On a return flight to my home town of Denver an urgent message was delivered to the passenger cabin from the flight crew. “The plane is experiencing a problem with the hydraulic system…” My mind immediately began analysis; what does the hydraulics control? Wing flaps, tail rudder, and landing gear for sure. “It will make our landing,” the crewmember finished, “interesting”. Immediate concern spread throughout the passengers. The woman next to me began to weep, fully believing we were all in our final moments of life. I turned to her with a smile and repeated a favorite line from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

“My souls prepared, how’s yours?” Her face went from terror to confusion. “Let me say that I don’t think today is our last day, but if it is I am confident that death is not the end. I trust Jesus and know that even in death, life can be had. Is that something that you would like to hear more about?” Quickly I told her the gospel, but didn’t have time to lead her in any kind of prayer for salvation before we safely touched down. While the circumstances were dramatic, it doesn’t take a dramatic event for the gospel to be relevant.

While there are evangelists in the family of God, people especially gifted to lead the lost to Jesus, we are all commanded to communicate the good news (Matthew 28.19-20). This is both a public and private practice. In community, the gospel ought to be clearly communicated from the pulpit every week. While the church is for believers and the strengthening of their faith and gifts, there are some among us seeking answers to their problems and wondering if Jesus is that answer. There is another reason, however, why the good news should be communicated in a worship service: training. Every time we hear the message we learn how to work it into a conversation, and how to communicate it succinctly.

It is this second aspect of evangelism that most churches fail to perform. If your church needs help in training the people how to talk about their faith I highly recommend the resources at Dare2Share. While geared toward youth, the materials are helpful for believers of all ages. Some churches have a pastor of evangelism on staff, something I highly encourage every church consider. Barring an official position, someone gifted in evangelism ought to be given the authority to teach and train the members in this art. Every year there should be a focused event coordinating preaching, Sunday school classes and Bible studies in an attempt to reach every congregant with the training they need to clearly deliver the most important message in the world.

It’s time for God’s people to come out of the closet. We have been trained by the cultures of media and entertainment to keep our religion to ourselves, but that is not our calling nor our right. Our God and Savior has given us a command to reach out to the hell-bound masses with his truth. The gospel is not something to be embarrassed about. It isn’t something that should be relegated to dire circumstances. It is to be a part of our everyday lives.

One lesson I learned early in life is that, while some are better at planting seeds than giving the whole gospel, the whole gospel is what we are commanded to speak. Tell someone the truth about Jesus, in its entirety, and if they do not respond favorably you may continue to plant seeds. This is a lesson many learn the hard way, their friend or loved one moving or passing away before they have the chance to tell them adequately how to be saved from the torments of hell. Everyone deserves to ask the same question as the governor of Judea in Matthew 27.22, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?”