Somebody Tell Them

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)

It’s happened to most of us at one point or another:  You notice an hour or two after lunch that you have piece of lettuce stuck between your teeth like a green flag flapping in the breeze.  You remove the unsightly obstruction and go about your day, but then it hits you…How many people saw me with lettuce in my teeth?  And why didn’t any of them bother to tell me?  How about those times when we notice that a stranger’s shoelaces are untied?  Do we risk stopping him and telling him (gasp!), or do we just assume that he’ll be okay, that he won’t trip and fall?

These are common social situations that challenge us to overcome a minor amount of discomfort to do the right thing for another person.  We know we don’t have to say anything.  After all, someone will eventually tell them, or they’ll discover it on their own, right?  But we also know what it’s like to have food stuck in our teeth and for our shoelaces to come untied.  We would want someone to alert us.

What about sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ?

In some parts of the world, evangelism is a crime punishable by imprisonment or death.  Our own culture frowns upon talking about Jesus and sharing our testimony publicly.  Those who do are sometimes mocked or otherwise regarded with disdain.  This makes it uncomfortable for many Christians to strike up an honest, open conversation about who Christ is, what He did for us on the cross and through His resurrection, and what salvation and life in Christ means.  But what could be more important?

Years ago, a former employer of mine named Adam drove 45 minutes in the middle of his busy day to take me to lunch and to share the gospel of Christ with me.  Jesus was not yet a discernible part of my life at that point, so I found this conversation to be quite uncomfortable.  I could tell that it wasn’t the easiest conversation for Adam, either, but he was undeterred.  I will never forget his sense of urgency.  My salvation was simply more important to him than anything else he had to do that day.

The Christian rock group City Harbor sings, “Somebody tell them that the lost are saved.  Somebody tell them that their debt’s been paid, and let them know that love is calling out their names.  Somebody tell them they’re the child of the king, and there is an end to this suffering…  Too many times we’ve all held back the truth from those put in our path.  So let us be the voice of love.  Somebody tell them now.”

Someone in our midst needs to hear the Good News, and there's no time like the present to share it.  Don't assume somebody else will tell them.  We are that somebody - you and me.