You are commanded to evangelize.
Did you know that you are committing a sin by not sharing the gospel with those around you? Jesus commands you to share the gospel with those around you.
Why do I have to share the gospel?
Can’t someone else do it?
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?
Romans 10:14 – English Standard Version (ESV)
You are called to share the gospel with those around you. If you don’t do it, nobody else will. You may be the only Christian those around you ever know. You may be their only hope of ever hearing the gospel. If you don’t tell them the good news, they may never hear it.
Do the people I see on a daily basis really need salvation?
People are evil. Evil people are all around you. People are motivated by selfish ambitions. People aren’t mean to others on purpose, they are just so self-centered, that they don’t notice the needs of others around them. As a result, they do things that help them, but hurt others.
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Matthew 25:41-46 – English Standard Version (ESV)
Notice what Jesus says in Matthew 25:41-46. Jesus said people are going away into eternal punishment not because they were really bad people, but because they were selfish. They didn’t help their fellow man. Selfishness is sin.
And even if you know someone who is the nicest person on the planet – a true gentleman or lady – they are still full of sin.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Romans 3:23 – English Standard Version (ESV)
So what does the bible say about people who have sinned? The very sad truth is that they are going to hell.
For the wages of sin is death
Romans 6:23 – English Standard Version (ESV)
This sounds really bad. And it is. But there is good news!
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 – English Standard Version (ESV)
Notice how Romans 6:23 calls salvation a “free gift”. Nobody is “good enough” to enter into Heaven. God’s requirement is perfection. Unless someone is perfect and has never done anything wrong their entire lives, they are condemned to an eternal punishment in hell.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus, the Son of God, came to this earth and lived a perfect life. He did not commit a single sin. He was the only person in all of history to earn his way into Heaven. And yet, he died on a cross to take on the sins of the world.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 – English Standard Version (ESV)
And God allows everyone, no matter how evil or good they are, to accept the free gift of salvation.
Do I really have to share the gospel with people who are genuinely evil?
Remember, in the same way that no amount of good can earn someone a ticket into Heaven, no amount of evil can keep them from Heaven – if they place their faith in Jesus to save them from their sins.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:13 – English Standard Version (ESV)
Notice how the bible uses the word, “everyone”. This doesn’t exclude anyone, no matter how evil. Jesus wants everyone to be saved.
This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 – English Standard Version (ESV)
That is why we have been called to share the good news.
How do I share the gospel with those around me?
It is very easy for those around you to accept the free gift of salvation. Memorize Romans 10:9-10 so that you can share it with those around you.
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Romans 10:9-10 – English Standard Version (ESV)
God’s commandment to you.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.”
Matthew 28:18-20 – English Standard Version (ESV)
Notice, how in Matthew 28:18-20, God COMMANDS us (using the command word “Go”) to share the gospel. This isn’t optional. It’s a commandment from God.
If you are not sharing the good news of salvation with those you come in contact with, you are disobeying God. Disobedience to God is called sin. And the bible is clear that we are not to go on sinning.
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Romans 6:1-2 – English Standard Version (ESV)
I’ll post more later about the importance of obedience to God. For now, know that Jesus commands you to share the gospel with those around you, and that you are sinning if you don’t share the gospel.
Jesus loves everyone, including those you work with and pass by on a daily basis. Jesus wants them to be saved. He wants them to accept Him and be saved from hell. They need a Christian to share the good news of salvation with them. Otherwise, how are they going to know?
Guess what? You are that Christian. You may be the only Christian they know. If you don’t share the gospel with them, there’s a good chance they’ll never hear it. Your time is now. Your place is here. Get up, invite your co-worker (or fellow student, or family member, or whoever is in your life) to lunch, and share the gospel with them. Give them a chance to accept Jesus. Jesus wants them to be saved. And He sent you to share the good news of salvation with them!