As Christians, we have been commissioned and ordained by Jesus to proclaim the gospel and to share the good news about the kingdom of God with others. After Jesus’ resurrection, His final command to His disciples was to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20).
The book of Acts recounts in vivid detail the rapid growth of the early church and the spread of the gospel to many places as His early followers faithfully proclaimed the good news far and wide. In Acts 8, for example, we read the story of Jesus’ disciple Philip, who traveled to the city of Samaria and “preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” to the people, which resulted in many people becoming Christians (Acts 8:5–12).
As Christians, each of us has been called to be an everyday witness as we go about our daily lives. The Bible teaches us that through Christ, we have been reconciled to God—and in turn we have received the ministry of reconciliation to bring others to faith in Jesus. We have each been called to be an ambassador for Christ of God’s kingdom: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:18–20 NIV).
The truth of the gospel and the love of God are the greatest need of all humankind. Regardless of ethnicity, social position, belief system or cultural background, every person was made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and each will face heartaches and sorrows, sin and failure, pain and fear of death. The hunger people experience for truth, purpose, joy, and peace of mind are God-created, as He seeks to draw all people to Himself (John 12:32).
The Bible says that God has “set eternity in the human heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11NIV). He has given an awareness to every human soul that there is something more than this earthly life, which inevitably will pass away. “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14 NKJV). This awareness causes people to search for eternal truths that will answer their deepest questions and help them to find purpose and meaning amidst the challenges and sorrows of this life.
Jesus said that He came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10), and He once walked miles out of His way in the heat of day to reach one foreign woman at a well. This woman was so thrilled to discover the truth through this stranger that she “left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?’” (John 4:29). As a result, “many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony” (John 4:39–42).
The apostle Paul was a great witness, and the Bible records him sharing his personal conversion story: “This is what happened to me.” (See Acts 22:1–16.) When sharing about your faith with others, it can be helpful to share your personal testimony about how you came to Christ. Most people love a story, and life stories are often an effective witness. If people can concede that it is possible for your life to have been transformed through faith, then a mustard seed of faith has been planted that their lives can be changed too, and there is a possibility for them to come to believe in Jesus.
So, proclaim Christ and tell the story of how He transformed your life. Share with others that the true God is a good God who is kind and loving and concerned about His children, who hates war and deplores the poverty and oppression of the poor, and longs for every heart to be redeemed and drawn to Him. Tell people the story of God’s salvation plan in sending His Son into the world, that through His life and death on the cross for our redemption we can receive His gift of salvation (John 3:16-17).
Jesus taught that Christians are “the light of the world.” He went on to say that a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, and if men have a candlestick, they don’t put it under the table; they put it on the table that it may give light to the whole house (Matthew 5:14–15). Once you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are then called to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
We may feel inadequate or uncertain about how to go about sharing our faith, but Jesus promised that His followers would receive an anointing of His power to help them to be His witnesses. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be My witnesses” (Acts 1:8). If we do our part of planting seeds of faith and pointing people to the Word of God, we can trust that God’s Spirit will work in people’s hearts and lives through the witness we share.
Although we are called to be God’s messengers who point the way to salvation, only the Holy Spirit can work in people’s lives and hearts and bring them to a decision to be born again into God’s kingdom (John 3:3). Whether or not people choose to believe and receive Christ is the personal choice of each individual. Our job is simply to go forth bearing God’s Word and to plant it in receptive hearts.
We may not always see the harvest ourselves or the impact that our witness has on a person’s life, and many other people may play a role in someone’s journey to faith. One person may sow the seed, another may water it, but it is God that gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6–8). We are each called to do our part to try to prepare the ground, soften it with our prayers, and sow the seed of God’s Word. It’s up to the individual to receive it, and only God can make it take root and grow and produce fruit. (See the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8:4-15.)
It is also important to do your part to learn as much as you can over time about the foundations of your faith and to build your knowledge of the Bible to become a “good worker who correctly explains the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 NLT). This will enable you to answer people’s questions and share scriptures with them, and “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV).
The Bible teaches that “God is love” (1 John 4:8), and “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). As His messengers, we are called to share His love with others, so that they too can experience it and know Him. We can always reflect His love to others throughout the day, even if at times it is only with a word of encouragement or an act of kindness, sympathy or care, so that they can experience God’s love. Saint Augustine (354–430 AD) once wrote that love “has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. It has hands to help others. It has feet to hasten to the poor and needy.”
Jesus came “to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, and to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18 NKJV). And He has commissioned us, as Christians, to proclaim the gospel in all the world to everyone (Mark 16:15). God’s Spirit will lead you to those who will respond to the message, whether immediately or further down the road. His Spirit will empower you to tell others about Him and to share His love with them, “for the love of Christ compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14 NKJV).
As ambassadors for Christ, we are called to share God’s love with all people regardless of their socioeconomic status, worldview or belief system, ethnicity or cultural background. May we each do our part to share the good news of the gospel and to reflect God’s light and love to others so that they can come to know and receive Him. “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).