Everyone who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is given the gift of the Holy Spirit and an eternal relationship with God. Not to sound like Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben, but with that gift comes responsibility. We are all to act as Christ’s ambassadors, being a shining light for the dark world, and telling other people about the good news of Jesus.
When we go to church, read our Bible, and listen to Christian podcasts, we are reminded of the importance of sharing the gospel with those who don’t yet know Jesus. But sometimes it can be a struggle. There are a number of things that can keep us from sharing the gospel.
Most of the time, one way or another, nerves get the best of us. We’re nervous that we’ll be rejected or it will make our relationship awkward. Sometimes, we’re nervous because we don’t have experience with spiritual conversations. Maybe we don’t even know how to start such a conversation.
When you’re feeling anxious, it’s always a good idea to turn to the Lord through prayer and seeking His Word. The Bible can be a great encouragement when you’re struggling to share the gospel. Here are some key Bible verses to encourage you.
Using your Bible app, bookmark these verses so you can come back to them when you need some encouragement.
“Go therefore 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. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
There’s a lot of encouragement here. First of all, it’s a clear call to share the gospel. There is no ambiguity. This is something God wants you to do. So if you’re wondering if it’s a good idea or if it’s worth the risk, the answer is yes.
Also realize that this is a call given to all followers of Jesus. “Jesus commands and calls every Christian from every culture from every nation and He never mentions gifts or personality types,” Becky Pippert, author of Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World, told the Indigitous Podcast. “I don’t think a lot of people do have the gift of the evangelist, but we’re all called to be witnesses.” If it’s something God calls everyone to do, it’s something that everyone can do, not just those with special skills.
If it’s something God calls everyone to do, it’s something that everyone can do, not just those with special skills.
And there’s another piece of encouragement in that verse. At the end, Jesus reminds us that He will be with us always. When you want to share the gospel, you’re not doing it through your own power. It is with the help of the Holy Spirit. With God helping you, that takes the pressure off.
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8).
If we love God, then we want Him to be glorified. When Jesus talks about bearing fruit, one of the things He means is sharing the gospel with others. When we do that, we glorify God and, in doing so, prove to be His disciples.
Have you ever done something difficult because you knew it would make someone happy? God loves us already and we are saved by grace alone, so this isn’t about earning anything from Him. However, if we love God, we should want to please Him and bring glory to Him. Sharing the gospel is one way of doing that.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16-17).
One reason you might be struggling to share the gospel is that you’re worried about how it will be received. If your friend is living a lifestyle contrary to Scripture, he might be offended. An atheist friend might think you’re foolish for believing such a thing.
These certainly weren’t unfamiliar circumstances to Paul. Whenever he shared the gospel of Jesus, he risked his status as a Pharisee. He risked being ostracized by his friends and community, and even risked his own life. Throughout the gospels, there are stories of Paul and other apostles being beaten and imprisoned for their faith.
Yet, he still shared. As Paul says, he was not ashamed of the gospel, despite everything he risked in preaching it. And why was he able to have that conviction? Because he knew that through the gospel, anyone who believes can be saved. To him, the reward of people being saved and having their relationship with God reconciled was worth the risk.
“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).
If you’re nervous about sharing the gospel, you might be focusing on what you have to say. How can you make such a great argument for Jesus that the person would have to say yes? How will you respond to any questions they have? Better make sure you have all of the answers!
According to Paul, it’s not about any of that. When sharing the gospel with people, Paul said he didn’t rely on “lofty speech or wisdom.” It wasn’t about him spinning a convincing argument or seeming so wise that people would have to believe he knew what he was talking about. Instead, he made things simple: He talked about Jesus, His death, and His resurrection.
This verse also reiterates that the Spirit plays a role. It’s not up to you to convince someone to accept Jesus as Lord. The Spirit will change people’s hearts.
“Don’t worry how you’ll respond, and don’t worry what you should say. The Holy Spirit will give you the words to say at the moment when you need them” (Luke 12:11-12).
In this verse, Jesus is giving a pep talk to His followers. During and after His ministry on earth, Jesus’ followers faced great persecution. Jesus reminded them that even if they’re arrested and put on trial in a religious court, they shouldn’t worry, because God will give them the words to say to defend the faith.
Jesus’ promise is about more than just persecution, though. He’s talking about the Holy Spirit and how we can depend upon the Spirit. It is through the power of the Spirit that we share the gospel. Just as Paul didn’t need “lofty speech or wisdom,” Jesus told His followers that they don’t have to worry about making sure they say the perfect thing. Because sharing the gospel is a spiritual thing, and changing hearts is a spiritual thing, we have the help of the Holy Spirit acting within us.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Before His ascension, Jesus gave this promise to His followers: They wouldn’t be alone in witnessing. The Holy Spirit would be with them. Today, we can take that same promise to heart. All who accept Jesus as Savior are made new creations with the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. That Spirit has the power to guide us as we share the gospel and to change the hearts of those who hear.
“And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19).
When Christians think about sharing the gospel, they often think, “I have to bring this person to Jesus.” It’s as if it’s your responsibility to make sure the person accepts Christ and begins a relationship with Him. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Sharing the gospel isn’t about converting someone. Someone choosing to accept Christ as their Savior requires a heart change, and that’s not something you or I can do. Only God can change hearts. Throughout the Bible, there are many stories of God softening people’s hearts toward Him, but not one instance of a person doing that in their own power.
Bill Bright, a former evangelist and founder of Campus Crusade for Christ International, once said, “Success in witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.”
If the results are in God’s hands, that takes a lot of the pressure off.
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).
Things weren’t going well in Habakkuk’s day, to put it lightly. In a moment of distress, the prophet cried out to the Lord and asked how long He was going to allow such sin, brokenness, and destruction. God gave him a lengthy answer of reassurance. Part of that was this promise, that someday, the whole earth would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God. In other words, God promised that the Great Commission would be accomplished. Someday, everyone will know about Jesus.
That means your efforts are not in vain. Taking part in the Great Commission is joining an effort that you know will be successful. It’s like joining a team that you already know will win the championship. Someday, everyone will know about Jesus and have the opportunity to accept His gospel, and we have the opportunity to play a part in that.
Taking part in the Great Commission is joining an effort that you know will be successful. It’s like joining a team that you already know will win the championship.
With these encouraging verses in your pocket, have the confidence to share the gospel with your family, friends, and anyone you know who doesn’t know Jesus.
Try This
Save some or all of these verses in your Bible app as an encouragement. Pray about someone in your life who doesn’t know Jesus and look for an opportunity to share the gospel.