A Great Responsibility

Imagine you have spent a couple of years with a gifted leader. Day after day he has demonstrated an amazing grasp of his particular area of expertise. On top of that, it seems there are no situations that appear to overwhelm him. Indeed, people bring him all kinds of perplexing problems and questions full of paradox; but he always seems prepared to answer out of the wisdom of the ages.

Now the time for your apprenticeship is coming to an end. You realize that your time with this person has transformed you, but you also recognize that you still have a lot to learn. Nevertheless, this incomparable mentor assures you that you are ready for the task he has been equipping you to do; and now he gives you the explicit instructions he expects you to follow as you continue the work he has begun:

“I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

It should be no surprise that Jesus gives his disciples these instructions. What you may be surprised to learn is that surveys of large national samples of unchurched people reveal that most of them have never been invited to a church by a Christian; and most of them say they have never been told by a Christian what it means to believe in Jesus Christ and never invited to embrace Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Every follower of Christ has the responsibility to share the good news of forgiveness, redemption and salvation with others. As soon as you accept the invitation to enter a relationship with Jesus, you also receive the call to spread the news to those who are not eternally connected to him. So, how can we encourage and equip one another—and especially, our children and youth—to confidently share our faith with friends, relatives, associates and neighbors?

As we focus on growing spiritual champions, let me ask you to consider what you can do to prepare our young people to share the good news with humility, wisdom and love. Let us commit to growing bold evangelists, and then see how the Holy Spirit uses them to extend God’s reputation and influence in the world.