Very often we Lutherans are accused of not caring about evangelism because we don’t invite people to church very often or because we don’t talk about our faith to people. Now, I don’t think this old claim is particularly accurate, but to whatever extent it is, I also don’t think the reason we’re rather tight-lipped is because we don’t care whether our neighbors know Jesus. Rather, I think the reason for our silence is that we’re afraid we will say the wrong thing. We want people to know Christ, but we don’t want to mess up our confession of Christ so badly that we drive people away from Him. It’s a bit like if a surgeon invited you into the operating room and invited you to perform a triple bypass. You would politely decline, not because you want the patient to die, but because you don’t want to be responsible for killing him.
This is an anxiety we don’t need to give ourselves. In our reading from Matthew this morning, our Lord tells His disciples that, when they face persecution, they don’t need to have anxiety over what to say. They don’t need to terrify themselves looking for the right words because the Holy Spirit will give those words to them. And while these words are given to these men in a specific context, the principle still applies to us. When you hear and believe the Gospel, the Holy Spirit speaks to you. And He who speaks to you will also speak through you. So keep devouring the word He speaks to you, and the Spirit will use that same word to speak through you when the time is right.
Don’t worry about getting the words wrong when you confess your faith. Just read your Bible. Come to church. Study the word and then trust that the Spirit will guide your tongue at the right moment. In all things, remember that the church is Christ’s church, that the Spirit creates faith where and when it pleases Him to do so. And because of this, then sharing your faith with your neighbors isn’t being asked to perform open heart surgery. It’s more like being asked to cut the umbilical cord after your child has been born. It’s a way that God invites you to participate in the miraculous rebirth of those He will call into His family at the right time. Don’t worry. Cling to the Word and the Holy Spirit will always give you the right words to speak.
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