What if We Go Public With the Gospel?

We know that the Christian life is to be lived by faith, which is defined as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).”

This childlike faith leads us to say, “Yes, Lord, I take You as my Savior.” This faith is what makes us new creations and adopts us into God’s forever family.

It’s clear that our relationship with God transforms when we act by faith.

Today, I want to make the point that God works when we trust Him to work—specifically when we step into His words of truth. Jesus tells us that He is the truth and that the truth will set us free (John 8:32). When we believe His truth and obey it, God goes to work through us.

But too often we don’t believe Jesus when He says He is with us and that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. The “what ifs” of life prompt us to fear despite the truth God has given us. And most of these fear-filled “what ifs” come up when Jesus asks us to go public with the gospel.

In my moments of fear, my flesh always whispers:

• What if I make them mad?
• What if they ask a question I can’t answer?
• What if I get fired from my job?
• What if they are offended?

I don’t know about you, but I have shrunk back in silence in each of these moments. But I’m asking you to hold me accountable. I want to live with a different “what if” that frees me to go public with Jesus and the gospel in ways I’ve never done before.

This year, I want to live in hopeful expectation of what God will do with us if we trade up for different “what ifs,” and I want to challenge you to join me.

What if we step out with words that release the Holy Spirit into our conversations?

What if we let God use broken people like us, who’ve tasted the love of Christ, to bring others to Himself?

What if we are used by God to light the fire of revival as we willingly lose our lives for the sake of the gospel?

What if we are bold to share the truth-filled, life-giving, love-shattering message that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)” to everyone we meet?

What if you join me this year in bowing the knee of our hearts to beg the Holy Spirit to fill us with the love of Christ in word and deed?

In my childlike faith, I believe our loving God would meet us and work in incomprehensible ways to spread the love of Christ.

May our days be filled with these “what ifs” as we become fools for Christ and tell others about His life-changing love. If we’re obedient to do so, God will go to work through us—to the glory of Jesus. Together, let’s light the fire with Jesus’ name, knowing that we will ultimately succeed.

“I would rather fail in a cause that would ultimately succeed, than succeed in a cause that would ultimately fail.” -Woodrow Wilson

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