Over the past few years I've been writing and rewriting a book. I'm in the last major rewrite (hopefully) before I submit it for publication. I want to start posting some excerpts from time to time ahead of publication. So, here's an excerpt from the Introduction of the book...
How would you
answer someone asking, “What is the gospel?”
No matter how
specific and accurate a definition might be, it won’t convey the essence and
full truth of the gospel to everyone. A simple answer is—the “Good News.” Yet,
someone might ask, “The Good News about what?” A generic evangelical[1]
definition might be, “the Good News of salvation by grace through faith.” This
is almost word for word out of the Book of Romans.[2]
Perhaps a person
is seeking spiritual truth, but has no Christian background. Jesus may be just
another teacher or prophet like Buddha or Mohammed or Confucius. Another person
may have some Christian background, but is part of a non-orthodox or
pseudo-Christian religious group, such as the Christian Science Church or the
Jehovah’s Witnesses.[3]
If you begin with,
“It’s the Good News of God to all people,” or something like, “Jesus died for
our sins,” would this communicate the full truth of the Gospel? Could a person
make an informed decision about who Jesus is, what He did upon the cross, and
why it is of value to them?
I am concerned
that we, the evangelical church, are simply not communicating the gospel very
well. Many possible explanations and justifications exist, but the question on
my heart is—
Are
we, as Christian believers, able to express the gospel to someone else in a
simple and clear way?
My wife, Susan, is
a great example of a living testimony of Jesus, her Lord and Savior. This is
not my own opinion, but of many people who know her. I whole-heartedly agree having
seen her lead and encourage many others into the Kingdom of God over the past
forty years. She’s not given to much talk, nor is she a big fan of social gatherings.
She calls herself a “homebody.”
She’s also not
comfortable with “witnessing” or handing out gospel tracts on a street corner
in the stereotypical manner.[4] More than
once she’s told me, “I don’t have a mind for memorizing Scriptures or
remembering where to find certain Bible verses. I only know how to put what I
know about Jesus in my own simple words.”
That is my hope for every
Christian believer—to share the truth of God’s Story with anyone, at anytime,
and anywhere, in his or her own words—simply and clearly, even without a Bible
in hand.How would you share the Gospel with a non-believer?
[1]
Evangelical is a broad term that includes all Protestant groups centered on the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, but especially those churches and organizations born
out of revivals in the 18th and early 19th centuries. [http://www.theopedia.com/Evangelicalism]
[2]
References— Romans 3:21-26; 5:1-2
[3]
Pseudo-Christian groups are those who deny the deity of Jesus Christ (being God
in nature), and focus on certain beliefs and behaviors distinguishing them from
orthodox Christian theology. [http://waltermartin.com/index.html
| http://carm.org/]
[4]
Sharing one’s faith in public is called witnessing,
and may consist of handing out Bible tracts, posters, street preaching, or
conversations involving a person’s testimony (faith journey or story).
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