When it comes to sharing the Gospel many begin to stir in fear for what man might say. But one thing that will help with sharing the Gospel is maintaining zeal to do so. In the western world, zeal for sharing the Gospel has been lost or never taken hold of. When you maintain zeal in the command of sharing the Gospel you will begin to share without a second thought. Charles Spurgeon said it in this way,
“No man who preaches the Gospel without zeal is sent from God to preach at all.”
Table of Contents
Zeal without Knowledge
When I became a new Christian I didn’t realize that repentance and faith comes from the Father.
“in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,”
2 Timothy 2:25
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:44
We cannot make the decision for the person that has no conviction. If you do so, you will end up with a “still-born”. My dear friend, in my “zeal without knowledge” I may have prevented the Gospel from reaching the very ones I loved. For this reason, I encourage you to avoid verbal confrontations until you have knowledge that will guide your zeal.
Now, I am not saying that my efforts during this time were in complete void because of my “zeal without knowledge”. I know there is hope when I do my chores to fervently ask God for my loved ones’ salvation. However, until I grow in knowledge guided by my zeal I will avoid verbal communication so I do not sound too forcey but instead I must sound concerned for another’s eternal future.
3 Ways to Maintain Zeal
During my growth as a believer I’ve come to hold on to 3 truths that help maintain zeal in sharing the Gospel. By all means I do not admit that I know everything, but what I know and boast in is Christ, and Him Crucified. As Paul preached, who is the image of zeal for us. To understand how to maintain zeal in sharing the gospel we must understand where this zeal comes from.
“22“And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. 24“But I do not consider my life by any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”
Acts 20:22-24
Paul’s future held nothing but “chains and tribulations.” But how was Paul able to keep his courage and joyful attitude towards God’s will? It seems to me that despise the sufferings that were ahead of Paul, he held up by the light of the cross of Calvary.
He said in Galatians 6:14,
“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
ONE : Maintaining Zeal by Death
As far as Paul was concerned, he was already dead to the world and all its pleasures. He lived only in the light of the cross and the will of the One who laid down His life for him. He caught a glimpse of the reality of his sin and in doing so he glimpsed the love of God, who laid down His life for the ones who were His enemy.
Through the death of Christ, Paul counted himself dead with Christ’s death. That means that the pleasures and things of this world did not face Paul. He knew that on the other side of death was the entry to life of abundance and lived in light of that reality. His zeal was set on his death and life in Christ.
When you see yourself in light of the Cross and count yourself dead in Christ and become alive in Him by the regeneration of The Holy Spirit, you maintain a zeal that appreciates the Savior that much more; keeping you focused on the will of God rather than what man does.
TWO : Maintain Zeal By Humility
This truth is key to maintaining your zeal in sharing the Gospel and zeal in your faith. It is the amazing irony– “The more we see ourselves as hell-deserving sinners, the more we appreciate the fact that we are heading for an undeserving heaven.” To hold this truth to its reality we must be lowly of position, a humble heart.
When you see yourself in the light of the Cross you see nothing but love in the blood-spilled soil of Calvary. From this position comes a returned sprout of love, gratitude, and zeal for God that swallows our fears. That was Paul’s key.
THREE : Maintain Zeal By Love
Love toward God for the cross unlatches the prison of fear. Instead of being concerned with men and their doings, the love of the cross frees Christians to be concerned with the will of God. We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:18 tells us,
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”
All fear disappears by perfect love. That is “mature” love for God. This deep love for God swallows fear when it falls on the Christian.
Zeal for God
When you have seen your sin in light of the Law of God (read how to share the Gospel with the Law here) and understand in your heart that every secret sin is manifested at the Day of Wrath and if justice had its way–you understand that you would fall in torment of the flames of hell. Understanding this grows your zeal for God and you fall in the prostrate of the blood-spilled cross of Calvary, picture Christ crucified and His blood being spilled for your sin. This knowledge grows your zeal for God.