With the warm weather comes much excitement! One of the most exciting things to me is the increase in our members availability to attend services and events! As many of us are unable to come at times in the winter due to snow (especially on Sunday and Wednesday nights), spring and summer bring longer days and no more snow! I truly am looking forward to seeing more of our membership now that the harsh winter has lifted. Currently, we are studying the Thematic Approach [to evangelism] on Sunday nights and on Wednesday nights we are in the book of Daniel.
Although in class this morning we will be discussing what Christ has done in our lives and what our story is, we must never forget that the most important story is what Christ has done for all people. We must learn how to tell HIS story also. Could you communicate the main message of the Christian faith in a concise fashion in a short amount of time? If somebody asked you what it means to be Christian could you answer without “losing attention” due to drawn out stories?
The gospel message can be broken down into four parts: GOD, US, CHRIST, YOU.
GOD—God is loving (1 John 4:16b), holy (1 Peter 1:15-16) and just (2 Thessalonians 1:6). When discussing the central theme of the gospel, this is the first step one should take. These three understandings about God are key in ones understanding about salvation.
US—We need to understand that we have rebelled against the loving God. We were created good, but became sinful (Romans 3:23), we deserve death (Romans 6:23), and we are spiritually helpless (Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:8-9). This puts into perspective that because of our rebellion against God, we are sinful, deserving of death, and unable to rectify the situation ourselves.
CHRIST—We must realize that Christ is the only one who can solve this dilemma. Christ is God who became man (John 1:1,14; 8:24), Christ died in our place as our substitute (1 Peter 2:24; 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21), and finally, Christ offers forgiveness as a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23).
YOU—This final point relates to you, me, and our friends. Individually, each one of us decides the outcome of our own story. We must respond (John 1:12; Romans 10:13), we must ask for forgiveness and be baptized (1 John 1:9; Acts 2:38) and we must understand the result is a spiritual transformation (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
In short, this sums up the story of God and his people (you, me, and the world). If we can learn to be able to share this message in a timely manner, we can get to the heart of the gospel quickly and confidently. Pray that God sends somebody your way this week who is searching for truth!
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
