This is a question that I am addressing to followers of Jesus. It is simple, “Could God use you to share Jesus with a person that He brings into your life?” Now I realize that it might be tempting to answer this question, “Yes!.” The Bible teaches us that nothing is impossible for God, so He could use you. Maybe a better question is “Would God be able to use you to share the message of Jesus?” What I am asking is, “Are you prepared to share the life-giving message of the Gospel?”
I have been reminded recently, with the release of another media streaming service, that we are inundated with entertainment content. I remember growing up being limited to the Over The Air (OTA) channels of the major networks that could fit into less than 12 VHF channels. Oh, and there were a few on the separate UHF dial. Today we have an unlimited number of media services and sources (I will refer to as channels). If you partake of any media then you know you need the proper setup for the different sources, whether it be cable, OTA, streaming via the internet or streaming to your phone or tablet. It is interesting to think about how this works. The provider provides the content, you connect to the provider, and the content is delivered for your consumption.
This reminds me of God’s call on His followers. He has provided the content of Salvation, by sending His Son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sins and bring us into a relationship with Himself. God has also provided the method of delivering the message of Jesus to others through His followers. This is how others come into a relationship with God! Jesus reminds us, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24)
My question to you is, are your prepared to share the Gospel with those that God brings into your life? If a coworker or family member was seeking God, would you be able to lead them to Jesus. I wonder how many of us are unprepared for these opportunities that I believe God brings into our lives every week.
We have focused on encouraging our congregation over the last three weeks to get prepared. We have chosen, from the many approaches, to encourage the use of the Romans Road method of sharing Jesus. If you are not familiar with it, you can check out this site. The key to any approach is to memorize the verses. You can be prepared for God to use you by simply memorizing 6 verses, many of which you already know.
Imagine the awfulness of those that have experienced of God’s grace not being prepared to share with a heart that is open. It is sad that many followers of Jesus are not prepared. I know, because they send them to me because they do not know what to say.
I am encouraging you to start today learning a way to present the Gospel. I recommend Romans Road, but there are other excellent approaches. Could I encourage you to learn one. And then watch how God opens your eyes to the seekers that cross your path every week. So, “Could God use you to share the gospel?” And as always I am here to help in any way that I can.
-Pastor Joe Parkinson