“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation’”—Mark 16:15(ESV).
A recent conversation with a friend started me thinking about how we can be a beacon of light for Jesus. I asked myself the following questions as I pondered our conversation:
1. How can we lead others to Christ if we don’t let His light shine through us?
2. How can we let Jesus minister to others through us if we don’t surrender to Him?
3. If we walk through life with a scowl on our face, how can we, as Christians, expect others to want to live for Him?
In the comic strip “Peanuts,” Lucy comes home from school and tells her brother, Linus that she has “converted” a classmate to her way of thinking religiously. Linus is surprised, especially knowing Lucy’s personality.
“How did you do it?” Linus asked.
“I told him everything I believe and asked him if he believed it, too.” Lucy explained. “Then when we came to something he didn’t see my way, I just hit him over the head with my lunch box until he believed it!”
You may have observed this kind of aggressive evangelism, but I doubt you’ve literally seen someone hit over the head with an object. In today’s world, many choose to keep their faith private. However, in Mark 16:15, Jesus tells us to go into all the world and proclaim the saving gospel to everyone.
When the early Christians were persecuted, it didn’t stop them from carrying out The Great Commission. They didn’t run away from trouble. Instead, they went everywhere preaching the Word.
We don’t have to be preachers to share our faith. But there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. The apostle Paul shares these words of wisdom in Colossians 4:5-6. “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”
Several things jump out at me. First, Paul mentions we should conduct ourselves with wisdom toward outsiders and make the most of every opportunity. We should be praying for those opportunities and asking God to open our eyes to those who need to hear.
Second, Paul urges us to speak with grace, just as we might season our food with salt. Before we respond, we should ask God to give us the right words at the right time.
Maybe you struggle with sharing your faith or feel unqualified. Perhaps you’re afraid of rejection. Did you know sharing your own story of redemption to point others to Christ and His restoration is one of the easiest things to do? People can’t argue with your testimony.
International speaker, Jan Coates, says, “Someone once said that a good story has the power to heal a soul. I like that because it encourages me to keep sharing my story while pointing others to the One who heals.”
Don’t quit sharing your story.
Sharing our story is a great way to show the love of God. Every situation, every joy, every sadness, and more can all be opportunities to shine His love to others.
You are so right, Melissa! People need to hear our stories, the good and the bad, to glorify our LORD!