It has been said, “There is one thing that believers and nonbelievers have in common: they are both uptight about evangelism.” Maybe that’s why statistics indicate that 95 percent of all Christians have never led another person to Christ. For many followers of Jesus, the Great Commission has instead become the Great Omission.
I want to let you in on what may be a surprise: sharing your faith can be both exciting and, believe it or not, fun! As Psalm 126:6 reminds us, “Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” Next to personally knowing Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord, the greatest joy I know is leading others to Christ and watching them grow spiritually. And you can do that, too. It should be a joyful, happy thing to tell others about your relationship with God and explain how they can have one, too.
I have found that the happiest Christians are the evangelistic ones. And I have also found that the unhappiest Christians are the nitpicky kind. They are so busy arguing theological minutia that they miss out on opportunities. As the old country preacher Vance Havner used to say, “If we are too busy using our sickles on each other, we will miss the harvest!”
Yes, there is a happiness that we are missing out on if we are not sharing our faith. John wrote that his personal joy was made complete by sharing with others the message of Christ (1 John 1:4).
Clearly God could reach people without us, but instead He has chosen to work through us. In fact, He seems to go out of His way to find the most unlikely candidates to accomplish His divine purposes.
Think of Moses, who, when called by God to speak out for Him, essentially said, “I can’t. I have a speech impediment!” When called by God to speak, Jeremiah felt he was too young. Think of those that God used who had challenges and failures in life: Noah got drunk, Abraham was old, Jacob was a liar, and David had an affair.
What’s your excuse?
You might say, “I’m not qualified. I’m not gifted or talented.” Do you want to know a little secret? You are just the person God is looking for. He likes to use people that are not necessarily self-confident. Why? Because when God does something amazing through them, He is the one who gets the glory, as He should.
There have been so many times that I have felt drained and exhausted, both physically and mentally. I have even felt like my spiritual gas tank was close to empty. But then, when I started to share the gospel with someone, or stopped thinking about myself and focused on another’s needs and shared some truth from God’s Word, I was replenished in every way. I started on empty and ended on full. Proverbs 11:25 tells us that “those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”
God has not blessed you with all the messages you have heard in church or have read in books over the years so that you can hoard it all to yourself. Have you seen the TV programs that show the lifestyle of what they call “hoarders”? I’m not talking about people who just keep a few things too long. These are people who have filled their homes, their garages, and every square inch of their space with stuff. It takes days to clear it out.
Sometimes as Christians we can be the same way — hoarding all that God has given to us, and not sharing it with others. So let’s get this idea out of our heads that sharing our faith is something we cannot do and something that is miserable to engage in. Nothing could be further from the truth. Remember this: You are blessed to be a blessing.
This post by Greg Laurie is adapted from Tell Someone: You Can Share the Good News By Greg Laurie, Copyright B&H Publishing Group 2016. Laurie is senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship® in Riverside and Irvine, California, and is hosting the national Harvest America Crusade live from AT&T Stadium on March 6. You can follow him on twitter @greglaurie or on Facebook at facebook.com/harvest.greglaurie.