We’re Outta Here! Douglas Jacoby (Quote), 2000.

(Editors Note: This excerpt was taken from the fantastic book Shining Like Stars using current “Fair Use” laws. This is such an impactful book that we recommend the 2000 edition to everyone. They are available at www.amazon.com)

How determined are we to follow the spirit and to refuse to tolerate unspirituality? Years ago (in the 70’s, in fact) my brother and I were driving down the East Coast, attending various Christian conferences. The fist message at one of the conference we had registered for was on the topic of evangelism. The speaker began by describing evangelism as a “talent”, or “gift.” The experts, according to this man, had calculated that only ten percent of the Christians can be expected to evangelize, since for ninety percent of us, it is not our gift.

But there is a difference between gifts and commands, For example, we are commanded to encourage others (Hebrews 3:13) yet some of us have the gift of encouragement (Romans 12:8) and will find that what may be hard for others is relatively easy for us. While it is true that different people find different commands harder or easier to obey, we must never reduce a command to an option by claiming, “it is not my gift!” Evangelism is not an option. After all, in Ephesians 4:11, the gift is not evangelism but evangelists, the leadership role.

As the conference speaker was droning on, I thought of the ten lepers in Luke 17 and how only one out ten had the gratitude to return to thank Jesus for his healing. Yes, only ten percent had the decency to show their appreciation for what God had done in their lives. The “ten percent rule” applied here, though not as meant by the speaker! After the talk, I turned to my brother, Steve and said, “I’m outta here!” We walked out because we were not interested in explaining away the Great Commission or consoling ourselves on our lack of commitment.

How about you? Are you hanging out only with those who have low expectations for world impact? Are you attracted to a fellowship, that says “I’m okay; you’re okay”; “judge not,” and “Lukewarm is acceptable”? Putting it another way, do you count the hours that go by between times of sharing your faith, or the days? How often do you bring friends to church? The Holy spirit is not a spirit of timidity, but one of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7) The next time a temptation to compromise starts to “lecture” you on why you do not have to obey the Great Commission, just say, “I’m outta here”