This is War
There is a war going on inside me. I'm in the moment, standing face-to-face with someone, and I know I need to speak. It should be simple; it should be harmless. Instead, my head and heart are raging against one another. "Just say it Cam. It's so simple. What do you think about Jesus?" I'm pumping myself up in my head. On the other hand, the introvert inside me is yelling, "No! Keep quiet! Don't risk the awkwardness!" By the time the inner dialogue has happened, the moment has passed.
All too often I think my story is the story of many Christians. We know we should be sharing with people about Jesus, but we talk ourselves out of it. We really do believe that the gospel is good news. After all, we were saved by hearing it. However, we don't consider ourselves conversationalists and we have trouble building those bridges. We can easily talk about things like sports, politics (maybe too much!), and current events. However, when it comes to the gospel, things feel different. The things of Christ feel more loaded. The carry a greater weight than things like sports and current events.
Paul was a gospel sharing machine. He lived the example of what it looks like to take every opportunity presented to him. His main concern was that Jesus was proclaimed no matter what. Even when writing to the Philippians from prison he says in Philippians 1:15-18, " Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice." Paul didn't care why people were sharing about Jesus, but only that he was being shared about!
I think there are several things we need to remember—that I hope will encourage us—when it comes to sharing the gospel. These are things I think drove Paul to keep proclaiming Christ no matter what. I think if we keep these on our mind, we may be quicker to speak and win that inner war.
1. Paul remembered who he used to be. Over and over, Paul recounts who he was before Christ saved him. He says in 1 Timothy 1:13-14, "though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." He seemed to always keep this in his mind. He knew that he had been radically transformed by the saving grace of Jesus and it was the biggest deal. He wanted others to know and experience that same grace. We don't celebrate who we were before Christ, but it does us well to remember who we were before we were saved.
2. Paul knew who did the saving. Paul wasn't looking for Jesus on that Damascus road; he was looking to persecute Christians. Instead, Jesus blindsides Paul and saves him (Acts 9:1-19). Because of this, Paul knew Jesus was in the business of saving people. All he needed to do was get the message out and people would be saved. We too are messengers. If we share the gospel, God will save people.
3. Paul lived with the end in mind. He ran to finish the race (2 Timothy 4:7). He knew the only things leaving this earth with him were other souls. This is why he says from prison, "I don't care why people are preaching Christ; I only care that he is being preached!" Every day we must find ways to remind ourselves of this same truth. We will die. Those around us will die. Eternity is at stake.
I am not the best evangelist out there, but I am praying and trying to get better. I am trying to remind myself of these things each day. I want to be like Paul. I want to be like Christ. Jesus saves us to make disciples. Paul embodied that mission and we should strive to remember the things he did. We've got to get past the sports and current events to what matters most. We've got to win the war.
