If you once were an enemy of the cross of Christ (Phil 3:18), but now have been made a friend of Christ (John 15:14)...
If you once were separated from Christ and far off from God (Eph 2:12, 13), but now have a promise that He will never leave nor forsake you (Josh 1:5; Heb 13:5)...
If you once echoed the fools claim in your heart "there is no God" (Ps 14:1), but now the cross of Christ is the boast of your life (Jer 9:23, 24; Gal 6:14)...
...then what do you do in conversations with the lost?
Picture walking up to someone at church with your dad. You reach out your hand and introduce yourself to the individual and begin conversing with them. When the conversation is over, you kindly say goodbye, it was nice to meet them, and then you walk away. Wouldn't it be kind of rude to not introduce your dad to that individual?
Picture walking up to someone who had just been robbed, had their valuables stolen, left half dead on the side of the street. And with you is your friend who is a medical doctor. You examine the individual, tell them that they will be ok, give them your extra sweatshirt, hand them a few dollars, and tell them you will be praying for them and walk away. Wouldn't it be fiercely unjust to not introduce your friend who is the doctor to them?!
Picture walking up to someone who is just a commoner. There is nothing presentable about them, nothing showy, nothing of real worth in the town's eyes, nothing that would draw others to them. And with you stands the King of glory. You converse with the individual. You find things in common. You laugh at a few pleasantries. You talk about family, life, and interests. You find more things in common with them. You part ways with a smile feeling like you made a friend. But what about the King? What a disgrace! What is a king with no honor? What is a King with no recognition? What is a King with no proclamation?
If Christ has made you His friend, and promised to never leave you, and is your only boast in life, then why does He receive no introduction? Why isn't He of first importance to us when meeting someone new, someone in need, someone like us but who is lost? Obviously we are in the process of building relationships in order to proclaim Him with the message of the gospel and our lives (1 Thess 2:8), but far too often we push back introducing Christ to them rather than pushing it forward in our many interactions with the lost.
The fact of the matter is that Christ needs no introduction. Rather, He is worthy of our proclamation for all He is and all He has done! He is the preeminent One, the Creator of the universe, the Savior to the world, the Lord of lords, the promised Messiah, the fullness of God in flesh. He has conquered sin and death and reversed the curse through His precious blood shed on our behalf.
May we each find that resolve to proclaim Christ to the lost that is in proportion to who He is and what He has done.
