What if the greatest risk in evangelism isn’t rejection—but missed opportunities?

In this episode of Gospel Talks, George Binocka and Jeff Musgrave explore Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matthew 25 and what it teaches us about faithfulness, fear, and evangelism. Jeff explains why God has entrusted each of us with opportunities, influence, abilities, and time—and why playing it safe can keep us from faithfully investing what God has given us.

They talk honestly about the fear of rejection, the difference between courage and recklessness, and practical ways Christians can become more courageous witnesses for Christ. Most importantly, they remind us that evangelism isn’t about forcing conversations or guaranteeing results. It’s about faithfully taking the opportunities God gives us.

The question is not, “Will I be successful?” but, “Will I be faithful?

A lot of people are under the impression that the great risk

in evangelism is rejection, and that's not it.

The great risk in evangelism is burying the opportunities God has entrusted to us.

We're gonna be in Matthew twenty-five,

starting in verse fourteen in this episode.

And you know, most Christians are trying to minimize risk.

We avoid awkward conversations,

we don't want to offend people,

we don't want to lose relationships,

we definitely don't want rejection and

You know, when I read the parable of the talents,

it almost seems like Jesus is criticizing the servant who avoided risk.

So today I want to ask,

is safe Christianity actually faithful Christianity?

Welcome to Gospel Talks Podcast,

where we help Christians all over the world become more effective

in relational evangelism and discipleship.

My name is George Binocka. With me today is Jeff Musgrave,

the author and founder of the Exchange.

Jeff, how are you doing?

Doing good. It's it's a blazing eighty eight degrees here.

I say that just to pick on you a little bit.

Man, it it trials, trials.

It's it's a beautiful Colorado day here and we are loving life.

I love that picture in the background over there.

If you guys are listening, you can go on YouTube and see it.

But it's the it's cross as a bridge and ~ what what an amazing

no better backdrop for the Gospel Talks podcast.

I have a couple of reminders in my office here.

I'm gonna mention another one in this podcast.

~ very cool. Very cool. I look forward to it.

Well, you know, Jeff, when most people read the parable the talents,

they think about money. But is there broad broader principle there that applies

to evangelism that Jesus is teaching?

I think everything applies to everything when Jesus is talking.

I mean, that's just the way it works.

But this particular parable is found in the Olivet Discourse.

Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives talking to his disciples.

They ask him several questions,

but one of them was, ~ what will be the sign of your coming?

What will be the sign of the end of the age?

And ~ Jesus gives them a good bit of teaching.

This story is kind of

embedded in the middle of all of that.

The basic

And

story is that there are three servants and each of them are given

one to five talents. Now when we hear the word talent immediately we think

of you know a skill or something.

It's actually a monetary unit.

It's it's worth 20 years of a laborer's wages.

So

Mm.

it's been estimated in today's money somewhere between

Three quarters to a million dollars.

And so it's a large amount of money,

and it's best represented as capital for an investment.

So the the the key here is that at the

end of an unspecified time,

these servants had to settle accounts with their master,

and ~

Mm.

two of them were commended.

For doubling the initial investment.

And the third was condemned for,

and these are the words that you used earlier,

playing it safe. and I I think that we need to remember that this

is not actually talking about money.

I love to think of it this way:

this is a Randy Alcorn thing, my time,

my talent, my treasure. So yes,

it includes money.

But it includes ~ you know this the skills God has given me and it includes

the the time. So I think all

Mm-hmm.

those we have to recognize this life is not mine.

It's it's actually on loan to me by my master to do his work.

Just like those

Mm.

servants were called to do their master's work,

and literally they he said, This is my money,

I want you to invest it into

things that are going to bring me profit.

And so I George, I can't think of something that would bring Jesus more profit than

building the kingdom and telling people about Jesus.

So yes, it includes evangelism.

Hm. I I love the way Randy Alcorn says that.

I love the way you tie y you know,

you play off of that. ~ and so th there's a lot of things included in that that

are not just money. So this is not not just about money,

it's about risk. That's really what this is about opportunity and risk.

Absolutely. ~ I I think one of the things that I take away from that parable

is that ~ God has deeply invested in me.

~ I it

Hm.

maybe we can say it this way, ~ God God believes in me.

I mean, I

Mm.

I I think sometimes I don't know whether you're this way,

George, but I have pictures of myself that are lodged in my brain of

a little kid sitting in a classroom that can't hardly read.

And the teachers coming around for me to read and I'm t terrified

of talking in front of all these people.

And you know, the I I kind of think in terms of I'm no good,

I can't do anything. And

Mm.

~ th these servants that the master left this talent with,

this was a huge investment. the master believed in them.

He believed that they could accomplish great work for him.

And ~ I just love being able to go away from this parable thinking,

you know, God believes in me. And I for anyone who's listening today,

I just want to encourage you to genuinely know God believes in you.

we have everything we need to do the work that God's calling us to.

so I think one of the things that's cool about this particular ~ parable is that.

he he dealt with each one of these servants individually.

~

Mm.

George, I I always think of you as a five-talent ~ servant.

You've you've always got about 15 balls in the air,

and I feel like you know, I'm playing with this one little ball over here.

~ but but the cool thing is that God

Mm.

knows me, he knows you, he gives us exactly what we need,

and he gives

us the sphere of influence that we can handle.

And and what he wants us to do is not to be concerned about our ability,

but to focus on our opportunity.

Yes.

You know, these are the places God wants me to to serve.

And then one of the things that really this this is convicting to me.

God provided my life and all of this influence that he's given me,

not for my personal enjoyment,

but for

my effective service for him. That just really,

really strikes me powerfully when I think of that particular parable.

And then the last thing of it is there's a there's an accounting coming.

And ~ you know you and I are in different age categories,

but w we we know that whether it's a long life or

a a short life,

we're we're gonna end this life someday and we're going to give ~ an account

for how we invested ~ the life that God gave us.

we've said this before. I have a dear friend who used to teach me,

life is short, eternity is long,

invest wisely.

Hmm. I love that. I love that.

I've heard too, God is good, the need is great,

we must contend, but I I think similar philosophies,

you know, where it's like, everybody's got a candle,

y nobody knows how long their candle is,

but you should burn really bright until it runs out.

Yep.

Absolutely.

Hmm. Well, ~ you know,

we're supposed to be busy about the master's work.

One of the things that comes up in that parable when you're interpreting it,

and I'm sure you've run into this,

you've preached that passage as a pastor,

and maybe even preached in other churches,

but one of the things that comes up is one of the excuses of that third servant was,

Well, you're harsh. I know you to be a hard man.

I

know that you take without getting and you know,

~ there was like this like you're un you're an unreasonable master,

~ which is obviously a wrong view of God,

but maybe you could talk us through that part of it.

Yeah. And I think there are three things here that I see either

I condemn this servant for the way he acted,

or God verbally condemns him. And the first is I knew you to be a hard man.

And I I actually think that it reveals to ~ of all of us

we we can easily get a wrong view of God

Mm.

and think of him as a tyrant, as

demanding way more than than I could ever give.

And you know, God just it wants too much.

And and he says this: I knew you to be a hard man.

And I actually think Jesus is trying to reflect for each of us.

Don't

Yeah.

let yourself think of God this way,

because God is not hard. God is gracious and He

Mm.

loves you. He He wants you to succeed.

And and

Mm-hmm.

then the second thing that I see here that He was condemned for.

or maybe I should say I condemn him.

He said because I knew you were a hard man,

I was afraid. And I

Mm.

I think he let fear control his decisions and he didn't even try.

He he he hid

Mm.

his talents. and and as a result of that he was called a wicked and lazy servant.

What a what a horrible I mean

Mm. Mm.

I I

I can honestly say that one of the things that I long for more than anything else

is to hear my Lord say to me, Well

Mm.

done, thou good and faithful servant.

And I cannot imagine I I know there is no punishment in because

God took all my punishment, but I can't imagine what it would be like

to hear God say to a servant,

which he obviously will. This is part of the picture.

You wicked and lazy servant. You you you you you didn't even put the least amount

of effort into this.

You know, you just Yeah. I've never thought about that before.

You just you just crack something open I've never thought about before,

which is we always know we wanna hear Well done thou good and faithful servant.

You wonder what what what is the other option that day.

What's the other thing he would say?

And this is it. This is the other thing.

This is you're either gonna hear that or you're gonna hear something like this.

And ~ you know, you wicked servant,

boy,

That that that would be so

A lot of the reasons people do this kind of approach to evangelism or in

the case of the servant, this kind of approach to investing in the kingdom is,

you know, they're they're withheld by fear,

but is is fear a sin in you know,

in and of itself or does

Yeah.

it lead

to sin or

I I think everybody kind of logically says,

I can't help it when I'm afraid.

You know, fear how can fear be a sin?

And and I have to agree, fear is an emotion.

Fear is not a sin. ~ we can

Hmm.

influence our emotions, but frankly,

emotions come, emotions go, and and we we we don't give them permission to do so.

I don't know if you ever face this,

but I

Find that my fears come unbidden.

I don't tell them to come, they just do.

that's not the sin. ~ the sin

Mm.

is when we let fear control our actions.

~

Mm.

bravery is not the absence of fear.

Brave your bravery is doing what we ought to do in the presence of fear.

And so fear fear is

unavoidable. I mean, all of us face fears.

It's

Right.

it's what are we gonna do when we're afraid?

Yep. Yeah, when you still do the right thing when you're scared.

That I mean that that's what bravery and courage look like.

And most of the guys who are doing the brave thing are scared while they do it.

I mean, we all think of that Navy SEAL and we just think Navy SEALs have this gene

where they don't have fear. It's not true.

If you talk if you listen to like interviews with a Navy SEAL and things like that,

it's not true. They they are scared.

But they they have this ability to do what's right,

do what they need to do th in their training and all that kind of thing.

in the face of fear. Now, some of us act like what Jesus really hates

is when we're unsuccessful.

Yeah.

and yet in this parable, what Jesus actually condemned was inactivity.

Why do you think Jesus condemned inactivity more than unsuccessful effort?

Yeah, I I I talk to a lot of people about evangelism and and some people think,

you know, I'm I'm just not good at that.

I I mean and I think it's important for us to remember that Jesus gave

to each one according to their ability.

He knows our abilities. He he doesn't hold us accountable for what we can't do,

but he does hold us accountable for what we are supposed to do and what

he knows we can do. ~ so

Mm-hmm.

I I think

This is bottom line. Try your best,

God will reward you, period. That's it.

I mean, the same commendation for the two talent servant as for

the five talent servant. Literally,

the guy had more than twice as much success from what

he gained from the talents. but but

The other one who didn't have nearly the same ability still got commended

in the exact same way. So ~

Mm.

I actually to tell you the truth,

George, I don't think most of us are afraid of our failure nearly so much

as we are afraid of our rejection.

You know, the Bible

Yeah.

says fear of fear of man's brings a snare,

but those who trust in the Lord are safe.

And and I think we just have to recognize God is going to help me.

I can step out and it it's so it's it's not about me.

It's about trusting and and letting God help me do.

So I I I don't think we have to be afraid of success or failure.

Just try.

Hmm. Yeah, I think I think that's wonderful.

So to bring this down into like reality and start to speak

in practical practical terms for the audience,

wha how have you seen fear keep us as believers away from being faithful witnesses?

I I can't really speak for anybody else,

but I I know fears kept me from witnessing before,

and I think you and I've talked about this.

I have not outgrown that fear.

I I I don't think I'm going to.

I think it's too late for me. but I I think that we tend to say things like,

you know, I I just gonna wait for just the right moment.

I I've got to see this this great,

you know, maybe

Opportunity and and quite frankly,

I think maybe we're waiting for someone to ask us,

could you please talk to me about Jesus?

And it it has happened a a time or two to me,

but not very often. I mean, that doesn't happen.

I I think in my head I have these voices that says I can't you know,

just put it off. And ~ there's this truth that really speaks to me,

Those are all voices in my head from the enemy.

And time

Mm.

is on his side. If he just keeps me quiet long enough,

he wins. And so

Mm.

I have to remember these this is not those voices in my head telling me

to wait are are not are not my friend.

They're not helping me.

So I know what's gonna happen.

Somebody's gonna go away from this episode and they said,

Take risks. The next time the president is in town,

they're gonna run at the president with the Bible and they will have taken

a fatal risk. When we say taking risks in evangelism,

I think we should clarify what do we mean?

What don't we mean?

Yeah.

Yeah. Well we don't mean being inappropriate.

we don't mean being rude. I actually go so far as this.

we don't mean being corny. I mean I hear some people try to

go from how hot it is outside to talking about Jesus and they're they

end up saying things that are corny.

~ here's what it means to me, and I told you I was gonna bring this up.

~ sitting right over here in my office is a sign that is my life's resolve

and it's here reminding me. I resolve to direct every conversation

I possibly can to the theme of themes,

learn of that soul's need, and if possible,

meet it. So that's that's really what we mean is just we're gonna look

for opportunities, we're gonna pray for opportunities,

we're gonna work.

move conversations toward opportunities,

and then we're gonna take every comp opportunity that that God gives us.

Hm. Well, I'm in full agreement.

We have to be courage courageous,

sorry, in the biblical sense. I guess to play devil's advocate,

how's that different from being reckless or obnoxious?

What's the principle there?

Well, I think underlying principle in my mind,

it this is one of those ~ kind of rules.

~ show genuine interest and concern for the person I'm talking to.

So this is not about me getting through something.

This is not about me talking up anything.

I I care about this person. ~ I here's another thing that it looks like.

It looks like inviting that person.

So in other words, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna push them,

I'm not gonna force them.

I'm gonna invite them. I love the picture of Philip and Nathaniel.

He he went to to Nathaniel.

Nathaniel was a little standoffish and pushed back.

And Philip just said, Hey, come and see Jesus.

And this is just a simple invitation.

We're not trying

Mm.

to force someone, but I am gonna do my best.

And George, this is important to me.

I'm gonna do my best to be so friendly and so kind that they wanna talk

to me and find out what makes it tick.

Hm.

I love that. Yep. be be attractive.

There's an attractiveness to to a Christian.

Yeah. Yeah. Maybe maybe

we can think of it this way, George.

I know that the person I'm talking to has a deadly disease.

And I know that I know about a cure for their deadly disease.

And that they

Mm.

may not even know that they have this disease.

And and so I I I have to remember that.

frankly, it may be that other people have already tried to talk to them about other

cures and it didn't help.

And they they you know they got they get sold a bill of goods and or maybe worse.

And so I've I've gotta be gentle,

I've gotta be patient, but because I care about this person and I know that what

I have can save his life, I'm gonna be persistent,

I'm gonna keep trying to to reach him.

And I think that there's this courageousness that comes from care ~ rather

Mm.

than

from from duty or responsibility or I'm right,

I know things. And ~ you know,

this is just it's a life and death matter and and we we have

to recognize these people are a little hesitant.

They've been burnt many times but but we still know that what we have Jesus

is gonna help them. my cuckoo clock,

sorry about that. That's also another thing I have in my office.

I love that cuckoo clock. ~ so can you share I don't know if you'd

be willing to share a wise example of a gospel risk you've taken in your life?

Yeah, I knew you were gonna ask me this question,

so I kind of thought through it.

I I I think I've told this story before,

but I don't know if I've ever told this story in this situation.

at a funeral that I preached, I had a man,

dear friend of mine now, come up to me and quite frankly was shocked

and a little maybe even I wouldn't say ~ put off,

but ~ scoffing.

of about something that I had said.

And instead of getting self-conscious and trying to defend myself,

I just asked Michael, ~ would would you be willing to do a four-lesson Bible study

with me that that actually talks about these things?

And you can

Yeah.

see the claims for the Bible yourself and and

Mm-hmm.

make your own decision about it.

And ~ and this conversation that could have easily gone from

you know defensiveness and kind of self-consciousness,

it really began ~ a quest on his side and on my side to help him see

the truth from the Bible. And it took several months,

but it resulted in Michael and his entire family coming to Christ and

and living for the Lord. And so I I I feel like

You know, number one, we know the risk is worth it,

but number two, we can take the risk in such a way that we're drawing people,

not pushing people.

Mm. I love that. So

What are Christians really afraid of?

I mean I've wondered that for a long time,

but what do you think Christians are really afraid of?

Yeah. Well, I think most of us believe you know,

rejection is a powerful thing.

And and I don't know if I've ever said this before,

but rejection is really not powerful.

Fear of rejection is powerful.

I mean, that's what makes

Mm.

my hands sweat. That's what makes my speech jittery.

that's what and sometimes I I literally hear a shaking in my voice.

Some that's what makes my heart race.

but George

When I have been bold and someone shuts me down,

Mm-hmm.

I I I go away with a sense of victory knowing that I I try.

I mean I

~ they

they wouldn't listen, ~ but I I know I did the right thing.

What really hurts me, I mean I I just am trying to be honest,

is when I chicken out, I feel defeated,

I feel angry at myself, and I

Mm.

I

Actually think we have to remember this.

Rejection is not nearly as as powerful as we think it is.

It just ~ it just seems powerful at the moment.

Mm. How do we overcome that fear of what people think or what they might do?

Yeah. I think we have to remember fears don't go away.

I I do think that we can get ourselves to become a stronger Christian,

reading the Bible, going to church,

going to small group. I mean those things are gonna genuinely help.

I you were talking about the SEALs and and they are afraid,

but they follow through with their training.

I I just really believe biblical training and how to

direct conversations to the gospel,

practicing. I mean, these are all things that are going to help.

However, bottom line, the only way to deal with our fears is to face them.

And I actually think that one of the great ways to overcome the fear

of talking to someone is making a commitment.

I mean I I am going to talk to some s somebody within a and then give yourself

a a period of time

Right.

in this

next conversation, we have to when fear is keeping us from doing something

we have to recognize it we have to face it and then we have to make make choices

that change that. when Anna, my wife,

recognized that her fears were keeping her from

Witnessing like she wanted to.

She overcame her fears by making a commitment.

And she's this was her commitment.

I I will always be doing at least one exchange Bible study with someone.

And

Mm.

we spent the entire next year doing Bible study after Bible study after Bible study.

And she would tell you, I I those fears have not gone away,

but but she's bold enough to take action these days.

And we do.

One of the things I'm thinking about right now from the parable of talent

as it relates to that is it was really obvious that the servant

was mostly concerned with his own reputation and w did really did

not think about how this would impact his master's reputation.

Is there a difference when we maybe out of fear hesitate to share

our faith or whatever?

Thing we're struggling with is there a difference between protecting

our reputation in that moment and protecting Christ's reputation?

How does that affect Christ's reputation?

I think two things are th are a thing here.

one is that guy's reputation was not very good in heaven.

I

Mm.

mean, in heaven he was called lazy and wicked.

And it it depends on whose reputation you're standing before.

I mean I I I I want I I wanna remember he's looking at me today and I I want

him to be pleased with me today.

but number two, I love the thought of living for the sake of the gospel,

living for the sake of his name.

~

Mm.

The Bible makes it clear that if we s live for Jesus' name,

that he he said it this way, ~ everyone who's left houses or mothers

or sisters or fathers for my name's sake will receive hundredfold.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

And and God

is going to to smile on us as we live for his name's sake,

not our own.

Mm,

I love that. Well, we're kind of at the halfway point.

I don't wanna start on the next question with you 'cause it opens up a whole

new can of worms and we're not gonna have time to wrap it up with a bow.

But anything else you wanna say before we get ready to wrap it up,

Jeff?

I really love the thought that if we just ask God,

God, give me someone specific,

someone that I am praying for and aiming for,

and and looking for opportunities to reach that person,

then what I find is that when I'm living that way about a specific person,

I see other opportunities as well.

And so

Yeah.

I think that's one of the ways that we can begin having just a a a more courageous,

more bold by praying for someone in particular that we're burdened for.

Yeah. And

Some of the most rewarding opportunities are risky,

and risk is the price you pay for opportunity.

And if there's never a risk in anything you do as a Christian,

I wonder if we're doing something worth our while on this earth.

And so I would just encourage you guys in the audience,

you know, we we pray every week,

pray for you. We ask you to pray with us.

We're praying the Lord of the harvest.

And there's a risk in running a farm,

there's a risk in running a ranch.

There's a risk in sowing and waiting and being dependent and reaping

and things being out of your control.

But but that's a risk we don't take with nothing.

~ it's a risk we take in prayer.

You know, it's a risk we take praying the whole time.

And so pray to the Lord to harvest you would send forth laborers.

That's the risk we're taking as a ministry is we can't bring about revival,

but God can through you. And so it starts with one.

And love you guys.

we'll do part two of this, these risks and evangelism.

We'll do part two next week. We'll see you guys then.