When I was younger, I thought the Gospel was simple and in many ways it is (isnt this how many of us start out?) but as we grow in age and in faith, we realize its a bit more than "if I believe, I will go to heaven." It is that, but it's so much more. It's more complicated when you scratch beneath the surface. When you get into concepts like a believer's inability to work to earn salvation, or how we inherit sin through one man (Adam) but are justified through one man (Christ) it creates divisions in a way. This division is created not because one believer is more valuable than another, but simply because God has blessed each one in different ways.
The first division is those who have the shallower understanding. They might be still caught in the amazingness of being saved, but struggle with the details of how it all works. High emotion, low understanding. The next division is those who have a deeper understanding. They might academically comprehend some of the more complex concepts of Christianity, but might not be as "in love" with Christ. Low emotion, high understanding The final division is those who understand the most about Christ's death and resurrection and what that means for one's life and because of that they are incredibly in love with what God has done to save them. High emotion, high understanding.
I am no experienced theologian, but I am an observer and I think that many people (perhaps most) are in this second division. I think that they get there because perhaps they have reached a point where they feel like being a Christian isn't all the different than not being one. When the first believed, they would read their Bible everyday, they would pray to God constantly, or they would have their favorite worship song in their head all day. But after the novelty wears off life is still there. Jobs and work still need to be done. Families and friends still need to be taken care of. Problems still exist. And because our life situations are no different than for those who do not believe we think, "yeah being a Christian is cool, I have a God who cares for me and I can pray to when times are tough, but I guess being Christian is not that different." Now they might not consciously say this, but their actions say it. This is all I can judge as I cannot judge one's heart. And I can speak for myself and my past. I used to be like this God was a safety net for me, a life preserver. and He is, but He's so much more!
My friends, if you are feeling like church is more of a social club than a place of worship or if you are feeling like God is a part time thing, I suggest you sit down and read your Bible. I know that sounds corny and sunday-schooly but, in there you find God's love letter to you. Love to us in this modern era is an emotion. We feel love, but love described in the Bible is an action. It is something we do and something God does and did. So the Bible is a documentation of His love actions.
So pick it up and see how God, the creator of the universe, sent His Son to earth, being fully human and fully God, to be beaten, mocked and to die a horrible physical death and have the wrath of the Father poured out on Him and for the first time in eternity be separated from the Father. All for the sins of the world. For your sins. For you, who He chose to believe in Him despite your past, despite your sinful nature. Not only did He choose you to believe in Him, but because you believe you are saved from your sin and from eternal damnation. And you have been chosen to be and are now able to be in an intimate relationship with God.
If that doesn't take your breath away and reinvigorate you to give your life to God, pray that He would give that to you. Because when God saves us, that is what He requires, our life. This makes many of us feel uncomfortable because very few human institutions, if any, have taken someone's life and used it in a good way. But God is pure and perfect and He is calling us to be stewards of all He has given to us, from money to our bodies and what we do with them. Or to tie in with what I've been learning about, all of our words and deeds. We have been learning how must share the Gospel in word and in deed. God wants our lives to preach and point to Him. What we give, what we buy, what we look at, what we read, what we wear, where we work, where we play, etc. But He also wants our words to preach and point to Him. That means being pure and uplifting in our speech, but it also means verbally sharing the Gospel. If it is indeed true that most of us are in that second division, it is no wonder we are not sharing the Gospel. We are no longer enraptured by God and don't think it to be that different. We are more likely to tell others about a sale at the Gap, than about Jesus. But if the truth of what God has done is something that is constantly in our minds, sharing the Gospel would be something that just overflows from us. With that being said, I haven't met a ton of people who just outpour the Gospel in word and I think that is because it is something that we must cultivate. So let's do this side-by-side.
If you are no longer in love with Jesus, pray and ask God to change your heart. He will show you in the Scriptures, so you have to read. If you are in love with Jesus, but are scared to share, you have to cultivate boldness. If you are really serious about evangelism, start by meeting a stranger. See someone you don't know on the train or at the market (or wherever) and just say "Hi" or "How's that book?" or "I like that cereal too" and start a simple conversation. It could be very brief and maybe they don't want to talk to you, but if you take a step out, you will be taking a step to being more comfortable sharing about something as intimate and life-changing as the Gospel. If you do it, post a comment and we can praise God for giving you boldness!
This is not fully coherent as I kind of just typed, so I apologize for being ineloquent and if it is unclear. But at the heart of this post is a cry for those of us who claim Christ to rediscover why the Gospel is as good as people say it is and if you do not believe, this is an invitation to find out the same thing.
