Sharing the Gospel Next Door

Read This: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19

Think: Sometimes it’s easier to be intentional about inviting someone to church and talking about God when it’s not so close to home. If you’ve ever been on a mission trip or participated in a service project with your church, there’s a certain adrenaline and enthusiasm that gives you the courage to step out in faith. But when you get back to your own neighborhood, that passion can get lost in the day to day.

Jesus’ command to the disciples at his ascension in Matthew 28:19 is often taught in the context of missions. It’s the responsibility of the church to share the gospel with all nations, but that includes people on your own street too—no matter what language they speak. You don’t need foreign language skills to show generosity and kindness. In Matthew 13 Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower. As the man is throwing out seed for crops, but some of it falls on a path and is eaten by birds. Other seeds fell on rocks and didn’t have enough soil and were burned by the sun, and still others fell among thorns that choked them. But some seeds fell on good soil and produced grain some up to one hundred times.

Our job is not unlike that of the sower. Letting the Holy Spirit guide us, we throw out an invitation to church here, a helping hand there, and sharing the goodness of God whenever we get a chance. We can’t determine where the seed will fall or how God is going to work the soil. A person might decline an invitation to church twenty times before they say yes. Or maybe they never accept your invitation but through you God breaks down walls and when the time is right, they accept someone else’s invitation to church. We don’t know how it will all play out, but in being intentional and obedient we can be sure we won’t miss out on the action.

Ask: When is the last time you invited someone to your church? What keeps you from extending that invitation?

Pray: Ask God to give you the passion, conviction, and courage to spread the gospel every way you can everywhere you go.