Go and Share Jesus

For Hale's testimony was a real blessing. And you know, she could have chickened out talking to her sister-in-law, right? She could have been afraid and not said anything. But look what is resulting from her simply opening her mouth and talking about Christ. So that's what my message is on today. I didn't know which of these should be the title so you can take your choice. Every Believer and Evangelist. I don't mean like Michael Durham. You travel. I mean, you share the Gospel. Every Believer and Evangelist. Or to borrow a title from a dear friend of mine. He preached once. A church full of ministers. A church full of ministers. Or, I like this one. Go and share Jesus. You don't have to know Greek to do that, do you? Go and share Jesus. Now this message has been warming in my heart for weeks. But I want to say from the beginning, I have been a poor example over the years of this. I've been a chicken at times. I've been a coward. I've been ashamed. When I went away, I was ashamed of being ashamed. But I believe, I know, this is changing in my life more and more. I want you to hear carefully what I say and if what I say is true today, then I want you to receive it as God's Word for you. And begin applying it today. And I have one goal in this message. One simple goal. That we will leave today and be different in choosing to put into practice the truth of God in opening our mouths and sharing with lost people around us the message of Christ. Now, teenagers, you can do this. Young people, you can do this. If you're a Christian today, none of us have any excuse for remaining silent, do we? We don't. So, I want to reference three texts of Scripture. You know them. You're welcome to turn to them. But just hear them. The first is in John 4. The second is in Acts 1. And the third is in Matthew 28. John 4, verses 34 and 35. Jesus said to His disciples, My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me. Now listen to what He follows that with. The will of the One who has sent Me. Do you not say there are still four months and then comes harvest? It's in the future. Do you not say four months and then will be harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are already white, ripe for harvest. Note the simple words. Lift up your eyes and look on the fields. Sometimes my eyes don't get past the end of my nose. I'm thinking about self. I'm thinking about immediate things. I'm thinking about here and now. I'm thinking about, and my eyes don't often go enough outward seeing the fields. But Jesus said, lift up your eyes and look at the fields. In Acts 1.8, our Lord told the disciples, you shall receive what? Power, authority. After that, the Holy Spirit has come on you and you shall be what? Witnesses. Brethren, we've got to open our mouths to our neighbor, to the old person in the nursing home who smiles at you when you've come back to see him. We have to open our mouths. You shall be witnesses. Witnesses. And then Matthew 28. All authority has been given to me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore. Go. Note the simple word go. Children, what does go mean? It means get up, walk, and go somewhere. It means stop your stillness. It means get up and go. Since Christ has all authority, He's sending us, therefore we go. Now, isn't church life vitally important? It is. Isn't corporate prayer really important? It is. Isn't church leadership truly important? It is. What else is really important in the local church? Church missions. It is. What else? Local church evangelism. Local church evangelism. Now I believe personally that Providence Chapel in the book stops here probably. We have been negligent in local church evangelism. We have those laboring among us that are exemplary about it. But local church evangelism, things have to start where we are, right? Where we live. That's today's message. Why every believer is to be about evangelism. Why every one of us today should go today and be more of a witness right where we are with those in the circle of our life under the influence of our life and relationship. So I have two points today. Maybe the simplest outline I've ever had in a sermon. Two points. Number one, lift up your eyes. Number two, go be a witness. Point number one, Jesus said to His disciples, lift up your eyes and look at the fields. They're white. They're ripe. They are ready. Now, I have a friend in Iowa, Kenny Hahn. Some of you know him. He has a phenomenal farm. He grows corn. And come fall, when the hard work's done, winter starts, he gets to rest more. He gets to work on tools in his shed. But you know what happens? Months come and then comes a time. What? Kenny Hahn says, it's time. Harvest. And you don't miss that time. Time of harvest is critically important. Jesus is saying this. And He lived it. His disciples are with Him. And He says, fellows, we must go through Samaria. And they were staggered. What? We don't go through Samaria. We must go through Samaria. Why? Because the Lord knew there's a harvest there to reap. The multitudes. The Bible tells us about our Lord. Seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion. Because He was looking at them. They were sheep without a shepherd. They were broken and lonely and hurting and beaten down by sin and demon possessed. They were like some of... You have been in the past so wrecked, so messed up. When I was a teenager, I was so lost and afraid and purposeless. The Lord Jesus Christ looked upon the sinful and the lame and the blind and the broken. And what does He do? He looks. And He sees. And He feels. And then He goes and He preaches and teaches and heals. You won't go if you don't look and see and feel, will we? We won't do that. And Jesus tells His disciples and us, lift up your eyes to the field because there is a harvest to be had. The harvest is all around us. But, do we see it? Do we look up from ourselves and think about it? Do I think about it? There are lost people around me who are open. They are approachable. Whether they are approachable or not is not the point. But there are some ripe. They are approachable. But will I ever approach them? So Jesus says, look at the harvest. So He's saying it's seeable and it's visible. It's in front of us where we are. So He says, look. Now what is myopia? Anybody know? Some of you know. Yeah, it's a vision problem. What is it? Well, it's nearsightedness. You can see close up, but you can't see far off. And so this is a problem with many churches and many Christians. Too many of us are spiritually nearsighted because of family, because of children, because of busyness. We can see only close up. We see our families. We see our needs. We see the church. We see the brethren. But do we see the fields enough? We will be affected by what we look at, won't we? So if we lift up our eyes and look at the fields more, we will be affected with the burden that I need to open my mouth more and speak to people about the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm confessing today. I need to do this more and more. And I confess today, I am doing it more and more by God's grace. And the more I do it, the more I get energized and gain courage and desire to keep doing it. Love one another. We do that regularly. And you do it wonderfully. Assemble together. We do that consistently. Read God's Word and pray. You do that regularly. But lift up our eyes to the harvest. Do we do this consistently? Brethren, we must see with spiritual eyes. And we must look and see the harvest. Jesus saw people not as rich or poor, not even as Pharisees and publicans. He saw people that were needy and lost and blind and broken and in the bondage of sin. As we live week by week, do we see our world, our personal world, as a harvest field in which there are those we can reap if we go, if we speak. Jesus says the fields are already wiped for harvest. Already ripe. But you know, cotton fields and corn fields and fruit orchards and wine vineyards, they're not always... It's not time to harvest them. It has to grow, right? It's not time to go pick them. I would dread when I would be told it's time to go pick cotton, Matt, on our cotton farm. I didn't like going. But there's a time. Look, the Gospel harvest, the field we're in, it's always harvest time, isn't it? Always. There's always fruit there for the taking if we want to go labor in it. People are being saved worldwide every day. So the fields of Christ are always white and ripe. People around you are ready for Christ because they've been being prepared by the Holy Spirit. Some have never heard anything that's real or true about the Lord Jesus Christ. Ever. Don't you sometimes engage people and you realize they absolutely are blank? They know nothing about God and the Bible and Christianity and the truth. They know nothing. They're a blank slate. Now I want to ask you a question. Do you know how many nationalities live in North Texas? Let me just name a few. Here's just a few. Mexicans, Central Americans, South Americans, Canadians, Germans, Irish, British, French, Cubans, Iranians, Dutch, Indian, Afghans, Koreans, Chinese, Native Alaskans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, Cambodians, Taiwanese, Japanese, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Guatemalans, Polish, Israelis, Italians, Native Americans, and many, many others. Romanians. They are all around us. The mission field of the world is at our feet. Now we go to these nations, but these nations are in your neighborhood. What are we doing with the harvest field right here? What are you doing personally right here where you are in your life? There are people out there around you, around me that are ripe. They are being prepared by the Spirit for the truth of the Gospel. They're ready to hear. They're ready to bite the Gospel bait. So is the bait being offered. Brethren, lift up your eyes and see. May God help us all to begin daily and weekly to look at the fields. Look at the fields, Jesus said. Now I get on a plane tomorrow morning from Michigan, and I ask your prayers for preaching and ministry this week. But in my briefcase, there's a number of these. These are the bullets in my gun. You have an empty cylinder in a pistol, no bullets in it? It ain't going to shoot. These are my bullets. These are the tools in my tool kit. These are the seeds I sow. So I'm going, and I'm getting on that plane, and I'm going to share if I get an opportunity. And I go to restaurants up there. I'm going to have these beside me in the restaurant, and I'm going to engage the server. And I'm going to sweet talk them. You know, I think you're one of the best servers in the house. You do a great job. And I'll tip them well. But then at the end, I'll say, look, have you ever heard about the Lord Jesus Christ? And they answer. They know I'm going to tip them, so they'll listen. Seriously. Yes, yes I have. Well, look, if I give you a gift, would you read it? And here's what this is about. This is about true Christianity. I don't know what you've heard about Christianity, but this is a summary of the real truth. Will you read this if I give it to you? Yes, sir, I will. Please read it. And I, in those moments, sometimes get to say, you know what, let me summarize it for you. And I give them a 60 second summary of the Gospel. What have I lost by doing that? What have I gained by walking out of that door and I planted some seed? You get my point. I can choose to sow seed. Last Monday I was on a plane from in the Cincinnati airport coming home. And I stepped up to get a sandwich and there was a very sharp, young, nice black gentleman serving me. He was friendly. And I had one of these in my pocket. I'll never see him again. He's among the harvest field. I'm fishing on a plane. So I said, you're doing a good job. You're friendly. Thank you for your good service. Can I give you a gift? I handed it to him, a fist bump, and he took it. And look, brethren, we're in the harvest field. And I said to that young man, I'm a Christian. I'm a follower of Jesus. If I give you this to read, will you read it? People are open out there around us. And if you're cordial, they will rarely turn down what you offer them in the right setting. If they do, then that's on them. Muslim people are open. Our friend who's overseas right now in the Middle East, you know him. He comes to our prayer meetings. He comes to our conference sometimes. I asked him one time, Brother, if I have five minutes with a Muslim, what's most important to share with them? He said, don't argue about the Koran. He said, tell them this. The living and true God is personal and He loves people. And He wants a relationship with them. And this is why He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to come and die on the cross to pay for your sin and my sin. And He offers the full forgiveness of sins. That's what a Muslim needs to hear if you have five minutes with them. Sow the seed, brethren. You can say that. You can say that to anyone, whether you're 15 years old or 10 years old or in your 20s or in your 80s. You can say that to people right around you. Sow the seed. The fields are white for harvest to someone at UNT, in your office or in your neighborhood. Lift up your eyes and see the harvest. Point number two. Go and bear witness. Go and live your life as a witness. That means opening your mouth. It means sowing seeds. It means shooting the Gospel bullets. They're going to land. There are some you will reach if you will begin to do it. And you know what joy you'll have? I'm telling you. Go be a witness. Jesus said you'll receive power and you'll be witnesses. Go make disciples, He said. And He said everywhere. Jerusalem, right? This is our Jerusalem. Judea. Denton County. Next county. Samaria, all of north Texas. And the what? The uttermost. The uttermost. Our nation, North America, and the world. Lift up our eyes and begin more than ever open our mouths to share Jesus Christ. You can do this. You can do this. Ministry opportunities then. How do we get them? Well, two ways. Number one, we get them because God sends them to us. Zeke, don't you see this sometimes? God gives you opportunities. He drops them in your lap and they're right there for the taking. Years ago I got on a plane and a man sat down by me. He saw me reading my Bible. And he said, can I ask you two questions? What's the difference between a Protestant and a Catholic? And the second question was, what's an evangelical Christian? That one just came to me. But I confess to you, I did a pitiful job because I didn't shoot the bullet enough. You have them come to you at times as well. And when they come, take them. They can come in this form. You can see someone at your work or at school and they might open up to you. The opportunity has come. Seize it. Take it. I was at a flight counter in an airport in New Orleans. Walked up and I said, how are you, ma'am? And she said, I'm okay. I knew she wasn't okay. God didn't let anybody walk up for ten minutes and I began to talk to her. And I said, can I pray for you? She said, thank you. And I did. And I spoke to her about the Lord. And you know what she said? She said, thank you so much. I'm bumping you up to first class. She did. Brethren, they are around you. There are ladies in your neighborhood, ladies, you've connected with. Have you ever spoken to them? Can you give them some bullets? Opportunities come. Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail. They just start singing and opportunity comes. The jailer says what? What must I do to be saved? Opportunity comes. Acts 8, Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip goes and jumps up on the chariot. He said, do you understand what you're reading? How can I unless someone teach me? Opportunity came. And the Bible says he opened his mouth and preached unto him Jesus. So opportunities come to us. And when God brings them, use them. In the moment that fear comes, don't weasel out. Don't be a wimp. Don't wither. But witness. Open your mouth. Because God has given you opportunity then. Secondly, not only does God give opportunities, we make opportunities. Brethren, this is where historically I have not walked in obedience. This historically over 24 years is where Providence Chapel has been negligence in local evangelism of making opportunities happen. Going to talk to people. Initiating. Making it happen. We are not to wait for ministry to come to us. It will come. But we must go and speak. The apostles in the testimony of the book of Acts, the Gospel is spreading. They went out and they did not cease to teach and to preach Jesus Christ one on one. In Acts 7, Stephen had just preached his last sermon. And that sermon is going to be his gateway to heaven. He's stoned as a martyr. And that launches then the widespread mob attacks of persecution on the church. And then Saul of Tarsus begins entering people's homes and dragging them out and taking them to prison. So, the Jerusalem church is what? What happens to it? It's scattered. The thousands of believers in Jerusalem aren't thousands anymore. Friends never see each other again when the persecution comes. But Luke says a wonderful thing, which is the first thing he says about the persecuted church. You know what it was? They went everywhere preaching the Word. Sharing the good news as they went. You read Acts and there's no sense of self-pity going on in Acts when persecution sends them out. Church life was never the same in Jerusalem. But they weren't living for the comfortable fellowship they had settled into. And they weren't trying to stay together. They were living for Christ to share Christ. Brethren, are we living for Christ? But rarely sharing Christ. In Acts 17, Paul creates an opportunity. He goes to Thessalonica. And you know what he does right away? He starts preaching and teaching. As his custom was, he went to the synagogue and for three Sabbaths in a row, he reasoned with them from the Scriptures. In other words, he planned to do it. He wasn't passive. You know, when they stoned him, where did they stone him? What city? After he got up, guess where he went back to? He went back there to share the Gospel. I wouldn't have probably. I would have licked my wounds and felt sorry for myself. No. Brethren, what are we afraid of? The Jews said then in that context of Acts 17, those who have turned the world upside down have come here as well. How do we evangelize? We take advantage of the opportunities that come to us. And we make opportunities happen. And we share about Jesus. Right here, brethren, in Denton County, this is where God has planted us. This is where we live. The harvest is there for the taking. But we have to take the Gospel to the fields. Every one of us that are Christians should be sharing good news with people. Is there any excuse for remaining silent? Now let's just answer that question. Do I, if I'm a believer, have any excuse for remaining silent? You know what? Sometimes our problem is we love the Christian bubble we live in and we therefore only relate to Christians. We only ever talk to Christians. Brethren, that's wrong. There's no excuse unless someone is homebound and cannot. And then their ministry is to pray for the laborers and to pray for the harvest. God is at work among us in these days energizing people to go forth. It's a work He's increasing among us. Now I just want to pause and say there are some among us who are serious about evangelism and who labor in it regularly. The Bible commends brethren publicly for excelling. Romans 16 I commend to you Phoebe, a servant of the church, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister and a fellow servant. Paul commends him. Now in this point of leading by example in local evangelism in our midst, I commend Rob and Rebecca. I commend Pat Rowell. I commend Eric Gentry. I commend Caitlin who's doing it now in Nepal. I commend Jonathan Pacheco. I commend Tom Sadowski and Baker Hughes for doing this for decades in the realm where they live. Others I could mention for sure. Faithful laborers in the kingdom of God in evangelism. We all commend you. And I commend their example to all of us. Some of their example has been a rebuke to me at times. Because I realize whatever I'm doing in ministry, study, whatever, I am failing at this point at times. Brethren, labor on. Labor on. Don't be weary in well-doing. And you know, it would be such an encouragement to them if more of us went with them. If more of us came alongside. There are people to reach and you, you can reach someone. You can. Do you want to? There are individuals around you who will read something about Christ if you give it to them. What if we all weekly were speaking to someone? Giving them something to read. You know, I brought these up here because the table is filled with bullets and seed and tools. You might have someone around you that has cancer. Don't waste your cancer. Put it in your purse. The value of trials. Someone may have just lost a loved one. They're going through hard times. And you could put this in their hands if you have it with you. Ultimate questions. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have Spanish literature. Justification and Regeneration in Spanish. You may have a contact with young people, young women or ladies, and you could give them the New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs, Women of Faith version. Brethren, these aren't over there to grow mold and to gather dust. They're tools. And the literature changes over there periodically. Use it. Use it. Yesterday I went by the Holeslanders briefly and then I stopped on the way back to grab a sandwich and study some for this morning. An Indian girl comes to the table to wait on me. And I remembered, I've got one of those in my car. I didn't bring it in. And I didn't want to go back out. I said, uh... And I said, I've got to. I go and I get it. She serves me. She's so kind. She's a student here. She was so gracious and friendly. And so, I pay the check. She brings the change back. I said, all the change is for you. And I pull out the bullet. And I said, can I give you something about... I said, are you a person of faith in any way? She began to say that she was. She said, I was raised in a missionary school in India. And I said, Catholic or Protestant? She said, I'm not a Catholic. And she knew some. I said, would you read this? I'll give it to you. It's about Jesus Christ and what He's done for us. And I want to invite you to our church. We meet right on campus at UNT. And I did invite her. And I left with joy. Brethren, Jesus said, follow Me and I'll make you fishers of men. But to fish, you have to go to the ponds. To fish, you've got to have some good bait. Are we fishing and are we casting the net? There are people in those nursing homes some of us are going to who would love a visit from someone weekly or monthly or twice a month. Haven't you ladies, and some of you brothers have gone, when you've gone back, haven't they been glad to see you? Can anybody say that who's gone? They're lonely. They're open to friendship. They're sitting there and they're a lost Methodist or a lost Baptist or a lost Catholic or a lost Unitarian or a lost nothing. They're sitting there. What if God were to save them at the eleventh hour in your witness? One of the elders at Solid Rock Baptist Church in Kentucky, his father was a man, hard man. Successful businessman. Seventy-nine years old, right Michael? Seventy-nine? And his son kept giving him sermons. And you know what he hated the most? He hated a preacher named Paul W. And he hated the truth that that guy preached. And the son said, I'm going to give my dad one more sermon and I won't anymore. He listened to that sermon and he melted and God powerfully saved him. And recently his testimony, which is so humble and powerful, I think it was getting 33,000 listens or whatever they call it on Sermon Audio. We don't know who's ripe. We don't know who's open. We don't know who's hungry. Don't judge by appearance, brethren. Just sow the seed. What is the end purpose of our worship? It's not just to be built up and edified. It's not just that. If that's our end goal, we'll be fat and sassy and happy and comfortable and moldy and soured. If the bread sits on the counter too long, the milk sits in the fridge too long, drink it when it's sitting there for three months and see what happens. Brethren, the end of worship is not that we would just be built up and edified. No. Is it not to make us spiritually healthy so that we can minister to a lost world? Is it not to produce strong believers who can be sent into the harvest, whether it's Nepal or Denton, to bear witness to a lost world around us? Why should God build a strong and biblical church if that church is not in touch with lost people regularly? The end of all we are ought to be true ministry out in this world. Going forth with our words and our lives with the message of the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Sowing seed like Johnny Appleseed. How many of you read Johnny Appleseed growing up? Remember that? This guy, I think he was a real guy. He didn't sow true gospel. I found that later. He was kind of a heretic, I think. But the story is he would travel around places with seeds on his belt and he would sow apple seeds and trees would grow. Brethren, we have the truth. We have the truth. It's in your mind, it's in your heart, it's in your tongue, it's in your mouth. The opportunity is there. Fill your guns with bullets. Fill your tool belt with tools. Fill your purses and your coats with seeds for sowing. Light must shine into darkness. Salt must touch something if the salt is going to influence that. The end of worship is that wicked people become worshipers of the God we worship. Think about that. But if we're not in touch with the wicked regularly in some way, how will we impact them? The end of living the Gospel is not just living the Gospel. It's spreading the Gospel. So here on Sundays, when the glory of the Lord rises upon you and shines on you, go forth and shine on somebody. Don't hide the light. The opportunity comes. Don't say I'm afraid. This time I'm going to put my candle under a bushel basket. If He feeds your soul here, go feed the hungry the bread of life. Take in and then give out. Open your mouth to give out good tidings. How often do you ever speak to any lost people? You say I'm not around them. That's the problem. If the Gospel has become glorious good news to us, we must engage with others regularly. Brethren, let's do ministry. Everyone a minister. By sharing Jesus Christ. This message is a simple call to action. So I don't want you to think about spiritual gifts or your gifting or your family situation. Well, I'm a mother of young children and therefore I can't. I'm a busy working man and I don't have enough opportunities. I don't want you to think about those things or about your spiritual maturity or how old you are. I want you to think about you doing something regularly for Christ out there. Just something regularly towards someone out there for your Lord. Cultivate opportunities. Get out of your comfort zone. In fact, get rid of your comfort zone. Just take your comfort zone and dig a hole and bury it. Because you can be used to bring people to Christ. There's a track over there about a man who was a stutterer. He stuttered. He couldn't speak well. But God mightily used him. Baker Hughes said to me one time, you know, we only like being around people who are like us. Is there any truth to that? You think? Now some of us in here tremble and we say in our hearts, I want to share the Gospel more. I just don't know how to do it well. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to begin a conversation. You can get equipped, brethren. You can get equipped. You could go to David Ketelon or you could go to Nick Hanson or you could come to your church officers or you could go to a sister who enjoys sharing the faith. You could go and you could say, would you equip me, would you disciple me in simply how to share the Gospel? Here's the first thing you can do. Prepare a testimony outline. And here's what it needs to include. Number one, my life before Christ. Number two, how I came to know Christ. Number three, my life after Christ. Cultivate and prepare a testimony. And you can share that in four minutes with someone. Any of you can do that with others. Now let me give some other ideas for our church as I close. Think about this. One of these might be right for you. What can I do? We did it some at the senior center. Some of us did. I didn't. I wasn't among those that did it. But some of us could do this Saturday mornings, Sunday mornings. Go in Denton with a homeless hangout and buy 10 breakfast biscuits and buy some coffees and go find where they are and go to them and give them a biscuit and give them a coffee and give them the gospel. Neighborhood canvassing areas. Phillip Neeley has heard me say this probably 10 times. I had a burden one time when we were at the senior center. From there, downtown, going on McKinney Street all the way out to Camp Copas. Neighborhoods everywhere that we could canvass. Couples. Men go together. A couple go. And we canvass. And we knock on the doors. We tell them, we're as a church. We want you to know we're here in the community. And we have booklets. And we do it graciously. Canvassing neighborhoods. A neighborhood Bible study. Two families say, let's do one together. And we'll make it evangelistic. And the men will teach and share. You invite neighbors. Restaurants. I love doing it in restaurants. Where you get gas. Keep the bullets. Keep the seeds in your car. In your purse. Stop lights where homeless people stand. Give them five dollars and give them a gospel booklet. Think of this, ladies. Plan a summer, five day, neighborhood, backyard Bible club. Invite the kids in the neighborhood. Neighborhood team ministry. Expanding the nursing home ministry. You know, there was excitement in here in December when teams were going caroling, wasn't there? There should have been excitement. There should be such things happening more all the time. And I love Psalm 126 verse 6. He who goes forth bearing precious seed shall downless come again rejoicing. So, brethren, go forth bearing precious seed and joy will come to your heart. It's joyful and encouraging to share the good news. But I'll tell you what brings more joy. When you are the instrument of someone's salvation. Four years ago, I preached at Kurt Daniel's conference in Springfield, Illinois. I left. I'm back two years ago. And someone comes to me and says, Brother Mack, you probably don't remember me. But two years ago when you preached, the Lord saved me through your sermon. The joy that came in my heart. The humbling that brought to me. I didn't know the seed that I had sown would bring forth life in eternity. Brethren, go forth bearing precious seed and you will come back rejoicing. Keith Green, the singer, said this one time. I heard him say it. This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of lost people. Any truth to that? Luke says of David in Acts 15, David served his generation. Brethren, our generation is the only generation we have to serve. You won't serve the generation when you're dead and gone that's in the future. We can't serve the past generation. Our generation is our generation to take the Gospel to. Will we do it more? Now is the day of salvation. Now is the time for ministry through each one of us. We all have the Gospel now. We all have today now. We all have opportunities and responsibility now. In closing, how often do I share the Gospel with any lost person? I must answer that question periodically. And I want you to face the question this morning and answer it in your own heart. How often do you share the Gospel with lost people regularly? Do we take advantages of opportunities that come? Do we make opportunities happen? I think this morning, if what I've said is true, we should repent as a church in some measure. Let's humble ourselves before the Lord for our lack of obedience in this area. Because every time I'm ashamed to speak of Christ to someone, I want to be ashamed of my shame. And I want to repent. What do we have to be ashamed of? What do we have to lose to open our mouths and speak a word? Let not Providence Chapel glory in its doctrine or glory in its leadership or glory in its love or in being different than other churches. Let us, brethren, strengthen the things that are lacking. And let's commit ourselves to our Lord's command to go and speak words of life to the dead. Speak words of encouragement to the discouraged. Speak words of hope and good news to those who are in pain and suffering. What if we begin to excel in this grace of doing evangelism more and more? Where our church even became known as a church that does evangelism more. You know, the Thessalonian church was known for some things, remember? It's not wrong for a church to be known for some things. Brethren, we're known for some things, but I'll tell you this, we ought to become more known than ever before for a church that shares the love of Jesus Christ with people right where they are. And that depends on you and me and all of us as a family to do it. Taking the love of Christ and the message of Christ out all week. Can you do that? Is there any reason we cannot? We are facing a task unfinished. We are to go to all the world. We are as a church to arise. So brethren, look up. Lift up your eyes. Look on the fields. And more than ever, you be a witness. Let's pray. And then we'll sing. Father, You gave Your Son, so help us as a result of today to share Him more than ever with a lost, needy world. Lord, energize us and engage us and equip us and stir us and help us to lift up our eyes to see the fields and because of the power of Your Spirit, by the power of Your Spirit, to be witnesses. Help us to this end we pray today. In Christ's name, amen.