Since the devil does not want us to be saved, the last thing he wants is for us to be active in helping others to achieve salvation. Yet, this is one of the most important commandments we have received as Christians. The marching orders of every soldier of Christ is to preach the gospel to all nations.
Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This is God’s way and the devil knows it. It is well within the power of God to spread the gospel miraculously, but that is not His will. His will is to place the gospel treasure in earthen vessels (2 Corinthians 4:7). In every example of conversion we have, the converted hear the Word of God from another person. Even Paul, who saw and heard Jesus on the road to Damascus, was not completely converted until after he heard from Ananias in the city of Damascus and was baptized (Acts 9:10-19).
Because it is God’s will that people are saved by hearing and obeying the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; 2:13-14), we, as Christians, play a vital role in the expanding of the kingdom of God and saving of souls. This is not to overplay our importance. We know that God deserves the glory for anything that we do. When it comes to the growth of the church, Paul reminds us that God is the power behind it.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (ESV)
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
Still, in God’s arrangement, we must be planters and waterers. If we do not plant the seed into the hearts of men by preaching the gospel, people will not have the opportunity to be saved by the power of God. Paul detailed this in his epistle to the saints in Rome.
Romans 10:14-15 (ESV)
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
The devil is very much aware that God operates through us. This is why he does not want us to do our jobs. He loves it when Christians neglect the responsibility of evangelism. Sadly, we seem to do that a lot. Too many in the church think that if they attend a few worship services, study the Word from time to time and pray once in a while, it is not all that important that we preach to the lost. The question is, are we going to do what the devil wants us to do, or what God has commanded us to do?
We sometimes sing a song entitled, “You Never Mentioned Him to Me.” What a sad thought, but often true. We do not have to be great at personal work or experts at evangelism. All we have to do is care enough to take advantage of the opportunities we have to tell others the goods new about Jesus. The devil says, “DON’T DO IT!” Are we listening to him?
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.