Why do we find it hard to speak about Jesus?
Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380–1471) was a German-Dutch monk, priest, and spiritual writer best known as the author of The Imitation of Christ — one of the most influential Christian devotional books of all time. He once said,
“A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver.”
It is so easy to value spiritual gifts that we think we have been given and not to see them as gifts to be used for the Lord. There are three major lists of spiritual gifts in the New Testament, Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. A variety of interpretations about the significance of these gifts has been offered today but what cannot be doubted is that the Holy Spirit has been given to every Christian so that we may know God ourselves and help to make Jesus known by others. The Spirit always points people to Jesus. Something is ly wrong if people try to use what they consider to be a gift to glorify themselves. The presence of the Holy Spirit results in Jesus being honoured. John the Baptist was a great man but when he recognised Jesus he pronounced,
“He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30
Only the list in Ephesians 4 mentions the role of an evangelist.
“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up . . .” Ephesians 4:11-12
This section goes on to state that these gifts are to bring a unity and maturity in the church so that all Christians become more like Jesus Christ. Christians should not be ‘like infants’, tossed about by all the pressures they will encounter. Part of this maturity will be seen as Christians will be,
“. . . speaking the truth in love, we will grow up in him . . .” Ephesians 4:15
Christian maturity involves our speaking to others about our Lord as well as our characters becoming more like Jesus. As Christians talk about Jesus to others around they benefit, they mature in Christ. The leaders of the church are there to train all the church members to be effective for Christ. Here the evangelist’s main role is training others to do the work of sharing the gospel. Sharing ‘the message of reconciliation’ is the work of all Christians (2 Corinthians 5:19). Every Christian is called to use whatever talents they have been given to help others understand the importance of the Lord Jesus. We have each been given a special gift to enable us to be effective in sharing Christ. The church has been given gifted leaders to help equip its members for their ministry.
‘I don’t feel this is my gift’
There are many reasons why Christians are hesitant about sharing the news concerning the Lord Jesus. We may be looked down on, it may be embarrassing, we may lose friends, it is not easy to find natural openings to talk about Jesus and it takes time to be well prepared; but we have not been called to an easy life. When Paul gave his final talk to the elders of the Ephesian church he said,
“However I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24
He finished this talk by saying,
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35
The hard work he was talking about was the work of sharing Christ’s message of forgiveness of sin and an eternal inheritance for those who turn to Christ. No wonder so many of us are hesitant.
We can’t take credit for how much ability we have, or how little, but we are responsible for what we do with what we have. The person with great talent is apt to be puffed up, and the man with little tends to look down on himself. Poor fools! God gives the gifts, much or little. Our part is to be faithful, doing our level best with every bit and scrap. And we will be if Jesus' Spirit controls us.
The Lord is at work
The great encouragement is that the Lord has not left us to our own devices. He is at work alongside us. It is hard to be a Christian but our ‘yoke’ is shared with him. This is a reference to the work of oxen ploughing in the fields. An immature ox is alongside an experienced ox, linked with a wooden yoke across their necks. Jesus had said,
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Matthew 11:29
It is striking that those Christians who are constantly praying for opportunities to witness for Christ are the ones who are given them. It does not seem to matter whether they are extroverts, introverts, highly educated or uneducated, God uses those who pray to be effective for him and doesn’t use those who don’t pray. What doesn’t change is the fact that all Christians have been called to share their faith and this is a major reason reason why we have been chosen. Any handicaps that we feel we have, can be used by Christ to achieve his ends.
2 Corinthians chapter 5 is one of the classical passages emphasising why Christians need to share the gospel with others. Before this he discusses the difficulties that Christians face as we embark on this life mission. We are inhibited by natural handicaps.
1. We are naturally afraid
Fear can be so numbing. During his years as premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev denounced many of the policies and atrocities of Joseph Stalin. Once, as he censured Stalin in a public meeting, Khrushchev was interrupted by a shout from a heckler in the audience. "You were one of Stalin's colleagues. Why didn't you stop him?" "Who said that?" roared Khrushchev. An agonizing silence followed as nobody in the room dared move a muscle. Then Khrushchev replied quietly, "Now you know why."
The question needs to be asked who we fear more, the God of the universe and of eternity or the god this world. Paul’s conclusion was:
“Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” 2 Corinthians 3:12
This boldness needs to be seen in the church. Fear is contagious so we need to keep our fears to yourself and instead share our courage with others.
During World War II, a military governor met with General George Patton in Sicily. When he praised Patton highly for his courage and bravery, the general replied,
"Sir, I am not a brave man. . . The truth is, I am an utter craven coward. I have never been within the sound of gunshot or in sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn't so scared that I had sweat in the palms of my hands."
Years later, when Patton's autobiography was published, it contained this significant statement by the general: "I learned very early in my life never to take counsel of my fears."
2. The work is so disheartening
Every person who longs to share Christ with others knows well how tough this role can be. Many people we try to talk with are just not interested and can even be antagonistic. Paul writes that these problems did not dishearten him,
“Therefore since we have this ministry, we do not loose heart.” 2 Corinthians 4:1
We have all faced the problem of talking with people who just cannot understand the gospel or the evidence for it that we share with them – or perhaps sometimes they just don’t want to understand. Paul recognised that we are involved in a spiritual battle,
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4
The ‘god of this age’ could either mean ‘worldliness’ or it could refer to Satan himself, but it make no difference as the result is the same, people are blinded to God’s truth.
Because of this blindness there is a great temptation to take on worldly techniques to win people to our point of view. We can use mind-blowing loud rhythmic music, highly emotional oratory, theatrical performances and even giving false promises. We can teach what people like to hear. Paul would have none of this:
“. . . we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every mans’s conscience in the sight of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:2
People need to hear that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ and there is so much evidence to support his claim. Why don’t people want to investigate his extraordinary claim? Jesus fulfilled all those prophecies in the Old testament about God’s Messiah, he did rise form the dead after being crucified, he did extraordinary miracles, his teaching was unlike any other, his disciples were convinced enough about their claims that they were willing to die for Jesus, and then the church spread so rapidly in spite of political opposition. More than this. he does change people from all nations for the better. This is the Bible’s message and it is the Bible, God’s word to us, that people need to understand. Paul says,
“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as Jesus servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
It is Christ whom people need to know about and come to know personally. Yet discouragement can be so demotivating. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a prisoner in a Soviet prison in Siberia. He became so weak and discouraged that he wished he would die. The guards would beat and usually kill anyone that stopped working. He decided to stop working so that the guards would kill him. As soon as he did so, another Christian drew a cross where he know Alexander would see it. Alexander said that this resulted in him being motivated again; he remembered that God gives his people hope and courage and he continued working. That Christian cared too much to let him give up and inspired him to keep going through the rough times.
3. We feel so weak
Even Paul, with all his gifts and experience, feels inadequate for the task. When a young child is given a Christmas present they can be so fascinated by the wrapper that they forget to focus on what is inside. It is unfortunately true that Christians can look at themselves and their inadequacies and not see the immense power that we have. Paul wrote,
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7
How reassuring this reminder is – whatever problems and difficulties we face as we live for Christ, it is Christ who will be seen. Paul tells of his experience:
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-10
If we have this attitude, that we are here for Jesus, then we can take on all sorts of risks and problems. Sometimes the Lord calms the storm but more often he lets the storm rage and calms his child. Paul writes,
“For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.” 2 Corinthians 4:11
What a disaster it is when Christians don’t have this attitude. It is so easy for our ambition to be to glorify ourselves. Worldly christians can look down on those whose focus is on living for Christ. Paul adds a sarcastic sentence for such people.
“So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” 2 Corinthians 4:12
Nothing should therefore inhibit all God’s people from speaking to others about the good news we have to share. Paul reminds his readers of this:
“It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.” 2 Corinthians 4:13-14
This is tough talking, but just as the Corinthians needed to hear this to help them, so do comfortable Christians today. To focus on living for Christ will be to our benefit and will also result in many others coming into God’s kingdom
“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:15
This teaching, that our experience of God will increase as we share the Gospel with others, is repeated in Paul’s letter to Philemon,
“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Philemon 6
No wonder difficulties and persecutions should not dishearten Christians.
We may be suffering but from an eternal perspective these are just passing trifles. Paul writes again:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17
This is the secret of a successful Christian life, we must take the long view:
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:11
So if ordinary Christians are to be effective for Christ we need supernatural gifts and these have been given and are still being given to his people to ‘prepare God’s people for the work of ministry’ (Ephesians 4:12).
BVP
