Lord’s Day, Vol. 11 No. 40
How to Share the Gospel?
To address “How to share the gospel?” Let us first define the gospel and then consider the process of sharing the gospel by considering the tools.
(1) Definition of the Gospel
The first use of the word “gospel” “εὐαγγέλιον” is found in Matthew 4:23 “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” The ‘gospel’ is the good news, God’s message of salvation for mankind, the Apostle Paul summarized the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (KJV)
The gist of the Gospel is (1) Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture (2) And He was buried and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. The knowledge of God’s word is important.
The message of salvation must be based on the Scriptures, what God says, God’s way, and God’s method of salvation. How can we be saved? We are to receive the good news says Apostle Paul. And how can we receive the gospel?
The Apostle Paul says in Romans 10:9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” It involves confessing Jesus as Lord with our mouth and believing with our heart. And this is not all.
(2) Gospel Presentation – An Example
Life is Short
“For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” (James 4:14)
Death is Sure
“… it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)
Sin the Curse
When Adam sinned, the Lord said, “… cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee … In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground …” (Genesis 3:17-19)
Christ the Cure
“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13)
Christ Has Called
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
My Response
Heavenly Father, I acknowledge before Thee that I am a sinner, in need of His saving grace. I now look to Jesus Christ and receive Him into my heart as Saviour. I believe Jesus died for me on the cross, Christ’s precious blood alone cleanses me from all my sins. I promise to follow You faithfully all the days of my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
(3) Analysing the Tool
Realizing that this is the final process of sharing the gospel, we want to analyse how we get there.
(a) The Concept of God
This is the beginning, of realizing that there is God who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth Genesis 1:1. He is sovereign and in control of all things in this universe.
There are those who have no idea at all of God. He lives in this 3-dimensional physical world, he has no idea of the spiritual at all.
(b) Man in Relationship with God – He is a sinner
Man cannot see why he needs the gospel if he is not aware of his fallen state. Therefore he has to understand his depraved condition that he cannot order his life as a result of sin. Explain God’s laws and how we cannot fulfil them.
(c) Sinner’s Response – His Repentance
This is crucial, unless we realize that we cannot order our life and we need God then there is no salvation. This is when he needs to understand God’s salvation through Jesus Christ.
How do you explain?
(i) Heaven (eternal life) is a free gift based on God’s grace – Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(ii) Heaven cannot be earned or deserved
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
(iii) Man in himself does not deserve the gift of heaven. Why?
Man is a sinner by nature and by choice. Man is incapable of doing good according to God’s standards.
(iv) Man cannot save himself
Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
(v) The Penalty for sin
God is love – He is not willing that any should perish.
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
But God is also just – He must judge sin. The wages of sin is death – separation from God.
Man’s Basic Needs
- Forgiveness
- Eternal life
- Peace with God
People try religion, good deeds, materialism, acclaim, etc. to satisfy their needs, but these do not solve the problem of sin.
(vi) God is love. He has the solution.
Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. Who is He? He is the infinite God-man, fully God and fully man.
John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
What He did – He paid the penalty for our sins, and purchased a place in heaven for us.
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
(vii) Personal faith in Christ is the Answer.
Faith is not – merely believing a fact.
Many people agree that Jesus Christ lived and died, and they even believe in His resurrection! But, they have not turned from sin and trusted Him.
Faith is – turning from your sins and trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your eternal salvation.
Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”
Acts 16:31 “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Suggested prayer that may express the desire of the heart to receive Jesus –
Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of eternal life, I know I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. I believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for my sins and rose again from the dead. I now put my complete trust in You alone for eternal life. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name, Amen. [Above explanation taken from BMH Tract – Winona Lake, Indiana]
Sharing the gospel is not a one-time event. It may take years to help bring the person to Christ. It requires much patience and most important of all, prayer. Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee