WOULD GOD WANT ME TO SHARE THE GOSPEL?

by Shawn Brasseaux

A brother in Christ just asked this author such a question. The brother’s classmate of many, many years ago had called him on the phone. Having known her since childhood, he knew she was a devout person. She was still a faithful member in the denomination he had abandoned 50 years earlier when he came to faith in Jesus Christ alone. Was her calling him and reconnecting with him “God’s way of getting him to share the Gospel with her?” This is what the brother desired to know.

It is quite clear from the Bible’s own testimony that God wants us to share His Word with others—especially the Gospel. Second Timothy 4:1-5: “[1] I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; [2] Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. [3] For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. [5] But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”

First Timothy 2:3-7: “[3] For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; [4] Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. [5] For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; [6] Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. [7] Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not; ) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.”

First and foremost, it is God’s will that lost people believe on the Lord Jesus Christ—“Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). This is for salvation unto eternal life, justification (given a right standing before God), the only qualification to enter Heaven. It is also God’s will that those who have eternal life grow in His Word, especially His Word to them. This is the realm of Christian living and maturity. Very few every get saved unto eternal life, and very few (of the already few) ever get saved unto sound Bible doctrine. The first part of God’s will is our getting saved into Heaven and then our getting that Gospel to others. The second part is us learning why we are saved into Heaven.

Rather than wasting time wondering if this or that is God’s opportunity given us to preach to lost people (or saved people), we should see that it isan opportunity. Friend, there are certain people in this world that only you can reach—they will listen to you and you alone. Just get on with what Father God is doing, and dally not with trivial inquiries. We should use our renewed minds to devise exactly how to approach them. What words should be said, when they should be said, how they should be said. Make the Gospel as approachable as possible, as plain as you can. We should labor to make the Bible as simple as we can for them.

In closing, this author is reminded of a man who prayed fervently for a ministry. How he so wanted to preach! One day, a local assembly called him and asked him if he would be their pastor. Then, the dear man began to wonder whether or not God would have him take the position! Certainly, our Lord Jesus Christ would not want us to struggle with such perplexities. Anyone, anywhere, anytime, Almighty God would undoubtedly want us to preach the Gospel. He would certainly have us teach the Bible rightly divided—anyone, anywhere, anytime. Our task, our challenge, is to take verses and figure out how to tailor those Scriptures to make them most impactful to the souls in our audience.

Also see:
» I believed the Gospel, so why do they not believe?
» What are some verses to help me stop focusing on myself?
» How was Jesus Christ crucified among the Galatians?