Why Christians Can’t Be Silent About The Gospel

Why Christians Can’t Be Silent About The Gospel March 15, 2017

Since Christians have received eternal life, should they feel compelled to share that good news with others?

Words are Necessary

Does it seem to you that churches are not as evangelistic as they were just a few years ago? Some believe it is not necessary to use words but just be an example and draw them to Christ by the way you live. Of course, it’s great to be salt and light, but salt needs to get of the shaker and the light out into the world, however, aren’t words necessary? The Apostle Paul tells us “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching” (Rom 10:14), “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). You can be a witness for Christ by the way that you live because you might be the only Bible they ever read, but you don’t have a chapter and verse they can turn to, so words are necessary because, “faith comes by hearing” and that is the hearing of “the word of Christ,” so words are necessary because how will they know unless they hear about Christ? Yes, we can be an example, but not a mute one. The New Testament church never knew of a silent believer.

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

I must confess that when I have had chances to share the gospel with family, friends, and co-workers, I was silent. Apparently there were times that I was ashamed of the gospel, at least in the sense that I was silent when I should have spoken up, so have you experienced the same thing? The Apostle Paul probably never missed an opportunity to share the gospel. He declared, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16), and that statement of Paul’s has been backed up with sufficient evidence in his missions (Book of Acts), but there is a danger in being ashamed to speak up for Christ. Jesus once warned that “whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26), and “the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God” (Luke 12:9). Do we see any secret-agent, underground Christians in the New Testament church? I have seen none. All were unafraid to speak about the way, the truth, and the life as found in Jesus Christ (John 14:6), so we are either ashamed to mention Jesus’ name in public or we are boldly proclaiming Him as the one and only way to the Father (John 6:44).

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Cannot Help But Preach

Jeremiah once wrote about his trying to suppress the message God had placed on his heart and wrote, “If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot” (Jer 20:9). Paul wrote, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1st Cor 9:16). Do you ever feel “necessity” laid upon you? Is it like a fire in your bosom that you cannot contain? If so, you are a faithful witness and the Spirit of God is compelling you to speak for Christ. That’s why the apostles said, “we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). God told Ananias that Paul (still Saul at the time) “is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel” (Acts 9:15), so Paul didn’t have a choice but to be a witness for Christ; both to the Jew and to the Gentiles. It was his God-given calling, so it didn’t matter who they were to Paul; he knew they needed to know Christ and Him crucified.

Jesus’ Compassion

The word “compassion” means “with passion” so when you think about the lost and their fate on the Day of Judgment (Rev 20:12-15), it should compel us to participate in the rescuing of the perishing. Paul felt as though “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish” (Rom 1:14), so aren’t we all obligated to share the gospel too (Matt 28:18-20)? Jesus gave the disciples an imperative command to go into all the world to make disciples. There was no plan B. It can’t be simply letting people see how you live and they will come to Christ, because words are always necessary. Jesus was grieved over the unbelief of the Jews, saying “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing” (Matt 23:37)! You can read how much Jesus desired that the Jews would come to Him, so is that our passion? Do we have that same desire to seek and to save those who are lost?

Conclusion

There isn’t much wiggle room in my opinion on whether we should be a witness for Jesus Christ or not. You are either a witness or not. You can either be ashamed of Him or not. The risk of course is if all you’ve done in your life as a believer is to remain silent about Christ, He might deny you before the Father and the holy angels. By then, it will be too late to repent because there is no evangelism in heaven. That’s something we can only do here on earth, so why not share the gospel today, knowing this is the double-quick cure for sin. He is the Pearl of Great Price. Can we not share such an infinite treasure as He is? Do we even care? The questions are, are we ashamed of the gospel and of Jesus Christ? Do we not have that fire in the bosom for the lost? Do we not care that people are perishing without Christ every day? Today might be that one last chance to witness to someone who you might never see again, because there is an appointment we must all keep; it’s an appointment to die, and after that, the judgment (Heb 9:27).

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also host of Spiritual Fitness and Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.


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