written by Louise Koo
During these past couple of years, God has graciously orchestrated a string of events that grew my heart for non-Christians. Although I knew the importance of sharing the gospel with unbelievers and being purposeful in my conversations with them, my sinful pride had always discouraged me from any awkward moments with my unbelieving friends. Thus, I shied away from talking about my faith with anyone outside of church before college.
Coming to UCLA, I didn’t know anyone in my classes and no one knew me. As many people had told me, I had to decide how I wanted to portray myself. Was I going to be the girl who still feared to share her faith with others or was I going to be a bold and living testimony for the Lord? At that time, I still wasn’t sure.
Looking back, I can see how the Lord was slowly molding my heart to care for those who did not know Christ. God knew that I needed a little push when it came to sharing the gospel, so He placed a couple of people in my life during my freshman year that would be bold enough to ask me about GOC and why I was a Christian. Even though I wasn’t the most concise or eloquent when sharing about what Christ has done on the cross for us, I was both challenged and grateful that God used me to share His love for my peers. As I shared Christ’s love for them, my concern and love for them grew too. However, it was still terrifying for me to initiate a spiritual conversation with unbelievers.
As my freshman year small group leader encouraged me to consider serving on a ministry team, she suggested that I check out Care Team or International Bible Study. I knew that IBS was an outreach ministry and thought Care Team was probably a better fit for me. I eventually got more plugged into GOC, and slowly spent less time with my non-Christian friends.
Come the middle of my junior year, a friend on Care Team consistently asked me to check out IBS. At the time I was so comfortable with building relationships in Care Team that I told her that I was too busy. In reality, I didn’t want to step out of my comfort zone and “put myself out there” to share the gospel with unbelievers. Towards the end of that year, this faithful friend asked me again if I was interested in serving on IBS. During this time, I was thinking through how I could be serving during my senior year and ran out of excuses for not being available to check out the ministry. Despite my hesitancy, the Lord would once again surprise me with how He was growing my heart for unbelievers.
In the course of this past year, the Lord has stretched me greatly to love the lost. When I thought it would be too hard to initiate a godly conversation during my study abroad trip, God gave me a friend that would be curious about Christianity. When I thought it would be too taxing to serve on IBS, God provided me with fellow laborers for Christ who encouraged me to be passionate about the gospel and to be a living testimony for the Lord. When I thought that it was difficult to see the fruit of IBS meetings, the Lord gently remind me through our study of John that only the gospel can save. Even though I’m still learning to love the non-believers that God has placed in my life, I find immense joy and honor that the Lord would choose a sinner like me to share His love with those who don’t know Him.
So GOC, I encourage you to also consider your heart for the lost. There are so many ways in which you can share your joy in Christ with unbelievers. Whether it is going fishing, serving on a STM, helping out with IBS or… just looking around! The Lord has given all of us a mission field. For some it is abroad, but for many of us, it is the person sitting next to you in class, or the co-worker you pass by from time to time, or even your unbelieving family members.
Thank you for reading how God has been working in my life, and now I want to leave you with a few encouragements that have helped point me back to our purpose in cultivating a love for the lost: to give our Lord the ultimate glory!
List of Encouragements
- Remember Your Identity (Romans 1:16)
Never forget that your identity is rooted in Christ, the one who has given up his life to grant you salvation. So do not be ashamed of the gospel. Instead, proclaim it loud and proud!
- Be a Living Testimony (John 13:35)
I have come to learn these past couple of years that your life makes a great impact on a non-Christian on top of hearing the gospel. The best way to be a living testimony is to genuinely love one another, for it reflects God’s great love for us.
- Cultivate A Mindset of Intentionality (1 Peter 3:15)
- Always be ready to share your faith with those God has set in your life. With a heart that honors the Lord, rely on God to turn your head knowledge to heart knowledge, so that there would be an evident outpouring of His love with whomever you interact with.
So Christian, the workers are few, but the harvest is plentiful. Will you, then, unselfishly and humbly put others’ interests above your own and share the joy of Christ with them?
“Woe is me, for I am undone and my lips are unclean
You chose me to carry your word till the end of my days
My eyes have seen the King of all kings” – Enfield
← All Posts