Here are a few Internet quotes from Christians describing their pre-Christian experiences illustrating how poorly we (the body of Christ) are doing at sharing the gospel:
“…It amazes me when we hear of Christians going to evangelize distant lands when…here I was at the age of 24 and, until this point, I had never seen a gospel tract or heard about salvation from anyone!” (Ron Mills, <truthandtidings.com>)
“I knew I was going to hell, but I didn’t know what to do about it…In my search, never one time did someone witness to me or hand me a gospel tract.” (Dennis A. Corle, <earnestlycontending.com>)
WHAT DOES GOD SAY?:
We are commanded to “…go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) The book of Romans says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:13-16)
THE PROBLEM: Most Christians want to share the gospel but are too intimidated.
THE SOLUTION (for many of us): Use gospel tracts. A gospel tract is a written presentation of the plan of salvation. Yes, I know, the ultimate goal is for each of us to become bold evangelists, unafraid to witness whenever prompted by the Holy Spirit. But let’s be realistic. For those of us who are waiting for courage, gospel tracts provide an opportunity to start sharing the gospel now. According to the apostle Paul, he said that to win as many as possible, he would do what it took for the sake of the gospel (1Corinthians 9:19,23).
SOME ADVANTAGES TO USING GOSPEL TRACTS:
- - Tracts can do the talking for us. For those of us who are currently intimidated by witnessing, tracts can be left in places where people can find them. You can also send them to people via the US Postal Service: If the recipient’s name is not known, address it to “Friend” or “Resident,” and if you want to remain anonymous, don’t include a return address.
- - Tracts are patient, speaking to people whenever and wherever they are ready to listen.
- - Tracts don’t get upset or get into arguments.
- - Tracts can include a personal address or church address for additional information.
- - Tracts are inexpensive. You can make copies of free internet gospel tracts, or you can purchase tracts online or from a Christian bookstore. Just think, some of the money that you’d normally spend on temporal and material things could be used to help bring people to Jesus. In Matthew 6:19-20, we are told not to lay up for ourselves treasures on earth where it won’t last, but to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven where it will last forever.
PRAYER: Prayer is powerful. Prayer is a priority. Ask that God will use each tract to glorify Himself. Ask that each tract will be read. And ask that each tract will be used by the Holy Spirit to convict people of sin and bring them to repentance. Know that “God’s word will never come back void, but will accomplish what God has planned for it to do.” (Isaiah 55:11)
CONVERSION IS BY THE HOLY SPIRIT (God is in control):
While we obediently labor for the purpose of sharing the gospel, we should remember not to trust in our own efforts but trust only in God’s ability to convert the heart of a sinner. So, I repeat, conversion is by the Holy Spirit: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-8)
Look on the internet and you’ll find that many have come to Christ through gospel tracts left in a variety of unusual places, and in some cases, from tracts that were torn or incomplete. Just remember, every tract you distribute whether or not the gospel is accepted or rejected glorifies God. When someone receives a gospel tract, curiosity will cause the individual to investigate further (it’s human nature). Realizing that it’s Christian literature, the reader will either throw it away or continue reading. Obviously you want them to read the whole message, but even when it’s discarded God is glorified. Sometimes your discarded tract will be just one of many Godly encounters that the reader will have before eventually coming to Jesus. And even in cases where a person refuses to continue reading, this will reveal that the individual wants nothing to do with the things of God so he or she cannot later blame God for never having heard the message of salvation.
JESUS IS COMING SOON:
Because of recent world events, I believe that the time is short and that Jesus is coming soon. So in addition to sharing the gospel with the lost, please help motivate others in the body of Christ to participate in the commission of sharing of the gospel.
“Jesus said, ‘In the same way there is more happiness in heaven because of one sinner who turns to God than over ninety-nine good people who don’t need to.’” (Luke 15:7)
Thanks for the prayers guys.
