Reference the Gospel During the Reading of Scripture

It can even be done the way one introduces a paragraph of the Scriptures he’s about to explain. For example, suppose one were speaking from 1 Corinthians. It would be most natural and effective to say:

“I enjoy speaking from the book of 1 Corinthians because the person God used to write this portion of Scripture was a man named Paul who, prior to coming to know Christ, called himself a blasphemer, a persecutor and a violently arrogant man. He had every reason to think, I am too big a sinner for God to save. But he recognized that on the cross Christ did not die for some people, He died for everybody. Because He paid the price for our sins by dying in our place and rising again, God can now extend the free gift of eternal life to anyone who will simply put their trust in Christ. So if you think you are too big a sinner for God to save, rest assured that as we study this paragraph in 1 Corinthians, that is most certainly not true.”

Have someone else read the passage of Scripture. Represent every generation in those that read the Scripture and coach them on referencing the gospel during the reading of Scripture. It is a very effective way to share the gospel.

Draw Closer to Jesus Christ

We must recognize that unconcern for unbelievers is—at least in part—a spiritual growth issue. If we take the Scriptures at face value, there is simply no way of getting close to Christ without seeing how much He cares for those for whom He died. Luke 19:10 is quite explicit: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” In light of that clear statement, is it possible to get close to the Master’s heart without getting close to the Master’s mission? Consider Matthew 4:19 where Christ extended the invitation, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

How, then, can we follow closely in His footsteps without being captivated by His concern for the lost? If we would like to think of ourselves as growing Christians, a good biblical barometer of our growth would be, “How concerned am I for lost people?” Does that mean if we do not witness to one person a day, we are not close to Christ and have no concern for the lost? Not for a moment. He wants our lives to be motivated by relationships, not regulations. It is to say, however, that if we draw close to Jesus Christ, we will find His concern for the lost rubbing off on us. Known as the friend of sinners, His whole life revolved around lost people. Since they are so close to His heart, the closer we draw to Him, the closer we draw to the people for whom He died.

Therefore, we ought to ask ourselves the question, “Are we spending the time daily getting to know Christ better, talking to Him through prayer, and letting Him talk to us through the Scriptures?” Or are we like Martha in Luke 10 who was so “worried and troubled about many things” that she neglected just sitting down and talking to Him and letting Him talk to her? A genuine, growing relationship with Him should lead to a growing closeness to non-Christians.

Growing Christians Have Reason to Be Bolder in Evangelism

As we study the Scriptures, one learns very quickly that we cannot separate spiritual growth from evangelism. The closer we get to the heart of Christ, the closer we get to the people for whom He died. His heart bleeds for the lost. Mark 10:45 tells us, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Luke 19:10 explains, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Those who live close to Christ capture His heart for the lost. They bleed for the same people He bleeds for. In some way or another, whether by helping with an evangelistic outreach through the church, witnessing to a lost person, or working for an evangelistic association, they want to be used by God to populate heaven.

Christian growth and consistent living is attained by studying the Word. As 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” That means every time we study the Bible, God wants to take out of our lives what should not be there and put in what should be there. This is exactly what God does when Christians study the Word. This enables them to live consistent Christian lives. Does that mean they never fail? Not for a moment. Despite mistakes and failures in Christian living, any who know them well will testify to the fact that they are growing believers—ones who are consistently learning more about the Savior and applying it to their lives.

How does that affect boldness in evangelism? For the very practical reason that growing believers do not have to consider witnessing to a lost person thinking, “I sure hope he doesn’t find out how I live and how I treat my family. I have to be sure he doesn’t find out how dishonest I am in business.” Instead, they can walk up to a lost person knowing that they are attempting to live a consistent Christian life.

Paul the apostle verifies how such consistency provides boldness. In 1 Thessalonians 2, as he talks about his witness among the Thessalonians, he says, “You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe” (v. 10). Paul’s life was such a contrast to the lives of those around him, he could boldly talk of his relationship to the Savior.

Suppose that had not been Paul’s character and conduct. How could he have faced a Thessalonian society with courage telling them of a Savior who could pardon their sins and save them from eternal punishment? The understandable “pressure” one feels by living a deceitful, dishonest, two-tongued, and two-sided life melts away courage.

That does not mean God cannot use a hypocrite to lead people to Christ. More than once a church leader has led people to Christ while living a sinful life in secret. There are two ways God can work—through us or in spite of us. When He uses such people He is working in spite of them more than through them. As a speaker once said, “God sometimes uses a crooked arrow to hit His mark.” They probably would admit though that they do not experience the
consistent courage that one who is walking in step with the Savior experiences.

Boldness in evangelism is parallel to our growth as a Christian. As our walk with Christ increases, so does our boldness. When one is in love with the Savior, one’s foremost desire is to honor Him. What others think of us matters little. Our desire to honor God could not matter more.