WHY WE DO NOT SHARE THE GOSPEL

There are of course many reasons why we do not share the gospel. But there is one reason that is not talked about a lot, but it may be having the most significant impact on us for why we do not share. Could it be that even as Christians, we don’t really believe in the reality of God and the reality of heaven and hell? Yes, it is a tough thought to think that we, as Christians, actually might not fully believe in God and the reality of heaven and hell, but it is vitally important because it could be greatly influencing us.

I have said this many times to challenge people, and I will say it again here. If we truly believed in the reality of God, and in the reality of heaven and hell, then we would be out day and night trying to rescue people! Think about that. Could the problem be, we just don’t fully believe in God and the reality of heaven and hell? If we believed in the reality of heaven alone, most of us would try to save people. If it is a glorious everlasting existence with the living God, wouldn’t we do anything to tell people about it?

If heaven is not going to move us, maybe hell will. If you believe in the Bible, there really is a heaven and there is a hell. Is this a reality to us? Do our actions reflect that there really is a hell? People are dying all around us, and we can tend to have this casual attitude about it. I know I do at times! It is like when people die, we can become so numb to the fact that people actually die and do not go to heaven and end up in hell? Are we okay with this? I know it is tough for us to reach out to strangers and especially our enemies, but we are talking about our friends and family members too!

Do we believe in a spiritual reality? The Bible is a very supernatural book with a supernatural spiritual reality; filled also with supernatural spiritual beings and spirits.  Demons/devils/evil spirits are mentioned all throughout the Bible. Angels are mentioned a few hundred times appearing to people. Check out this verse in Hebrews 13:2; “Do not forget to be kind to strangers and let them stay in your home. Some people have had angels in their homes without knowing it.” Wow!

What about the reality that we have an enemy in this world? Ephesians 6:12, “12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” 1 Peter 5:8, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Does it almost seem like we do not even think there is a devil anymore? Were demons just around in Bible times? Have we bought into the idea that all evil people are just “bad” people? Have we bought into the idea that all mental illness is just mental illness? Is it biblical that we connect and diagnose everything to psychological disorders? Again, if we believe the Bible, then satan is real, demons are real, and there is a hell. Satan and hell is mentioned in the Bible over and over. Jesus and the disciples are casting out demons in story after story. In the Bible, even among non-Christians, it was a common belief that there were demons. Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus’ greatest followers had seven demons casted out of her. Demons were connected to the deaf, the mute, people who were having seizures, along with many other afflictions and extraordinary behaviors. Hell is a real place and demons are real according to Jesus. Should they not be real to us?

If we believed the Bible and applied it to our world view, it would go something like this. God created the earth and then man. Satan tempted man and man sinned. God made a promise to redeem His people and rescued them through supernatural means over and over. Then he sent Jesus (the redemptive promise) to die on the cross for our sins and then raised Him from the dead so we could be with Him forever in eternity. This is the Jesus who casted out demons, healed the sick, performed supernatural miracles, raised people from the dead and proclaimed the Kingdom of God in story after story. Jesus then built His Church through His disciples by giving them the Holy Spirit to cast out demons, heal the sick, perform supernatural miracles, raise the dead and to spread the Kingdom of God. Is this Biblical worldview our worldview?

Does it make sense that everything supernatural just stopped and that it was needed only in the Old Testament and New Testament times? What has changed to make us think that this is not our reality anymore? What has changed to make us not believe in the supernatural anymore? What has changed to make us stop believing in demons? What has changed to make us stop believing in the reality of heaven and hell? What has changed to make us stop believing in the spiritual reality of God’s kingdom? Is the Bible story just something that happened “back then”? Doesn’t this present suffering world need a supernatural God with followers who believe in this spiritual reality more than ever? It comes down to this. There is a choice to be made. Believe in a Biblical view or a secular one. Which side are we on?

Our belief system is so powerful. If we believed in the reality of these things, then would we share? If Jesus appeared to you physically right now, how would that change your life? If God gave you a glimpse into the everlasting heaven, how would you start living your life? If God gave you a glimpse into the reality of hell, how would that change the way you view people’s eternal value? Would you start to share if it was all real?