Are We Using Our Words to Spread the Gospel Message?
Are we “Letter-Writing People”?
Are we using the words God places into our hearts to spread the Good News of Jesus?
Are we writing letters, cards, text messages, or e-mails to those we love, and are we filling those mediums with words of God, with words that have the power to lead others to experience God’s Gift of Salvation?
Are we writing God’s Truth every time we are given to write?
- If we were given an opportunity to write to someone we love, to someone who does not yet believe and trust God, would we write those words and seal them within a letter?
- If we had the chance to say something, last words, would we waste those precious words speaking about the beauty of this earthly world and our love—OR—would we share the gospel message and speak of the beautiful place, of heaven?
- If we had a last testament, a last will to give, what do we possess deep down within us worth giving to someone we dearly love?
Plenty of people work toward a legacy, toward a worthy possession they can leave to their children.
Others desire to share time, to spend all they own while they live, not worried about leaving anything to their children, but sharing all they have, all their wealth—now—in the present with their children and grandchildren.
Then there are the believers, the Christians, the children of God, and they may work hard for power, riches, and wisdom as well, but they strive for something greater they can leave their children, something of greater value than money, fame, possessions, houses, and bank accounts.
- The child of God wants to leave his children a legacy of faith.
- The child of God wants to leave his children the plan of salvation written as actions, written as words spoken, and written as a reaction of knowing the Lord as Savior.
- The child of God wants to leave his children an opportunity to know God’s salvation.
- The child of God wants to leave his children at his death, knowing that his children are God’s children too, that they will follow him home to heaven one day too, when their time here on earth is spent.
Today, I wonder, what legacy, what work, what possessions are we striving to leave our children.
I am perplexed by the fact that when given ample time to speak Jesus to our children, why is that we speak of earthly topics that have no value rather than speaking of heavenly topics that last for an eternity.
The Apostle Paul is probably the prolific letter writer we know. As he journeyed across the known world (Europe & Asia Minor), he had one goal: to lead others to Christ Jesus. He was a church planter, leading people to a saving knowledge found in Jesus, and then he would move on with his missionary partners to a new place, hopeful that he would someday return to the church planted, to check on them, to minister to them before he moved on again to a new place that the Spirit of God led him to go.
Yet, travel was laborious.
Travel was slow.
Travel took months, even years.
And the time remaining in Paul’s life did not allow him the chance to return to every church he had planted, so Paul did the next best thing. Since he could not be there in person, he wrote them letters of encouragement, of teaching, and of admonishment if he heard that they had returned to their former way of life. The key element was the LETTER.
What seems most fascinating about Paul’s letters to the early churches is the fact that the letters were filled with words that led the recipients to make a change, to turn from walking away from God to walking toward God & the salvation found through Jesus Christ.
- The Apostle Paul never seemed to apologize for the tone of his letters for he knew the TRUTH was the TRUTH whether the recipients believed or not.
- The Apostle Paul never worried how the words in his letters might offend because he knew the words of God, a gift given to him from God’s Holy Spirit, and quite possibly, those words might be read, absorbed, and lead to a person’s change of heart, to a person’s salvation.
“For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it;
though I did regret it—for I see that the letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while—
I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance;
for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.
For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
(2 Corinthians 7: 8-10 NASB)
- We may write letters to those we love, filled with words that cause the readers to fill sorrowful, but even so, we should write those words.
- We may write text messages to those we love, filled with words that cause the readers to have a repentant heart, but even so, we should write those words.
- We may write e-mails, blogs, or even love-filled cards that cause others to become “sorrowful according to the will of God,” and as we do “the sorrow that is according to the will of God [has the power of God and] produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation. . . .”
Child of God, may we not live our lives, writing words that are filled with worldly things, non-important words, unlovely words, or even with words of our own love.
Child of God, may we not write words filled with worldly thoughts that only produce death.
Child of God, may we live our lives, writing letters filled with words that cause those we love who read the words God has given us to write, to experience God’s amazing grace & salvation.
Child of God, may we ask ourselves today: Are we using our words to spread the Gospel message?
Today is a great day for writing a letter, to write life-changing words, to someone we love.
- May we grab our tablet, grab our pen, grab our Bible, and may we write.
- May we grab our computer, grab our Bible, and may we write.
- May we use the words God places into our minds to spread the Gospel message.
- May we use our words God gives to us and stand amazed as God Changes People’s Hearts!