I Love to Tell the Story

Until the past few years, I didn’t consider it a privilege to share the gospel of Christ.  It was more a duty than a privilege.  I think I saw it as such because somewhere along the way I had mistakenly learned that my ability to “witness” and “win souls to Christ” was a direct indication of my own spiritual condition.  If I wasn’t willing to put myself into uncomfortable situations where I could proclaim the gospel to strangers, I wasn’t living up to God’s expectations.  If I wasn’t able to close the deal then perhaps I needed to question the validity of my own salvation because I was not “bearing fruit.”

I remember the time before I went on my first short-term mission trip to Guatemala and I found out that I would have to share the gospel one-on-one with people who came to the medical clinics.  I know I’m not alone when I say that the prospect of doing that scared the heck out of me.  How would I know what to say?  What if I said something wrong or someone asked me a question that I couldn’t answer?  What if I totally blew it and nobody accepted Christ?  I was afraid of the responsibility for the souls that came through my station.

Now I love to tell the story and here is what made the difference for me.  I have done it and I have seen God work beyond my spoken words to draw people to himself.  I bear no responsibility to convince anyone to believe in Jesus.  The Spirit of God does the convincing, and he uses the words of believers who share the gospel of Jesus to regenerate the hearts of those who are dead in their sinful state.  That’s exciting!  God allows me to participate in his act of awakening hearts and drawing them to himself.  What a privilege it is to share the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ!

Does the thought of sharing the gospel strike fear in you?  If so, I encourage you to speak up when the opportunity presents itself and trust God to take your words to someone’s heart.  You will be amazed at what God will do through you!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16, ESV)