Day 7 – Developing a Burden to Share the Gospel
Part of 1 Thessalonians—A Walk Worthy of the Gospel
June 2, 2021

Day 7 – Developing a Burden to Share the Gospel

Read: I Thessalonians 2:8

In today’s verse, Paul describes the essence of his model for sharing the gospel. Paul was excited to share the good news of the gospel as well as his own life and he did it willingly because he dearly loved people. Many of us today are not effective in sharing the gospel because we have allowed the “rhythm of life” to swallow us up and cloud the message. Many of us live life at a hectic pace and we forget to make disciples along the way as we were commanded in the great commission (Matthew 28: 19 – 20). Personal blind spots get in the way of effective sharing.

Blind spot #1 is when we allow ourselves to be disconnected either spiritually or physically from those around us who need the gospel. Truly living by the gospel will offend sinners and gradually we retreat into a spiritual bubble where we have minimal interaction with sinners who need the message of the gospel. We become more comfortable in “church settings” instead of where lost people live their lives.

Blind spot #2 can be when we feel a dichotomy between sharing ourselves or sharing the gospel. In reality, we must find the right balance between doing both. If I worry too much about offending my friends, I can talk myself out of talking about Jesus. If I want to turn every conversation into a discussion about the Bible, people will soon want to avoid me. We need balance but all too often we are completely closed off or we never speak up.

Blind spot #3 can be driven by the fact that we are disinterested. We need to grieve over the spiritual condition of others to the point that spreading the gospel becomes a driving force in our lives. Reaching people with the gospel must dominate our prayer life and command how we spend our time.

Prayer time: Lord, give me compassion for those around me that desperately need your life changing good news. Help me see how deeply you love me and let that drive me to deeply love those in my life who need you. I want to love them deeply enough that it conquers my fear of rejection, overcomes my indifference and drives me to action to get out of my comfort zone and be about my Fathers business.

Final thought: Without compassion, it can be difficult to fulfill the great commission. Endeavoring to share the gospel out of only a sense of duty is hard work. Ask God for a burden for the lost and a consuming desire to engage with the world with the purpose of one day sharing the good news that has been shared with you.