Gospel.com Blog

Evangelism is an obvious and central part of the Christian life. We’re called to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those around us.

Most any Christian would agree with this—but how many of us make a conscious effort to preach the Gospel as we go through our daily life? “Preaching” might mean literal preaching, but for most of us it will take a different form. Here’s an example of everyday evangelism from Our Daily Bread:

I told my doctor who is an agnostic that he should be glad God created us. Seeing a needle in his hands, I wondered, Perhaps I should keep quiet. But I added, “If we are still evolving, then you wouldn’t know the exact spots to place those needles.” He asked, “Do you really believe in God?” I replied, “Of course. Aren’t we intricately made?” I was thankful for this opportunity to begin to witness to my doctor.

…Paul charged Timothy to point people to the Savior. “Preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:2) is not addressed only to preachers, however. The word preach means “to make it known.” God’s people can do this over a cup of coffee or in school with friends. We can make known the good news of what God has done for us wherever, whenever, and to anyone who is open and seeking. We can let them know that God loves us and sees our hurts, failures, and weaknesses.

How do you preach the Gospel? Do you stand behind a literal pulpit as a pastor or minister? Do you “preach” through coffeehouse conversations or book discussions? In what ways do (or should) you share the Good News with the people you encounter each week?

In John 3, we read about a pharisee named Nicodemus having a conversation with Jesus about his connection to God. Nicodemus has seen what Jesus has done and concluded Jesus must be acting on God’s behalf.

Nicodemus quickly finds himself in a position of confusion. Jesus has turned the conversation to the pharisee’s need to be “born again.” As Jill Carattini puts in in this devotional from Slice of Infinity, Nicodemus’ reply of “How can this be?” is stated as “one reaching for light to see dim outlines of a picture before him.” He is no longer a confidant leader of Israel, rather he is a man searching for the truth.

Nicodemus’ questions often mirror our own. When we first feel the pull of Christ on our hearts we can find ourselves overwhelmed with the enormity of His vision for humanity. His divinity we can understand immediately. It is his offer of salvation that we initially find incomprehensible.

Here’s an excerpt from Carattini’s devotional “Of Mystery and Semantics:”

Nicodemus replied as many of us reply on a journey of faith, belief, doubt, and confusion—as one reaching for light to see dim outlines of a picture before him. “How can this be?” he asked, and the conversation that followed showed a man not asking hypothetically but actually, as one really longing to understand the logistics of rebirth. Nicodemus came to Jesus in the obscurity of darkness and found himself confronted by a conversation about flesh and spirit and light. “[W]hoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God” (3:21).

G.K. Chesterton once said that it is important for the landlady who is considering a lodger to know his income, but it is more important to know his philosophy. Likewise, for the general about to fight an enemy, it is important to know the enemy’s numbers, but still more important to know the enemy’s worldview. “[T]he question” writes Chesterton, “is not whether the theory of the cosmos affects matters, but whether in the long run, anything else affects them.”(1) The big picture is always the most important picture. And when the picture is God, God outgrows every frame through which our eyes begin to see the divine. In a manner reminiscent of the exchange between Aslan and Lucy, God as noun, verb, and all always moves beyond the God we imagine.

“Aslan,” said Lucy, “You’re bigger.”

“I am not,” said the great lion. “But every year you grow; you will find me bigger.”

Read the rest of the devotional over at rzim.org.

Do you ever feel like confused about the Gospel like Nicodemus was?

We all know that life can be discouraging. Like everyone else, I’ve been through times when it seemed that everything was going wrong. In those moments it would have been easy to rationalize throwing in the towel and walking away from the situation; but whenever I managed to stay and work through the situation, it proved to be a life-changing event. There’s something about standing up in the face of adversity that tests and strengthens our character in profound ways.

This devotional from Daily Encounter urges us to follow the advice of Paul and to never waver in our diligence to the Gospel. Much like the famous Churchhill quotation to “never, never, never…give in,” we need to stick to our convictions in the good and bad times:

It was during World War II when Great Britain’s back was against the wall defending herself against seemingly overwhelming odds with the unrelenting onslaught of Hitler’s military might, and the unyielding bombing by the German Luftwaffe.

Winston Churchill was asked to address the students at Harrow School, the school I believe that Churchill himself had attended as a student. The following is the speech that he gave that day:

“Never give in—never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

When it came to never giving up Churchill certainly practiced what he preached. His determined leadership helped win the war against Germany. And when it comes to God’s work, let us all be like the Apostle Paul who said about his work for God: “It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work [of telling his Good News to others] and so we never give up.”

Is your life characterized by this resolution? When life’s challenges feel overwhelming, what helps you to hold your ground and resist the urge to give up and walk away?

Do you ever find it hard to care for the environment because of who else cares about it?

Unfortunately, environmentalism is often packaged alongside New Age and other pantheistic belief systems. It sometimes feels like signing up to care for Creation also means you have to think, act and vote a certain way as well.

Today’s devotional from Wonder of Creation attempts to give Christians a thorough answer to the question of whether or not environmentalism is actually rooted in pantheistic ideas:

Christians should be able to demonstrate to those who have fallen into neo-paganism and pantheism that the Christian faith provides ample support for creation stewardship. Fundamentally, Christians should care because earth stewardship is our responsibility of service to God (Genesis 2:15).

Many believers who are outspoken advocates of creation care—good earthkeeping—have had significant opportunities to reach non-Christians with the truth of the Gospel—providing them with the fundamental reason for environmental concern: respect for and obedience to the One who created the earth. Many so-called earth worshipers might be drawn to the message of the Gospel if more believers lived out the meaning of the Gospel in all its aspects—including respect and care for the Creator’s handiwork

Read the entire response at wonderofcreation.org.

Have you ever considered creation care as a way to present the Gospel?

A recent report from Mission Network News focused on the Urbana ’09 conference, which wrapped up last week. The article contains a few blurbs from Jim Tebbe, the Urbana director, on their approach to social justice during this conference:

The question is, are Christians focused more on these issues — helping the victims emotionally and physically — rather than sharing the Gospel? Director of Urbana 09, Jim Tebbe, says, “There is a high consciousness of issues of justice and what Jesus has to say about this. How do we as Christians live this out? That is really important. We will be emphasizing evangelism and reaching out with the proclamation of the Gospel at the same time, just as strongly how we as Christians live that out.”
[...]
“Students respond to social justice issues and move from that to hearing the Gospel, rather than hearing the Gospel and moving to social justice.”

Tebbe says as young people get involved in these issues, they begin asking questions of those their serving, such as, “What does Jesus say about that? Would you like to know more about this Jesus who speaks to this? Let me introduce you to him.”

Read the whole article, Social Justice vs Gospel – Is it a battle at Urbana, over at MMN.

College students are acutely concerned with social justice issues, even to the extent that Tebbe says that students respond to social justice first then to the Gospel. It seems almost contrary to what I remember learning about how to do evangelism growing up in church (convert and then find a way to serve through the Church).

How would you respond to Tebbe’s quotation that “Students respond to social justice issues and move from that to hearing the Gospel”? Any other thoughts on social justice and Christianity?

Here’s a listing of all the MNN’s reports on Urbana.

It’s been a difficult autumn at my church—in the last few weeks, three members of our church family have passed away. And last week I attended the funeral of a former coworker. At the risk of sounding morbid, death and funerals have been on my mind a lot lately.

Although it might seem strange, I’ve found that Christian funerals are among the most powerful and uniquely Christian experiences I’ve ever encountered. Every funeral is different, and the experience of attending a funeral varies greatly depending on the circumstances of the death and other contexts. But if you’ve ever attended a funeral where the Gospel message was clearly proclaimed, perhaps you know what I’m talking about: there is nothing so powerful as hearing about the hope of Jesus Christ when you’re face-to-face with the tangible evidence of pain, sorrow, and death.

Hearing the Gospel message in those circumstances is not always a happy experience for me. Sometimes it provokes bittersweet joy, as in the case of somebody whose death came as a relief from long suffering. Sometimes it makes me angry—angry at this broken, sin-filled world, and angry at God for allowing death to claim somebody “before their time.” Most times we feel a rush of different emotions as our sorrow intertwines with the hope that we have in Jesus Christ.

The exact reaction varies greatly. But you simply cannot avoid reacting to that Gospel message when you hear it proclaimed at a funeral. You can zone out during a Sunday morning sermon, or daydream during an altar call at church. But at a funeral, the proclamation of the Gospel stands out as a bold, almost ludicrous challenge that cannot be ignored. Joy, sorrow, pain, anger—the Gospel of Jesus demands a response. In those moments, I feel the true force of Hebrews 4:12:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

You can hear the Gospel preached and discussed in a lot of places. In church. At retreats or Christian events. In Bible studies and small group fellowships. But if you want to witness the Gospel with all of its power to proclaim hope amidst the horror of sin and death, perhaps that message is most clear when it is spoken amidst the pain and sorrow of a funeral.

This is one of the more vexing questions that Christians encounter (or ask themselves): if Jesus is the only way through which we’re made right with God, what does that mean for people who never hear about him? It’s one thing to hear the Gospel and choose to reject it; but what about somebody who never had a chance to hear, let alone reject, the message of Jesus?

Christians have taken many different approaches to this question. I’ll highlight responses from two different online ministries below. Do you agree with either (or both) of them?

Uplook Ministries answers the question by arguing that God works in people’s hearts in many more ways than just through overt preaching of the Gospel. They conclude:

God has promised us that, if we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). He is not eager for anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). “For there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:12-13). We do not know how God is dealing with people in lands yet unreached by the gospel, but from Scripture we can see that He will never condemn anyone unjustly, but will be faithful to reveal Himself to anyone who looks for His salvation.

We also know that John saw in heaven “…a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10). Not only every nation but every tribe will be represented in heaven.

Notice that they all sing the same song. We are not saying that sincere Muslims or Hindus, trusting in their religion, will make it to heaven. There is only one Saviour, and everyone in heaven will be there through the salvation provided by God’s Lamb, the Lord Jesus.

Read the full answer at Uplook Ministries.

The Faith Facts ministry answers the question:

…the Bible also teaches that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2)! And it implies that whoever seeks after God earnestly will find him (Deuteronomy 4:29; Psalm 86:5; Proverbs 8:17; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7-8). God is fair as well as just. We are confident, for example, that the Old Testament patriarchs who lived by faith before Jesus’ earthly ministry, are in heaven. So certainly some people have gotten to heaven without knowing Jesus in the personal way that the New Testament speaks of. Ultimately only God can judge as only He knows the individual’s heart. We hold out hope that for those who have not heard but have not rejected God, those have been misinformed, or those who are unable to understand (children, mentally ill, etc) may be pardoned by a just God.

Certainly, the Bible does not teach “universalism.” Universalism is the idea that everyone gets to heaven.

The Bible clearly teaches that the only certain way to heaven is through Jesus (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). We are confident that God will not hold anyone accountable for any knowledge he did not receive. At the same time, the Bible emphatically states that Christ is the only sure way to salvation. Anyone who has heard of the saving grace of Jesus, and rejects it, would be thumbing his nose at God (John 3:36).

Read the full answer at Faith Facts website.

Do these answers satisfy you?

Share your thoughts!

Today’s devotional is from Ron Hutchcraft Ministries’ daily A Word With You series. In it, Ron challenges us—even those of us who have grown up with and lived in Christian communities for years—to rethink the simple message of the Gospel:

From the first sin in the Garden of Eden to the lie you told or the person you hurt today, God has minced no words telling us the penalty, “You will surely die” (Genesis 2:17). And the devil’s lie to Adam and Eve went like this: “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). He’s been trying to get people to believe that lie ever since. He wants you to think that somehow you can escape the death penalty for your sin when God said that penalty is irrevocable.

But in His love, He set in motion a way that the death penalty you and I deserve (the Bible calls that hell) could be paid without us being away from Him forever. A blood sacrifice – someone with no sin of His own to pay for, dying in your place. And there’s only one someone who meets that qualification. That is the Son of God. He came, as the Bible says, “to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26). Is it any wonder God says then, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22).

You can’t get rid of your sin by earning it, by doing good things. You can’t inherit God’s forgiveness from a Christian family or pick it up by osmosis from just being around Christian things your whole life. Your only hope of getting clean, of getting to heaven, is the cleansing power of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Not Christianity. Jesus. The question is, have you ever thrown yourself on His mercy and said, “Jesus, only by the blood You shed for me can I be clean before God. Please, Lord, this day, carry away the garbage of my life in Your precious blood.” And He will do it if you ask.

And why wouldn’t you? Why would you risk one more day carrying in your soul the guilt of your sin and its awful death penalty? Why, when Jesus carried it for you on the cross so you would never have to carry it again! If you’re ready to be forgiven, if you’re ready to be clean through what Jesus has done for you, tell Him that today, “Jesus, I’m Yours.”

Read the full devotional at Ron Hutchcraft Ministries. If you like Ron’s message and style, there’s a lot of great content to browse through at his site, including the A Word With You archives, many articles about difficult life issues, and more.

The Biblical book of Mark is considered by many to be the easiest way of getting to know the story of Jesus Christ and the Gospel message. It’s very readable, is the shortest of the four Gospel accounts, and it jumps right into the story of Jesus halfway through, skipping the familiar nativity account.

This makes it ideal to read if you’ve never read the Gospel story, or if you’re looking for a quick refresher on Jesus’ life and ministry. And to that end, Scripture Union can help you out—they’ve made available their free Journey with Jesus reading guide, which walks you through the book of Mark over the course of 30 days. Each day you’ll be given a passage to read, a question to reflect upon, and a prayer idea based on what you’ve just read. You can download the full guide as a PDF, or sign up to receive each day’s message over email. Take a look, and consider a short-term Bible reading project to help you get into the habit of daily Scripture meditation!