Putting persistence into action
Sunday I had the honor and privilege of presenting the message for morning worship at our church. I cannot seem to bring myself to call it a sermon when I’m the one in the pulpit.
It’s a humbling and scary task to stand in front of my family, friends, and neighbors to share God’s Word. It takes many hours (days) to prepare the message. Our Pastor is on vacation and this task stretches me out of my comfort zone. I miss our minister when he is gone–I’m sure our congregation misses him, too when this rookie is standing in front of them. But, I am very thankful they are patient and encouraging whenever we have a guest speaker.
In my first blog of this month (October), I asked myself and my readers: “Are you persistent?”
In worship service, I took the persistent question further. I asked our parishioners if they are persistent in witnessing (spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to all).
I question myself, too. There’s no doubt that we are supposed to be persistent in witnessing.
Jesus himself reminds us of our responsibility to witness to others—to spread the good news of Jesus. As He was leaving Earth to return to His Father, he gave this message to His disciples:
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20
This is a big command—witnessing to others—it’s not easy. In fact–it’s really hard!
But, we are called to do it.
Elisabeth Elliot is an example of being persistent in witnessing. Elisabeth felt the call to be a missionary in Ecuador. After she arrived there, she met and married Jim Elliot who was also a missionary. Their goal was to share the gospel of Jesus with a remote tribe in the jungle, the Aucas. Unfortunately, Jim Elliot and four other male missionaries were killed by the very people they were attempting to witness to. There she was, a widow in a strange and hostile land. Many of us, including me, probably would have run (flown) home as fast as we could. But, not Elisabeth Elliot. She had accepted her call to witness and she stayed in Ecuador. She stayed in the very same area where tragedy had occurred and witnessed to the same tribe that had killed her husband.
To be a follower of the crucified means, sooner or later, a personal encounter with the cross. And the cross always entails loss.” Elisabeth Elliot
She experienced great loss because of her willingness to be a witness, but she persisted.
We are not often called to make the extreme sacrifices that Elisabeth Elliot endured but, I think you will agree with me that trying to witness to others can be a challenge. We often fear being rebuffed and embarrassed. We feel inadequate to the task and are worried that we will fail. Sometimes, we’re just terrified!
I wish I knew the secret of how to be consistently successful at sharing the good news of Jesus. I’d like to have the perfect formula for bringing others to Christ.
I do have some suggestions:
- We can strive to live as a disciple of Christ and show, through our actions, that we are a child of God. Being a good role model helps spread the good news. If people see the Light of Jesus in our lives, they will recognize that being a Christian is a life-changing experience–in the best of ways.
- We can be active in the Word–study the Bible, memorize scripture, and share the word when we have the opportunity.
- We can be active in our prayer life. When someone we know faces a trial, we can let them know we are praying for them.
- The opportunity to share God’s love can happen anywhere. Always be ready.
- We can pray for the opportunity to witness, pray for guidance when the opportunity comes, and pray that our words will plant a seed that flourishes in the light of God’s love.
You may have some strategies for spreading the good news of Jesus that you have used successfully. Please share in the comment section to help us to be a better witness for our Lord.
God will bless our efforts to witness for Him, even if our beginning attempts are feeble. As we continue to witness, we will gain strength and confidence. He will bless our steps along His pathway.
It is God to whom and with whom we travel and while he is the end of our journey, he is also at every stopping place.” Elisabeth Elliot
We can be a Light for Jesus!
“I wish I knew the secret of how to be consistently successful at sharing the good news of Jesus. I’d like to have the perfect formula for bringing others to Christ.”
I wish I knew too, but I’ve found God uses every effort in some way.
You are right, Loretta, our Father blesses our efforts. Thanks for your encouragement.
Very good post, Katherine. I thought your suggestions for being successful at witnessing where spot on. Thank you!
Thank you for your encouragement, Stephanie. Praying we can both continue to witness to others through our work. Wishing you continued blessings and much joy in writing!
Katherine, this is an area where I feel I could always use more growth. I love your bullet point suggestions.
I have taken to “prayerwalking” in my neighborhood. I am praying for the families that live on my street as I walk. I pray for the opportunity to shine Christ’s love. I ask for divine appointments.
Sometimes my interaction with my neighbors is only a smile and/or a wave. But the Lord has opened times of conversation and opportunity to let them know I’m praying for them or to offer help with a project. The point is, my neighbors are learning that I truly care. People are much more likely to listen to us talk about God, prayer, and church when they recognize that we are real and that we demonstrate love.
Beckie, Thank you for your encouragement and for sharing about you “prayerwalking” I do that sometimes when I’m driving (praying for other drivers,cars that are stalled, or those that have been in accidents). I love your concept! We could do that in our neighborhoods, our workplace, or in our communities around our churches. Thanks so much for stopping by and blessing us today.
When I was younger, I was worried about someone asking me a question that I didn’t know the answer to. Or getting sidetracked when I was trying to share the gospel. So I learned a three-point outline of the gospel and it has given me confidence to speak up if I have the opportunity.
Sounds like something you should write about, Katy! You’re such a wonderful role model for us through your blog, Bible studies, and the support you provide to Christian authors. Thank you for being a Light for Jesus.
I think for sharing the gospel, the main thing is to focus on the gospel. If someone asks something you don’t know, just say, I don’t know, but I do know this, and return to the cross. That way you don’t follow too any rabbit trails. If they really want to know, say you don’t know, but you will get back to them because it gives you a way to learn more and meet with them again.
Such wonderful advice, Joanna–thank you! Sometimes we are afraid to admit when we don’t know the answers, but you are right on target. Jesus is the answer!
Katherine, the story of Elisabeth Elliott is a great example. Thank you for sharing practical ways to prepare to witness for Christ as we are called to do.
I think Elisabeth Elliot is a wonderful role model. But, Jeannie, so are you! You and our Christian author associates inspire me every day. Thank you for sharing the love of Christ with your words.
Thank you, Katherine, for the reminder that the opportunity to share God’s love can happen anywhere and that we should always be ready. I remember a time that a repairman came to work on an appliance, and due to the ridiculous scheduling and what felt like incompetence and erroneous info to me, I ‘chose’ to be unkind and rude with some of my comments. What didn’t register with me when I snapped at this repairperson was that I had on a Christian music station on my television and he eventually started talking about the song that was playing and that they’d just sung it in church on Sunday. Well, imagine how awful I felt with my hurtful words spoken with Christian music playing in the background….! Lesson learned and I’ve made a conscious effort to do better ….
Oh, Julie, I’ve been there, too. I expect most of us have been in situations when we said something and immediately regretted the words because they were unkind. Like you, I’ve tried to do better. I’m thankful that our God gives us second chances (and many more!)
Great thoughts. This is definitely an area where I have a lot of room to grow. Appreciate your words and the example of Elizabeth Elliot!
Elisabeth Elliot is a wonderful role model for us. I definitely have a lot of room to grow in this area, too! Thank you for your encouragement, Jonathan