Don’t Close the Door on the Gospel
Written by Preston Styons, Ministry Intern
Hey! I am Preston Styons, the Ministry Intern for First Priority of Johnston County. You may recognize me from around the county or a previous blog post with Kylie West about God being in our schools! I am a senior at Corinth Holders High School but have been involved with First Priority since 5th grade, so it’s safe to say I have had plenty of opportunities to share the gospel in and out of the school.
Recently, one of those times was right at my front door. Two young men, dressed in their clean pressed suits with shiny shoes, showed up at my door. In their hands, they held their information pamphlets on how “life can last forever”…if you do “X, Y, and Z” with the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. They must have had a great passion for what they were doing considering they walked right past the “No Soliciting” sign at the front of the neighborhood. Thankfully, I’ve been blessed to have studied the basics of their religion through the men’s ministry at my church. My instinctive reaction was to shut the door and say “No, thanks!” in a slightly aggressive manner, but I felt like I had a mission. That mission was given to me in Matthew 28 - a mission to not close the door on the Gospel and that’s what I almost did. A mission to “make disciples of all nations.” Notice how it wasn’t just your nation or your school or your family, but even the people who are already devoted to their religion. We are never too far away in God’s eyes.
I could go on about what I discussed with those guys and it really was an amazing discussion. They told me about their works of righteousness gospel while I leaned on the Gospel of Jesus. The most simple question I could ask led to such a deep discussion. “Who is Jesus?” This one simple question can open a door for a life-changing conversation. What I did that day was uncommon for me. Even though we may think that we would talk to everyone about Jesus, would we really? I have closed the door on hundreds of opportunities and I knew they were opportunities because the second I closed the door on them, I got the worst feeling.
Working at First Priority and being involved as a leader has given me hundreds of opportunities to share the gospel, but I am also surrounded by Christian leaders. Your situation may be different. You may be surrounded by people from different countries working in an office. You may be working with locals or schools. You might be teaching 1st graders while also being a moral leader for people in the same job position as you. You’re probably working around many more people that have never heard the gospel than I am at my job. These people might work so much they forget about their spiritual life. This is your mission field.
Here are 4 steps to help you share the Gospel in your field:
Look for your mission field (Work, school, community, etc.)
Realize that Jesus didn’t share the Gospel with just people who look “like Christians”
Study what God says about it in His Word (Find out how God has called you to share)
Replenish your soul with the Holy Spirit moving in a body of believers (Find the Church)
When you do these things, God will show you doors to spread the gospel and He will give you the words to say what you need in those moments. When you forget to spend time alone with God, you close doors on the Gospel and don’t even realize it. You may feel unequipped when the time comes and you close the door. Sometimes we see the opportunity, yet are too tired to even share. Sometimes we just look past it despite the gut feeling we get when someone starts blaspheming the Bible or makes fun of you for your faith. Sometimes, we have the opportunity to share the Gospel online, but end up ruining the chance by criticizing and being keyboard warriors in political posts on Instagram. These are still doors to share the Gospel. Or, maybe, 2 young teenagers come to the door and you know if they died tomorrow, they had not received grace through faith by Christ alone, but you still closed the door. Don’t close the door on the Gospel.
