“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
When people think about someone sharing the Gospel, they often think about it taking place inside a church building. However, while the Gospel should certainly be shared at church, it should be shared in all places. Roy Fish writes “We must cease to think of the church as a place of evangelism and begin to think of it as the base of evangelism.” In that statement, he’s saying that the church is to be the launching pad from where evangelism takes place. In other words, we need to get out of our church buildings if we’re going to be effective in reaching the world for Jesus. We should be witnesses for the Lord where we work, live, exercise, and play.
When some people think about sharing Christ, they think “That’s the pastor’s job.” However, the Bible teaches that all Christians are called and are able to share what Jesus Christ has done in their lives. Luke writes “All the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria… But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.” (Acts 8:1,4)
One of our primary goals in life should be to share Christ with others because the Lord is the only One who can forgive sins. The Apostle Paul writes “He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.” (Ephesians 1:7) Jesus is also the only one who can free people from their struggles and strongholds. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus should know because He Himself is the truth. Jesus is also the only one who can bring godly fulfillment to people. He said “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10) Finally, Jesus gives those who surrender to Him a future in heaven. He said to Nicodemus, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Followup Activity - Look over your evangelism list from yesterday. Choose one of those you listed and commit to praying for them this week. Ask the Lord to give you the courage and boldness to be a witness for Christ, and to guide you in the conversations and actions you have with that particular person. If you are leading your family through this devotion, pray as a family and then guide each person in your family to select one person for whom they can pray for to receive Christ.
Prayer for Today - Lord, help me to remember that I have the honor and privilege to share the love of Jesus with others, both inside and outside of church. In Jesus’ name, Amen.