; we’ve each had an experience with it. Additionally, we’ve learned many things about Jesus, our Savior, and His mission of redemption. Each day, we’ve grown more and more in our relationship with our Heavenly Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We have stories to tell, too!
True freedom provided by Christ confronts the fear of what others think about us, the condemnation that we are not qualified, and the doubt that we could fill these shoes. Remember, it’s the work of the Holy Spirit that softens and convinces hearts of their need for a Savior. It’s our job to reach out as the Holy Spirit leads us to a neighbor, coworker, family member, or receptionist at the gym. Just ask the Lord for eyes to see others through His love and grant you opportunities to share your Jesus stories with them. There’s a cup of coffee just waiting for you to share!
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