• Contact
  • Return to IBSA
  • Advertise Through Us
  • Subscribe
  • E-Reader

IBSA News

Illinois Baptist State Newspaper

  • QuickLinks
    • E-Reader
    • Subscribe
    • Baptist Press
    • Resource Magazine
  • News
    • Corona Virus
    • IBSA
    • SBC
    • Culture
    • Religious Liberty
  • Mission
    • Illinois Churches
    • Church Planting
    • Missions
    • Evangelism
  • In Focus
    • Longform Articles
  • Columns
    • Nate Adams
    • Eric Reed
    • Meredith Flynn
  • Leaders
    • Pat’s Playbook
    • Fresh Ideas
    • iLead
    • Devotional
Scott Harris

Scott Harris

What’s happened to our confidence?

December 13, 2021 By Scott Harris

If you watched the recent World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros, perhaps you noticed a 31-year-old reliever for Atlanta named Tyler Matzek. Many pundits talked about how he was the most dominant reliever in the playoffs this year and a key reason why the Braves won.

This young man was a first round draft pick in 2011 but soon found himself out of the major leagues. Why? He lost confidence in his ability to pitch!

It took quite a while, but he finally made it back, simply because he rediscovered his confidence in his ability.

I am afraid the church is experiencing the same issue, the loss of confidence, not in our ability but something far greater: the gospel!

The church will state her utmost confidence in the gospel! “The gospel is what changed our lives and redeemed us,” she will declare. Perhaps, even more passionately she will state, “The gospel changes everything and is the only hope for the world.” Yet, there is a disconnect in our stated confidence in the gospel and our lived-out actions concerning the gospel.

The Apostle Paul stated, “I must tell the good news to everyone. That’s why I am eager to visit all of you in Rome. I am proud of the good news! It is God’s powerful way of saving all people who have faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles” (Romans 1:15-16 CEV).

Paul’s practice of sharing the gospel is tied to his confidence in its purpose and power. Paul was absolutely convinced that the gospel was the only path and plan that God had to redeem sinful humanity. Paul had complete confidence in the gospel. He knew its power, for the gospel had transformed his life. Paul knew if people heard the gospel and responded in repentant faith, it would transform them, too.

The essential question is this: Has the church lost her confidence in the gospel?

If we judged by surveys that tell us about how little Christians share their faith with others, we would conclude that those who claim to have been changed by the gospel have lost their confidence in the gospel to change others.

An objective observer would say the church seems to have few successes to celebrate when it comes to the gospel. If one is honest, the church seems to look a lot like the Tyler Matzek of a few years ago, possessing everything necessary to succeed, but not succeeding, due to a loss of confidence.

What would happen if the church regained her confidence in the gospel of Jesus Christ? Would it not change our churches? Would it not be evidenced by more believers sharing the gospel?

If Illinois Baptists truly want to see a gospel movement sweep across our state and change our communities, it will require once again having complete confidence in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This will mean no difference between our belief and our practice.

How do we get there?

(1) Communicate the power of the gospel clearly to our congregations. We must preach with confidence. Preach on the life changing power of the Gospel. Remind our churches of what the gospel has done for them and can do for others.

(2) Confront the disconnect between belief and practice. It isn’t easy to point out the inconsistency of maintaining belief in the power of the gospel while never sharing it with others. We must make sure we confront this in our own lives, as well as challenging our people in this area.

(3) Coach our people in the process of sharing to build confidence in their practice. As a pastor-coach, I take seriously the idea that people are fearful to share because they do not feel prepared to share. They need us to coach them. In the new year, our church leaders need to make ongoing evangelism training a normal part of the discipleship process.

Like Paul, I am confident in the gospel! It is still “the power of God unto salvation.” When our churches are confident of this, we will see what God does among us through his Word and his Spirit.

Scott Harris is IBSA Mission Team Leader and Evangelism Director. ScottHarris@IBSA.org

Share This Story

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Coronavirus

  • News
  • Church Helps

Sexual Abuse Prevention & Ministry

Resources

  • Protect your children, protect your church
  • Caring Well
  • Related Stories

Featured Columns

Nate Adams

Hope set high

Nate Adams

Have you ever set out with high hopes, only to find things not working out as you expected? Should that happen even in church and in ministry? Last summer our son Noah and his family moved from the Chicago suburbs where he was a pastor to the front range of the Colorado mountains and a […]

Meredith Flynn

Brighter Day: Small seasons

Meredith Flynn

My family will soon celebrate the end of an era for our youngest daughter. Molly and her classmates will walk across the stage and receive their diplomas, marking the end of preschool and the beginning of their elementary years. Some preschools even dress graduates in miniature caps and gowns. Ours does not, but Molly will […]

Handling history

Nate Adams

A little more than a year ago, a main sewer line backed up into the basement of the IBSA building here in Springfield. Though the primary blockage turned out to be well outside our building, the plumbers also discovered a break in a secondary line. It was directly beneath the section of basement where IBSA’s […]

More Columns

Banding together for Bibles

Illinois Baptist Staff

“Everyone agreed—it was worth the time and effort to make Bibles available to anyone who needed or wanted one,” Pastor Brian Fuller said. Fuller spent much of the 1980’s and 90’s as a Contemporary Christian music (CCM) artist. Now as pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodlawn, Fuller recently picked up a mic again for […]

News

Green arrested on grooming charge

Illinois Baptist Staff

Keith D. Green, a substitute teacher from Ashmore, was arrested May 17 by Mattoon Police on a charge of grooming. Green briefly served as pastor at two Illinois churches more than four years ago. Mattoon Community School District #2 notified police of the allegation that Green had contacted a female under age 17 using an […]

Effective teachers ask: What do learners need?

Former IMB missionaries encourage churches to go global again

More News Stories

Mission

Annie Armstrong

How SBC missions have been influenced by Annie Armstrong

Sandy Wisdom-Martin

A few years ago, I read the SBC president at the time was considering different gavels for presiding at the SBC Annual Meeting. One of the options under consideration was the Armstrong gavel. I sent him an email with this message: This weekend I did a bit of reading on Annie Armstrong and was inspired […]

On mission again

New partnership targets biblical literacy

More Mission Stories

  • Blog
  • News
  • Mission
  • In Focus
  • Columns
  • Leaders

Copyright © 2022 · Website by Megaphone Designs