by Greg Laurie
- What did I learn from the book? Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15). This is the command from Jesus Himself, often referred to as the Great Commission. Yet, whenever you bring up the topic of evangelism, people often cringe. One thing about it believers and nonbelievers alike are both uptight about evangelism.
The Bible speaks of both sins of commission and sins of omission. A sin of commission is doing what you should not do. In contrast, a sin of omission is not doing what you should do. The Bible says, “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). So, why don’t we minister to people more as Christians? It is easy because we take things for granted, and rather do things like complain about the preacher’s sermon being to long; the church is too big or small; and even better, the music is too loud. All these things add up to sour us and our ability to share the gospel. We are just plain lazy and think it is the preacher’s job. We are entirely wrong if that is our opinion. Man, that sounds so selfish doesn’t it? We must develop a sense of responsibility where we can do what Jesus commissioned us to do.
Any fool can be happy when the sun is shining and the skies are blue. But when the bottom drops out of our life and you still give thanks to God –that is going to impact nonbelievers. Seek to be a good example as a follower of Christ, and look for that opportunity to engage people with the message of the gospel. You are being watched by nonbelievers. They are often wanting–even hoping you will slip up or do something inconsistent so they can hide behind their argument, “The church is full of hypocrites.” I urge you to defy their expectations.
2. How will I use this book in the future? I plan on continuing to walk the walk, as well as talk the talk. I plan on continuing to be a person before anyone hears me speak, I give evidence that there is something different about me. I hope through my Godly lifestyle, I have earned the right to be heard by nonbelievers.