Do any other Believers struggle with how to share the Gospel (witness) to people? Well, in the words of Thomas Clarkson in Amazing Grace, “...this one bloody does!” Many times I have felt that I’m not doing nearly enough to win the lost to Christ. Being a huge fan of Grace Gems with its endless storehouse of Orthodox Christianity can lead one to wonderful optimism and unsettling conviction. The latter especially as it pertains to this issue.
Reading some of the authors describing their personal anguish at the realization that souls are going to Hell, can easily lead to a body feeling pretty callous if you don’t find yourself in the same perpetual state of gloom. How do those individuals have any joy in their life. Since people are going to Hell every minute of every day, how could they possibly ever smile, let alone enjoy a round of golf!
I certainly am not comfortable knowing untold numbers of people are going to spend eternity separated from God in unfathomable anguish (especially loved ones), but since this is how God has designed His creation, who am I, but just a vessel? First, I need to open myself to the Holy Spirit, get justified, and start the sanctification process. Then I can worry about others. However, does this concern or worry for others destroy my joy at the wonderful gift I have received? Of course not. The Bible balances the appreciation of Blessings with the sober mind of a mourner. We are not to be non-stop “partiers” nor purveyors of perpetual gloom.
The Bible tells in many instances to rejoice and be glad in this present fallen world, even though we are only passing through on our way to Heaven. That’s not going to happen for me if I’m in a constant state of depression over lost souls. So I have to find the Biblical approach to juxtapose the reality of Hell with blessings from Heaven. Joshua 24:15 helps me achieve that balance.
If my house has (and we have), accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and are now new creations, then that is all the joy I need; and nothing can diminish it. Not a bad day at the office, speeding ticket, cancer diagnosis, or that others are rejecting Christ and perishing. Now these and many other things can affect my mood temporarily, but not my joy. It’s a willful state of mind, not subject to the whims of emotion. Yes, all of the aforementioned can be upsetting (certainly not all equally), but we are called to be Victors and Overcomers despite these realities.
These realizations have freed me to witness; not hindered me. Both in approach and objective. I don’t have to concern myself with the ultimate outcome of my “preparing the fields”, nor criticize myself for my method for doing so. I believe it was Spurgeon who responded to criticism of his evangelistic approach by saying something akin to “...I like my way of witnessing better than your way of not witnessing”. So I’ve adopted that attitude as it has helped me to be comfortable in my own skin and leave others to be comfortable in theirs. I have shared my faith, and will continue to do so when the opportunity arises. I’ve run the gamut to handing tracts to strangers to answering questions and objections from friends and family. There is a huge gap between being a street preacher with a megaphone outside a homosexual dance club and being an “undercover brother” not saying anything to anybody. As long as we’re preparing the fields, it shouldn’t matter whether we’re using your hand a la Johnny Appleseed, or using a John Deere mechanized approach.
The Bible tells us we are members of the same body with varied functions; none being unimportant. I can really see this demonstrated with evangelism. It can be easy to feel insignificant if you’re not addressing hundreds or thousands at a gathering. But maybe the one person you share Christ with didn’t or wouldn’t attend an event like that. Maybe God wanted to use you for that particular purpose and that one person is the only one truly converted out of thousands that heard. As we know, God is not about the numbers. True Jesus Followers have always been in the minority in this realm ruled by Satan. Not until we are in Heaven will we be in the majority; 100%. I’m looking forward to that.
For those not in that majority; it’s a very sad thing indeed. But remembering the saying: “If saved, all the glory to God; if lost, all the blame on you”, helps put things in perspective. Anyone ending up in Hell, put themselves there. God didn’t put them there, Satan didn’t put them there (he doesn’t have that much power), they weren’t bamboozled, they didn’t “not get the memo” (creation); they rejected Christ. So they bear the consequences put in place by a God of perfect mercy and perfect justice. Of course, I don’t understand it all, nor frankly, do I like it all; but that is of no consequence.
Wringing your hands and lamenting over lost souls does you (and them) no good. The best you can do is share the Good News whenever the opportunity arises. I don’t feel the best opportunity is in ten second sound bytes or yelling at people on street corners (some are alright with that). I believe if you are led by the Holy Spirit, the situation will allow for interaction, with 1 Peter 3:15 being your guide.
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