What do these people have in common? James Haggerty, George Reedy, James Brady, and Marlin Fitzwater. Do you know what they are famous for? You have probably heard of at least one of them. They were all presidential press secretaries. Those are names you would have never heard of except for their connection to the president of the United States. When these relatively unknown people called a press conference, the Washington press corps started to scramble, and they arrived in a matter of minutes. The press hang on every word they have to say, write them down, and then run to the phone to report it. Why do people consider the words they speak so important? It is because those are not their words.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:20, "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." An ambassador is an interesting role. They drop in on the prime minister of a country to which they are sent and they deliver messages straight from the president. If you know Christ, you are His ambassador.
A common word in the New Testament, preach, describes proclaiming the good news about Jesus. Preach literally means to deliver a message as a herald. In Bible times, a herald was the king's messenger, a kind of press secretary. He would ride into a village, open his scroll, and everybody would gather around as he boldly made an announcement. He was so bold because he was not delivering a message from himself, so he wasn't afraid of what people might say. He was delivering a message from the king.
That is your job as well. Paul says, "On Christ's behalf." You need to say to your neighbor, your friend, and your family member what Jesus would say if He were here. He would start by saying, "Break the wall down between you and God and be reconciled to Him. Begin a relationship with Him through My work on the cross."
The modern equivalent of the herald would be the press secretary, and the principle is the same. You can speak with authority when you are delivering words from higher up. We seem to forget that when we are with people who don't know our Jesus. Often, they will intimidate us into silence. It's hard to imagine the presidential press secretary looking at all those reporters and saying, "I'm scared. I have nothing to say to you." Imagine a herald freezing around people to whom he is supposed to deliver the king's message.
When it comes to you sharing your King's message, it is a life-and-death matter. A person will simply live, die, and spend forever without God unless you bring Jesus to them. As you share, remember this isn't a matter of you trying to sign them up for your beliefs or your church or to convince them to see it your way. Your mission is simply to deliver your King's message. Be gentle and loving, and not pushy. Build a relationship with them, but don't be timid, apologetic, or defensive.
The King has a message for the people around you, and He has entrusted it to you to deliver. He will even help you know how to say it as you share it. Deliver your life-saving news with all the authority of someone who has words from higher up.