Jeremiah 20:9 But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!
1 Peter 4:10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
We are all on some sort of mission in this life whether we recognize it or not. Some are on a mission to get rich quick, some are on a mission to climb the corporate ladder to the top, and some are on a mission to merely find a job. Well, Peeps, I’m here to tell you of the greatest mission opportunity in the whole world. It’s not a very well kept secret. Many have accepted the challenge over the years, but way too many haven’t yet started because they let things get in the way. Those things can be fear, feeling of inadequacy, or possibly the biggest reason the mission is rejected: lack of time due to the busyness of life.
What is this mission? The greatest mission you can ever accept is to be a warrior for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that may sound silly to some, but not to God. God placed us here to be fruitful, and declaring the gospel to the lost and dying world is the natural fruit of a Christian. The lost do not know they are lost, and they need to hear the Word of God. “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” (Romans 10:14)
Someone has to to tell them! We can’t just warm the church pew and wait for the pastor to tell them. What if they don’t ever walk through the door of a church? How are they going to hear? Sadly, if we lay Christians lay around and wait for someone else to share the gospel, a whole lot of opportunities are missed.
But how? How do we share our faith? Oh, my friends, there are probably no less than a million ways. We each are gifted with special talents from God, and He gifted us with these talents so that we can glorify Him. I’m just an old redneck gal from Mississippi, but God put missions in my heart. Do I feel competent? Nope! But guess what? God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called! And guess what else? We are ALL called into missions to share the gospel with all of the nations. But you don’t have to travel to some far away country to do it. You merely have to go down your driveway, stop at the grocery store, or go to your job. There are people living right in your own community that need to here the Good News. You only need to be willing to go.
Oh, but you may be thinking, “I won’t have the words. I don’t know what to say.” That excuse won’t play. Consider when God called Moses. “But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” (Exodus 4:10-13) The Holy Spirit will provide the words, you only need to be a willing participate.
I’ve never been a fan of public speaking. As a matter of fact, when I graduated high school, I didn’t go to college immediately because I was horrified of having to take Oral Communications class, aka speech class. I had a desire to go to nursing school, but I had a real terror of having to speak publicly. I eventually talked my best friend into taking it with me as a night class, and I survived! As I continued into my Master’s degree, speeches became a part of life. I had to write thirty page papers and present it to my class on a weekly basis. I still didnt enjoy it and felt like I was going to pee my pants most times, but I survived. I didn’t realize it at the time, but God was preparing for missions. He trained me slowly but surely to speak publicly so that I could learn to proclaim Him!
After publishing my first book, I was asked to do speaking engagements at churches. Yep, little old scaredy cat me was standing in front of a bunch of church people telling how God was working in my life. I was afraid, but each time I silently prayed for boldness. And I kid you not, each time before I spoke, the pastors prayed, and each time, they prayed for God to give me boldness. They didn’t even know I was scared, but God did, and He worked it out. He gave me boldness every time.
But, Peeps, you don’t even have to overcome the fear of public speaking. Mission work is a very personal experience, and it is most frequently accomplished one on one, you plus one lost soul. That’s all it takes! Not feeling bold enough? Don’t have the words? Scared to open your mouth? All you have to do is pray! God will give you the words and the ability just like He gave the words to Moses. Trust me, if God can give this girl that boldness, He can surely give it to you too.
Life is a mission. Let’s get on the mission of sharing the gospel starting right now!
Inspirations from the Funny Farm 