The Joy of What God has Done
By Rev. John B. Sorensen
Evangelism Explosion International
Take a moment. Pause. Reflect on this past year. How did God use you? Did you experience the joy of leading someone (or many people) to Jesus? Great! Then celebrate what God has done.
In Luke 15, Jesus told us three stories about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. In each one, a great celebration was held when the lost was found. He tells us in verse 10, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (NIV).
That joy is contagious. When Julie joined a team to witness in her community, she literally felt sick. She had never shared her faith and didn’t believe she could do it. But that changed when she personally watched someone turn to Jesus. The joy of that moment overcame her fear, and her confidence in what God could do began to grow. Today, she is excited at every opportunity to share her faith and trains, other believers, how to overcome their fear of witnessing.
Zephaniah 3:17 says that “the LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.” (NIV). We must remember that God goes with us when we share His love with others. He speaks to the hearts of those who hear His Word. Our job is simply to share what He has done for us. But we also get to join the celebration when someone prays to accept Him. Every soul that enters His Kingdom is worth celebrating!
Joy drives us forward. It breaks our hearts for those who are lost and gives us the momentum to keep sharing the Gospel even when people reject it.
Earlier this year, Brian had the opportunity to pray with someone to accept Jesus. He could not contain his excitement. “I was able to stand and look at another individual who has gone through the same things I had and show him the goodness of God and what He’s done in my life, and God moved…This was my first time going out, but I’m going to keep going.”
The Apostle Paul urges us to keep going. He says in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (NIV).
So, don’t stop. Let the joy of celebrating salvation propel you to keep sharing your faith today and into next year so that others might come to know Him.
If you haven’t shared your faith recently, or maybe you’ve never shared it, I have good news for you. It’s not too late. You can start today. The next person you meet may be desperate to find some hope – the hope that can only be offered through Jesus Christ. May God be with you as you go out and share His love.
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Rev. John B. Sorensen, D.D. is the President/CEO of Evangelism Explosion International, headquartered in Arden, N.C. EE has been a leader in equipping Christians to share their faith for more than 50 years. For more free tips and resources, visit evangelismexplosion.org, or follow John on Twitter, @jbsoresen.
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