The Message Committed To Us

And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:19b-20

Paul says that the word of reconciliation has been committed to us and that God makes his appeal through us. He is in us. And He's doing it, and that is what saves us from fear and from uncertainty and from mistakes in the work of witnessing. Our reasoned logic, our arguments, and so on are of no effect whatsoever in this, except as they be the expression of the Holy Spirit within us. He will do his work; all we need to be is ready to respond to the situation, depending on him to do his work.

This relieves one of the greatest fears that keep people from witnessing. It has helped me tremendously to realize that I do not have to pump up my courage and tackle a situation in which I hardly know what I am coming into at all. I may be talking to somebody that is a stranger to me. I do not know what his background is, what his ability is, what his mental acumen is, or anything of the sort. I do not need to know. All I need to know about or do is just carry on a normal conversation about ordinary things. If I can but look to the Lord to find an opening to insert just a word that will switch the conversation over toward the things of Christ, that may lead to a deeper conversation. If this is a prepared heart, that person will respond. If it is not one that the Holy Spirit has prepared, then he won't respond. Therefore, the work of witnessing is impossible until the Holy Spirit has made the person ready.

You do not practice this work of witnessing without realizing that sometimes the initial response is different than what you would expect. You may discover that the person is often belligerent at first, but has a hungry heart underneath. You learn to be quick at perceiving that and paying no attention to what he says, but instead speaking to what he is displaying in his inner hunger. But any kind of response is a good response, as long as it is an open door by which you could pursue the subject further.

We do not need to pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare hearts. He is preparing them. He has them prepared all around us. Jesus said, Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest (John 4:35). These prepared, hungry hearts, hearts yearning for answers, are all around us. Our job is simply to be so available to the Lord, that as we make contact from day to day, we can be used of Him to find who they are and carry this witness forward.

Thank you, Lord, that you have committed to me the message of reconciliation. May I operate as your ambassador through the power of your Spirit.