a walk around the block
“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. ”
Greetings brothers and sisters in the name of Jesus Christ!
Faithful laborers for the Gospel of Jesus Christ are few and far between in America today. The modern-day church has become both lukewarm and apathetic regarding its witness for the Lord. Many “Christians” in America are too cowardly to take a stand in the face of evil and proclaim the Gospel to the lost. In our everyday businesses, we are surrounded by people. They are souls who have been appointed a particular day to die and stand before the Lord in judgment (Hebrews 9:27). The question is:
What are we doing as believers to reach them with the Good News that their sins can be forgiven?
I believe there are many genuine Christians out there who truly desire to be a witness for Jesus Christ. But, they struggle to take the first step in going out and evangelizing. The desire is there, but they find themselves stunned to inaction, perhaps due to intimidation. Some might compare themselves to other Christians who are far more experienced in preaching the Gospel. They compare their boldness to that in stronger believers and find their own to be lacking. Perhaps you have seen a video on Facebook of a street preacher answering multiple hecklers simultaneously. The preacher silences their jeers and mockery with incredible ease using Scripture he had memorized and basic apologetics that he knew. Maybe you have seen someone who is very good at witnessing to people one-on-one. You watched as they answered questions hard questions with a simple biblical answer. It is easy for us to compare ourselves to other Christians and then feel as though we could never measure up and be as “effective” for the Gospel. We then wrongly conclude that there is no point to go out and share the Gospel, for we cannot articulate our faith as well as others.
The Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 1:10:
“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”
We need to understand as believers that we exist to please God, not man. Our lives belong to Jesus Christ to be used of Him as He sees fit. We are no longer slaves to sin; our bodies are now instruments of righteousness to be used for God in His service (Romans 6:13). The Great Commission that Jesus commanded to His disciples applies to all believers (Matthew 28:18-20). This command does not apply exclusively to individuals gifted in the areas of evangelism and preaching. It is not our place to determine whether or not we can be used of the Lord effectively. If you have been saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, then you have been called by God as an ambassador of Christ (II Corinthians 5:20). If you are an ambassador for Christ and He told you to go out and teach others about Him, then you have a pretty simple task ahead of you. Stop comparing yourself to other Christians who have their own struggles, and get busy spreading the good news before your time is up!
Sharing your faith does not have to be complicated. My wife and I enjoy taking our son for walks around downtown Hickory and Newton from time to time. Along these walks, we like to offer Gospel tracts to the people we meet. Sometimes our interactions turn into conversations with those who are curious. Other times, people are in a hurry and they simply take the tract and say “thank you.” And of course, there are the instances where people reject what you have to offer and scoff at you for even bothering to talk with them. Regardless of the reaction we get out of people, we know it is our responsibility to be faithful to the Lord.
Walk around the block and hand out Gospel tracts. It is not as intimidating as you think!
Park benches are a great place to leave tracts. Whoever may sit down may be bored or curious and therefore pick up the little booklet to see what is has to say.
Business card-sized tracts are easily slipped into car windows. If you see several cars parked together on the street or in a parking lot, stick a tract into the driver’s side windows. Just make sure nobody is in the vehicle before you start messing around their car :)
Last week, we had the opportunity to hike a small section of the Appalachian Trail, from Indian Grave Gap to Iron Mountain Gap along the North Carolina/Tennessee border. This is one of the more remote areas with one of the more remote AT shelters. Appalachian Trail shelters typically house very tired hikers who have time on their hands. Therefore, they are great places to leave Gospel material or even a Bible. At some point, that place will house a lonely person for the night, a person with time to kill, a person who will have nothing better to do than to pass the time with a good book or something to read, especially if the weather is bad. When hiking on the Appalachian Trail, we always carry enough Bibles to stock the number of shelters that will be in our path. We can rest knowing this is worthwhile and “effective”—you know, the word modern-day churches overuse to the point of disgust. God tells us that His Word will never return void. The Scriptures will always accomplish exactly what He intends for them to (Isaiah 55:11). You can’t get more “effective” than that. Have you ever thought about leaving a copy of God’s Word in a strategic location where you know someone will find it. Faithful missionaries and Christians behind the Iron Curtain used to do this all the time during the Cold War. And testimonies abound even today in Russia and Eastern Europe of Christians who were saved simply because they found a Bible someone had strategically placed to be found. And my friends, that is a very easy way to be a witness in America today. What happens to that Bible after you leave it in good faith is not your problem. It’s God’s problem.
We placed this New Testament, along with some Gospel material, in the register at the Cherry Gap Shelter on the Appalachian Trail just last week.
Laboring for Christ in obedience to the Great Commission does not have to be difficult. The examples that I just shared are not complicated or complex strategies. All that is required is a handful of Gospel tracts and a willingness to be used by the Lord. Every believer who has the Holy Spirit of God indwelling them is fully equipped to go out and serve Him. Unfortunately, the modern day church preaches self acceptance or self improvement rather than self denial (Luke 9:23). Jesus asks that we deny ourselves in order to follow Him. This means we must lay down our desire to be “liked” and “accepted” by others. Remember: to be friends with this world is enmity with God (James 4:4). Preaching the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is absolute foolishness to this world (1 Corinthians 1:18). Accept the fact that the world is not going to like the message that you are sharing with them. But always remember that there are those out there who will hear the Word of God and will repent, believe, and trust in Jesus Christ as their Messiah!
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
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God Bless,
Eric Trent