The Privileged Life: Share Your Good News with the World!

“Sing to the Lord, all the earth; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.” 1 Chronicles 16:23

You know what it’s like to run into friends bubbling over with some bit of wonderful news….

“The university is giving me a full-ride scholarship!”

“I’m going to be a grandma!”

“I just got a new job offer!”

“My doctor told me the biopsy was benign!”

“Our team won the game!”

Whatever the excitement, your friends can’t wait to tell you. It just naturally tumbles out of them. You’ve had those newsworthy moments yourself.

Or maybe you have a friend who is all-in to a new hobby. Let’s say it’s ice-climbing (something that doesn’t interest me in the least). But your friend is very animated and invites you to come on the next expedition. You can’t help but wonder, “Hmmm…I don’t think it’s for me, but I might tag along just to watch these crazy people scale slippery walls of ice with only a pick and a pair of crampons.”

There’s something about a new event, story, or pursuit that brings out the enthusiast in most of us. We instantly become cheerleaders, raving about whatever we’re enjoying. We want others to join us in this new enrichment in our lives. We want to share our immense joy with them.

Here’s the twist…could you say the same right now for your spiritual life? How keen is your passion these days for sharing the good news about your Savior, Jesus Christ? Do you talk about Him the way you talk about things you love?

*Teenagers in Ecuador learned how to make Gospel-sharing bracelets during a mission trip with activities set up for children.*

This thought came to me during the keynote speaker’s messages at our church’s Missions Conference this past weekend.* His comments underscored the theme of the event—“Sharing the Hope of the Gospel with a Troubled World.” And it challenged me.

When you initially place your entire trust in Jesus, it’s the greatest moment of your life. All fear is gone, all sins are forgiven, all hope is ahead of you. You have been claimed by the Creator of the world as one of His children. His love is overwhelming, captivating, liberating. You want to run and shout to everyone, “I’m free! I’m loved! I’m saved! Jesus is my Lord!”

You can’t wait to tell your Christian friends about your good news. You might take a few baby steps toward sharing your newfound faith with family or unbelieving friends, maybe even being bold and reckless enough to announce it to strangers.

The passing of years, however, takes its toll on excitement. Like a honeymoon that fades into a daily routine, your affection or contentment continues, but you no longer have that effervescence about your good news of eternal life in Christ. Your desire to talk about your Lord has grown cold.

I’m guilty of seasons when my love-light for Christ is dimmed and flickering. I’m not the only one. The first indictment by Jesus in His assessment of the seven Asian churches in Revelation comes against the church of Ephesus (see Revelation 2:4). While Jesus commends them for their perseverance, patience, and labors for the faith, He reprimands them for leaving their “first love”—our Lord Himself.

That’s not just a condemnation of our sin…it’s the cry of a God who’s given everything for us and yet is now ignored by us. It’s the heartbreak of a Bridegroom whose bride has turned away from Him, no longer interested. Can you imagine how much it hurts Him when we disregard our love for Him in pursuit of the idols of life?

Friend, if you’re in a stretch of your life journey where your love for Jesus is depleted or lackluster, it’s time to rekindle the flame. First, ask the Holy Spirit to ignite your heart with a renewed love for Jesus. Remind yourself that you have been bought with a price by the God of the universe—through His sacrifice on the cross. Ask Jesus for His forgiveness. Recognize that you are loved with His everlasting love and will joyfully worship Him when you meet Him in heaven.

Ask Him to restore a profound love in your soul for Him. Ask Him to send you out to the world with His good news.

*A girl in Ecuador wears a crown she made, bearing the words “Jesus is my King!” She drew a heart with a cross in it–saying that Jesus was now living in her heart.*

Then…see how this changes your conversations. Soon, maybe even overnight, you can’t wait to tell others about Him and what He has done for you. Instead of evangelism being something to be feared or avoided, you can’t help bubbling over about Jesus. It just naturally spills out of you. It becomes good news that you can’t wait to share with others.

That’s my prayer for myself and for you this week…not just that God will give us opportunities to share about His Son but that we will embrace these moments wholeheartedly, without reservation…that we will be so EXCITED about the Gospel that it pours out of us by His Holy Spirit. The world needs to hear our good news and be introduced to Jesus.

*Village ladies serenaded us on our mission trip with a beautiful song in their Quechua language about animals living in their Ecuadoran volcano mountains.*

Friends, come join me in this pursuit. It’s an amazing time to be a Christian…and for sharing a passion for Him that’s even more adrenalin-laced than ice-climbing!

Holy Spirit, renew my heart with a deeper love for Christ every day. Forgive me for falling by the wayside in my faith-walk, failing to respond to Your sacrificial gifts. Pour Your truth into my heart so that my “first love” for Jesus will be restored. Bless me, Lord, with an overflowing enthusiasm to share Your love with others and the opportunities to do so. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

P.S. I highly recommend that you join a short-term mission trip abroad! Go with an established group, and no matter what your skills, God can use your gifts for His kingdom purposes. You’ll find that God will show up in amazing ways to help you share His message with the world! While your news changes others, your life and your heart will be changed forever….

Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her weekly blogs are featured on Crossmap.com. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at http://lightbournecreative.com and subscribe at the bottom.

*Sharing my testimony with a classroom of children in El Salvador*

*Some of the winsome children in the El Salvadoran school where our missions group hosted a “Vacation Bible School” week*

*This sweet lady in a mountainside village in El Salvador invited me to try my hand at making tortillas. I’m howling with laughter because hers are perfect, and mine look like amoebas!*

*You can hear the sermon here by Rev. Mark Bates, senior director for U.S. operations with Mission to the World (MTW), during our church’s annual Missions Conference: https://www.wpcjc.org/sermons/to-change-the-world/