Giving away the good news. The best message. The greatest need. Unlimited opportunities.
I believe that the Lord has endowed women with a special ability to share the gospel. Most women are people-oriented. We build relationships easier than men do. Women often have children in their homes and under their nurture many more hours than men do, with the opportunity to teach them the gospel and the ways of God. We usually talk much more freely than men. Women tend to be more compassionate and loving.
Evangelism needs to be done. God desires that all be saved (2 Pet. 3:9). That’s His heart, that’s His plan. The love of Christ constrains us and compels us to share this good news, and each one of us has that solemn responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission, to go and tell. Each of us will stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ and give account of our lives. When we realize that heaven and hell are at stake, then we must give away the good news–and we have a limited time to do it.
Sadly, personal evangelism is not being done today the way it should be. I talk to a lot of women and some of them say, “Well, I’ve made some attempts to tell others about Jesus, and come away discouraged.” Others tell me, “I’ll stuff envelopes and lick stamps, but don’t ask me to tell anybody else about Jesus. Let the men do it. I’ll be a supporter.” Do you feel that way? “I’m too timid,” “I’m too shy,” “I don’t have the gift of evangelism,” “I don’t know enough about the Bible.”
If we look at witnessing and sharing Christ with others as a burden instead of a joy and a privilege, we will find it drudgery and will not be very effective.
In preparation for this seminar, I asked possibly 75 women why we don’t witness more than we do. The Number 1 answer? Fear! Fear of rejection. Fear of failure. Fear of offending others. It’s not easy to tell another person she is going to hell.
The second reason was, “I don’t know how to begin a conversation; I just don’t know how.”
Evangelism is hard work. It involves sacrifice, time, and a lot of prayer. You may have to sow the seed, or you may be watering someone else’s seed. You might get to reap it, or someone else might reap it. Evangelism is hard work, but it can be done and the Lord will enable you to do it. The key is, we need to be prepared. We always need to be thinking of those that we come in contact with. They fit into one of two categories: they are either lost or they’re saved. Where do they stand?
When I meet you for the first time, the first thing that should go through my mind is, Are you a Christian? Are you saved or not? We need to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We need to be aware that God wants that other person to be saved, too. We are working with the Holy Spirit to bring the gospel to them. Don’t you want to be a part of what He’s doing? It is a joy and a privilege to share the good news and to give it away.
In 2 Corinthians 4:7, Paul uses earthen vessels as a metaphor. Gideon used them as lamp shades and the light was inside. Remember that the light didn’t shine until they smashed those clay pitchers or jars. The same is true for us. Until we’re willing to be broken, that light is going to flicker. It’s not really going to shine.
If the gospel is hidden, it’s hidden to those who are perishing (2 Cor. 4:3). That’s serious. People are perishing because we’re hiding our little lights! Let us shine for Him!
Sometimes a question is asked of me: Which is more important in witnessing, my life or my words?
That’s like asking which wing of an airplane is more important, the right or left? Both are essential. You can’t do without either of them. You need to live that clean, pure life before the Lord, but we also have to verbalize the gospel. It’s a sin to be silent.
Evangelism puts a sparkle into your life. Its enthusiasm is contagious. A friend of mine puts it this way: What more exciting place can you be than in the “birthing room of eternity”?
The explosion of knowledge, space travel, communications, and computers has not made our concern for the gospel obsolete. You can look at this new millennium as a clean slate–nothing has been written on it. You can start brand new in a new year and a new millennium. Forget your failures, and grasp this new opportunity. Say “yes” with a renewed vigor to give out the gospel and share Christ. We women can make a difference in this new millennium, and you’re a part of it if you belong to the Lord Jesus. When we realize the message that we have, the value of a soul, the blessedness of heaven, and the reality of hell, we dare not fail to be witnesses for Christ.
We’re not all evangelists, but we are all witnesses. Every one has a different personality, different talents, circumstances, and gifts. There is an old saying that I’d like to use to stir your heart, “If not me, then who? If not now, then when?” We have this treasure in earthen vessels. If it’s not me, who is going to tell my neighbors, my friends, my workmates? If it’s not now, when will I do it? What am I waiting for?
Let’s go to the Scriptures and look at a few biblical examples of women who had a role in sharing this good news. You will see that there is room for every kind of person in this great work of evangelism:
* A prostitute–Rahab (Josh. 2:12-13, 17-19; 6:23, 25). “Gather to yourself in the house your father, mother, brothers and all the household.”
* A child–Naaman’s servant girl (2 Ki. 5:3, 15, 17). “I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria!”
* A mother-in-law–Naomi (Ruth 1:16-18). “Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God…”
* A queen–Esther (Esther 8:17). “And many among the peoples of the land became Jews…”
* An old widow–Anna (Lk. 2:36-38). “She continued to speak of Him…”
* An ethnic racial outcast–the woman at Sychar’s well (Jn. 4:29-30, 39). “From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified.”
* A mother and grandmother–Eunice and Lois (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:14-15). “From a child you have known the holy Scriptures that make you wise unto salvation…”
* A formerly demon-possessed woman–Mary Magdalene (Mt. 28:1, 7; Mk. 16:9-10; Jn. 20:15-18). “Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons…Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead…”
* A businesswoman–Lydia (Acts 16:14-15). “…she urged us to come into her house and stay. She prevailed upon us…”
* A housewife–Priscilla (Acts 18:2-3; Rom. 16:3; 1 Cor. 16:19). “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow-workers in Christ Jesus.”
If you go out into each day with a heart that is prayerful for the lost, willing to be used, filled with the love of Christ, and ready with a few gospel verses, the Lord will use you for His glory, and you will find joy in obeying and serving Him.