Today’s post is going to be a bit different. Today it will be about something that has bugged me for a long time. It first caused me pain when I lost an Uncle. We lived hundreds of miles apart, but it was not until his death that I learned of his Christian faith. He was not the only person who surprised me at their passing; he was just the one that caused that first twinge of pain.
When my Dad passed, I knew he was a believer, but it was not until those last weeks that I learned about the depth of his faith. Dad, like most of the men I had grown up around, believed their faith was personal, but looking from the outside, it was also private.
My parents raised me in the Lutheran Church. I joke that my arms are unnaturally long because I was often dragged to and from the church. The dragging home was because I most likely had done something to upset my folks. I do not remember much.
We did not have many discussions about the church as I was growing up, or at least from what I remember. I do remember Vacation Bible School in the summer and Youth Group when I was older. I remember mowing the Church Lawn with an Allison Chalmers Tractor Dad kept running, but that was about it. Once I was in High School, I drifted away.
It seems to me, looking back, that everyone’s faith was as private as who they voted for on election day… that did not get discussed too much either. Now, knowing what I know, I struggle to understand why.
Why Now
I am bringing this today because I have read several Facebook posts lately where the writer says something about faith, but in the next breath, they claim theirs is nobody’s business but their own. When I read that, I am not sure how to react to the post.
Should I be heartbroken because they are lost? Should I be angry because they are selfish, or are they just misguided? I can get caught up in these reasons if I am not careful, and they add no value the best I can tell.
Rather than focus on other’s circumstances, I must put myself back in the mix. Rather than looking at these folks, I need to think about us as Christians, and that includes me. What I do know is that if we are Christians, we should be sharing the Gospel, and if we are not sharing the Gospel, we need to ask ourselves why not.
Why Not
I am not bringing this up to shame anyone. Difficulty sharing the Gospel affects me too, at times, more than I would like to admit. When I look at this issue sharing the Gospel, I must consider how well I am doing. When I begin my self-examination, I cannot help but think of 2Timothy.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
I read that passage, and the first person I apply it too is myself. I find that self-examination is something that naturally happens when I am in the Word and Prayer. The only caution might be too not get so caught up in it that you cannot see anything else. We need to focus outwardly to share the Gospel.
Sharing the Gospel – The Great Commission
The first thing I think of when considering the need to share the Gospel is in Matthew chapter twenty-eight, beginning at the sixteenth verse.
Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV)
The Great Commission
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 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.”
This passage is so powerful. Jesus telling his disciples to share the Gospel around the world and that he will be with them always. At the beginning of Acts, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit in Chapter One again.
Acts 1:4-8 (ESV)
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus makes it clear that our faith is not private. We are meant to share it.
Stepping out in Faith
It is not always easy to share our faith, but we have examples. We have also been given the guidebook to preach from. God’s Word gives us everything we need, and for one, Paul reminds us that he imitates Jesus, and we can imitate his example.
1 Corinthians 4:14-17 (ESV)
14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel. 16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.
1 Corinthians 10:31 – 11:1 (ESV)
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
I know it is hard to share our faith sometimes, but that is what we are asked to do. But the one thing to remember is we are not alone. The Holy Spirit is with us always dwelling within us. Trusting in His guidance is so essential and can be difficult at times, but the more we do it, the more confident we become.
Closing Thoughts
Everything we need is in God’s Word. There are no secret gotchas in it. It is the only source of absolute truth. There are those out there that know the Word but know it only to twist and trip us up. But God gets us through that too, by helping us develop a better understanding of God’s Word with time and the help of the Holy Spirit to aid in our knowledge.
A friend told me that the FBI or the US Treasury to combat counterfeit cash does not study counterfeit money. They consider the real deal so that they know it inside out. That is our best defense against the enemy… remember God’s True Word.
Prayer
Father, thank you for this beautiful day. Thank you for your Word, and thank you for the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Father, please help us to be imitators of Paul, and other Godly men that imitate you, that we may boldly share the Gospel. We know that time is short, and we must be bold in all that we do regarding You. Thank you, Father, and it is in Jesus name I pray, Amen.