I remember feeling awful and incompetent. I had shared the gospel with my Grandfather and he was livid. I wanted to retell this story to my mentor, and so I did. My mentor scolded me and told me that I had lacked tack in my presentation. He also said that I may have pushed my Grandfather too hard. I may have ruined his chance of ever coming to the knowledge of the truth. I hung my head and closed my mouth about the gospel for a long time.

I believed I had done something good, but my mentor told that I did not. My mentor informed me that there were wrong and right ways to share the gospel and I had gotten it all wrong! How could I ever be competent in sharing the gospel with others? Maybe you have felt this way at times as well.

Was I competent, or was I incompetent in my sharing the gospel with my Grandfather?

Let’s take a look at how the Apostle Paul speaks about competence with the gospel for every believer.

In 2 Corinthians 3:1–4, Paul told the believers in the city of Corinth that they were each a letter of Christ. The letter is the truth of the gospel written in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. “Such confidence we have through Christ towards God” (2 Corinthians 3:4). Paul wanted these believers to have confidence in sharing the gospel. Paul taught them that they were all a gospel letter written to the world by God.

Paul continues by telling them in verse 5 that they were not competent because of their ability. No matter their status, intelligence, eloquence or capacity, these things do not make them competent in sharing the gospel.

Their competence comes from God in sharing the gospel. Every believer is competent to share His eternal truth adequately from the moment of salvation. That is a very different message than I had received after sharing the gospel with my Grandfather. But there is more!

Take a look at what 2 Corinthians 3:6 teaches us.

“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant…” (2 Corinthians 3:6a NIV).

God makes every believer a competent minister of the new covenant. God has already made you fit, adequate, qualified or prepared to be a competent minister of the gospel. The gospel, or new covenant, is the message of God reconciling the world to Himself through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18–19).

No matter what you think or believe, the Scriptures teach us that we are all competent ministers in sharing the gospel. When do we receive this competence to share the gospel with confidence? At the moment you became a believer. That is an amazing reality that God instills in every believer.

On my Grandfather’s death bed, he trusted in Jesus for his eternal destiny. He also proclaimed that he wanted a faith like mine. He recognized that what I had told him for years was actually true. I learned that I was competent to handle eternal truth adequately when it comes to sharing the gospel. My Gramps is now in heaven and I had a part in shaping his belief before his conversion.

I hope this post has encouraged you to believe the Biblical reality that you are a competent minister of the gospel from the moment you believe. It is my prayer that you will realize and embrace this truth, so the message of Jesus will spread fearlessly through you until God calls you home! Blessings.