Hidden Light = Lost Soul

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:” 2 Corinthians 4:3

It’s the Great Commission – what we’ve been called to do, and yet so many of us shy away from sharing the gospel. Why? If someone was about to walk in front of a bus, wouldn’t we stop them or at least warn them?! There are people all around us every day that will face an eternal death. They will spend eternity – time without end – in hell’s torment and without Jesus. This should shake us to the bone, our burden for the unsaved should be unbearable. Scripture tells us the lost will remain lost “lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) We are the light, and we are commanded to shine.

I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own lives that we forget sharing the word of God is not optional– it’s a commandment. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Disobedience is disobedience any way you go about it. When we are not doing the will of Jesus, we become workers of iniquity. We all know what happens at the end of that story, if not, read Matthew 7:21-23.

Of course our daily goal is not to work against God, but the truth is that we do sometimes without realizing it. We are made of flesh and following our own will happens quite easily. However, we must check ourselves often to be sure that we are in the will of God. Ask yourself, are my actions fruitful and abounding or does the atmosphere seem filled with chaos and distraction? Jesus does not do anything in vain; His actions are prosperous. Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” We are not sent out to share the gospel and be unfruitful. We must be sure our plan of action aligns with His will.

I watched a sermon the other day about intercessory prayer. I thought it was going to be an instructional teaching, like the tabernacle prayer, but the message was really just simple. The key to praying for others is love – love creates the burden for them. I think it’s the same with sharing the gospel, it’s an act of love. When sharing the gospel in the Spirit, the fruit will be multiplied. Just like in nature, the seed takes time and labor to mature—it’s not immediate. If we operate in our flesh, discouragement sets in during the growing season. That’s why it’s so important to do our works in His will through the Spirit. We must bind together as the Church and pray for His love in our hearts and our lives. We must seek His will over all things, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes us feel. It is the calling in our lives and the purpose of why He saved us.

Lord, I pray Your love be set in the deepest part of our hearts. Jesus, give Your people boldness in the magnitude that this world has never seen, help us to share Your truth to the lost and broken, let our prayers move the mountains. In the mighty name of Jesus.