The Gift of Sharing

"We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us."
1 Thessalonians 2:8

As Christians, you and I have been given a great commission. We are to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others in the world. There are many who have not heard the good news, and still others who have heard but have hardened their hearts toward Jesus. We have a responsibility to share this good news with them, through the words we speak, but also through our lives.
    There are many seminars and teachings that instruct people in the proper way to share the gospel. They equip people with the proper scriptures to use and the proper answers to the different questions or objections they may encounter. But I think the best way to share the gospel is the way Paul shared it with the Thessalonians. He shared his life with them. Sharing the good news of Jesus is far more involved than just having a five minute conversation with a stranger. When Jesus commissioned us, he said that we were to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. This means that our responsibility does not end with the delivery of the message, this is only the beginning. We are to love people, give our lives to them, and raise them up in their new found faith.
    We are the hands, feet, and mouth of Jesus in the world today. He has placed himself within us and given us everything we need to do what he did when he walked the earth. So the obvious motivation for us to do this, must be love. Jesus loved us first. This motivated him to come to the earth, give up his heavenly place, suffer and die. All this, he did because he loves us passionately. Therefore, we must love others with that same intensity. If we don't have love and compassion for others, we will never be willing to share the good news or give our lives for them.
    What God is doing in your own life becomes the foundation for you to share with others. The book of Revelation tells us: "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony." (Revelation 12:11). Not only are we empowered with the things God is doing in our lives daily, but these things defeat the enemy and spread the cause of Christ in the world. Evangelism is as natural as breathing if you simply share your life with others. They will be able to see Jesus in you, simply by watching. Then the questions will come, the opportunity will present itself, and you will put words to what they already see in you. This is how we share our lives and the love of Christ with others. The love that he has freely given us, we now give. Go out and share your life!