Whose Job is it to Share the Good News?

How many of you feel confident sitting down with someone and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in order to lead them to a covenant relationship leading to salvation for their soul? Where do you start and what do you say? I would imagine there are many who would say, “I am not sure I feel confident with this. It would probably be better for someone else to teach them because I might mess things up, or they might ask questions I wouldn’t know how to answer.” Does this sound like an accurate portrayal of your feelings?

Now, if this is where you are in your spiritual walk, then so be it. However, if in one year’s time from now you are still in the same place in your spiritual walk, should it be time to recognize that there is something wrong? Paul told the church at Corinth that God “gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!” The same Paul who wrote this also told Timothy to be ready in season and out of season to preach the word. Peter adds that we should be “ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you”.

One of the reasons for studying about who God is and what He wants is to lay a foundation for the work God calls us to as ambassadors in His kingdom. Most of us already know the basic teachings of God, but do we know how to share them with the lost in a way that helps them see how God and His ways are relevant to the things we face in this era? Seeing God as the One who can put order to our chaos; as the One who knows our needs and provides for us; as the Father who will punish us in order to call us back to a right relationship with Him; as One who is hurt by our sin; as One who warned mankind for almost 1000 years prior to the flood; and as the One who will hang His bow in the sky to show us He is at peace with us should help us realize we worship a God who is actively involved in this world and who desires to have a bond of covenant with us! Will studying these stories equip us so we begin to see more outreach to the lost?

This morning, as we consider mission work done throughout the world, let’s not forget our own backyard! Our neighbors, co-workers, fellow classmates and others we come in contact with need someone to share the Good News with them! Can they count on you? If you are not ready for that now, will you be ready in a year? Or, if God grants us another year on this earth, will we be promoting another Mission Sunday asking for the same things because we have not grown? The answer to the question in the title of this article should be obvious! How will you be better equipped by next year to call people to reconciliation with God?