Living Faith declares the mission of the Presbyterian Church is to recognize and act on the truth: “As God sent Christ to us, so Christ sends us into the world. We are here to proclaim Christ in word and deed.” It goes on to say that mission is evangelism, the offer of salvation to all people in the power of the Holy Spirit, to be received through faith in Christ.
The question we all need to ask as Presbyterians is: How are we doing? According to the statistics printed in the Acts and Proceedings of the General Assembly, every year there are fewer people being baptised and fewer new members. These are the signs of people making a faith commitment. The stats can be interpreted to mean that we are doing a poor job of fulfilling our mission of getting the word out. I know there are those, even amongst ministers, who in spite of what the Bible and our confessions teach, feel that people don’t need to actually confess their need for salvation in Christ. They think that Jesus will save everyone.
It is a nice thought but it really isn’t true if the Bible and confessions are to be believed. So assuming that we believe what we say, what should we be doing to live in integrity? First we need to remember that we can’t save anyone by our own efforts. Saving people is the work of the Holy Spirit. We need to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us. We are told not to quench the Holy Spirit but to fan the flames. That comes through prayer, as John Calvin emphasizes. We need each day to seek the Holy Spirit on who we are to pray for. We then go through the day looking for opportunities the Holy Spirit gives us to share the gospel—the good news that Jesus loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives, not only in the good times but even in the midst of trials.
We don’t need to force the conversations, we only need to know what we truly believe and be caring enough to share when we see someone in need. It is up to the Holy Spirit to change hearts, we are only responsible to tell the truth that sets free. One of the most important things we need to be conscious of is to look for the time to “pop the question.”Jesus said that we have not because we ask not. We need to instruct people that when the Holy Spirit is moving in their hearts and minds to believe in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord they need to invite him into their lives. They will probably not know that if you don’t let the Holy Spirit work in you to pop the question. It may take several forms like: Would you like to ask Jesus into your heart? Or, would you like to have the confidence that Jesus cares for you and will help you in all your concerns? Then simply say a prayer asking Jesus to take control of your life.
My experience is that even among Presbyterians who know you have to acknowledge Jesus as Lord there is a hesitancy to pop the question. We sometimes assume everyone knows how to become a Christian and most already are anyway. That is an increasingly false presumption. Many have no idea how to do it or that it needs to be done. I sometimes think that even those who have been in our midst for a while and are quite eager to follow Jesus have never been proposed to. They’ve never had anyone pop the question and so Sunday after Sunday they come but never really are sure where they stand in the faith or in the church. Let me urge you then to take up the call to fulfill our mission by “popping the question” to those the Spirit gives us opportunity to witness to. Let their joy be complete. Lest I fail to practice what I teach let me ask you reader : Have you turned your life over to the Lordship of Jesus? Have you cast all your burdens on him because you know he cares for you?
