Make a Joyful Noise!

Are you a good singer?

Most Christians will not claim to be great, or even good, singers. Yet every week we gather together in churches and sing together in worship. It is not perfect, yet there is beauty in its imperfection. Many churches have choirs. As they seek new recruits for the choir we are told that we don’t have to be good singers, but just be willing to make a joyful noise. This recruiting technique seems to work with many of us.

When I talk with others about sharing the gospel with others in a public setting, what kind of response do I hear? I don’t know enough, I couldn’t answer those questions. I couldn’t do that, it’s not my gift. I’m afraid that I’ll get stumped by questions that others have.

We often feel inadequate to do the work of God. However, we don’t need to be a deep theologian to share the good news of what Christ has done. We see in several places in the New Testament where Paul and others share the gospel with others publicly, and in many places that is done in just a few sentences. A perfect example is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 as Paul says he is passing this on reliably in the same way he received it.

³For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

If you can explain the gospel as explained here, you can begin to make a joyful noise and share this great news that Christ has died for our sins, to save us from our sins and the punishment of death we deserve. Most public gospel conversations are not as deep and complex as the ones you find out on You Tube. In comparison to most unbelievers, you know more about the gospel than they do if you understand the basics.

One of the tools you can use as you begin to share the gospel is the tract. If you have a good tract, you have a message that has been planned and reviewed to communicate the truth, or a truth, very succinctly and clearly. You can use the message of the tract to further explain and answer questions that others ask. It is somewhat like training wheels.

“Gospel tracts are fantastic for young people or any Christians who have but little power and little ability, but nevertheless, wish to do something for Christ. They have not the tongue of the eloquent, but they may have the hand of the diligent. They cannot stand and preach but they can stand and distribute here and there these silent preachers.” -Charles Spurgeon

Even when we feel inadequate, we must remember that God uses the faithful to accomplish his purposes. God is infallible. Jeff Pollard reminds us that “He uses fallible teaching, fallible preaching, fallible witnessing, fallible tracts, and fallible people to save souls.” It is the gospel that is power for salvation, not our human ability.

While none of us are perfect, we seek to be faithful in our calling. Just as those in the choir make a joyful noise, so do we. Just as in the choir, we spend time in practice and preparation so that we improve with practice and time.  Don’t let your own fear of imperfection keep you from knowing the joy of telling the wondrous works of God to someone else.