What keeps us from sharing our faith?

What prevents us from sharing the Gospel?

Mark 10:45, (NIV)⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Well I am looking at a list of five things that definitely are a hindrance to the spread of the Good News. My intention this week is to share those and help us to grow in understanding about why we have a hard time being the witnesses we are called to be. Materialism, entitlement, pride, spiritual blindness and unconfessed sin I am sure some of these are going to be painful subjects but try to stick with me and we will all be better equipped to serve God.

Mark 10:21,  “Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

The story of the rich young ruler hits close to home for many of us today. One of the things we take from it is Jesus tells him to sell everything and follow me. If you read on you will see he chooses not to. I don’t believe God requires you to give up everything he has blessed you with but there may come a time in your life that you have to make that very same decision. In the mean time is what you have or what you want keeping you from serving God the way you should?  Let’s look at materialism. What does it mean? Well it is a love of things. Not that this is all bad but when your desire to posses stuff consumes all your time and energy you will never have time for what God has called you too. I can tell you that is a truth. I have been the guy who worked 80 hours a week to have nothing in the end to show for it. Life was not fun then, it was just about what next toy I could get.  I have wasted so many hours that I can’t get back that I honestly have to ask forgiveness for it.  One other issue I want to tell you about if you are living off credit cards to provide for your toys one day like me you have to pay the piper. It is one thing to use them in an emergency or in a very controlled fashion (charge then payoff) but when you have allowed them to take control of how you spend money you are now at their slave. I worked a lot of those hours to pay off debt.

Matthew 6:19-24, “Treasures in Heaven

    ¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  ²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,^[a] your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are unhealthy,^[b] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!    ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.  I want to leave you with this thought It is not always money that prevents us from sharing God’s love but things can also block our ability to be the witness God has called you too. Pray today about what things in your life are keeping you from being a better witness of the Love of Jesus. Have a blessed day.