THINGS THAT KEEP YOU FROM BEING A WITNESS

Answer: “There are so many things going on in my life right now. I just don’t have time to share the gospel.”

Sydney was our home for seven years. When God gave us a clear call to move out and set our roots in Melbourne, we immediately started informing our employers, families and friends, packing our things and doing the things that needed to be done. It sounds simple, but anyone who has sold his house and moved interstate can relate to how stressful and hectic it can be. Interestingly, amid the chaos of moving boxes and wet paint, God gave us plenty of opportunities to share the gospel, our testimonies, and encourage other people. While it would have been handy to decline those invitations due to our circumstances, deep in our hearts we were reminded to set our priorities right no matter what happens. 

Life is always about priorities. You will always find time for the things you set a high priority on. 

We find time to brush our teeth because having a healthy set of teeth is our priority. We spend time taking care of our kids because, as parents, they are our priorities. In the same way, we earn a living because it is our priority to provide for our family’s needs. Isn’t it true that we always have time for the things that matter most to us? In reality, it is not an issue of “having time”—it is an issue of “making time.”

It is always easy to fall into the barrenness of a busy life. We lack compassion for the lost. We have long forgotten what it was like to live without hope and freedom apart from Christ. We wouldn’t ever admit it, but our priorities and lives reveal it: We make no time in our busy schedules to connect with those who don’t know Christ. We have long stopped crying for lost people in our neighborhoods and workplaces. We have no non-Christian friends, and barely any connections. We have stayed in our Christian bubble long enough to get comfortable. Lost people are a low priority. When was the last time we invited someone into our home who did not know Christ?

When Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist was beheaded, Jesus withdrew by boat privately to go to a solitary place to mourn, but the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. He had compassion on them, healed them and he served them dinner. Only then, in the evening, did he get a chance to be alone, though even that was interrupted (Matthew 14:10-25).

Jesus had time to attend to other people’s problems even when his life was at stake.

“The Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all.” (Matthew 12:14-15)

That is the heart of our Saviour. Everything he does is apparently more important than what we do, but every time we interrupt him, he always pays attention. Just as Christ was willing to bring hope, life, love, and forgiveness to people in his day, so as Christians today, we are called to step out in faith, follow him, and be his hands and feet to deliver the same message to a world in desperate need of a saviour.

Make the choice to intentionally build relationships with non-Christians, submit every witnessing opportunity to God through prayer, invite someone who doesn’t know Christ into your home and make God’s priorities your priority as Christ’s follower.

If you and your Christian friends want to learn to be an effective witness for Jesus, head to myLife2Life.com and start a Life2Life huddle!