if you are anything like me, there is a deep-seeded desire to share the good news of jesus setting us free in his substitutionary death on the cross. i want to share the good news that i no longer have to sulk in my misery, i no longer have to "try" to do good things and "earn" God's approval. i don't have to do religious activities to save me, jesus saved me when i surrendered my life to him. no longer is it me in control of what tomorrow brings, but jesus. how freeing. so there is this desire; however, there is a real fear that paralyzes us and prevents us from doing so. this paralysis is not permanent, in fact, it only exists theoretically.
"we are free to choose but we are always a slave to our greatest desire." -jonathan edwards
but if it is only a theoretical paralysis that prevents us from opening our mouth to utter the life saving words to the world around us, why is it
so real? why can't i do it? what am i afraid of?
i have to ask myself these questions any time i go home. sharing the gospel, for me, is hard, and intimidating, and i let the fear of the unknown get the better of me.
you see, jesus has called me to share the gospel with my family who has all the amazing qualities to be warriors for jesus. but my family lacks jesus. they lack the hope of tomorrow, they lack the freedom found in christ, they are slaves to themselves. i was this way, my whole life, and then jesus found me and opened my eyes. i want them so desperately to experience this.
over thanksgiving break i made it my
mission to share. this wan't easy, it wasn't a fun waiting period, it was awkward, and i was terrified in so many ways. i was going to talk about jesus to my family. a mission trip to home. (isn't every where we go a mission field though?) i knew the Lord would use me and he would speak through me, but obediently opening my mouth is another thing.
so i started with
audrey, my sister who surrendered her life to jesus only a few short months ago.
i got to spend an entire day with my
mom at the nail salon and shopping. i got to ask her where her relationship with christ stood. my mom is growing day by day in her relationship with jesus, but i know there is still something holding my mom back.
then i talked to my
grandma (mom's mom) and found out that though she had a relationship with jesus as a child, her passion for him has remained in spiritual infancy. i got to open the bible with my grandma and read her some verses. this was encouraging.
finally, i got to talk to my
grandpa (my dad's dad). i simply asked, after building up fictitious responses and letting fear nearly overcome me in my head,
"grandpa, what do you think about jesus?" his response blew me away,
"well, if he is not the Son of God, then we are all screwed." this lead us into a deeper conversation about my grandpa's childhood and early married life. i was left in tears. without going into detail, my grandpa had been burned, actually marred, by the church. to know my grandpa had been ripped apart and scarred so badly by people who claim to love jesus broke my heart. not once, but twice. with tears welling in my eyes and a lump forming in my throat from trying to keep it together, i apologized for them, and let him know that that is not what following jesus in a relational way looked like.
my mission isn't complete. the bible calls us to make disciples. each person has to respond to jesus. it's still hard for me. it's still awkward. it's still a struggle of my own comfort verses other's eternal destination. it's a struggle of obedience. it's a struggle and i am in no way boasting in sharing, but boasting only in the fact that sharing the gospel with 3 people over christmas break is due to the power of jesus working in me. i need his power in me. i need your prayer that my fear of the lord would over power the fear of the unknown.
"how much do you have to hate someone to believe that having everlasting life is possible and not tell them about it?" -atheist penn jillete
i want to share with you verses that walk through the gospel. one of the ways that gives people a clear response to jesus, not you, is to walk through scripture and let them know what jesus has said. walk through these verses in order. they tell the beautiful story of the everlasting hope we have in jesus.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
-romans 3:23
for the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in chrsit jesus our lord.
-romans 6:23
we are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in christ jesus.
-romans 3:24
and you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. this he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
-colossians 2:13-14
therefore, if anyone is in christ jesus he is a new creation. the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. all this is from God, who through christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. therefore, we are ambassadors for christ, God making his appeal through us. we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
-2 corinthains 5:17-21
in the days of his flesh, jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered, and being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.
-hebrews 5:7-9
now the lord is the spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
-2 corinthains 3:17
for God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. for God did not send his Son in to the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
-john 3:16-18
whoever recieves his testimoney sets his seal to this, that God is true. for he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the spirit without measure. the father loves the son and has given all things into his hand. whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
-john 3:33-36
"...today, if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts."
-hebrews 4:7
"jesus said to him, "i am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. no one comes to the father except through me."
-john 14:6
"and he said to all, would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
-luke 9:23-26
so again, i want to ask you the same question i have to ask myself,
"how much do you have to hate someone to believe that having everlasting life is possible and not tell them about it?"
i'd love to hear about a time you shared the gospel with someone and their response to it. i;d love to hear what id holding you back. i'd love to hear your thoughts on this post. i'd love to hear about how your relationship is going. i'd love to hear your questions about jesus. i would love to just hear what is on your heart after reading this.
