Shortly after I gave my life to the Lord at the young age of 11, I was introduced to the concept of evangelism. The way it was explained to me at the time, was that I had a duty to tell others about Christ.
The next day I got together with my best friend to formulate a plan of attack. Who could we witness to that wouldn’t shut us down? Who could we approach without risking our pre-teen reputation? In other words, who was the easiest target?
After considering our options we went straight to the library to find the weakest link.
I can’t even begin to tell you how horrific that conversation went, or how bad we made her feel. It was awful. It was ugly. It was fruitless.
I had never really talked to her before, and I highly doubt we talked much after that. I never took the time to show I cared. I never invited her over, or included her in anything I did. I never cheered her on, or encouraged her in anyway. I never made an attempt to get to know her.
If only someone sat me down back then and taught me what evangelism was, perhaps I would have done less talking and more loving than I did.
1 Corinthians 13:1 has taught me, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”
Yes, we are called to share the gospel, but what is our motive in doing so? Is it duty? Is it pride? Is it the approval of others? Or is it love?
Anytime we’re sharing the gospel with others, it must be (without exception) because we love the Lord with all of our heart, and because we love our neighbor as ourselves. If we are sharing the gospel for any other reason than that, we are preaching the gospel in vain.
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Tilling the Soil
Look for ways to share the gospel this week, but when you do, make sure that you’re loving as much as you’re talking.
Planting Hope
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1, NIV)
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Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.
She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.
It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness. Reshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.
Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.
Connect with Darlene:
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You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife