I have a confession to make. I know that as a follower of Jesus Christ, I am to be a faithful witness. I am commanded to share the gospel as I go. Obedience to Christ’s command is not optional. Every Christian is to be on mission for Christ in the world making Him known. Pastors are to be at the “head of the pack.”

And my confession? Too often my sharing has been out of a sense of duty or obligation. Furthermore, I allowed “feeling” to be my guide. If the situation “felt” right, and the circumstances were right, I would share. If not, I kept the message to myself.

This is sin plain and simple. James said, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (4:17, ESV). I asked for God’s forgiveness and renewed my commitment to be faithful in witness no matter how I felt.  As a result, God has brought about a transformation in my thinking and practice. I give Him the glory!!

The transformation in thinking came after reading the Great Commission for no doubt the millionth time.  It hit me, that sharing the gospel isn’t about “feeling” it is about loving obedience. I realized that if you will do what God says, in spite of how you feel (a biblical counseling principle), He will find great delight in it, and He will provide the means to follow through-His enabling grace. The transformation in my practice occurred when I then learned The Way of The Master method taught by Ray Comfort. Ray believes, and rightly so, that the Law (the Ten Commandments) must be used prior to sharing the gospel so that people will see and acknowledge their true sinful nature. This is the Law’s purpose, to bring about the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20). Only then will they recognize the trouble they are in and turn to the only One, Jesus Christ, who can redeem them. The rule of thumb is “Law to the proud, grace to the humble.”

The transformation has been life changing. Sharing Christ with strangers is now a regular and on-going part of my life. Again, to Him belongs the glory!

The icing on the cake, so to speak, came while reading Mark Cahill’s book One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven. Mark mentions that often we do what we do in the Christian life because we “got to.” We are driven by obligation or duty. There is little joy in our efforts. We “got to” pray. We “got to” read our bibles. And yes, we “got to” witness. Mark suggests to change our thinking from “got to” to “get to.” We “get to” pray. We “get to” read our bibles. We “get to” witness. It’s all a privilege!!

The truth is a simple one: There is no greater joy!

With each day, God sends me opportunities to share the gospel. What was once done out of a sense of duty or governed by my own personal “feelings” of comfortableness, is now the joy of my life. I cannot think of anything I would rather do! Fellow believers! Listen up! We don’t “got to,” we “get to.” We get to share the greatest message the world could ever hear–the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no higher privilege. There is no greater joy!!!