Can you think back to the time when the Gospel message first connected in your mind and heart? Do you remember the joy you felt in responding to Christ’s love? Was there a specific trigger that really connected the message of salvation for you? Maybe a gift from a helpful hand during a life crisis, maybe a song or story you heard, a piece of art, maybe a Gospel tract, a discovery Bible study or an evangelistic event?
Each one of us connects to the one unchanging Gospel message in a unique way. For me it was a piece of art hanging in a summer camp chapel depicting Jesus as a shepherd, leaving the 99 sheep and reaching down the side of a cliff to rescue the one that got lost. It was that word picture that helped me understand my need for a Saviour.
Remember today that God wants to use your life to seek out and save the lost. Why not pray now and ask Him what resource you could use that would best connect the Gospel message with the mind and heart of your unbelieving friend.
Maybe its the testimony of some else who has encountered the power of Jesus like in John 4:39, “Many Samaritans in the town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony…” Last week in Quebec, Canada, a woman named Jocelyn started a discovery Bible study with her son who is himself a new believer. Together, in a city where there is no Bible teaching church, they are exploring “Who Is Jesus” a free resource by NewLifeDiscipleship.com.
Jocelyn said, “40 years ago I remember praying and asking God to help me understand who is Jesus.” Now, after hearing the testimony in a movie of the power of the name of Jesus when praying for healing, her son is guiding the way with the help of an evangelistic Bible study tool.
“…If you had a hundred sheep and one of them strayed away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine others to go and search for the lost one until you found it?” Luke 15:4 TLB
I was sitting in a high profile meeting with mature, highly capable men when one of them leaned forward and asked, “What is the gospel, can you explain it simply to me?”.
If you were asked this question, how would you respond? What would you say? Where would you begin?
Many sincere God-loving Christians struggle to know how to simply articulate the core truths of the gospel in a sentence or two. I know I once did. You may be asking, is it even possible to explain the essence of the gospel in a sentence?
Today I want to share with you a key passage that will help you know how to simply explain the gospel. You no longer need to wonder what you will say when you are given an opportunity to share the gospel.
As all those men waited for a reply to that question, I was grateful the Lord reminded me of the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 that says:
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. And that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”
In these few short verses, we see the gospel in its simplest form wrapped in two core truths. If you can remember these two core truths, you will be able to share the Gospel with anyone. Can you see the two core truths? Take another look at the passage.
The two core truths are these – 1. Christ died for our sins, and 2. He was raised on the third day. These two truths are so profound and yet the gospel is still that simple. One sentence that captures the gospel – Jesus died for our sin, and he was raised to life so we can know him personally.
This is the one sentence I used to respond to the men waiting for my answer. This is a sentence you can keep in mind to begin simply explaining the gospel to someone. Your conversation no doubt will begin where the person is at, but with these two truths locked in your mind, you can naturally explain the beauty of the gospel in conversation in a way that is simple and relevant to the person you are talking to.
Christ died for our sin – Jesus took the punishment we deserve upon himself, giving us peace with God.
He was raised on the third day – Jesus is alive, and we can have a personal relationship with our living saviour.
This is the simple message our world needs to hear. This is the simple message God has sent you to share!
Today, God wants you to relax in your conversation when it comes to sharing the gospel and with these two gospel truths in mind, keep it simple.
Who has God sent you into relationship with that needs to hear these two gospel truths?
Take a moment now to re-read the passage again and ask God to give you an opportunity to share these truths with them.
What encouragement can we get from 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 when it comes to keeping it simple?
Keep the Gospel your priority
For Paul the simple unchanging message of the gospel was of primary importance. He says, I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received. If there is one thing Paul wanted people to know and understand, one thing he wanted them to remember and prioritise in life, it was the simple message of the gospel. So, keep the gospel your priority.
Keep the gospel, the gospel.
The gospel, Christ died for our sins and he was raised so we can know him personally, is the one unchanging message that has been preached around the world, throughout generations, in different languages, to men, women and children. This is the one unchanging message that has transformed countless lives and brings hope to all humanity. This is one message we never change. This is the message we share in its entirety. It is the power of this message alone that brings life and peace. So, keep the gospel, the gospel.
Keep confident in the truth of the gospel.
Can you see the evidence in the passage that supports the truth of the gospel?
The proof that Christ died is he was buried. Jesus Christ actually died and was actually buried in a tomb.
The proof that Christ was raised is he appeared to Cephas, the twelve… and in the very next verse Paul says he appeared to over five hundred others at one time, most of who are still alive when Paul wrote this account.
The proof that this was all part of Gods plan is that these two events took place in accordance with the Scriptures. Nothing is a surprise to God; he can be trusted.
There is one skill you can learn that will help you in your interaction with every person, one skill that will help you go deeper in your conversations, one skill that can help you go from knowing someone just as an acquaintance to becoming friends—a skill that can help friends have meaningful conversations. This is the same skill that can help you move naturally from meaningful conversations to sharing the good news about Jesus Christ with someone.
What is that skill?
Learn to ask questions!
When you observe the interactions Jesus had with people, weather they were people he had just met or someone he knew well you often see him asking them questions. Why? I believe primarily because people will react to a statement but will interact with questions.
Meaningful questions are a powerful way to engage with people in a way they feel valued and heard. Asking the right question enables people to engage in conversation at the level they feel comfortable.
Think about it. I can make a statement about something that I truly believe and if you don’t hold to that same belief, you can just dismiss that statement and forget about it. However, if I ask you a question, that question will be floating around in your mind until you at least give yourself an answer. Try asking someone a question about anything today and you will see that this is true!
Perhaps most importantly though, asking questions will enable you to get to know someone deeper than the surface level and give you insight into what that person thinks and believes. Then you can continue the conversation in a way that is relevant to them and move toward the gospel.
So, what are the best questions to ask?
One of my favourite questions to ask people is: “What is your spiritual belief?” This one question has given me great opportunities to understand the heart language, thoughts and beliefs of countless people. Only once has a person said to me that they aren’t interested in talking about spiritual things. So, we just talked about other matters. People’s responses to this question have allowed me to ask further questions, or they ask me what my spiritual belief is, giving me the opportunity to share my personal story of coming to know Jesus Christ.
Another great question is “Has anyone ever explained the three core beliefs of Christianity to you before?”. I love this question because most people don’t have a clue and are curious to know what they are. When they respond No, I then ask another question, “Would you be interested in exploring these with me?” and most of the time people are very receptive.
Do you know what else asking meaningful questions does? It allows you to listen to people, learn about them and lean on the Holy Spirit to lead the conversation towards him.
Take time now to think about the last conversation you had with a friend who needs to know Jesus. When that opportunity comes up again, what question could you ask them to determine where they are up to on their journey towards God?
Your sharing of the gospel (the simple message of Jesus taking our place before God and dying on the cross for us so that we can be forgiven and start a great relationship with God)—that message gains so much impact in the life of the person you are sharing with when you use the Bible.
When I talk with people who see God as vindictive and just waiting to hammer us for anything we do wrong, I can simply say, “That’s not what God is like,” but that person views their opinion to be just as valid as mine.
On the other hand, I can say, “Do you know what the Bible tells us about God? It says ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’”
Even better, I can open the Bible app on my phone and take them to Romans 5:8 and read with them from the Bible: “But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
A high percentage of secular, non-churched people still view the Bible as the source of spiritual truth. Add to this the people who went to church as kids then left it behind but still believe that the Bible is true (it’s just not for them). On top of this, God empowers his word to cut through the haze and speak right into people’s hearts.
Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
The Apostle Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”
Sometimes we don’t start gospel conversations with people because we are not sure what to say. We feel like we would have to memorise a bunch of verses in order to be able to share the gospel with people, so we hold back.
I encourage you to simply memorise one verse: Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”You can simply talk through this verse and share the gospel with someone. Pick out the three big ideas before the comma—that’s why we need God’s help. Then pick out the three big ideas after the comma—that’s the gospel!
Let me break it down for you.
Bad news comes before the comma:
Wages: what you earn by doing things
Sin: what we have done in life that is wrong
Death: this is what we receive for doing sin (physical death comes to us all, and spiritual death separates us from God the source of life—this is why our lives are so broken)
Good news comes after the comma:
Free gift of God: what God does for you is not based on what you earn but based on his grace
Eternal life: this is what God offers you as a gift
Through Jesus Christ our Lord: the person who gives the gift pays for it and Jesus paid for this gift by taking your place at God’s judgment—his death on the cross was him taking what we deserve so that we could have God’s gift free of charge and not have to earn it
Don’t hesitate to start gospel conversations with people. Use the Bible as you talk with them about God. God will work in their hearts as they hear his word. Use Romans 6:23 and you never have to worry about forgetting the simple truths of the gospel. They are all right there.
