I Am Not Ashamed Of The Gospel
 
A million years from now, the only thing that will matter is who is in Heaven and who is in hell. “We must all appear before the Judgement seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Cor 5:10
When you stand before the Judgement Throne of Almighty God, it will matter on that day whether you told a very lost and dying world about Jesus and whether you shared the most precious thing you have with everyone you could.
 
be bold for the lord
We must be bold for the Lord. Perhaps you think that there is nothing particularly important that you can do, at least nothing as important as those who have high profile ministries? I have found that numerous prominent ministers are convinced that the most important thing that anyone can do is personal, one-on-one evangelism.
American evangelist, D.L. Moody, preached to huge crowds in America and England. However, he did not consider his day to be complete unless he had engaged in one-on-one personal evangelism. He undertook never to go to bed without having witnessed to one person that day. There are numerous funny stories of D.L Moody wandering the streets late at night, in his dressing gown, looking for a stranger to witness to. On these occasions he had apparently been prepared for bed, only to remember that he had not yet completed his day’s duties by conducting personal, one-on-one evangelism.
 
personal evangelism
Tragically, the vast majority of churchgoers do not engage in any evangelism at all. Many Christians are absolutely terrified of witnessing, yet, when they are forced to try it, are amazed by how open and responsive so many people are to the Gospel of Christ.
I was brought up in a secular family; we never went to church or Sunday school.There was no prayer or Bible reading in our home, not even grace before meals.
When I was 17 years old I heard the Gospel for the first time  at a cinema, which had been hired out by a local church for an evangelistic rally. As the visiting speaker, Rev. Rex Matthie, described the sacrifices and sufferings of Christ he challenged us: “This is what Christ has done for you, what have you ever done for Him?”
 
giving back to god
His challenge pierced my heart. I had done absolutely nothing for Christ. I had never even thanked God for His creation, for my life or for my health. I realised that I was a self-centred, lost sinner – truly deserving the condemnation of Almighty God on the Day of Judgement. When the appeal was made at the end, I walked forward and publically committed my life to Christ.
Right from the beginning of my adventure of discipleship, I could not help but be involved in evangelism: door-to-door evangelism, tract distribution in the streets, ministering in old age homes, holiday missions, teaching in Sunday school, and evangelism at railway stations.
Coming from a non-Christian background, I knew that there were many hurting people out there who would respond to the Good News, if we would only take the time, and make the effort, to share it with them.
 
child-like faith
We can learn so much from how naturally children share the Gospel. When my oldest daughter, Andrea, was just five years old, we were in an aircraft flying to Europe. It was just after take off, when Andrea shouted loudly for the entire aircraft to hear: “We’re Christians!” I put down my book, turned to Andrea and said: “Yes, we are, but why do you bring that up right now?” Andrea answered: “The lady was asking if there are any Christians, we should let her know.” I thought for a moment and answered: “I think that must have been, ‘If there are any questions, let me know!’”
Just before this trip, my mother had taken Andrea shopping. She reported that when a magician called across the mall to Andrea: “Hey, little girl, come over here – we have magic for you!”, Andrea replied: “My Lord Jesus does miracles – and that’s better than your magic!” The magician stood there speechless, as did many of the shoppers passing by. “Out of mouths of babes…”
 
missionary or imposter?
Charles Haddon Spurgeon said: “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.” You’re either a missionary or a mission field. You’re either gathering or scattering. There are so many hurting people who are looking for truth, meaning and purpose in life. One question that we must continually ask people is: “When you die, what do you think is on the other side?” The answers will reveal a lot about where that person is on their spiritual journey.
The one thing you can’t do in Heaven is talk with a lost person. Shouldn’t it be a priority of your life to reach out to all the lost people on earth while you can? We are commanded: “Preach the Word, be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.” 2 Tim 4:2
Pray for the people whom God will seat next to you on busses, trains and aeroplane flights. If God seats a believer next to you, encourage that person to be a bold man or woman of God. If He puts a non-believer next to you, then give that person the best news ever heard! “For the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same hour what you ought to say.” Luke 12:12
 
The Value of a Soul
We need to realise something of the value of other people in the eyes of Almighty God. What is a soul worth?  We need to change our mindset from the dutiful “I have got to witness” to “I get to witness!” It isn’t a burden. It’s a privilege! It’s not that we’ve got to go to church, but that we get to go to church! By just changing a vowel, it goes from being a task to being an opportunity! We get to pray to the Almighty God of the universe! We get to read the Holy Word of God! We get to worship the King of kings! We get to give back some of what God has provided us with and invest it back into the work of His Kingdom. Jesus Christ commanded us to: “Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15
The more we know of the Word of God, and the more we share in love, the more we will find people responding. You will be amazed at what you encounter when you step out in faith and begin conversations about eternity. If you have a theology that’s dwindled into a philosophy, in which there is no thrill of faith, no terror of doom and no concern for souls, then unbelief and worldliness have taken over.
 
an eternal thank you
We can never repay Jesus for what He did for us on the Cross, but what a fantastic ‘Thank You’ we can give Him each time we step out and share our faith with the lost!
When we don’t want to talk about our faith, it is usually because we are ashamed of what people might think of us.
“For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of Peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!… Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Rom 10:13-17.