I want to share a principle so simple that at first glance, it might seem too trivial to even mention. If you share the Gospel with more people, more people will have an opportunity to get saved.
How can a person respond to the Gospel if they do not even know what it is? “And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14, ESV). We know the above statement is true, but most of us still go day after day without sharing the Good News of Jesus.
Many Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) around the state are seeing people regularly come to Jesus. God is doing something special right now. Students are sharing the Gospel with their friends more frequently, and their friends are responding to the call. I believe God compels students to both share and respond. There would be no salvation without Jesus. He did everything necessary to save us when we call on him, but “how then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?” (Romans 10:14). We must tell them about Jesus.
We have been studying and living out John 1:29-51 at the BCM at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. This is when John the Baptist testifies about Jesus being “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (v29). Because of his testimony two men began to follow Jesus that day.
When was the last time you shared your testimony? Joaquin, one of our students, recently shared during our weekly worship service his testimony about God saving him a few months back and him being baptized. He also shared this with a friend on campus who wanted to do the same thing after Joaquin shared the Gospel with him. Like John the Baptist and Joaquin, we need to proclaim Jesus to our friends.
We cannot cause people to get saved. Like John, all we can do is proclaim the Gospel and encourage people to investigate Jesus more closely. Another student, Abby, does this frequently. She recently told us about the courage it took to share the Gospel with a fellow healthcare student on their way to clinicals. That young woman has not surrendered to Jesus yet, but we will keep praying. She now knows the entire Gospel message. When Jesus convicts, she will be able to call on his name.
You might be thinking, “Okay I get it, but where do I start?”
One of the guys who heard John the Baptist’s testimony and followed Jesus was Andrew. He immediately went and told his brother Simon (whom we know as Peter) about finding the Messiah (John 1:40-42). Another UAFS student, Gracie, who was saved a couple of years ago, began sharing the change God made in her life with her family, and now some of them are chasing after God. Tell your family about Jesus.
Maybe God has blessed you by saving all your family. If so, you could be like the next guy mentioned in the passage. Philip immediately went and told Nathaniel to come meet the Messiah. Nathaniel went with heavy doubts. Jesus miraculously wiped all his doubts away. You never know what God might do. Tell your friends about Jesus!
A couple of years ago, I met a student, David, who grew up in church. He was one of the shyest individuals to come through our BCM. That was then. Now, David is sharing the Gospel from the stage and in personal evangelism. He recently led Alex to Christ. Alex is gregarious and friendly to all, an easy guy to love. Now, we will spend an eternity with Alex because the Holy Spirit would not allow David to remain too shy to share the Gospel.
If you do not have any lost friends, go make some. Pray that God will give you opportunities to share the Gospel, and that you will follow through. I cannot guarantee that your friends and family will follow Jesus, but I can guarantee they will not if they do not hear about Him. Will you know Him and make Him known?