Sharing the Good News

1 Corinthians 2
^1-2You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.

^3-5I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate—I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it—and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.

I LOVE Paul’s message here about sharing the Gospel with other people!!! These few sentences are just packed with power! There are so many people who want to lead others to Christ, but they’re oblivious about how to do it. Their hearts can be in the right place, but their methods are sometimes all jacked up.

First, we must remember, it’s never really going to be US who will lead anyone to salvation. It’s our duty to be fishers of men and to tell the whole world about Him, but we can’t soften a man’s heart. We can’t open a man’s eyes. We can’t reveal truth, break strongholds, or tear down spiritual walls. Only the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit can produce those kinds of results. The only thing we need to do is to decide to allow God to use us, and then, get out of His way. When He leads us to approach someone, we don’t argue with Him, we approach them. When He shows us someone who needs prayer, we don’t get too busy with our own agendas to stop and pray, right then and there, wherever we are. We don’t worry about someone thinking we’re wierd. We just open ourselves up to be used however He sees fit to use us.

A lot of people also try to orchestrate situations and conversations as they force-feed the Bible to unwilling nonbelievers. I’m sorry, but that has just got to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Who wants anything that is forced upon them? Paul tells us that the best approach is to simply share who Jesus is and then share what He did for us on the cross. We don’t have to be all flowery with a bunch of “thou arts” and “woe unto yous.” Just keep it simple. As a matter of fact, one of the best ways for people to see what Jesus is like is for us, as Christians, to act like Him. That’s what will draw people close enough into your confidence to allow you ample access to their hearts to make a difference.

I remember what it was like the first time I was asked to teach my women’s class. I felt JUST like Paul–inadequate and scared to death! I felt like I should have had some kind of lightning flash from the sky commanding me to lead, or at least a piece of paper from some seminary somewhere saying I knew what I was talking about. But that’s not at all what I needed. All I needed was the Truth as evidenced by God’s awesome power working through my own life. What I needed was to know that I know that I know Him. After having that real, personal experience with God, nothing and no one could shut me up about Him. Now, when I speak of my Father, my Savior, the Lover of my Soul, it’s holy talk. My words come from deep within my soul, formed by the very Spirit of God who took up residence in my body when I got saved and invited Him in.

Sometimes, the words that come out of my mouth even amaze me! Ha! I know I’ve been sharing Christ with people before and, in the middle of my conversation, I’ll say something and think, “Wow, that was a good one!” *lol* And that’s not being prideful or boasting, because I know it’s not me. It’s the Holy Spirit using my mouth and my voice to say the words that are perfect for the current situation. It’s Him who opens the doors to other people’s hearts and then permeates their mind with His glorious truth…the truth about Jesus–who He is and what He did.

We don’t have to overthink evangelizing. As a matter of fact, we’re doing it every day; whether it’s for Christ or the devil, we ARE evangelizing something! It’s not a 10-point method. It’s not a script or a technique or a tactic. It’s just being who you are, saved by Grace, loving people, and letting them know they can have the same peace and joy and freedom that they see in you. It’s not being afraid to tell people about the source of all the good things in your life. It’s just giving credit where credit is due. They can take it or leave it; that’s up to them. But, if you ask me what it is that makes me so happy, you’d better be prepared to receive an answer! 🙂