Every second, two people die.
106 people every minute.
6,392 people every hour.
By the time you go to sleep at night, approximately 150,000 people will have died.
56 million people die each year in our world.
It's a shocking and uncomfortable reality that many people choose to ignore. Even though many Christians know this truth, they struggle to share the love of God with others.
In fact, the majority of practicing Christians do not consistently support evangelism, and many people believe it is extreme to try and convert others to one's own faith. Somehow their being in Christ doesn’t impact their doing for Christ.
It makes me wonder about their relationship with Jesus.
I read this stat in a book called The E Word by Pastor Mike Hilson,
“A majority of practicing Christians do not consistently support evangelism, and 47 percent of millennial Christians believe it is flat-out wrong to evangelize.”
In another study led by The Barna Groups’ president, David Kinnaman, it was discovered that
“a startling 6 in 10 Americans believe that any ‘attempt to convert others’ to one’s own faith is ‘extreme.’ More than 8 out of 10 atheists, agnostics and nones say so! To be clear: a majority of US adults, and the vast majority of non-religious adults (83%), believe that evangelism is religiously extreme.”
It’s Easter Week!
The story of Jesus is talked about more than normal. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is going to be talked about more in our society than any other time during the year. As followers of Christ, it is a perfect time to share the story of Jesus.
As Christ Followers, there are several things we are called to do when it comes to Evangelism:
1. We must witness to others.
God has changed us and made us new, therefore we should not keep it to ourselves. If we are in Christ, then we will want to point others to Him so that they can experience what we have experienced.
One of my favorite evangelists, Adrian Depres, was asked this question, “Why do I have no problem feeding myself spiritually through books, scripture, accountability and prayer but I struggle so much at witnessing?” Andrian answered, “Because you have a “love for God” problem and are practicing for a game you aren’t even planning to play.”
As Christians, we are called to share the Gospel with others, but sadly, many Christians are not actively sharing their faith. It's easy to feed oneself spiritually through books, scripture, accountability, and prayer, but sharing the love of God with others can be a struggle.
2. We must help people believe.
The truth is, if you have a genuine love for God, you can't help but share it with others. Sharing the gospel is essential to help people believe and turn to God's love.
As a teenager I was living for myself, selfish and was headed to hell but my friend shared the gospel with me when I was 17 years old and I am changed forever because of it. He pointed me to how much Christ loved me and died for my sins so that I could experience eternal life. God adopted me into His family and gave me a new identity.
The old Dustin is gone and the new Dustin is here. As I was being discipled in the faith, I began learning that I cannot keep the story of Jesus and what He did for me to myself, I had to share it with others.
Romans 10:14 says,
“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?”
The book of Acts shows us that sharing our faith is essential. It's important to use words backed up by action. It's time for Christians to wake up and start sharing their faith.
Who cares if people make fun of you or think differently of you? This is about eternity.
3. We must lead people to repent.
The sin inside us leads to death, and unless we repent, we will die with our sins. Repentance means turning to God's love and experiencing eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Death is inevitable, but we can choose to live in God's love and share it with others. We must make a conscious effort to share the gospel with everyone, as we are called to do. Don't wait for others to take the first step. Take action and lead someone to Christ. After all, the one thing we can't do in heaven is witness.
Mark Cahill says,
“Three hundred million years from now, the only thing that will matter is whether you’re in Heaven or in Hell.”
The following verses make it very clear that everyone is in need of the saving grace of God, through Jesus and the way to receive that is through repentance.
Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
John 3:16-17
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
Romans 8:38-39
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We must repent and turn towards that love and receive it…receive the blood of Jesus that washes away all your sin.
Where do we start?
We can all start by sharing the love of Jesus with those around us, whether it's through evangelism or simply living out our faith in our daily lives. It can be as simple as showing kindness, love, and compassion to others, and being a light in a dark world.
Ultimately, we should care about evangelism and sharing the gospel because it's about eternity. It's about leading people to a relationship with Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life. As believers, we have been given the responsibility to share the good news and to make disciples of all nations.
Let us not shy away from this calling, but instead, let us embrace it with passion and urgency.
Every second, people are dying without knowing Jesus Christ.
Let us remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20,
"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. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Great read!
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