by Joseph Tanchi
There’s a group of friends sitting around a table. One asks "Have you ever…?" and a few raise their hands. The others sit in silence, smiling as they think about what they’ve just learned about their friends. It’s then the next person’s turn and he / she asks "Have you ever…?" and it goes on and on. Sometimes, there’s a consequence for those who raised their hands. In many countries, this is a popular game people play when they get together. In others it is merely a fun way to break the ice and get to know someone you might be meeting for the first time a little better.
"Have you ever" got me thinking about a question we often ask each other in Christian circles. "Have you ever led anyone to Christ?" I realized that, as far as I know, I haven’t. But then as I continued thinking about it, I started wondering why it’s so important for us to have led someone to Christ. Indeed, our mission on earth is to reach out and do our part to help save the lost. But isn’t convicting a person of their sin and touching their hearts the work of the Holy Spirit? Perhaps we’re asking the wrong question.
Is our mission on earth really to save souls or to just be available as an instrument, ready and willing to be used by the Lord whenever the opportunity arises? I believe we are all called to serve and fulfill God’s purpose for us. But not everyone has the same calling. Some are called to be preachers. Others may "just" be called to serve behind the scenes. But we are definitely all called to imitate Christ, to ensure we are equipped for the work God has for us (whatever it is) and point others in the direction of the cross – wherever we are.
In different situations, we may be called to share the gospel, or our faith, or Christ’s love, or our resources. Whatever it is, we have to be ready, at any time, in any place. As Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2a "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season…" or as Peter echoed in 1 Peter 3:15b "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."
To be sure, we are all called to reach out to the lost. But numbers shouldn’t matter. It shouldn’t be about how many people we’ve led to Christ, it’s not even if we’ve led ANYONE to Christ. It’s how available and surrendered we are to God, how obedient we are to His prompting to share the Gospel (in the power of the Holy Spirit, not through our own ability). In the end, that’s all we can and should do. We do our part, we let ourselves be used by the Lord, and then let the Spirit move in the other person. John 3:8 says "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." Later John adds "When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment." (John 16:8). He may not move in them. But that’s not our job to determine.
At the end of the day what matters is how we’ve let ourselves be used by the Spirit, how consistently we’ve loved as Christ loved, how surrendered we are to His will and His purposes, and how we’ve grown in Christ-likeness in the process.
So, have you ever…?
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.