The NIV 365 Day Devotional
3 Motivations Every Christian Can Utilize to Spread the Gospel
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”Matthew 28:18–20
Do I have to share God’s Word with others? Can’t I leave that to the pastor or to those who have the ‘gift of evangelism’?” Introducing the gospel to others can be frightening and uncomfortable, so if you’re like most Christians, you’ve probably tried to find some exemption that lets you get out of having to do it. But in the passage known as the “Great Commission” Jesus says, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19–20).
“But wait,” some might object, “couldn’t this just be a command for the apostles?” The short answer: no.
“While it is true that contextually the Great Commission (Mt 28:18–20) was given to the apostles,” says Timothy Beougher, “it was not only for the apostles. The command ‘teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you’ certainly includes the command to make disciples.”
And as D. A. Carson notes, the Great Commission does not record Jesus telling the apostles “to obey everything I have commanded you, except for this commandment to make disciples. Keep their grubby hands off that one, because it belongs only to you, my dear apostles.”
So evangelism is a task for all believers. Fortunately, we can learn to want to evangelize if we focus on the right motivations. Three primary motives can help us develop a desire to share the gospel:
- A desire to be obedient to Christ—Our love for Christ ought to drive us to obey all his commands. We spread the gospel because we want to be obedient.
- A desire to become like Christ—If we want to become like Christ, we must develop the desire to share his love with unbelievers. That is why sharing God’s word is an essential discipline for spiritual formation.
- A love for our lost neighbors—How can we love our lost neighbors and not want to share with them the greatest news they could ever hear?
Practical Takeaway: By focusing on our love for Christ and our neighbor, we can develop a desire to share the gospel with others.
Taken from the NIV Spiritual Habits Bible.