During the holidays things can get very comfortable. Comfortable is not bad, but it can carry consequences. Like selfishness. I do what I want when I want. And selfishness carries a number of consequences. Like losing God’s heart to touch the dying world around me. I don’t know if you’re like me, but when comfort is king, personal evangelism suffers dramatically. As does my vision for God reaching the nations. Ed Stetzer and Jerry Rankin help clarify my convictions in their book, Spiritual Warfare and Missions: The Battle for God’s Glory Among the Nations:
Yes, of course the gospel is good news for all who follow Jesus. But is the gospel about me, “above all”? Satan would love for me to think so. The gospel is about the warm, fuzzy thoughts Jesus has for me and just how special He thinks I am. He loves me, no doubt, but He loves the nations as much. He loves my neighbors. He loves people who are not like me. He loves the marginalized and hidden people groups of the world. His glory is the goal to His embrace of the lost. When the gospel is all about me, it is easy for Satan to create indifference toward the nations and a lost world which is what was really the mind of Jesus on the cross.
Do you feel indifferent these days? Has your heart grown numb and cold towards sharing the Gospel? May God lift your gaze from your little world to His huge heart. May God give you a spirit of boldness to step outside your comfort zone today.
