Sharing the Gospel

2018-01-13

There are many ways you can share the gospel. Here I will discuss some things that are important when sharing the Gospel.

Essential #1: The Gospel Defined

No matter what you tell them, you must include the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you have not told them these elements, you have not shared the Gospel. We must beware that we do not share our opinions, but the historical facts concerning what Christ did for us by dying for us and rising again.

Essential #2: Use the Bible

Not only must you tell them about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, you must use God’s Word, because “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). You can explain a lot in your own words, but since God’s Word is from God, and “quick, and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12), the Bible is what will make the difference in a person’s life.

This should give us a lot of comfort. It is not our presentation that generates faith in someone; it is the incorruptible seed of the Word of God that saves a person. Either by reading the Word of God to someone, or by reciting it from memory, we can share the Word with others.

Other Important Elements

Everything up to this point are essentials. I choose to identify some other areas when I share the Gospel with people.

  1. God is the creator God, and we are responsible to Him. Because of influence from new age religions and movies in our society, I identify God as the creator, and therefore the owner, of everything. Because of this, I explain that we are also responsible to God.
  2. Sin is rebellion against God, and that we come short, but we also are sinners by nature. It is true that we sin and do “bad stuff,” but we also are “bad” by nature. That is why I reference Romans 3:23, and then I reference Romans 3:10. Sin is all-permeating, because it is not just action, but also the root of who we are.
  3. Hell is the result of sin and it is forever. The judgment of God is the lake of fire, and it is forever.
  4. God knows of a way to judge our sin without judging us. God must judge sin, and this is a segue to talking about Christ.
  5. Jesus Christ is God, the Son of God, sinless, born of a virgin, and did miracles. At the time of this writing, I have not had anyone ask me to explain this beyond what I say, but I would explain more if necessary. Jesus is God, yet distinct from God the Father. He was born of a virgin, which shows that He really is a human being, yet not of the same lineage of Adam. The miracles authenticate that He is the Son of God, and approved of God. I would say something like this:

    God sent His own Son Jesus Christ, who became a human being, born of a virgin, so He was fully God and fully man. He lived the perfect life we never could, and performed miracles that proved that He was God.

    There is a ton of doctrine there, so you would want to be ready to explain or defend any of these if asked, if you can.
  6. Salvation is by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. I use Acts 16:31, and show them that one is saved by believing on Christ. I show that it is not by being baptized, joining a church, turning from sin, or anything else that we do.
  7. Belief is trusting in Christ. Belief is not a precarious, ethereal feeling, but trusting in the historical facts of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
  8. Eternal life is eternal. Eternal life does not end. I emphasize from John 3:36 that when we believe on Christ, we receive eternal life (present tense). We have eternal life now.
  9. Eternal life is a free gift. If you must do anything to get a gift, it is not a gift. Romans 6:23 contrasts the concepts of the wage and the gift. You earn a wage, and you receive a gift for free. The only thing we can earn is death, but we can receive the gift of eternal life through faith in Christ.

Things You Can Give Away

When out intentionally sharing the Gospel, I give away a Gospel tract to the person I meet. On it is my church information, my contact information and my web address that leads to my site, which has a lot of information on it to help people who want more information. Read more on making your own website.

If someone believes the Gospel, I give them a Bible, and recommend the Gospel of John to them.

Example Discussion

I have an example presentation of the Gospel here. Feel free to use or adapt that when sharing with others. However, if it has the essentials above, then you will do well.

Conclusion

I am very much a beginner in sharing the Gospel, but it must be done. No matter your concerns, we are commanded to share the Gospel (Matthew 28:18-20). As I mentioned before, remember that it is God’s Word that saves people, not your words and opinions. If you faithfully share God’s Word with others, it will bear fruit somewhere. Even being new to this, I have already seen some results.