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The Great Commission

Kathy Lee Gifford recently talked about her reaction to Billy Graham dying and brought up how vocal she is about her faith. You can see the whole video here: http://on.today.com/2EXMDwW The thing I loved about it was when she talked about people questioning her bold faith. She said something to the effect of, “I know the cure for the malignant condition of the soul. Why would I keep that a secret?”

As Christians, we are all commanded to some degree of evangelism. Jesus instructed the disciples, and I believe this has been passed down to all believers, to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). This does not mean we all are called to be “evangelists” but we are not to keep our faith silent. Peter instructs the believers to whom he wrote to be prepared to defend their faith in gentleness (1 Pt 3:15). Today, we too must be prepared.

I believe by defending our faith and sharing our faith with others, we are loving our neighbor the best way we know how. For if we do not share the truth of Jesus Christ, we fail to show love because Jesus is the only way to the Father. Jesus says the greatest commandment is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” following up with a second, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:37, 39). If we truly love God, we will disciple others as Jesus instructed, and this is also showing the love that we would want if we were lost.

I do not believe this is always an easy undertaking, but great things rarely are. I also believe developing a relationship is vital before sharing rather than taking after door-to-door models or the loudspeaker and picket sign model seen at large events.  

Another thing to keep in mind is the importance of your own walk with the Lord in light of the Great Commission. David Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley write, "A person can never lead another closer to the Lord than he or she already is."[1]

Share Jesus Without Fear by William Fay is a resource that can be used in your endeavors to share your faith, and in turn, the love of Christ with others. Please see my abstract on this book for further information. Other resources and book abstracts and/or reviews to come.



Bibliography

Wheeler, David and Vernon M. Whaley. The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-Based Evangelism. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2011.




[1] David Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley, The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-Based Evangelism (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2011), 2454, Kindle. 






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