Now is the Time!

I attended a pastoral conference a few years ago and met a man who was passionate about sharing the Gospel. What made it different from other evangelism training I received in the past was that his approach was realistic, it seemed simple and encouraging. Yes, he was a gifted speaker and his personality was one that was engaging and he could carry a conversation with just about anyone, but he reminded me of our role and what the Holy Spirit’s role is when witnessing to others. He didn’t make anyone feel guilty for not being as faithful in sharing the Gospel as we are called to but explained it in such a way that caused us to immediately cast off any apprehension or excuses that we all came to the class with. 

This class was titled, “What’s One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven”. He began the class with a question. What’s the only thing that will matter three-hundred-million years from now? I haven’t even figured out where I was going for lunch that day and definitely wasn’t quite in the million-year scope yet. But it did get my attention and put things in perspective pretty quick. It really wouldn’t matter if I was the fastest man on earth, what kind of car I drove, how successful I was in my occupation, or even if I found the cure for cancer. All of these may seem important, but they are all so temporal, especially when comparing them to eternity. We will still all die one day and the only thing that would matter is who was spending eternity with Jesus Christ and who spent the last three-hundred-million years in eternal damnation and separation from God in the lake of fire. That thought should be heart rending to each and every one of us. As we go about our business from day to day, we should be asking ourselves, what am I doing today that will matter three-hundred-million years from now? Once I find myself standing before the throne of God, something the bible says we all will do, I will come to the sobering realization that the opportunity for me to share the most precious thing in my life with family, friends, and people who are lost will have come to an end. There will be no more opportunities. 

I can’t save anyone, but I have the Holy Spirit who can equip me with what to say, how to strike up a conversation with someone and look for an opportunity to ask simple questions like, “have you ever thought about what will happen to you when your life here on earth comes to an end”, or “what are your spiritual beliefs”, or “what are your thoughts and belief about God?” What matters is that I took the time to engage with someone and share the greatest gift of all time. We should have the boldness and confidence, not in ourselves, but in God who has saved us, equipped us with the Holy Spirit, and instructed us to go out to make disciples, to reach the lost. Every day, approximately 150,000 people die. What do you think the percentage of these people are who will spend eternity with God? These people don’t get a second chance. While we can’t reach all of them, perhaps we can reach one or two of them today. Just be sincere and genuine. You can even share your story. Why you believe in God and the difference He has made in your life.

Like everything else we do, we just have to start where we are, and we will get better with time and more opportunities. We also need to realize that sharing our faith is not something we have to do, but rather, something we get to do. We have unlimited opportunities and the best resource and partner…the Holy Spirit. God has given us a voice, our eyesight, the ability to smile and engage people in a friendly conversation. The only limited resource is time. Time is short for us and especially for the lost. I pray that we all have a compassionate heart for the lost and the boldness to preach the Gospel. If this truly is the best thing that ever happened to us and doesn’t cost us anything, why would we withhold this from others.

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News! Romans 10:13-15

Pastor Bryan