But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
— 1 Peter 3:15
In my message yesterday at c|Life Kaufman, I shared a portion of an interview Penn Jillette gave several years ago. Penn, at least at the time of this interview, was a committed atheist. He simply had no space in his mind or spirit for there to actually be a sovereign God. What is interesting is that, even though he was not a believer, he said, “How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?” That quote has always challenged me. Why? Because he is right! If I truly believe what I claim to believe about God, I would have to hate someone to keep that truth to myself.
As believers, we are not all equally gifted at everything. Some people have the gift of gab. They have a knack for turning every conversation into a spiritual dialogue. Some people are hard-wired by God to teach biblical truth in a way that cuts through the academics of the faith and penetrates the human soul. Some people have the gift of hospitality. They make you feel welcomed and wanted without even trying.
Every redeemed person is uniquely gifted to serve the body of Christ. Every redeemed person is uniquely gifted to bring the light of Christ into the darkness of the world. Every redeemed person is uniquely gifted to tell the world about Jesus.
Regardless of your primary gifting, there is an expectation that we, as followers of Jesus, should care about the things that God cares about. What is something that God is really passionate about? Reaching lost people. Saving lost people. Forgiving lost people. Establishing a new covenant relationship with lost people. God cares about and seeks out the lost because He wants to save them.
Lost people matter to God, so they should matter to us.
As a reminder for this day, if you are in Christ, you know the truth. If you are in Christ, you know the way to salvation. If you are in Christ, you know the path to hope, forgiveness, and new life. Knowing what we know, perhaps we should ask ourselves the question that Penn Jillette asked during his interview: How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?
You know the truth, so today the challenge is simple: share it. Don’t hoard the grace of God. Share it freely and frequently so that the lost might come to faith and find life in Christ.