And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness
(Acts 4:29)
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, 1 Corinthians 15:10-11, and Acts 4:29-31
Devotion: Evangelism is a difficult task. We are called to proclaim the gospel of Christ to people who the Bible describes as hostile to God and of the devil (Rom 8:7; 1 John 3:8). That includes unsaved family members and friends. When we share the gospel with someone we don’t know how they’re going to respond. While they might respond positively, they will most likely respond apathetically, with the message going in one ear and out the other. They may also respond with hostility either in the form of verbal abuse or physical violence. That’s true for all evangelism, whether it’s done on the local streets or in a foreign country. On top of that, the task itself is a weighty one. We are delivering the message that is the power of God for salvation. It will either judge or bring life to the hearer. It’s crucial we get that message right. We don’t want to unintentionally deliver an incorrect or impotent message. The heaviness of the gospel coupled with the potential negative response create much fear which can be further exacerbated by the fear of not wanting to appear like a fool or thinking we are not worthy or holy enough to share the gospel. Thus, it takes great courage and boldness to share the gospel.
Our fear can be a big hindrance to our evangelism, so we must put it to death. Sharing the gospel is the mission that Christ has called his church to accomplish until he returns (Matt 28:19-20; Acts 1:6-8). It is the responsibility of every Christian to proclaim Christ and him crucified. We cannot let our fears get in the way of that. Thankfully Christ is able to completely deliver us from any and all form of fear through the encouragement of Scripture. There are many scriptures we can use to illustrate this, but I’ll just share three. Meditate on these truths and let them melt any anxiety toward evangelism:
Remember that evangelism is a tremendous privilege and not just a command that we must do (2 Cor 5:18-19)
Christ has given us the ministry of reconciliation. He is omnipotent and has a myriad of angelic hosts that he could choose as his means to call his sheep. Not only that, but he could–like he did with Paul–choose to appear to people and call them directly. However, he hasn’t chosen either of those methods, nor the potential other infinite choices he could have used as the infinite God. Instead, he chose his finite, fallible and prone to fear people. He chose us to be the means by which he saves his sheep. Evangelism is a ministry that we must fulfill. It is a responsibility we all have as with all of Christ’s commands. This is not a slavish responsibility that we go into half-hearted and reluctantly. It’s not similar to our work where we’re given a task that we need to do or we’re going to get fired. No, this is a tremendous privilege that we get to proclaim Christ crucified–the only message of salvation to those who currently dead in their sin. We are Christ’s ambassadors! Even today God may give us the opportunity to share the gospel in order for him to bring life to a soul. Let that thought remove any reluctance that may spring from viewing evangelism as just another thing you need to do.
Remember that Christ is working in you through His Holy Spirit (1 Cor 15:10-11)
In every case of evangelism, even if we are physically going out alone, we are never actually alone. The same Spirit who worked through Paul, Peter and John dwells within us. He has not given us the same gifts as the apostles and we are not laying the foundation of the church like them, but our general task is the same as theirs: preach the gospel to any and everybody who can hear it. Thus if we go out with the same trust in Christ and His Spirit preaching the same gospel, our efforts will be just as successful as theirs. Not only that, but our labor for Christ will be as beneficial to us as theirs was to them. To clarify, I’m not saying that we’ll have the same result as the apostles in terms of founding scores of churches or seeing 3000 people saved in one day, but we will accomplish our part of Christ’s mission just as successfully as they did theirs. That is because Christ works in and through his people. The task isn’t ultimately reliant on us. We work, but it is Christ who works. If we are going out faithfully, then we don’t have to worry. In fact, we are freed from putting any confidence or faith in our own efforts and instead can actually boast in our weakness and Christ’s power. Therefore, let us go in much fear and trembling of the Lord knowing that when we are weak Christ is strong.
Remember to pray for boldness (Acts 4:29-31)
Pray for boldness to speak the truth fearlessly. Ask for the freedom to speak with confidence, overcoming any restrictions caused by fear. Seek the Holy Spirit’s empowerment for effective communication in evangelism.
Ponder and Pray: Think about how you can better prioritize your Bible intake. What are some practices that you can begin today to help you with this? Finish by praying for boldness and opportunities to share the gospel regularly.
