Everyday Evangelism: How To Exchange Complacency for Compassion

Have you ever been in a church service singing, “For the sake of the world, burn like a fire in me…” with every intention of winning the world, yet find yourself overlooking noticeable opportunities to share Jesus? We’ve all been there. It’s easy to get pumped up about the fields being ripe unto harvest while the music plays and the church rejoices. But when it comes to actually seizing opportunities to plant, water, or bring in the harvest, we need to connect the dots that we truly can make a difference—out there—in the market place. 

The truth is, each of us was born to make a difference. If we’ll just take our eyes off ourselves while we’re out in the world, take the time to look into the eyes of others, and purposely yield to the Greater One on the inside of us, His love will touch people every time. If we’ll simply set aside the “busy” for a moment, and be willing to see others in need while on our journey—like the Good Samaritan did—we’ll reach our world one life at a time. We’re all on our way somewhere daily, so why not simply look as we go, and open our hearts to our part in the lives of the people we pass by each day. 

No Greater Joy!

Why not consider that our daily trips anywhere in public are fair game for a host of opportunities to communicate the love of God to others. No greater joy exists on this earth than having a part in helping another person’s eternal destiny change. Heaven is real, and hell is too. If we will just live conscious of the fact that every person we see will end up in a fixed place for all eternity, and care enough to reach out, we can make a difference. 

Complacency—Our Enemy

I’ve lived most of my life eager to share Jesus with others, but without warning, during an extremely busy season of life, my passion for the lost dimmed and I caught myself in the act of lukewarm living. But change always starts with awareness. When I recognized that indifference and complacency had crept into my heart, I decided to do something about it. 

Hunger for Change

Determined to fan into flame the passion for souls in my life, I cried out, “God, I’m going to stand in this very spot, and I will not move until Your fire for the lost is ablaze in me again!” I prayed from the bottom of my heart for a renewed intense hunger to reach out to others with His love. I cried out, “Lord of the harvest, send forth laborers into Your harvest—and God, please send me!”

I prayed fervently in the spirit until He answered my prayer and filled me with fresh fire for souls and compassion for the lost. I wept as He baptized me anew with a genuine love for people and a heart to share my Jesus with those who crossed my path daily. The joy of soul winning revived when I exchanged my complacency for His compassion. Later that very day, I found myself praying with a young lady, then witnessing to a maintenance man, and finally sharing Jesus with a public relations manager—all of whom crossed my path. 

Are You Hungry to Be Used by God?

Are you hungry to be used by God in everyday life? Do you desire to live filled with compassion for what matters most—PEOPLE? Try this—it works! 

1.    Be Filled With the Spirit

Peter, who denied Jesus three times, later boldly proclaimed Jesus and 3,000 people were saved. What happened between those two events that caused such dramatic change? He was filled with the Spirit and spoke in tongues!

Acts 1:8 explains, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses...” When we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, we receive power to be witnesses to the people in our world. And once initially filled with the spirit, we can be continually filled according to Ephesians 5:18, “Be filled with the Spirit.”

2.    Fan into Flame the Passion for Souls

2 Timothy 1:6 says, “Fan into flame the gift of God which is in you.” We each have the ability to fan into flame and stir up the gift of God—the Holy Spirit within us—until our hearts are ablaze for the lost. 

When God speaks of fanning something into flame, He speaks of fire, and there is no question about it—fire is blazing hot. When we fan into flame the gift of God, we kindle a burning passion in our lives to help people transfer out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. 

3.    Pray for Laborers—and BE One! 

In Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus said, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

As we pray for laborers, let’s surrender to being a laborer—one sent to preach the gospel. Let’s cry out with passion, “Here I am Lord, send me; use me to bring others to You!” 

4.    Let Compassion Move You to Action

“When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them” (Matthew 9:36 KJV). “When he saw the crowds, his heart broke” (Matthew 9:36 MSG). Compassion moves us to action. It’s impossible to sit still when compassion is at work within us. 

Compassion activates the love of God within us to respond to the needs of others. And when we follow His compassion, we find ourselves reaching the lost. 

The Adventure of Following Compassion

Exciting opportunities await us when we choose to follow compassion in everyday life. One Christmas Eve, while waiting to board a plane home, we were informed there would be a two-hour delay due to the weather. As you can imagine, passengers complained about the announcement. Although it was inconvenient to have our flight postponed, I was excited to have a captive audience during the delay and in flight. I simply showed interest in the lives of others, and door after door opened to share Jesus with people. 

I made my way through several disgruntled passengers—talking, listening, sharing Jesus, and praying with them. When the flight ended, I arrived home after midnight with a heart full of joy at what God had done in the lives of many passengers. There’s nothing quite like the adventure of everyday evangelism! 

Today is the Day to be a Channel of God’s Love

We were each born to be an expression of God’s love to those in our world. Let’s choose to pay attention to life’s little interruptions and make time to embrace opportunities within our reach. Eternal fruit will come forth regularly as we yield to compassion and reach out to others. There is truly no greater joy than leading someone to Jesus, and if we will exchange complacency for compassion, we will find ourselves reaching the lost!

by Ellen Redmond

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If you would like to learn how easy it is to lead people to Jesus, check out Salt the Sea—a CD created to inspire and equip people to share Jesus with others daily.