By Judy Wallace
“I’m persuaded that much of our fear, anxiety, discouragement and hopelessness is the result of bad theology” (Paul David Tripp, Everyday Gospel).
That sentence from a recent devotional study gave me pause. I never thought of myself as having bad theology, but this statement made me realize that any excuse we have for not obeying our Lord’s command to “go and tell” is the result of not truly believing the God of the Bible. Here are some reasons we often give for not obeying His command:
• “Evangelism is not my spiritual gift.” Many do have this gift, and sharing Christ comes easily to them. But this is a command to us all regardless of our gifting! Along with this command comes the bookends of the commission (Matt. 28:18, 20): “All power is given unto me in heaven and earth, go ye therefore… And lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” You see, when He sends us, He goes with us. Since we know He has sent us, are we going and telling based on His power, character and presence or are we living based on our insufficiency instead of His all sufficiency? If so, that is bad theology.
• “I wouldn’t know what to say.” Moses already used that excuse, and we know how God used him. We have no excuse. We are instructed in I Peter 3:15, “…be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” Reading that verse always brings conviction! How many are actually asking me? Then there is II Tim. 2:15 that instructs us to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Am I staying in His Word? Am I learning more and more about Him? Am I conforming to the image of Jesus Christ in my daily walk? Do I know the truth? If not, why not?
I wasn’t a hardened criminal at eight years old when I was saved, but I definitely knew I was a sinner and could do nothing about it on my own. Between then and now, I have strayed far from God, disobeyed Him, thought my way was certainly better than His, given in to my besetting sin, etc. But oh, the grace, mercy, compassion, and constant presence of God in my life is something to witness about! You have your own testimony, and simply sharing your walk will open doors. Realize that it is God who will take that seed and grow it. If you think it is eloquence with words that is needed, that is bad theology.
“What if I’m ostracized or persecuted for speaking up for Christ?” That is easy to answer. It is not “if” but “when.” Jesus told us to expect it. John 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Peter reiterates the same theme in I Peter 4:12. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” He goes on to tell us that we should be glad to be partners with Christ in His suffering and even be happy when insulted for being a Christ follower. The chapter ends with this verse: “So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right and trust your lives to God Who created you, for He will never fail you” (I Peter 4:19 NLT).
Is our self-talk more about what we cannot do or are afraid to do, or is it about what our all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God can do and wants to do through us? If it is the latter, then that’s good theology.
How should we respond? Why are we bashful about speaking up for Christ? Why aren’t we more intentional about infusing Him into our daily conversations and interactions? What do we fear most: the insults of man or disobedience to God?
Take time to pray today, and in this way, “Father, you know I am asking myself these questions. Help me to keep focused on the fact that You are my Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, Savior, Lord, Mediator, Friend. Embolden me to stand up, speak up, and give up any and all excuses that would prevent me from freely speaking of Your all-sufficient mercy and grace.”
