The Joy of Sharing the Gospel

We hope you enjoy this BfA staff member’s testimony of sharing the gospel.

I’ve heard it said that the greatest joy in a person’s life is the joy of receiving the Lord Jesus as his Savior, and the second greatest joy is leading another person to the same saving knowledge of Christ.

From my own experience, I can testify to the truth of that statement and to the life-changing effect that leading another person to Christ has had on me.

I’d like to share a dynamic experience—one that changed the course of my life and continues to benefit me, some forty odd years later.

Saved at an early age

Growing up in a Christian home, I was blessed to be introduced to God’s salvation, a love for His Word, and personal prayer, all at an early age.

I can remember praying to receive Jesus as my Savior while sitting on my bed with my mother some time before I entered kindergarten.

I can say that the Lord Jesus was real to me from a young age. But I never had the boldness to express my faith in Him to others until something happened to me in my early teens.

It was during the time of Vietnam War, in the early days of what was called “the Jesus movement”—around 1970. My family was living in Southern California where many young people were giving their lives to Christ. They were making their faith known in the streets, in parks, in schools, and wherever they could. Some called them “Jesus People” or “Jesus Freaks.” I didn’t consider myself one of them, but the atmosphere they created really affected me.

Having an older brother to tag along with, I joined him to go to some nearby home fellowship gatherings where there was a strong emphasis on preaching the gospel. I heard testimonies of young people that convicted me of my own need to open my mouth to share my faith in Jesus Christ. I asked them to pray for me to be able to witness for the Lord.

Opening my mouth to share the gospel

The Lord answered their prayers by giving me a strong, compelling desire to witness for Him and to share the gospel with my classmates, friends, and neighbors. My first attempts were of me trying to share the gospel with my junior high classmates.

I discovered I could break through my timidity by giving gospel tracts to them. This practice of handing someone a gospel tract about the Lord Jesus continues to bring blessing to me to this day.

I also found that, with the help of gospel booklets, I had something to read with my friends, which gave me the opportunity to lead them to pray to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. And the more I practiced this, the bolder I became. Even when I was rejected, I still found preaching the gospel to be a joy. Any time I opened my mouth to speak for the Lord, I was overtaken by unspeakable joy. At times I felt like I was walking home on a cloud. The joy of the Lord was so real to me!

After meeting some believers who led me into a vibrant enjoyment of Christ and a living full of the experience of God’s salvation, I began college with a great desire to preach the gospel there. The sharing of the gospel became a dynamic factor during my college years that brought me much joy in the Lord. It continued to be a joy to me in the years that followed.

After college, the involvements of career and family life at times restricted my speaking for the Lord, but the taste for sharing the gospel with others never left me. A new opportunity for me to participate in the spread of God’s Word and to speak for Christ in my daily life was opened to me when I became part of Bibles for America back in the year 2000.

Flowing the Lord out to receive more of the Lord

Through the years, I’ve learned by experience the Christian life is like a water hose. The more we flow out by opening our mouth to speak for Christ to people, the more He fills us with Himself.

In Psalms 81:10 God said, “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” Give it a try. Share some gospel posts or tracts with others to bless them with the good news of Christ.

It’s never too late to start.

You may also be interested in reading about my experience of sharing the gospel on a long distance flight in this post: Using Digital Tools to Spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
 

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