Voting for Jesus

Dear friend,

If you are here expecting to read a post about politics, I need to warn you… this is not it. Instead, I want to talk with you about something far nearer and dearer to my heart:

Have you ever thought about what it means to live a life of evangelism?

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If you were to run for office you would likely begin to handle your life in a very specific way. You would likely avoid doing anything that might make your name look bad in the media. You would likely go out of your way to reach out to others, be kind to people, seek out opportunities to volunteer in the community, and try and find chances for your face and name to be known. Why? Because you want the people around you to hear your name and vote for you. You want to be liked, and you want to be chosen, so that on voting day people know what team they’re on and when asked, they would say, “I’m voting for ____” or “I stand with _____.”

What little changes would you make in your life if you knew that in a week, a month, a year, or even four, you would be in the running for an election?

I would think, and maybe this is just me, that you would consider each little thing you did in life, knowing it led to those future votes. But you would not just go out of your way to seek after votes. You would also build your network. You would make connections, and surround yourself with the right people who would build you up and who you could also support. You would find out where and when the best rallies could happen, you would determine which communities most needed to be reached, and you would also scout out the competition to know the ‘enemy’s’ strengths and weaknesses. You might not purposely exploit them (and I would say you shouldn’t) but you would know what punches to expect from their campaign, what strengths you may be able to lean into in debates, etc.

You would plan. You would do. You would go.

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Dear friend, isn’t that exactly what we are called to do in Christ? See, we are not exactly running for office on earth, but we are representing the name of Jesus Christ, to a world that is daily deciding whether or not to live for Him. Do we not also want our friends, neighbors, colleagues, and even strangers on the street, to be able to say with us, “I’m with Jesus Christ,” too? Oh, I know I do!

So what does that change about the way I might need to look at the world… the way we can look at the world?

I think, truly, that reshaping our concept of evangelism to the mindset of seeking after souls for the name of Jesus, could spark a revival in a world that needs it. See, if we saw our purpose in evangelism as living our lives on a campaign for Christ, we might also handle each of our own choices in very specific ways too. We would likely avoid doing anything (hint: sin) that would make bad the name of Jesus, to this world. We would go out of our way to be kind to others, reach others, volunteer in our communities, and find ways to make the name of Jesus known. We would want the people around us to hear Jesus’ name so that on judgment day they know what name they’re standing with.

If we knew that Jesus was coming back in a week, a month, a year, or even four, how would our lifestyle of evangelism change?

Jesus said that we will not know the day or the hour of His return, but that we are to keep watch. [Matthew 25:13]. Therefore, should we not all the more be seeking to live out the Great Commission? (“Go and make disciples of all nations - baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Go and teach them to observe all I have commanded and I will be with you to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20) I would hope that we might then consider each little thing we do in life, knowing it could either lead others to salvation at the cross of Christ or push them over into the enemy camp.

With this mindset, we would also seek to build our networks and communities. We would seek to surround ourselves with other Christians who are eager to build one another up, and go to reach the world. We would find out where and when we could best "stir up one another to love and do good deeds," and we would determine which communities most need to be reached for Christ. And then, we would go and fervently seek to reach them.

We also would more carefully and thoughtfully scout out the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses. We would discover what that thief in the night does best so that we might know better how to resist the devil, that he would flee. We would build up the armor of God and prepare ourselves to fight the good fight of faith, remembering that this world is not our home.

We would plan. We would do. We would go.

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So, dear friends… I want to invite you to join me on the campaign of a lifetime. Let’s make the name of Jesus known in our homes, our communities, and our world. Let’s see souls transformed and lives changed. Let’s go and make disciples of all nations!

Love,

Jessica