Living Room Study

1 Corinthians 2

“But the natural man does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to know it since it is evaluated spiritually.  The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone.  For: who has known the Lord’s mind, that he may instruct Him?  But we have the mind of Christ.”   1Corinthians 2: 14-16

It has been said, “Not everyone is called to be an Evangelist, but everyone is called to evangelize.”  There is a difference between people who have the “gift” of evangelism and your average pedestrian Christian who shares their faith.  The evangelist makes everyone feel awkward at a party.  The evangelist witnesses to coma patients…only to have them wake up and accept Jesus!  It’s bizarre, but somehow these “Evangelists” are so consistently successful, that their success can only be attributed to God’s calling.  That said, people who aren’t called to be “Evangelists” can lead others to the Lord as well.

Years ago my wife and I were involved in a program called Evangelism Explosion (E.E).  No, we weren’t witnessing to terrorists  (explosion)…although I am in a Moslem country at the moment!  E.E. is a program, whereby people learn to share their faith.  Basically, we met with people in their homes, with the expressed intent of sharing the gospel with them.  These weren’t uninvited “cold calls”; the people we met with had already visited our church and signed a card, asking for us to explain the gospel to them in a more intimate setting.

In sharing the gospel, one thing I had to get over was my fear of rejection.  In our training, we were encouraged that if people reject the gospel, they aren’t as much rejecting us; they’re rejecting Jesus.  The communication breakdown isn’t necessarily personal.  Most often, it’s spiritual.

During these E.E. visits, I learned to pray for the people I was sharing with, that God’s Spirit would capture their attention and focus them on Jesus.  While not everyone accepted Jesus, many did.  And everyone (who accepted Jesus) did so, not because of my arguments, but because the Spirit led them to that decision…contrary to the way they naturally thought.

God’s heart is for people to enter into a saving relationship with Him, yet it is unnatural for them to do so.  It ‘s a miraculous intervention of God’s Spirit, revealing the truth of the gospel, whenever a person believes in Jesus…and yet it is the individual’s decision to accept or reject Him.

Concerning sharing the gospel, Oswald Chambers wrote, “God gives us a limited participation in something He doesn’t need us to do.”  Put simply, God wants you to share the gospel.  Draw a line in the sand, and trust His Spirit to lead them across it.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins