Sharing the Gospel

Romans 1:16

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

In last week’s Newsletter I wrote about silencing the gospel, which leads naturally to writing about sharing the gospel.

We are commissioned by Jesus to “preach the gospel” (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 14:23), not as on obligation as much as a newly natural inclination resulting from our transformation in Christ. But what exactly is the “gospel” of which we shouldn’t be ashamed (as the apostle Paul states), and how do we “preach” it?

As you probably know, the term gospel (from the Greek euaggelion) generally translates “glad tidings,” but more specifically in context it means, “the glad tidings of the kingdom of God, and Jesus the Messiah, through whom the kingdom is established.” Thus, it’s more than a simple message—it’s a Divine invitation to join a kingdom that transcends this world (John 18:36), led by a King at whose feet all earthly kings will one day bow (Philippians 2:10-11). It therefore makes sense that Jesus spoke more often about the Kingdom of God than any other topic.

As we see in the Bible verse that begins this article, Paul offers us a further clarification of gospel in Romans 1:16: “…it is the power of God for salvation…” Thankfully God’s invitation into His kingdom requires His power to save, not ours. But also resident within the invitation is salvation (from the Greek sótéria), which in context means to be rescued from three things: The failures of our past; the present wickedness of the world; the coming judgment of God. It’s an invitation into a lifeboat as the darkness of this world intensifies, remaining close enough to the sinking ship to invite others to safety.

Which is the preaching part of Christ’s commission to His people.

The word preach (from the Greek kérussó) means, “to make public; to herald.” What’s important to understand biblically is that from this “newly natural inclination” to tell people how Jesus has changed our lives, there are varying methods employed that generally fall into four categories: Proclamation, Community, Service, and Witness. Here are some examples:

Having an answer for those who ask why we are so hopeful (1 Peter 3:15-16)
Saving some by snatching them from the fire (see my blog The Train, The Train on my website), and others with poignant mercy (Jude 22-23)
Simple testimonies (John 9:25)
Biblical apologetics (Acts 17:22-31)
Teaching the Bible well (2 Timothy 2:15)
Storytelling/Parables (Matthew 13:1-50, 18:10-35, 21:28-44, et al)
Asking probing questions (the Socratic method: Matthew 16:26, 22:20-21, et al)
Biblical fellowship with other believers (John 13:35; Acts 2:42-47)
Being an example of Christ (1 John 2:6)

In other words, it’s not only the inherent passion to “shout the good news from our rooftops” (Matthew 10:27), but from this passion to share strategically (not in fear but strategically). Most of these approaches require a working knowledge of the Bible’s metanarrative: God created humanity in His image; humanity rejected God; God made a way for us to recover that relationship through the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; God is preparing His Son’s return to consummate His kingdom. While a seminary degree is not necessary, regularly being in God’s word and receiving biblical instruction from those who have a deep understanding of Scripture, is very important.

God intended us to be participants not spectators.

Unfortunately, biblical literacy has reached the Dark Ages level (that’s not an exaggeration). Less than 9% of self-professed Christians possess a biblical worldview, due largely to a lack of Bible knowledge. This is one of the reasons why even passionate Christians are hesitant to engage others about Jesus. They fear not having the right answers or being outargued and “ruining” their witness for Christ.

Thankfully, despite our inadequacies, Christ’s reputation remains intact and the gospel prevails. Consider Jesus’ encouragement in Luke 12:11-12:

“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say. For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.”

Simply being available, earnestly praying that God would use us for His glory and the salvation of others, and doing our best to be prepared can change lives eternally.

There will always be room for growth in our understanding and proclamation of God’s word (both Living and written), but this should not excuse us from being ambassadors in our respective spheres of influence. Those who have ears to hear WILL hear…we simply need to speak and act for His glory.

People’s lives depend on it, as it did for many of us.