“Good things must share.” When it comes to things we enjoy, it doesn’t take much to get us talking about it. We are quick to talk about a new favourite food stall, or to re-share a funny video that made us laugh. But it does not cost us very much to say such things, so we can quickly share without much difficulty and get on with our lives.
In contrast, evangelism, telling people about the Lord Jesus Christ, can feel extremely difficult. Think of someone you might want to share the gospel with. It will not be long before your mind throws up many reasons that may stumble your way:
“That person has openly said religion is not for them”
“She had very bad spiritual experiences before”
“He says he will definitely be in hell and is fine with that”
We will also be fearful of the cost of rejection. Would you be willing to lose a decade-long friendship, or be given weird looks at the workplace and in school? After all, if we tell someone that Jesus is worth believing and following, yet they decide not to, the relationship might turn awkward and never be quite the same. After all, if someone doesn’t believe what you believe, it hurts!
Thankfully, evangelism is not something we merely do with our own effort, like a task given by a boss at work who gives instructions and then disappears, expecting you to get it done. Jesus said in Matthew 28:
“18 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 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.”
Evangelism is driven and fulfilled by God. Before people can be discipled and baptised, such people have to hear the Word, and they would have heard it from disciples of Jesus. Jesus makes clear that everything done to bring people to his Kingdom is done under his authority. So when you consider the difficulty of sharing the gospel, or count the cost, be encouraged that God is intimately involved, and it is not a task you will be doing alone. You have God, and you have the other disciples in the church to help you.
Let me illustrate with a real-life story that happened here in BA. Two young men met as classmates in university. I’ll call them John and Mark (not their real names). John often gave Mark rides to school in his car, and struck up conversations that way. John learnt that Mark had gone to Sunday school as a child and attended church sporadically in his teens, but had since stopped going to church or even reading the Bible. John asked Mark whether he would be keen to read some Bible tracts, and later they began reading the Bible together. While this was going on, John was praying with people in his church for Mark, so John was not alone in this. Many people were praying for this Mark, a fellow they had never met or even seen before.
It turned out that the Bible reading together did eventually lead Mark to take Jesus seriously. Mark continues to be a disciple of Christ and a member of Bukit Arang today. It was not John’s work though, that made the difference. It was the power of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the countless people praying for them that led to Mark dedicating his life as a follower of Jesus.
As you weigh the difficulty and cost of sharing the gospel of Christ, be encouraged that it is not a task for you to succeed in, nor are you responsible for whether people believe in Jesus. Whether someone responds like Mark did, or whether they are indifferent to the message you bring, know that nothing you do is in vain because it is all done under God’s authority. May we all in Bukit Arang see evangelism not as a task to do on our own, but as shared acts of love for the lost, praying for each other and especially praying for the hearts of many to turn to Jesus.
