Week 1: The motivation of sharing the Gospel

This five-week series addresses what the Jesus says to Christians who want to stand firm in their convictions and engage both with people outside the church and people inside the church who are in need of repentance.

When trying to persuade others, we should be motivated by Christ’s love, expect hostility, act with gentleness and respect, and model our approach after biblical examples.

Read Pastor Tito’s Sermon Summary below

Convictions & Conversation

The motivation of sharing the Gospel

“If he have faith, the believer cannot be restrained. He betrays himself. He breaks out. He confesses and teaches this gospel to the people at the risk of life itself.” Martin Luther

There is a question that has been bothering me lately and I want to bother you with it now. As a Christian who believes and has received Jesus as the Messiah, I wonder if I have spent too much time focusing on what Jesus saved me from compared to what He has saved me for. The first action isn’t necessarily wrong. I believe that believers should never forget how Christ has set us free from the chains of sin that were dragging them slowing to an eternity in hell. We should all grow in awe of how far the Spirit of God has brought us. As amazing as all that is, discovering the very thing that Jesus saved me FOR is far better and deserves more of our attention.

The New Testament brings to light what was a shadow in the Old Testament, that God desires to save us for Himself and for others. As we enjoy walking with God from now until we take our first breath in eternity, we are to share our faith experience with anyone and everyone. Many would love to share their faith, but the mere thought of it triggers a sense of fear. I’ve felt that many times. This fear can be the result of someone not knowing just how to share their faith. Many are afraid of messing it up, and others are more afraid of people rejecting them than they are about people rejecting Christ.

Our motivation to share the Gospel should never be to win an argument, prove how smart we are, or make ourselves feel superior to others. If you simply talk someone into faith, someone can easily talk them out of it. Instead, we must discover a form of fear and love that does play a part in motivating us to share the Gospel. This combination creates a conviction in our souls that leads us to spark conversations of who Christ is and why we personally believe in Him. There really is not “one way” to communicate the Gospel. In fact, the what, how, when, and where of sharing our faith doesn’t matter if you do not have the proper motivation. Without the right “why”, there is no way you’ll do it right.

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV)

This powerful statement from the Apostle Paul should make us all sit a little straighter after having read it. Let’s be honest. Knowing that we will have to give an account to God Himself for how we lived our lives as Christians is scary. If you’ve ever rented a car, you know that you get to drive a car that is not yours. You must take care of it because you will be held liable for any damages or abuse that you had caused. You even must return the car with a full tank of gas. Do you know that if you are a Christian, you have been bought by the blood of Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)?

You do not belong to you but to God, and one day you will have to hand the keys to your “body” back to God and He will hold you accountable for how you lived your new life in Him. Any failures or faults will not cause Christians to lose their salvation because their works are proof of their salvation. But not following through on what God has saved us for can cause us to lose some rewards. This humbling and sobering reality should instill the fear of God in us. And guess what? That is a good thing!

11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 2 Corinthians 5:11–13 (ESV)

Knowing that we will have to give an account to God Himself for our lives is scary, but it’s also good. Paul reveals that the fear of God should motivate us to share our faith. This fear has nothing to do with disappointing God or failing to evangelize properly. In fact, this fear is rooted in love! I like the way John Bevere once said that “The fear of the Lord isn’t being afraid of God. On the contrary, it’s loving Him so much that you are afraid to be away from Him”. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). It means to love what God loves and hate what He hates. It simply means to take God seriously.

This fear of the Lord leads us to consider the greater implications of our actions, thus making wiser choices. During America’s founding era, John Adams, and many other founders believed that the fear of God is what separated a statesman from a politician. Knowing he would have to answer to God for how he served others, Adams believed that temporary gains done in unholy ways were not worth the fires of hell, and it didn’t give a good testimony to who God is.

Likewise, it is the fear and reverence for God that pushes us to stand firm in our convictions and persuade others of the truth of the Gospel so they too might be saved. Knowing that Jesus loves us, regardless, gives us a “good conscience” and pure convictions as we are “able to answer those who boast” about not needing a Savior to solve the internal sin sickness that resides in their hearts. To many non-believers, we might seem crazy or “beside ourselves”, but it’s for their good that we proclaim the Good News!

14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:14–17 (ESV)

Knowing that we will have to give an account to God Himself for our lives is scary, good, and an honor. As we walk in the fear of the Lord, the love of Christ controls us, as we are moved with gratitude that Jesus died for sinners like us so we can be raised to life as He creates something new in us! We are saved FROM the fires of Hell, not to live FOR ourselves but for God and others. As we live, we should not judge anyone according to our standards but according to Christ’s, for He deemed everyone worth His sacrifice on the cross. There isn’t one person that is beyond saving or not deserving of hearing about what God has done and desires to do for them.

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:18–21 (ESV)

Through Jesus, we are reconciled through Christ to reconcile others to Christ. Like that rental car, God has entrusted us with an amazing message that we are to live by and share. What’s amazing is that as children of God, we have an insurance policy called the love of God that covers any damages or mishaps that we’ve encountered in our lives! As we are brought into a right relationship with God, the Holy Spirit is both willing and able to work through you to reconcile others back to Him!

Notice God is really doing all the work, for “all this is from God”. We just must agree and participate with Him. Because Jesus loves us and didn’t give up on us, we not ought to reserve our love or give up on others. There will be times that you will know exactly what to do when sharing your faith. Other times you might hesitate as you feel out the situation. So, as you look for opportunities to share the Gospel when in doubt on what to do, max out love in the same way Jesus loves you.

My wife Alisha and I for years never made it a habit to get to know our neighbors. We suddenly began to feel a conviction to be a light where we lived, but we didn’t know where to start. We began spending more time in the afternoons in our front porch talking to our neighbors and getting to know them, instead of giving that impersonal head nod and wave. We began attending neighborhood gatherings and invited others to our house for dinner. To my surprise, people didn’t seem to care about finding out that we were pastors. They had come to appreciate our care and hospitality, regardless of their viewpoints, appearance or preferences. This has led to many opportunities to answer questions about God and even pray with our neighbors! The added benefit is that we’ve made some incredible friends that makes living where we live even better.

If you are motivated now to share your faith, make sure not to over-complicate it. Remember Paul’s word, for we are ambassadors, not telemarketers. No offense to anyone with that job, but most people in society don’t have favorable opinions of telemarketers. They tend to call at inconvenient times, pushing whatever product or service that you more than likely don’t care for. Christian “telemarketers” push the Gospel on people, trying to persuade them to buy into something they don’t believe in.

Christian “ambassadors” understand that they have been commissioned by the King to proclaim God’s very own peace treaty with the world, allowing the kindness of Christ to persuade them to abandon this earthly kingdom for a heavenly one. Ambassadors from a foreign land have diplomatic immunity from the laws of the visiting country while possessing the full weight and might of their homeland’s military. As children of God, we have diplomatic immunity in this world. The devil, demons, sin, and death have no rights over us any longer, for we have the full weight and might of our Almighty God at our disposal to rescue lost souls.

It is the fear of God and the very love of God that motivates us to love others without fear. As followers of Jesus who have been reconciled through Christ to reconcile others to Christ, let us now stand firm in our beliefs before others, knowing we will stand face to face before God Himself.

Finally, remember that God knows you were not perfect before forgiving you and He knows you wouldn’t do everything perfectly after the fact. That is why He became sin for us so that we might become more like Him, being perfected in His love as we share the love of Christ fearlessly with others. So, don’t be afraid to love. Who knows, maybe the Lord will use your next conversation to convert a lost soul.