Saturday August 18, 2012

Prayerfully seek to share the gospel with someone       today.

 

Read Luke 24. Col 4:5-6

 

I sat in the boat on the tranquil lake fishing with my non-believing and highly sceptical friend. We were way out of reach from the shore. He couldn’t swim away. He couldn’t get away. He was my prisoner.  The Lord was telling me over and over and over to share the gospel with him. There was no way out. He had to listen! As the Lord kept telling me, I grew in obstinacy. I continued to refuse to tell him about Christ’s offer of salvation. Why? I have no idea. I think it may have been fear. My missionary zeal floated away on the lake for some reason that day.

Are you mission minded? By mission minded I don’t mean that you might give a few dollars to a missionary organisation or missionary person. By mission minded I mean, do you actually look for opportunities to share the gospel? Do you seek out and create opportunities to share your faith?

 

God in fact, calls us to be making the most of every single opportunity that comes our way. God has sent us out with an agenda - to make disciples in His name and for His sake. Each and every single believer needs to take this mission mindedness on board.

 

It’s actually very easy to open up spiritual conversations. We need to be looking for avenues of entry and then we need to step out in faith and speak up. Ask a question. Make a comment. Say something that elicits a response about the other person’s spiritual life.  Here are a few examples. I was preaching in Tasmania once and as I was ordering fish and chips from a local milk bar, the Indian fellow asked me why I was in town. I casually replied that I was helping a church out for a few weeks. Sensing the opportunity I prayed that he would take the bait. He then stated quite categorically that he’s not religious. I stated, again, seeking to make the most of this opportunity that neither am I. I turned around casually and prayed fervently. Praise God that he asked me to explain how that can be if I am working in a local church. I was then  able to share with him the need for faith and trust in Jesus’ work at the cross. He understood the difference between religion and faith. As I was leaving the shop I asked if he would like to become a Christian. Quite shocked, he responded in the negative but took my card as a future reference.

 

On another occasion, while I was working, a former client came into my office and told me of all of her boy problems at that present time.  I simply offered to pray for her and that prayer led to her conversion, right there in my office. An elderly couple I know of would inevitably share the gospel with people they met every single time they went shopping. They would pray for opportunities before they left and would then keep their eyes open for doors opening up. Inevitably, they would.

 

There is no set formula for making the most of every opportunity. It’s a matter of being mission minded and constantly praying and watching for opportunities.

 

The true church of Jesus Christ must be mission minded. One must ask whether or not a church that is not mission minded is really a church at all. Is a life saving club that cares nothing for the drowning souls really a life saving club? Is a football club that hates playing football really a football club?

 

Prayer:

¨ Pray that a missionary zeal would overwhelm each and every single person in your congregation. Pray that cell groups would be visited with a permanent missionary zeal as well. Pray for each cell group separately. Pray that the leaders of cell groups would be mission minded as well and that they would set the agenda in cells.