Basics: Share eternal life
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In the middle of yelling at someone for saying thoughtless and evil, Jesus said something profound, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34b).
Our literature and movies paint the ability to know what people are thinking as a supernatural power, and certainly the things in minds of other people are largely unknown to us. But don’t the things in our hearts speak more of us than the things in our minds? We can know what is in the hearts of others by listening to what they say. More accurately, you can know what is in your own heart by listening to what you say.
So there’s the question of the day: What is in your heart?
There are seven ordinary things which we, as believers, ought to do. We have no right to expect God to act in extraordinary ways if we are not faithful to these ordinary things. God’s grace, after all, is most often a response to our faith.
Believers are called to struggle to understand what God reveals in Scripture, to pray and need God’s action like we need air to breathe, to acknowledge the ultimate worth of God in worship, to serve the people God loves, to enjoy the people God loves in fellowship and to give generously the same way God does.
Then there’s the last one: We are commanded to share with others the gift of eternal life through the gospel that we so freely received.
I have to admit that this one is my favorite. Every time I sat down to write about any of the other ordinary Christian behaviors, this is the one I wanted to write about. I am convinced that my only hope is in Christ. The only hope for this world is in Christ. To give people a glimpse of what Paul calls “the power of God” (Romans 1:16) is a thrilling thing. I love it, and it gives me energy like nothing else does.
However, so few people have ever heard the gospel communicated in its entirety in a loving way. I know this seems unlikely in the Bible Belt, more often than anything else, I hear people tell me, “I’ve never heard that before.” Or, more apt to break my heart, “Why doesn’t the church preach that?” “Why haven’t any of my Christian friends told me about that? I never knew what made them Christians.”
Do you know the answer to those questions?
I believe that the answer requires one assumption: we choose what we fill our hearts with. We can fill our hearts with God’s word. We can fill our hearts with constant dependence on God’s ability to provide and accomplish his good will. We can fill our hearts with the conviction that God truly is ultimately worthy. We can fill our hearts with the knowledge of the value of other people. We can fill our hearts with the peace that comes from fellowship with other believers in Christ. We can fill our hearts with God’s own love and generosity
Do you see why God wants us to do these basic things? “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
God’s plan for this world depends on the words that flow out of our mouths, and His words cannot flow out of our mouths unless he fills our hearts.
Our purpose is to be witnesses for Jesus. Our mission is to make disciples. Our marching orders are to “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15).
We will never do that until our hearts are filled with the right thing. I do not offer you tactics for evangelism, though I have plenty. I do not offer you resources for learning good apologetic answers, though I have so many. I do not offer you admonition for a new mindset, though I could.
Do you want to know what it takes to fulfill your purpose in life? I offer you this simple fact: If your heart is filled with Jesus, your mouth will be filled with Jesus, too.