Those who have accepted the free gift of salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice know just how good the gospel message is. They have heard it, experienced it, and are living in the freedom it brings.
But when it comes to sharing this good news, some believers have an easier time than others. One follower of Christ might have no problem walking up to people, telling the story of Jesus, and inviting them into a relationship with God. For others, the thought of talking to an unbeliever about faith brings a load of anxiety.
Those who don’t see themselves as natural evangelists often think, “I don’t have the gift of evangelism.”
God wired each person differently with certain abilities and strengths, which is the beautiful thing about the Body of Christ. But if sharing the gospel leads to fear and dread, does that mean a person is not called to do it?
A Collective Ministry
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” -2 Corinthians 5:20a
Believers get the privilege of being called children of God, a royal priesthood, and Christ’s ambassadors. Paul uses the word “ambassador” a couple of times in the New Testament. The Greek word in Scripture means to be a representative for God, an emissary for His Kingdom, according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.
Jesus could have stayed on Earth and continued preaching to the nations. Instead, he chose to assign the role of ambassador to His followers. Anyone in Christ is His representative, tasked with “making his appeal” to others. That appeal is “Be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20b).”
Mankind’s relationship with God was broken because of sin. The only way to restore it was through a perfect sacrifice. That sacrifice came through Jesus, the Son of God, who died on a cross and rose from the dead three days later. Now, all those who confess and believe in Jesus as their Savior will be reconciled to God (Romans 10:9-10).
And once reconciled, the believer’s ministry is reconciliation—sharing this message with others so they have the opportunity to respond to God’s appeal.
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” -2 Corinthians 5:18-19
All who follow Christ have been given the title of ambassador. And if all believers are ambassadors, then we have all been given this collective ministry of reconciliation and have the responsibility to proclaim this message of hope.
Fearful Obedience
This doesn’t change the fact that evangelism is a scary task for a lot of believers. Witnessing can cause fear—whether it’s fear of rejection, fear of persecution, and so on.
But many others have felt the same way. Jonah was afraid to go to Nineveh. Ananias was afraid to go to Saul. But God called them to go, and when they obeyed, look at what happened. Nineveh repented, Saul believed and was baptized, and many people trusted in the Lord.
These things happened because God’s hand was at work. He has given us the ministry of reconciliation, but the results are not up to us. Our words can deliver the message, but God is the one who changes hearts (Ezekiel 36:26).
Fear does not exempt you from sharing the gospel nor does it make you less of a Christian. The Lord works through fearful people all the time. When you tell others how to be reconciled to God and your stomach churns or your throat tightens up, remember that the Holy Spirit is working right alongside you. You are never alone in this task. In the end, the Lord is the one doing the heavy lifting.