Sometimes evangelization, the making of disciples, the going out into the world to proclaim the Good News, feels difficult, overwhelming, maybe a little intimidating. Maybe there are people in your life that you’ve built up a lot of good relational capital, and you don’t know if you want to spend it yet, or you’re afraid of offending people, or afraid of what might happen when Jesus enters the scene. I just want to give you a quick story about why it’s really worth it and why the full gospel message is worth it – not just the fun stuff, but a full understanding. Why is the Good News good news? Because there’s also the death problem, that comes from the sin problem, and that there is a heaven and a hell, and that the Lord, in His mercy and in His love, does judge, and at the end of time, there will be wheat, and there will be weeds. And all of this is very real, and very true, and all of it’s born out of a God who just desperately loves us. And so the whole message is still inspiring for people, it still works, when it’s delivered with love, when it’s delivered with friendship, and it’s delivered in its entirety.
So part of what we’ve done is, we decided to do different things to try to evangelize those who are far from God. And we started doing this program where we’d have people come over to our house, we’d have dinner, we’d watch a talk, and we’d discuss it. And midway through this particular session, we had a couple guys who were very, very far from God, who would self-identify that way. And one guy in particular who just didn’t even talk hardly at all. He would come and eat our food, and he’d watch the video, and during the discussion he’d basically say nothing. And we thought, “Well, okay, well he’s here I guess.” And his sister had brought him. But the second week he brought his friend, which made us think, “Oh, maybe something’s happening here.”
So six weeks in, we do this little retreat weekend, where, at the end of one of the talks is an invitation to give your life to Jesus. So let me set the stage for you. It’s two o’clock on a Saturday afternoon in my ugly basement. Nothing about these circumstances says “Conversion Moment,” right? A lot of times we think it has to be on a Saturday night with the lights dim and incense floating in the background – nope, nothing about that. And there’s just a few of us in the basement, and my buddy’s on the guitar, and he says, “Okay, we’re going to just give you an opportunity to see if God is real and if you want to give him a chance. So if you’ll stand up and open your hands, we’ll just pray a little bit.” So I’m standing behind him, just dying a thousand deaths, because I’m like, “This isn’t working, nothing’s going to happen, nothing’s happening,” just calling on the Holy Spirit, just like, “Come on Holy Spirit,” the only One. He’s the principal agent of evangelization, He’s the One who convicts hearts, He’s the One who helps people actually say, “Jesus is Lord,” so I’m just saying, “Come on, Holy Spirit, get ’em! Get ’em! Get ’em!”
So Joey’s on the guitar, he starts to sing, and I’m watching these guys from behind, and all of a sudden, the big guy, Miguel, who was really the one who hadn’t talked at all, I’m looking at him, and all of a sudden I just see his shoulders shaking, and I glance around him, and his eyes are closed, and he’s just weeping. Just weeping, weeping, weeping. The conviction of God was coming upon him, the Holy Spirit was working on him. Then I glanced over, and his buddy, who head brought, it also weeping. And the other girl, who was also kind of far from God, I couldn’t even find her, I didn’t know where she went, she had curled up in the corner, and she was just getting wrecked by the Holy Spirit.
And Joey and I had basically done nothing. We had just set a circumstance, set an environment, asked the Holy Spirit to work, entered into relationships with these people, had, through the videos and the discussions, unpacked the gospel, and presented it to them, and then brought them to a decision point: do you want it or not? And the Holy Spirit responded.
Fast forward. Miguel goes back to Confession, he’s back to Mass, he’s playing music at Mass now, he helped us with multiple other sessions of this thing, and he’s a disciple. He’s not only a disciple, he’s a missionary disciple. He’s bringing others to it. So I just wanted to share that with you because, so often, we think it’s all about us, or it’s all on us to make this work, and yes, we participate in God’s work, but it’s the Holy Spirit working through us, and it’s just us cooperating with His plan. It means we need to be bold, it means we need to present the whole gospel, it absolutely means we need to bring people to a decision point, but it all needs to be infused with the power of the Holy Spirit. And when that happens, lives are changed. When that happens, the kingdom still breaks through. When that happens, people still believe. The Gospel still works.
So let’s pray. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen. Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your love. I thank You for Your death and resurrection, and I thank You so much for the gift of Your Spirit that You pour out on us, for all those who want it. And Lord, I pray right now for every single person who is watching this video, that a deeper understanding, conviction, and cooperation with the Spirit would come upon our lives. That we would be infused with a deeper, supernatural power to live as Your disciples. To grow in holiness, but also to go an make disciples. And whatever fear, we ask You to cast out in the power of Your Holy Spirit, and give us the courage to go out and proclaim the Good News of the gospel and to make disciples. Amen.