A young man I admire was expressing, shall we say, a little bit of an evangelistic comedown recently.
He’s been sharing his faith with a number of people at work and school, including some longer-term contacts whom he’s met frequently with. An enthusiastic person by nature (he approaches little in life without his signature fervency), he loved telling us about how God was moving.
Lately, those contacts seem to have run into dead ends. Though seemingly open at first, they have clammed up, stopped meeting, stopped returning calls. And it left him wondering whether he’d gotten a little…too excited?
I thought about it for a while.
My answer is no – the rest of us aren’t excited enough.
Sure, I’m used to people being closed to the Gospel and witnessing efforts running dry.
But lately, seeing this guy loving his calling has made me envious. He’d really had an expectation that God would move. That God didn’t move – yet, in our timing, or in our way – isn’t the final word. In the meantime, he had an infectious joy that made me wonder whether I, with my years of experience and disappointment under my belt, was more seasoned or truthfully just no longer held expectations.
Well, I’ve become cynical about cynicism now. I want that joy back. I want to love, serve, and witness believing that God is doing more than the eye can see. Throughout Scripture, we see that. God moving above the clouds, beneath the surface, in thunderings from heaven and still small voices. Nothing is as it seems. Nothing is hopeless as it seems.
For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do. (Isaiah 55:10-11)
The good news isn’t a spitball. Though the field seems brown and dry, the God who saves sinners has plans to restore its life. We are his workers. And the wheels are turning, whether we see them or not.
Let’s go back to sharing the Gospel as if we believe it’s doing something. There’s only one way to prove we really believe it.
Brandon J. Adams 
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Thank you for the reminder of the need for Joy and Fervency in our evangelism!
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Brandon, I really enjoyed this post, and you said so many good things. I tend to be a bit excited myself and have been classified by some as a bit over the top. But, I am okay with that. I really like what you said about believing in the power of the Gospel. If we actually believe the words of it have power, then we will allow that to energize us and propel us forward with it. If we only have heartedly believe it, then we will be timid and tepid in our presentation of the Gospel. Of course, only God saves, but the way in which we share it still makes a huge difference. Now, is there a downside personally for getting really invested in our words? There sure is. I find that I am often feeling disappointed that, despite my enthusiasm, nothing seems to happen. Then I just have to rest in the knowledge that my mandate is to plant see, and allow God to work the harvest.
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Dude, yes! BE over the top! I’d rather be invested and disappointed than lukewarm. And like you said, lukewarmness also contributes to ineffectiveness.
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I think part of the problem Brandon, is our mindset regarding it. It can seem burdensome and even scary to share the Gospel. I can sure get the scary part; I have been quite nervous on more than one occasion to be honest. The burden part is where many go wrong; it’s far from that. It is in fact a great joy, a privilege, and can actually be amazingly invigorating if approached with the right mindset. I have never played organized sports, but it almost seems like the “ big game.” We practice and practice, which can seem like, well, practice. Then, one day we get to run out on that field and win. What could be more fun than that?
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Exactly.
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Cynical about cynicism. I like that description. Great post. 👍👊💥
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Good to have you swing by, John!
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You never know whether you’re planting seeds or witnessing God harvest the crop. You are responsible to get the message out. You are not responsible for what people do with it. We can get excited that we got to speak about Christ–and be excited to see results. But our excitement can’t depend on the results in front of us today. God is still working–in his own time.
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I do have to admit that it can be pretty trying during a long drought. But you’re right.
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“The gospel isn’t a spitball.” Great line Brandon. In my own experience, I find that I am super-charged with energy after the fact, although I may have had to work up the energy and strength to share the Gospel. Thankfully, I don’t have to rest on my own power, but in His. Excellent post.
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Thanks, man!
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Nice write-up!!
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Thanks 🙂
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