We all know that as Christians, we are supposed to be sharing the gospel. And yet church studies show thatonly about 51% of professing Christians have shared the gospel within the past year, and 31% have not ever shared their faith with someone. Why are we so hesitant to share our faith and tell others about Jesus? There are several reasons for our failure to share the gospel.

1. We're waiting for the right time to bring it up. We wait for some kind of mystical confirmation from God that this is the right person and the right time. News flash, folks: Every person is the right person, and anytime is the right time. Opportunities are all around us, if we are willing to look for them. We need to be willing to share Jesus with anyone at any time - because who knows whether it might be the last opportunity they will ever have to receive the gift of salvation.

2. We are afraid we won't get it right. We feel inadequate and uncomfortable sharing our faith. We worry so much about not doing it right that we don't do it at all. Or we think that the preacher's job - after all, he's trained for that, and he can certainly do it better than we can. Reality check: We are ALL called to share the gospel and lead others to Christ. And God doesn't call the equipped, He equips those He calls!

3. We're too comfortable right where we are. We like things the way they are, and we don't like change. The more comfortable we are, the less we want to go out of our way to spread the word. II's easier, and certainly more convenient, for us to simply maintain the status quo. But the fact is, Too much comfort dulls our passion for sharing God's word and seeing others get saved. We never want to be content to simply stay where we are. The church needs to be growing in order for us to thrive.

4. We don't have time. Our busy lives don't leave us much free time, and we want to use what little free time we have for our own enjoyment. Leading others to Chrsit does not rate very high on our list of priorities. Let's be honest here: sharing the gospel requires a committment of our time and energy. It is not a "once and done" deal, either; most people have to hear the gospel a half dozen times before they respond to it and are saved.

5. Our own lack of faith. Do we truly believe that the gospel has the power to change people's lives? It does, and is the only way for lost people to be saved. Do we truly believe that Jesus is coming back soon? If we do, we should be eager to help others get into the kingdom of God before Christ returns.

Whatever the reason we have for not sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, it will not excuse us before God. He has entrusted each one of us with sharing our faith so that others might come to faith also. We call it the "Great Commission", and it's found in Matthew 28:

That commission is given to each and every one of us. If we fail to spread the gospel message, the church will just die out. As old members pass away, there will be no new ones to take their place. It's not just the preacher's job, or the Sunday School teacher's job, or the evangelism team's job - it's the job of each and every born-again believer. Are you doing your job?