Every Wednesday I share some quotes I’ve come across that I really like. These are the insights of others that have stuck with me or that are generally worth pondering. Sometimes I may add some of my own comments to go with the quotes, but more often than not I’ll let people smarter than me simply speak for themselves.
This semester I’ve been leading our small group in a study of the book of Revelation, and one of the topics that particular book stresses is the importance of bearing witness for Christ – even if it costs us everything to do so. It’s a convicting message, to be sure, and the responsibility of sharing my faith is one in which I often fall short. But the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ is worth sharing, and for this week I thought I’d share some of my favorite thoughts on the importance of . . . well, sharing!
“What we treasure must be shared to be fully experienced.” – John Mark McMillan.
Not only is McMillan’s music great, but his insight here is one that’s really resonated with me. Our joy in something isn’t really full until we’ve gotten to share it with others, and that’s especially true of our joy in the gospel. As Jesus himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
“Anyone that God leads us to spend time with is worth spending time with for that reason.” – Thomas Constable.
A nice reminder not to be so caught up in our own busyness or selfishness that we don’t make time for what God’s calling us to do.
“Consider that Scripture often describes God’s work in salvation as a miracle. He ‘makes alive’ what was once ‘dead’ (Eph. 2:1-5); he ‘delivered us from the domain of darkness’ (Col. 1:13); and he explained that ‘with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’ (Matt. 19:26). Once we realize that evangelism occurs in the realm of the miraculous, we start praying more faithfully, trusting more wholeheartedly, and proclaiming more gently. When we relinquish trust in our ability to persuade and latch onto God’s power to save, we find hope beyond explanation.” – Randy Newman, Bringing the Gospel Home, 14.
I love Newman’s point here. Helping someone else come to faith isn’t ultimately dependent on you; God pursues the lost even more than we do! You just have to be faithful to trust him and play your part.
But that’s not to say you don’t have an important part to play. Just as crucial as sharing, you’ve gotta practice what you preach. Or, as one author so cleverly puts it:
“There are five gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the life of the Christian. Most people will not read the first four.” – Rodney Smith.
What do you think? Know any great quotes about evangelism? Let me know in the comments!
See you down the path.
P.S. In the future, I may switch to doing these Wise Words posts every other Wednesday so I can focus on writing more long-form content. That is, unless y’all are enjoying getting these every week! Please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see, as your feedback is valuable to me!
Categories: Wise Words
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