I know talking and preaching about evangelism can often come across as “burdensome” in that most of us know how we need to do a much better job at telling others about Jesus. I am the first to admit that I know I need to be more of an evangelist outside of the Sunday pulpit and in my everyday local encounters in my neighborhood, at the stores and in the community of Gallatin in general.
So, where do we go from here? How can each of us make a difference as we seek to beat back the darkness by being Great Commission disciples?
It starts with realizing the power we have to fulfill the Great Commission. As you well know, we are journeying together in the early pages of Acts on Sunday mornings. Furthermore, in my first message from Acts 1:1-11, we talked about how Acts 1:8 is the key verse that drives the momentum and the movement of the early church. Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Let’s talk about this practically. The first time I cut our yard here in Gallatin, I pushed the entire yard during the heat of late June of last year. I then proceeded to do the trimming with a weed eater, and I finished the task off by using my blower to clean the grass off the driveway and the sidewalk. Although I looked much worse than I felt, Jenna thought I was about to stroke out on her!
Guess what I cut my yard with the next time I mowed it? I bought a riding mower to tackle my yard, and now it’s no big deal to take on the entire yard with more horsepower.
In a similar way, when it comes to sharing the Gospel with others, when we are dependent on the Holy Spirit’s power it makes all the difference in the world. The Holy Spirit does the work as we go and share in His power.
The challenge is for us to speak up and be ready to engage people in spiritual conversations. I recently met a young man at the kids’ gymnastics practice who has a child around Judson’s age. The second time I saw him I asked him some questions about his spiritual beliefs, and he said he is a Christian. He did say he is looking for a new church, and I invited him to come to First Gallatin sometime.
As someone once said, “Let’s each one reach one.” I am praying for you as we seek to speak the Gospel into people’s lives!
Grace and Peace,
