Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

2 Timothy 4:2

When we look to our duty to share the Word of God with others, it can be very intimidating or even embarrassing to openly discuss things, especially in the ways that previous generations have. The days of door-knocking are long past. And certainly, the social pressure to refrain from discussing religion openly beyond a surface level has been a norm for several generations in so-called mixed company.

But what does Paul mean to be ready in season and out of season? He certainly doesn’t mean to get the corn shucker ready for the soybean harvest. We must learn to take the tools in hand that are most useful for the task we are staring down and apply ourselves to that fully. Door knocking is over but messaging on social media is easy and normal. It may be hard to start a conversation in a party about religion, but to send a video or an article and start a chat is widely accepted.

Let’s learn the tools that we have so that we can reap the bounty of the harvest.

Ethan Kirl

Originally Published September 29, 2021