1 Corinthians 2

“But the unbeliever 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 Messiah.”   1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (HCSB)

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 believer 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 have shared the Gospel in a Muslim country!  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 congregation and signed a card, asking us to explain the Gospel to them in a more domestic 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 purely 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 people did.  And everyone (who accepted Jesus) did so, not because of my arguments, but because the Spirit led them to that point of decision…opening the “eyes of their heart,” as it were.  And this “awakening” was contrary to the way they naturally thought.

God desires that people enter into a saving relationship with Him (2 Peter 3:9), yet it is unnatural for them to do so.  The miraculous intervention of God’s Spirit reveals the truth of the Gospel whenever a person believes in Jesus.  At the same time, it is the individual’s personal decision to accept or reject Him.  God reveals what is unnatural for men to comprehend, yet at that moment, man is free to choose or reject that revelation.

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 because that is how He has chosen to bring people to faith.