“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.”—1 Peter 3:15 (NLT)
Last Sunday, my husband and I came home from a much needed get away. On our ride home from the airport I said to him, back to reality; now I have to go see my mom. He nicely said, not “have to” but “get to.” For me not only was it a gentle reminder from God, that this is something He is allowing in my life, but also convicted me of how I sometimes view things.
As followers of Christ, it is a gift He has given us to share our faith with those who may not know Him as well as those searching to fill the void in their life. It is not something that we have to do, it is something that we get to do. There is a big difference when we change our perspective to gratitude for how God can use us right where we are.
Living a life of hope will attract others to you, which will give you an opportunity to share your faith. 1 Peter 3:15 urges us to be prepared for this situation. The NIV version tells us to do this with gentleness and respect.
One of the last things Jesus’s told His disciples was in Mark 16:15; He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. It is a call for EVERY believer to share Christ. We can’t share the Good News if we don’t beyond the walls of the physical church.
Not only is sharing our faith a commandment from Jesus, but is it also a way for us to express our love for God and others. We are called to be minsters of the Gospel. God alone makes us adequate for this role.
As a believer, we take this mission seriously by sharing Jesus with the lost. The end of age will come. We share the Gospel with intensity because we don’t know the day/hour of His judgement. We live as a light for Jesus by speaking about our salvation and the hope we have in Him.
The Gospel becomes a part of who we are; our thinking, action, attitude, and understanding. It is interwoven into us. We cannot just believe the Good News. We are to be it too. God’s people are to be missional. He doesn’t want us to keep Jesus to ourselves.
Until we see Jesus face-to-face, our mission is to share the Gospel before it is too late. As long as we are here on this earth, we will have opportunities to lead others to Jesus. When God opens doors, we are to be bold and courageous in sharing what He has done for us and what He can do for them. Many won’t listen, but we do it anyway. We can boldly proclaim the Jesus as we serve in love. We were saved for a holy calling to share the Gospel with others at a time such as this.
Father God,
Forgive me when I take for granted that sharing the Gospel is something I get to do, not something I have to do. Give me boldness and courage to initiate spiritual conversations with those who don’t’ know You. Give me eyes to see the doors You open for these opportunities Let Christ continually be on my lips. Use me to be the witness You have created me to be. Let Your love flow through me so that others may know You. Help me to plant the seeds to lead others to their salvation. I pray these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
July Verse
“My soul rests quietly only when it looks to God; from him comes my deliverance.”—Psalm 62:1 (ISV)
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