Evangelism is not Optional

Reaching Your World with Luis Palau

I was in the grocery store when I heard a mother say to her son, “Jason, will you put that back on the shelf?” Jason, her young son, looked at her and said, “No.” To which the shocked mother said, “Actually Jason, that wasn’t a question. Put that back on the shelf.” When I saw this interaction, I chuckled to myself, because sometimes, I think, you and I can be like Jason towards God. God may be asking us to do something—to which we are saying no. But the reality of the situation is, some things God asks of us aren’t questions; they aren’t optional. They’re really more of commands. One example I can think of is evangelism. How often do we not share the Good News because we don’t want to, or feel uncomfortable or awkward talking to a friend? The fact of the matter is, Jesus doesn’t ask us if we feel like sharing the Gospel. The Bible doesn’t say, “will you please tell people about me when you’re feeling up to it?” Instead, the Bible says in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to all creation.” This week, why don’t you do just that? Share the Good News as if evangelism were not optional. Because it’s a command, not a suggestion. This is Luis Palau.