Don't tell anyone!
As a pastor, one of the things I believe every pastor hopes and prays for is that every member of the Body of Christ would regularly and openly share the gospel with others. A shepherd cannot reproduce sheep, but only lead them to food and water to keep them nourished and healthy. But ultimately, it is the sheep that must reproduce sheep. In other words, in order for any flock to grow, the sheep must be the ones producing other sheep.
The reason I bring this up is because I think I may have come up with a solution to help get the Body of Christ to begin sharing their faith. I was inspired by something I read this past Sunday at church. This past Sunday our church was studying Mark 7, where at the end of the chapter Jesus encounters a deaf and mute man, and then heals him. After healing this helpless man the Bible says, "Then Jesus commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it."
I was thinking about the outcome of Jesus command to "tell no one", and how they didn't listen to Him, but instead, "the more He commanded them (to tell no one) the more widely they proclaimed it."
This is somewhat funny to me, due to the fact that back then the people couldn’t keep their mouths shut about Jesus, even when He asked them to. But once Jesus resurrected from the dead, He then commanded us to share with everyone (Acts 1:8). And we know from the Book of Acts, they obeyed His command (Acts 17:6).
But somewhere in time, something changed, where the Body of Christ stopped obeying this commandment from Jesus. Instead of Christians sharing their faith with everyone, in our day and age it appears that the majority of believers don't open their mouths for Jesus at all. In fact, according to Greg Laurie's book "How to Share your Faith", 95% of believers have never led a single person to faith in Jesus.
The reason I bring this up is because I think I may have come up with a solution to help get the Body of Christ to begin sharing their faith. I was inspired by something I read this past Sunday at church. This past Sunday our church was studying Mark 7, where at the end of the chapter Jesus encounters a deaf and mute man, and then heals him. After healing this helpless man the Bible says, "Then Jesus commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it."
I was thinking about the outcome of Jesus command to "tell no one", and how they didn't listen to Him, but instead, "the more He commanded them (to tell no one) the more widely they proclaimed it."
This is somewhat funny to me, due to the fact that back then the people couldn’t keep their mouths shut about Jesus, even when He asked them to. But once Jesus resurrected from the dead, He then commanded us to share with everyone (Acts 1:8). And we know from the Book of Acts, they obeyed His command (Acts 17:6).
But somewhere in time, something changed, where the Body of Christ stopped obeying this commandment from Jesus. Instead of Christians sharing their faith with everyone, in our day and age it appears that the majority of believers don't open their mouths for Jesus at all. In fact, according to Greg Laurie's book "How to Share your Faith", 95% of believers have never led a single person to faith in Jesus.
I am not pointing this out in order to make anyone feel guilty about whether or not they are sharing the gospel with others. As Christians we already know that we have been given "the Word of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:19), which is the gospel (John 3:16). Because we have been given the responsibility of sharing the gospel, we are considered "ambassadors for Christ" to this lost and perishing world (2 Cor. 5:20a). As ambassadors for Christ the Bible says, "God is pleading through us" to reach the lost (2 Cor. 5:20b). We also know that the Bible exhorts us to never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is the power of God to save people (Romans 1:16). These are things we already know, and I am confident that I don't have to convince any believer of the importance of this.
However, we still have 95% of professing Christians who do not share their faith with others. What can we do about this? How about reverse psychology? Maybe instead of encouraging the Body of Christ to go and tell others about Jesus, we should follow the example set in Mark 7, and start telling the Body of Christ to NOT tell anyone about Jesus! Maybe this would cause all of us to begin proclaiming the Gospel more and more each day! Maybe this reverse psychology approach to sharing the gospel could get the other 95% of believers moved into action?
I am wondering if I have stumbled upon a lost approach to evangelism? Okay, I am only kidding. In fact, I am COMPLETELY KIDDING! But you can see the point I am trying to make. Let's be men and women who turn the tides of this evangelism plague that has literally swept through the church in our nation, and has caused the body as a whole to become somewhat sick and ineffective for Jesus in these last days of world history.
If you are in the 95% club, and have never led someone to Christ, today is the day you can change that! Today is the day you can pray for God to give you a heart like Paul, who proclaimed, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). If you need help in sharing your faith, get help! There are many great resources on personal evangelism out there. A great resource that blessed me and encouraged me, was Mark Cahill's book, One thing you can't do in Heaven.
May the Lord bless you as you tell everyone about His great love for them, and how Jesus died on the cross to pay for their sins, and resurrected from the dead in order to offer us eternal life (John 3:16). Aren't you glad someone had the courage to share that with you? I sure am. Now let's get busy about the things of God.
However, we still have 95% of professing Christians who do not share their faith with others. What can we do about this? How about reverse psychology? Maybe instead of encouraging the Body of Christ to go and tell others about Jesus, we should follow the example set in Mark 7, and start telling the Body of Christ to NOT tell anyone about Jesus! Maybe this would cause all of us to begin proclaiming the Gospel more and more each day! Maybe this reverse psychology approach to sharing the gospel could get the other 95% of believers moved into action?
I am wondering if I have stumbled upon a lost approach to evangelism? Okay, I am only kidding. In fact, I am COMPLETELY KIDDING! But you can see the point I am trying to make. Let's be men and women who turn the tides of this evangelism plague that has literally swept through the church in our nation, and has caused the body as a whole to become somewhat sick and ineffective for Jesus in these last days of world history.
If you are in the 95% club, and have never led someone to Christ, today is the day you can change that! Today is the day you can pray for God to give you a heart like Paul, who proclaimed, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). If you need help in sharing your faith, get help! There are many great resources on personal evangelism out there. A great resource that blessed me and encouraged me, was Mark Cahill's book, One thing you can't do in Heaven.
May the Lord bless you as you tell everyone about His great love for them, and how Jesus died on the cross to pay for their sins, and resurrected from the dead in order to offer us eternal life (John 3:16). Aren't you glad someone had the courage to share that with you? I sure am. Now let's get busy about the things of God.
