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I Cannot Help But Speak

A common misconception is that the Church's primary purpose is evangelism. I believe that the Church's primary mission is to exhibit the glory of God in holy living, obedience, unity and love. The Scripture says, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, [when you] love one...another" (John 13:35). Our primary ministry is to exhibit His presence, lordship and likeness, as we love one another. As we move in obedience, community, and honoring the presence of God, the first and greatest commandment is not to reach the lost but to love God with all of our hearts. The second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Man is not the focal point; God is.

Our first role is to honor the Lord, seek Him first, and exhibit Him in holy living. We empty ourselves so that other believers can be promoted and exalted, but not at the cost of evangelism. Evangelism is important enough that one of the ministry gifts from Jesus to His Church is the office of evangelist, Ephesians says.

Many of us are a little bit uncomfortable with evangelism, especially structured evangelism, such as preaching on a street corner. Door-to-door evangelism is probably the worst of all because you are at a disadvantage because you're on their turf. They do not want you there, and you feel like a Jehovah's Witness. There is a place for structured evangelism, but I believe the most effective evangelism is natural evangelism, where you cannot help but speak the things that you have seen and heard. As you go through life, you run into people and share how good God has been to you and the reality of regeneration. You tell them, "All I know is this--once I was blind, and now I see." Isn't that a great testimony? When they said, "Who did this?" the one who was healed said, "Don't bother me with all that; I'm not a theologian. What I do know is I was once blind; now I see. Once I was a sinner; now I'm born-again. My sins have been forgiven and removed from me as far as the east is from the west. My sin has been cast into the sea of God's forgetfulness."

"How do you know that? Give me chapter and verse."

"I don't even have chapter and verse, but I know it, praise God." A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument.

The Epistle of Peter says that we are to be able to give an answer--a reason, an explanation--of the hope that's in us (1 Pet. 3:15). We come to church to be taught, to establish doctrine, and to learn what has happened to us in our experience so we can give that reason of hope. Tragically, the Church has been taken up with only doctrine, learning and arguments. Most of us have become apologists instead of evangelists, wanting to explain God to everybody instead of sharing about Him. An evangelist heralds God by talking about what He has done for them and by declaring from the Scriptures what Jesus did historically. But it's not a theological approach; it's a compulsion--"I can't help but speak the things I've seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).

Is there life in you today to empower you to be a witness? "...Ye shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me..." (Acts 1:8). If you are full of the Holy Spirit, you will be a witness. You can't help but share what you've so freely received. You can't help but shout from the housetops what has happened to you in the innermost recesses of your heart.

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