Through the biblical teachings of Christianity, our purpose is to go and make disciples and be the light of the Earth, so what does that look like? The two verses that best answer this question is in Matthew 28:19, Go and make disciples”, and Matthew 5:13, “You are the light of the world. A town built in a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify you Father in heaven.”
Our purpose is to go and make disciples. Now, many people read this the wrong way; Jesus is not saying that every Christian must go to Africa, Asia, or Uruguay. Yes. Sometimes “go” means out of the country, but sometimes “go” means across the street to your neighbor who needs a friend. Sometimes “go” means across the kitchen to your husband, wife, grandmother, or child. We all serve different purposes with different places with different people. While many see going far away are a bigger challenge, usually it is the people we are closest to who are the hardest to witness to. We live in a world where we feel suffocated in a paradox of not wanting to offend and wanting to share the gospel with everyone we see. However, the gospel is offensive to some. It will “smell like the fragrance of death” and we need to be okay with that. No matter how offensive the gospel may be to some, when life and death is on the line, the risk SHOULD be beyond worth it.
However, it is imperative to inform loved ones that sharing your religious beliefs with them is not done so out of spite, hate, or ignorance, but purely out of desperate love. One of my favorite quotes happens to be from an atheist, Penn Jillette, stating, “I love the fact the there are people that talk to me after the show and pray for me and give me Bibles. I never understand the atheists that say it’s okay as long as they shut up. They [Christians] believe that there is an eternal life. They believe you can be saved. What could be more hateful than shutting up?”
We do so for the love of God, love of neighbors, and love of friends. When we as Christians believe that there is eternal damnation, why are we not doing everything we can to share our secret of salvation with others? If someone was about to walk into a building you knew was on fire, would you know try to do everything in your power to keep someone from going in? It is the same with Christianity; we should have a desperation when it comes to sharing Christ with those around us.
Jesus said that the greatest commandment is this “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. […] And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mattew22:37-39). It is impossible to love God and love your neighbor without telling them about the amazing gift you have, that of eternal life.
