If you missed Sunday School last week here is a recap of our first study of “the 5 W’s and an H” of the Gospel. I find it to be a wonderful study. I hope you do too.
During March and on Easter Sunday during our Bible Study at 9:45am we will be learning more and more about the gospel. We will also be learning how to share our faith with others. This first lesson is important, so take time this week to read and study the “WHO?” of the Gospel. Then take the time to do the HOW – I think you will find it very rewarding and beneficial to your Christian walk.
The WHO? of the Gospel
Most Christians would heartily agree that witnessing is important. But sometimes, we have made witnessing too complex and difficult. It shouldn’t be that hard to share our faith. Encountering the Who? of the Gospel is where we can begin to understand God’s amazing grace.
So WHO? Is involved in the gospel?
GOD—the Father - John 6:44, HCSB “‘No one can come to Me [Jesus] unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.’” God the Father’s role is to draw—to tug or attract by inward power—the lost person to Himself. Sometimes that drawing may be very subtle, but at other times it may be extremely vigorous.
GOD—The Son - Luke 19:10, HCSB “‘For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.’” Jesus Christ not only seeks the lost, but He saves them as well. He Himself bore the penalty for our sin on the cross, suffering and dying on our behalf. Then three days later He rose from the dead demonstrating His power over sin and death (1 Cor. 15:3-5).
GOD—the Holy Spirit - John 16:8-11, HCSB “‘When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in Me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.’” The Spirit’s role in the Gospel is to show or convince us of our fault or error. He shows us who we are and summons us to repent.
MAN—The Believer Although all three members of the Trinity are involved in the salvation process, man is involved in this process as well. The saved believer has a distinct role to fulfill according to Scripture. Jesus spoke of the believer’s role just before He ascended to heaven.
Acts 1:8, HCSB “‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’” Here He was not giving a command, but He was stating what He expected to be true of them in the future. Matthew 28:18-20, HCSB “Then Jesus came near and said to them, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ ”
MAN—The Unbeliever Who else is involved in the Gospel? The unbeliever, of course. Romans 10:14, HCSB “But how can they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher?”
HOW?
It is not uncommon for every believer to have a bit of a struggle when it comes to sharing his or her faith with someone else. We sometimes think we must have a Gospel presentation memorized, or we may think we just aren’t polished enough. Well, here’s one way to share the
Gospel where we let the Word of God speak for itself.
Purchase or create a marked New Testament. A marked New Testament has salvation verses underlined – plus, the page number for the next Scripture is listed at the bottom of the page. The idea is that anyone—even a brand new believer who isn’t familiar with how to find verses in Scripture—can use this New Testament to share the Gospel with someone else. Not only that, you can give the New Testament to the person with whom you have shared. That way he or she will have the Word of God present at all times to continue speaking to his or her heart about the need for a Savior.
You may also want to prepare your own marked New Testament. Inside the front cover of the New Testament, put the first reference from the outline below, as well as the page number where it is found. At each reference, include the big idea from the outline below in the margin, and then write the next reference and page number shown in the outline.
1. All people have rebelled (sinned) against God (Romans 3:23).
2. The price of rebellion (sin) is high (Romans 6:23).
3. God loves us in spite of our sins and sent Jesus to take our punishment (Romans 5:8).
4. Repent, turn toward God, and have your sins taken away (Acts 3:19).
5. By God’s generosity (grace) you can receive His free gift (eternal life) through faith which is also from God (Ephesians 2:8-9).
6. Confess Jesus and believe that He was raised from the dead by God (Romans 10:9-10).
7. Call on the Lord in prayer and be saved (Romans 10:13).
I encourage each of you to mark your bible(s) with this information and then Be Ready to share the gospel.
Also – don’t for get to pray for the lost around us. Walk through your neighborhood and pray for your neighbors. Come up to the church and do prayer-walking though the neighborhoods around our church property. I did this with my son, Noah, last Saturday. What a joy it was to pray for people as we walked through a neighborhood adjacent to our church.
I hope to see all of you in bible study and worship this Sunday morning.
May God Bless – Pastor Greg
