Introductions to the KING: Being Faithful to Share the GOSPEL
By: Francine Hollis
It’s Not how you Start…
A little known fact about me is that I was a full-time missionary. Sharing the gospel was literally my job for two years after college. In my time with the ministry, I was taught how to effectively talk to people about Jesus. I was given surveys that would lead to great spiritual conversations. Then, I would transition to a tract (a little booklet explaining the gospel message) and watch the Holy Spirit move on that person’s heart to accept Christ. It was campus ministry so I not only shared my faith, but taught students how to share their faith as well.
A few years later, I went to seminary. There, I was given the tools to articulate my faith on a deeper level. I could hold lengthy conversations about theological topics like Calvinism or Gnosticism and the early Church. The combination of my ministry experience and my training should have made me a perfect candidate for regular evangelism for a lifetime. But, if I can be honest, for the last several years, I have not been regularly sharing my faith. Somewhere along the way, in the midst of friendships, family, business, and small groups, my Christianity became inwardly focused. The Great Commission is to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you… (Matthew 28:19-20, emphasis mine).” I had lost sight of that.
This was a hard pill to swallow. A week ago, God woke me up at 4am. As I sat in my living room, I realized that I’ve been living amongst the spiritually dead with the antidote to their brokenness yet having done nothing to remedy it. Here are two truths the Lord shared with me: 1. I have not been growing spiritually the way I did when I shared my faith regularly. In fact, my greatest struggle in my walk with Jesus has been during my years of silence. 2. The Great Commission is not a suggestion. It is a command, a command that I have not obeyed and therefore I have been in sin. My 4am revelation ushered in a much needed time of confession and repentance. Can you relate?
A Lesson from a Servant
2 Samuel 9 has always been a favorite passage of mine. The theme of Christ as Redeemer is so evident in this account of King David and Mephibosheth. Here is Mephibosheth, a cripple and the descendant of a has-been royal lineage whose grandfather, Saul, tried to kill the current king. Now, Mephibosheth is living off of another man’s resources possibly unable to work to offer any financial contribution (2 Samuel 9:4). Mephibosheth himself owned nothing. He was at the mercy of King David and indeed that is what King David showed him – grace and mercy.
To me, the main message of this passage is found in verse 7, “And David said to him, ‘Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always (emphasis mine).” Wow. A man with nothing, now restored and fulfilled - what a picture of God’s grace. However, the Lord showed me something that I had been missing in all my years of reading it – the role of the servant Ziba.
David was looking for someone of the house of Saul to whom he could show the kindness of God. It was Ziba who told David about Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9:3). Though we do not know for sure, it is possible that David even sent Ziba to retrieve Mephibosheth. Either way it was Ziba who made the introduction to the King. This introduction changed the entire trajectory of Mephibosheth’s impoverished life here on earth. What would his life have been like if Ziba never spoke up? Mephibosheth would likely have died in obscurity.
Who are we being Ziba to? 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “The Lord is...not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” We too have a King who is seeking those upon whom he can show kindness and shower upon his grace and mercy. The Mephibosheth’s of today are not always financially impoverished. In fact many are not, but they are spiritually bankrupt. Everyone needs a Redeemer Who will fully restore them, spiritually enrich them and change the trajectory of their lives…this time for eternity.
The Remedy
I have found the only solution to my sin of silence is to say something. To better equip myself, I have been reading a book called Share Jesus Without Fear by William Fay. Here are a few statistics he shared that are quite eye-opening: As few as 5 to 10 percent of people in an average church have shared their faith in the past year (Fay 6). That means that many of us urban Christian women (me included) lie in the 90 percent who have not. A survey from the Institute of American Church Growth said that “only 17 percent of all conversions come through what is called an “event…” for example a church service, a crusade or a revival. Conversely, the same survey tells us that “75-90 percent of new believers come to Christ through a friend or acquaintance who explains the good news on a one-to-one basis (Fay 12).” The numbers speak for themselves. We obviously have a job to do.
Since the Great Commission is a biblical command, the truth is, “if you are not sharing your faith, you are not living a good Christian life (Fay 9).” Philemon 1:6 says, “I pray that you will be active in sharing what you believe. Then you will completely understand every good thing we have in Christ (NIRV).” So, in fact, we are missing “opportunities to experience the good things God has planned” for us when we don’t share our faith (Fay 3).
William Fay’s book gives practical tips on how to share the gospel so that non-believers feel cared for and to avoid a defensive conversation. His method serves as one of many effective ways. You can use surveys, booklets, the Romans Road or your 3-minute conversion testimony shared over cookies and tea with a neighbor. The methods of sharing Jesus are endless, but the message is the same and sharing it is not optional.
Understand and Remember
In his book, The Search for Significance, Robert S. McGee stated that, “The absence of spiritual growth can be traced to a lack of understanding or failure to remember the implications of Christ’s forgiveness. The cross is central to our motivation and development (McGee 117).” I would argue this lack of understanding or failure to remember is also the root of our failure to share the gospel. The cross should drive us to speak up about the One who saves.
Recently, I was rereading the story of Jesus’s trial and crucifixion. Pilate gave the people the option of releasing Jesus, a sinless man or Barabbas, a true criminal – a rebel and a murderer (Luke 23:18-19). They chose to release Barabbas. I used to be contemptuous about their decision and assuaged my indignation with the fact that it had to be done to fulfill scripture. But for the first time ever, I realized that I.am.Barabbas. And so are you.
Before, I couldn’t understand how the crowd could exchange one so guilty for one so innocent, but that was just a picture of Christ’s innocence being exchanged for my guilt; for your guilt. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us…” (Romans 5:8). We should want to scream the gospel from the rooftops! My encouragement to you today is to join me. Join me as I recommit myself to share the greatest story ever told about the greatest love ever known. However you do it, whatever you say, let us, like Ziba, make introductions to the King.
