When we say Jesus Loves you!

When I was a senior in High School, I was a rebellious child who would not listen to anyone, especially not my parents. Being a stubborn kid, I ran away from home and began life on the streets doing whatever was enjoyable to me. Pretty soon a buddy of mine, who occasionally went hog hunting with me, let me stay on his couch a few nights. Those few nights turned into several months. His family fed me, clothed me, and took care of me. Well, I graduated high school and ended up moving three hours away to La Grange, TX to start a new life and get away from bad
influences. Then, I found a job working for an oil company, and had a great boss named Ted. Ted was a great man who spent many hours talking with me every day on what it really means to be a morally good man. I really looked up to Ted as he gave me a lot of guidance that I really needed
at the time. Eventually, I finally woke up and told myself I did not want to do this roughneck work for the rest of my life, so I moved off to college. Within a few years, I met my wife, Holley. After just dating a few months, we went to the courthouse and got married without telling anybody but her family. Holley started taking me to church where she was taught the Gospel in Natalia, TX. It was there that I met the preacher (Jim Word), who asked me for a Bible study which I gladly accepted. Three weeks later after going through this study, called Back to the Bible, I
was immersed into Christ for the remission of my sins.

The whole point of this story I really want to get to, is at this congregation was my buddy, and his mom which I lived with in my senior year of high school who had housed me and provided for me. Yet, they never once tried to invite me to worship or tried to teach me the Gospel. A few years later I was working in La Grange, TX for Union Pacific Railroad on a Wednesday, so I decided to go to Bible class there that night. When I walked into the building, I saw my boss who I worked with for nine months teaching Bible class. He never once tried inviting me to worship or to teach me the Gospel. All of these people showed lots of compassion to me and helped me through the roughest time of my life but never once mentioned the Gospel. Since then, my goal has been to learn how to be a better imitator of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).

As I have been blessed to be part of many congregations over the last few years training on evangelism, one thing I have noticed is that many members of the church are great at showing compassion, they are great at being the salt and lights of the world (Matt 5:13-16). Many are taking care of widows and orphans (James 1:27). Many are involved with many great works, but the thing that is missing with members in our pews all over the world is a lack of teaching people the Gospel. I am reminded of the story that Jesus gives of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. Jesus tells the lawyer at the end of the passage to “Go” and do likewise. Unlike the “religious” priest and the Levite, the good Samaritan showed compassion to the man who had been robbed. We all know that everyone is our neighbor, whether it be a neighbor next door, a coworker, classmate, family member, or just anyone we see on our everyday basis. But according to Jesus we are only a true neighbor if we are out doing as the Bibles states (Lev 19:18, Matt 22:38, Mark 12:31). I have seen so many members of the church who are showing compassion and are being good neighbors, but we fail to obey the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20). We know how to “Go” and do like wise as the good Samaritan but fail to really fulfill the great commission and teach them the Gospel. There are twelve passages that say Jesus was moved with compassion in Matthew, Mark, and Lukes’s accounts. In every instance Jesus took care of their physical needs like feeding them or healing them. But after He took care of the physical need, He then finished with their Spiritual needs. We have an obligation to do both as well in the great commission.

The problem, however, is most of the people in our pews are not evangelizing. I have asked many people why they do not evangelize and have had many responses. The number one excuse is fear. Many are afraid that they will not know what to say. I am reminded of 1 Peter 3:15, being ready to give an answer of the hope that is in us. We do not need to know about every denomination in the world in order to evangelize. What we need to know is the church of the Bible. Did you know that the federal government has people who are sent out to find all counterfeit money in the world, to do this they do not study counterfeit money as it is constantly changing. Instead, they study the original because if they know the original then they can make out all fakes. The same goes for the church! If we can know the church we read about in the book of Acts, then we can also make out all the fakes. That is the one we need to learn and teach. I love organized Bible studies like Back to the Bible; they teach the truth about the church of the Bible and cause others to recognize the fakes. We need to know why we have Hope and what gave us hope, which is the good news, and be able to teach that hope to someone else. Many are afraid they will be rejected; we must realize the worst thing people can tell us is no. The majority of the time if we have a relationship with someone whether it be a friend, coworker, neighbor, then they already have a trust in us that most likely they will tell you yes. Many are afraid they will lose their relationship. We need to realize if we want an eternal relationship then we must teach the Gospel which can make a relationship last more than a vapor of this life.

The Bible speaks a lot about not being afraid, in fact Jesus says in Luke 5:10, “Fear not, from hence forth thou shalt catch men.” If we were to
connect that passage to Matthew 4:19, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”. Then we would see we must follow the pattern which Jesus laid. We see Him in Scripture as one who showed compassion by taking care of the physical needs which led to taking care of the Spiritual
needs. When we “Go”, we need to be compassionate but also get to the second part of the great commission which is to teach. One thing I have learned as being an evangelist and a Gospel preacher is that we can help members overcome this natural fear by asking them to be a silent partner in a Bible study with a lost soul. I am personally convicted that every time someone has a personal Bible study with a lost soul that they need to invite a member of the church as a part of the study for one to help them overcome fear but also help them grow in their own faith. We have many members of the body of Christ who are not evangelizing because they do not see the need of the Gospel. In a lot of people’s eyes, they think that everyone else is fine. There are members in our pews that need the Gospel just as much as those outside the pews, and an organized Bible study with a lost soul sometimes helps that lightbulb to come on and gives them a tool they can use with someone else.

We also know a lot of people are not evangelizing, because if they were the church would be growing leaps and bounds like it was in the 50’s and 60’s. What I have observed in congregations all over the US and the world is that the older generation is always talking about how much the church grew back in the day. They talk about how their parents used the Jewel Miller film strips. The problem lies in them not continuing what their parents were doing. I think about myself and many others who learn by doing and not seeing. We need to get back to the point where we are having Bible studies in our homes with our friends, family, coworkers, and anyone we can on a regular basis, and that our children see these studies. But we need to encourage our kids, when they get to the age of accountability, to invite their friends over to the house and let them lead their own personal Bible study. Think of all the stories we hear all the time about how faithful members of the church have kids who are highly involved in the church grow up to only fall away from the church. Think about how those numbers could have changed if we raised our kids by being evangelistic. It would cause them to be addicted to the ministry (1 Cor 16:15). It would cause them to grow in their own faith and cause them to teach all their friends. If we want to change the world we need to change our priorities in life. There are many people all over the world that need the Gospel, they need you and I to take the good news to them. The Great Commission was written to everyone, not just the elders and deacons and preachers. My question for you today is what will be said about you come judgement day from those outside the church? Like my buddy and my boss, will they say I knew him or her, and they never tried to teach me the Gospel? Or will their response be that you were an imitator of Christ in how you showed compassion and fulfilled the Great Commission? The answer lies within you, after all, you may be the only chance at your neighbor hearing the Gospel which is the good news!
Jesse Stuart