I recently read a statistic from a well-known evangelist stating that nonbelievers must hear the Gospel an average of 7.6 times before they receive it. While nearly every case of repentance recorded in the New Testament would seem to dispute this figure, I am confident that it was arrived at through valid surveys and interviews. So, it follows that on average most former nonbelievers will have heard the Gospel on various occasions and from various people before coming to faith in Christ. And that is where we come in. We never know which encounter will be ours. We may present the Gospel to someone for the first time or the tenth time. We may never know, but our obedience in sharing is all that matters. I say this to encourage people who have taken that step to witness to others and have never personally seen anyone come to Christ as a result. Every encounter is vital.
However, from time to time we need to see the culmination of the Holy Spirit’s working in someone’s heart. This is certainly true for me. Though we know God’s Word never returns void, it doesn’t hurt to actually see it once in a while through a life transformed and a soul retrieved from darkness and hopelessness.
This week Kirsten and I, along with our Sunday morning Bible study teacher, got to experience what for evangelical Christians is nothing short of an adrenaline rush unmatched by any extreme sport. Sometimes, the Lord presents us with a person who is so primed and ready to receive Christ that they are ahead of us. I mean to say that they began professing faith in Christ and repentance of sins before we can get that far in our “presentation.”
Wednesday evening we dropped in on the home of a young couple who had recently visited our church as a result of their children attending through a bus ministry in their neighborhood. As we arrived, we were welcomed in and spoke for a few minutes about their recent visit and their children’s attendance. The conversation quickly turned to their own spiritual journey, and before we knew it we were on our knees in their home praying with this young man. When asked if he would like to give his heart to Jesus, he did not hesitate in replying yes. We were almost caught off-guard as we expected some hesitancy or some line of questioning that may lead us down a rabbit trail. We were mistaken. God had brought this young man to this point through other means and other people and here we were, looking at fruit ripe for picking. We simply kneeled and prayed, in awe of the power of the Holy Spirit who had preceded us.
While every encounter certainly does not end this way, perhaps one of every 7.6 encounters will. It is not the statistic we rely on, but the promise that His Word will not return void. Diligence and consistency are needed in our endeavors to share Christ’s love and plan for salvation at every chance we get and with everyone we can, both in word as well as deed.
I also read another sobering statistic - that less than 5% of born-again Christians ever share their faith with others. I repeat – EVER. For many years I lived as one of the other 95%. I have learned something in recent years that I never fully grasped before. There is no greater joy in the Christian life than the joy of sharing the hope that is in us. No other activity buoys our faith, our enthusiasm, and our gratitude for what Christ has done for us than to share it with others. It is a sure way to rekindle our love and desire for God. We must never get past the experience of salvation. If we move beyond the cross in our lives as Christians we have strayed. It is simply something we cannot afford to “get over.”
Trust me, one experience like the one I just described is enough to carry you through a host of less than positive encounters. Our success as ambassadors of Christ is not found in the results, but in the obedience we demonstrate. The results are not up to us anyway. What is in our control is that obedience. That aspect we can surely do something about.
