Read, Study, pray, repeat.

 “For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” (Acts 13:47 ESV)

“I cannot talk to someone about the gospel; I do not know enough.” Many people feel this way even though both the New and Old Testaments are available to help us evangelize. By evangelizing, I do not mean going door to door or standing on a street corner preaching. God bless those brothers and sisters who do because only the Spirit can move us to levels of witnessing such as this.

Consider this: the early Apostles didn't have the New Testament. Their evangelism was rooted in the word of God spoken by God in Christ. They shared their experiences, and others evangelized from their words. Jesus is the Word, and we have Jesus when we are justified. Evangelism is not just about sharing the gospel; it's about sharing our personal testimonies of God's work in our lives.

Timothy studied scriptures but it was Paul who gave Timothy the gospel. We know this because Paul wrote to Timothy and spoke, “To Timothy, my true child in the faith:” (1 Timothy 1:2). Paul also called Titus a child in the faith. We are all children in faith to our elders and Pastors. We learn the meaning of scripture from them. We then study that scripture and ponder it; we dwell on it, and we meditate on it. If you are attending a church where there is no exposition of scripture, there is feeding on the word. There is no spiritual learning or growth. It might be time to find a new church. We must continually grow in our knowledge of the Lord, as it is our responsibility as Christians.

If you are worried about the words, God will give them words to you. In leading many Bible studies and in many sermons, God had moved me from my intended words to His. God knows what needs to be said. Evangelism occurs in the grocery line, on the train, and in church fellowship where the levels of belief or even unbelief exist. Many people attend church, never remember the message of the day, and do not understand what the gospel is. They only know a few people and never question anything, especially their relationship with God. They are ticket punchers who put up social media pictures of coffee and a bible in the morning, implying they are studying the word. I think you would be surprised at the lack of knowledge of some, even in the church.

If you are honest with yourself and you are one of these people, change what you are doing. Evaluate your relationship with God. If you truly do not know Him, do not keep fooling yourself and lying to God. Start now read, study, pray, and repeat. God needs evangelists, but only those who are truly children, truly heirs to Christ, will fit the bill. Quite honestly that should be every single Christian. Is it you?

Grace and Peace!