When you read through the New Testament epistles of Paul it is strikingly clear that he never wearies of the gospel. He speaks of it in every letter: proclaiming, protecting, defending, clarifying, and teaching. He speaks of it lovingly and joyously; it is clear that he knows the gospel, loves the gospel, and wants it known and loved by those he writes and ministers to. Sometimes we hear said of an individual: “to know him is to love him.” I believe to truly know the gospel is to love the gospel. I also believe that those things or people we truly love are the things and people we love to talk about. I have watched the most introverted and understated of men speak passionately about something or somebody they love. What about yourself? What do you find it easy to talk about? Chances are it is something or somebody you know well and love. This is what I consider if I go through a season when my desire to share my faith wanes, surely something is amiss in my cherishing of the gospel if I don’t want others to know of it. If I have “fallen out of love” with the gospel, do I truly know it? Perhaps I need to remind myself of what I know about the gospel to rekindle my passion for it, to cherish it once again.
As Pastor Andrew and I consider different ways to overcome the barriers in our lives to faithful evangelism one such way is knowing the gospel. I believe there are two types of knowing that are important: 1) knowing about the gospel such that we can share it with others, but also 2) knowing it experientially such that we live and breath the gospel. The gospel is amazing for it is simple enough to engage a child’s heart in an instant, yet so multi-faceted that it can engage a theologian’s mind for life. How well do you know the gospel? Do your descriptions of it sound rehearsed, flat, and formulaic? It shouldn’t be this way given that the gospel is literally life transforming: we are taken out of darkness and placed into the glorious light of Christ. One objective of ours during our focus on evangelism is to broaden our appreciation, understanding, and awe for the gospel; so much so that we naturally desire to share it, and do so in ways that make sense in various contexts with various kinds of people. This is obviously a much bigger topic than one little blog post, but lets start with a simple framework that I have found helpful. I often say I prefer framework to formula. A good gospel framework is found in the first four chapters of Romans. Paul begins in chapter 1 telling us that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (verse 16) and he proceeds to outline a few critical truths that form a helpful framework in our evangelism.
1) We are accountable to God (Romans 1:18-20)
We are not autonomous beings accidently on earth “finding ourselves”, we are created by God and owe him thanks and honour.
2) We have all rebelled against God (Romans 3:10-12)
We are all like the men Paul addresses at the end of chapter 1 that in spite of knowing God we did not honour or thank him and exchanged his glory for useless idols.
3) The solution to our rebellion (sin) is the sacrificial life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 3:21-26)
Jesus stands in our place, his obedience and righteousness for our rebellion and sin.
4) God requires a response
To receive God’s gift of salvation we exercise faith in Christ (3:22), trusting not in our own works but rather the work of Christ, the one who justifies the ungodly (4:5)
So our gospel framework is summarized: God / Man / Christ / Response.
Although the simple statement “Jesus died for my sins” is true, it may not address questions such as: “what is sin?”, “why can’t I do whatever I want?”, “what is unique about Jesus compared to other religious figures?”, or “how am I saved?”. This kind of framework can help us direct questions and conversations toward the necessity and application of the gospel.
My desire is that we would grow in our knowledge, appreciation, and love of the gospel. To know the gospel is to love the gospel, and to love the gospel is to share the gospel!
Much love,
Pastor Gary
As we gather for Sunday worship, we want you to meet with God and be transformed by the Word. Prepare your heart by reading the passage and listening to the songs for Sunday.