Category: Evangelism & Missions

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Tips for Leading Someone to Christ

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As we wrap up our series on “God’s Gossip,” we have come a long way. We have looked at how the story of Jesus does not become a “gospel” until we share it with someone. We then looked at two practical ways to share the story of salvation. The first was the ground-level gospel, which is the simplest way to lead someone, personally, to Jesus Christ. The second was the sky-level gospel, which gives a broad view of God’s redemption story throughout history. 

After that, we looked at how to share our personal testimony as a means of connecting people to God’s story, and last week, we put some scripture verses to memory, which will aid us in our witnessing to others. 

Now, I want to finish this series by giving you some practical advice I have learned over the years, for sharing the gospel with others. I pray they are beneficial to you.

Explaining Clearly

As you boldly go out to share the gospel with non-believers, remember that the people you are sharing with may have no grasp of the Christian-ese language we speak to one another at church. Make sure that you tell them what they need to know, very clearly, and don’t add so many extra thoughts you have in the moment that it confuses them.

To do this, use “street language,” rather than “church language.” I am not saying that you should be crass or try to look cool with slang words. I am simply saying to make sure they understand you.

Don’t say, “With the introduction of original sin in humanity, the imago Dei was marred in all people. However, God sent Jesus to be a propitiation for our sins, and through His imputed righteousness, we can be redeemed to fellowship with the Godhead, both in this life and at the final consumption of all things.”

Instead, say something like this: “The Bible says we are all sinners. That means God created us to live within certain boundaries that He set for us, and we broke all the rules. Jesus is the only one who can save us because He was the only sinless person to ever live. On the cross, He died to pay our debt to God and as we believe in Him by faith, rather than trying to be good enough to earn it, He will save us.”

A brand new believer does not need to know terms like depravity, atonement, propitiation, or sanctification. In the moment of salvation, no one cares about the immaculate conception, dispensational theology, or what it means to be Calvinist. As simply and as clearly as possible, just bring them to Jesus.

Dealing with Nervousness

When the opportunity arises to lead someone to Christ, the first thing that happens for most of us is that we immediately get nervous and feel uneasy. 

I remember when I first began doing evangelistic meetings outside the United States, I would get so nervous during the altar calls, that after I invited people to accept Christ as their Savior, I would often chicken out of praying with them. I would instead try to look humble by asking another local pastor on the team to come up to speak to them and pray with them, so that he could share in the moment. In all honesty, I preached well, but I couldn’t bring myself to walking people personally into the kingdom out of nervousness and fear of messing it up.

Since that time, I have had the privilege to walk hundreds, if not thousands of people through this decision. The truth is that I still get nervous sometimes. However, I have to remind myself that it is the Holy Spirit leading that person, not me, and that I can trust Him to give me the words to say when I need to say them. 

You might get nervous, but that doesn’t give you the right to back down. As the Holy Spirit for boldness and guidance, and then give people the opportunity to change their eternal destiny.

Fear of Rejection

Another reason we don’t always respond as the Lord leads us in ministry situations is the fear that the people will reject what we are explaining to them, and by extension, reject us. However, this is a situation where love and the opportunity to see their lives change must win out. 

Again, we must remind ourselves that it is ultimately not us that they are rejecting, but Christ, yet even in their rejection of Him, He still loves them and wants them to find His salvation. Our goal is to share His love, and when we do that love will cast out our fear (1 John 4:18).

Feeling Like You Can’t Do This

The first person I ever led to Jesus was a young man in a Juvenile Detention Center (a youth prison) in Dallas, Texas, back when I was in college. I was excited to go be a part of this outreach with my friend and his church’s youth pastor, but that all changed when the invitation came and a young inmate came to me wanting to receive Christ. 

Having never shared with anyone, personally, I couldn’t help but be afraid that I would mess it all up. Even though I knew God wanted to use me to lead others to salvation, in the moment I felt unqualified for the job. I thought to myself, “I know I’m saved, but I don’t know how to get this guy saved.” However, as I prayed in my head for God’s help, and began leaning back on some of those scriptures I had memorized to share with him, like Romans 10:9, I managed to explain that Jesus died for Him and how faith works. After a brief time, I had the privilege to lead him in prayer, and I have celebrated that one guy’s salvation more than any other, simply because I got through it.

In moments when you feel like you are unqualified or that you just can’t do it, the one thing you must remember is this: Jesus saves… not us. 

Despite our worrying because we don’t want to mess up, we have to remember that just like we cannot be good enough to earn our salvation, neither can we mess up so bad that it might cause others to miss out when Jesus calls them. It is their faith in the response to the call that saves the person, not the perfection of the words they are told by the ministry team. Use the scriptures. Listen to the Spirit lead You. I promise you will get through it.

Unanswerable Questions

The biggest fear many people have in leading other’s to Christ is, “What if they ask me a question I don’t have the answer to?” The truth is, no one has all the answers where God and salvation are concerned. Never be afraid to admit that you don’t know. If you are pressed for an answer, then be willing to seek help from other believers around you, other members of your ministry team, or from the your pastor. 

Paul tells us that until we see Christ face to face, all of our knowledge and understanding is like looking in a foggy mirror. We only know in part, but when Christ comes, then we will know Him the same way He knows us (1 Corinthians 13:12). Until then, sometimes we just have to accept the mystery and admit we don’t have it all figured out. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”

Changing Someone’s Eternity

All of the previous tips have had to do with getting over our own insecurities in order to help others get saved. As a final note, I just want to remind you that when you get the privilege of leading someone to the Lord, that moment is no longer about you. In overcoming your fears and worries, you get the opportunity to look someone in they eye, ask them the golden question – “Would you like to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior” – and then lead them in a decision that will change the outcome of eternity for them (and likely many others they will encounter with the gospel as well). You will experience fear and doubt and insecurity, but you must ask yourself, is it worth it? 

I think it is. Jesus thinks it’s worth it, too. That’s why He died, and that is why He has called you to this.

Let’s Connect

If you are enjoying what you are reading, it would be my honor to have you sign up for my weekly content newsletter, below. I promise not to spam your inbox or share your information with anyone.

You can also follow me on social media. I can be found on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler. I’d love to see you there.

Don’t forget to leave your thoughts, questions, and any tips you think I missed in the comment section!

© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Cover Photo by Dylan McLeod on Unsplash

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Gospel Scriptures You Should Know

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As we have spent the last four posts discussing the why’s and how’s (#1, #2, #3) of sharing the gospel, it seems like a good idea to now get our heads full of the Word of God, to aid us in this great task. 

In leading someone to Christ, it is most helpful to have some scriptures memorized to share with them. Here are some of my personal favorites.

Gospel Scriptures

John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 — “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 — “For our sake he (God) made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”   

1 Peter 3:18 — “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit…”

The Romans Road

One of the most famous sets of scripture for leading someone to Christ is know as “The Romans Road.” This is a set of scriptures taken completely from the book of Romans to show that everyone of us is sinful and in need of a Savior, and that God has made Jesus to be that Savior to all who believe. The Romans Road is:

Every Person is Sinful and Needs a Savior:

Romans 3:10 —“as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one;’…”

Romans 3:23 — “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Jesus Christ Died in Our Place to Be Our Savior:

Romans 5:8 — “..but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 6:23 — “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

To Be Saved, Simply Put Your Faith In Christ, and Ask Him To Save You:

Romans 10:9 — “…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:13 — “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

The benefit of the Romans road for many people is that it is easily marked in your Bible. In the front of your bible you would write yourself a note that the Romans Road starts with Romans 3:10. Then in the margin next to Romans 3:10, you would note that the next scripture is Romans 3:23. Beside that you would write that next is Romans 5:8 and so on. Because they are in chronological order, you could also just mark each verse with a star, and follow through the book in order.

Other Helpful Scriptures

In addition to knowing scriptures for leading people to Christ, it is also helpful to have various other scriptures memorized that will point believers to Christ in other areas where they may struggle.

Remember, “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” That means that when scripture speaks into the life of a person, it cuts in like a surgeons scalpel, in order to bring healing and life to the person in need. Make it a priority to use scripture to encourage and build people up. 

Some scriptures you might want to put to memory would be:

Jeremiah 31:3b — God says “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”

Romans 8:1 — “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 — “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Matthew 11:28 — “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Hebrews 13:5-6 — “he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”

Romans 8:31 — “…If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Luke 11:13 — “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

1 Peter 5:7 — “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 — “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Exodus 14:14 — “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

You probably have other verses that come to mind. What other scriptures would you add to this list? I would love to hear them in the comments.

Let’s Connect

If you are enjoying what you are reading, it would be my honor to have you sign up for my weekly content newsletter, below. I promise not to spam your inbox or share your information with anyone.

You can also follow me on social media. I can be found on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler. I’d love to see you there.

Don’t forget to leave your thoughts, questions, and favorite scriptures in the comment section!

© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Cover Photo by Dylan McLeod on Unsplash

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How to Share Your Testimony

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As we continue our series, “God’s Gossip,” and discuss the need to share the gospel, we have looked at two, simple methods for telling the story of Jesus: the ground-level gospel and the sky-level gospel. In this post, however, I hope to persuade you that it is not enough to simply know the gospel story with your head, and be able to communicate that information clearly. You must also know it to be true and effective with your personal experience, for your words to carry any meaning to those you are sharing with.

Your personal gospel testimony is your direct connection to God’s story in human history and is a tool He will use for leading others to Himself. In sharing your testimony, you are connecting your own personal story and experience to the gospel story from 2000 years ago. When people hear the effects the gospel has on you, it opens them up to what it might do in them.

The Power of Testimony

“The Hebrew word for testimony, ‘edut,’ and the Hebrew word for witness, ‘ed,’ both come from a root word meaning ‘to duplicate or repeat.’ This means that in sharing our testimony, we are asking God to repeat the action in the lives of those we share with. This can be our salvation testimony as well as our testifying to other works of God in our life, such as being healed or set free from addictions. 

Sharing the testimony is a way of saying, ‘If God did it for me, He can do it for you.’ This honors God by giving Him credit and it raises faith in the person, so that they can believe God will do it again for them, as well.

Keeping the Testimony is Commanded by God

If sharing a testimony is declaring ‘God can do it again,’ and builds faith in Him, then is it any wonder that all throughout the Old Testament God commands His people to share the testimonies of His faithfulness with the next generation? In fact, the command to keep God’s testimonies is usually connected equally to keeping His law!

Just look at Deuteronomy 6:17,

You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you.

Look at King David’s charge to his son, Solomon, from his deathbed,

…keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn…

1 Kings 2:3

It even seems like one of the major messages of Psalms is that mankind lives best when we follow God’s laws and remember His testimonies. For example, read through Psalm 119, which begins like this:

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,

Psalm 119:1-2

Sharing the Testimony is Expected by Christ

In the Old Testament, testimonies were to be passed down through the generations. In theNew Testament, however, we see that it is the privilege of the Christian to be Jesus’ story-tellers, spreading the testimony to the world!

We are called to be witnesses. In legal terminology, when a “witness” is called in court, he shares his “testimony.” For us to be witnesses for Christ, we too must be able to share our own testimony of the gospel. What is it that we have seen and experienced of the gospel we are sharing.

This is exactly what the first apostles were doing, that displeased to leaders of Israel. When they were tried and ordered to stop sharing their stories, the first apostles couldn’t obey!

So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Acts 4:18-20

Testimonies are Prophetic

As we have seen, the Old Testament word for testimony means “do it again.” However, to extend this idea further, John writes in the book of Revelation,

 “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Revelation 19:10

What this means is that when we declare the good things God has done for us in the past, it not only builds faith in the hearers, but there is actually a prophetic release that what God does for one, He will do for another. It should create hopeful expectation.

This is why when we do large gospel events in Africa, sharing testimonies plays a large part in everything we do. When I preach the gospel, I always include my own testimony of who I was before Christ, and the effects on my life and destiny that have come from believing in Him. These are verifiable details. You can call my high school friends to find out if I was really an alcoholic. You can call my family to find out what my life dreams and goals were before. You can see, in reality, that God has done a great work in transforming me to the man I am today.

When it comes time to pray for the sick or do deliverance ministry, I always share testimonies and stories of the great healings we have seen in the past. If people in the crowd have been healed, we invite them to come forward and share publicly what God has done for them. We have seen, over and over again, that through the sharing of testimonies, the expectation for healing goes up, and so does the fruit of the ministry. More people get healed when they hear what God has been doing already.

How to Share Your Salvation Testimony

Since we are talking about sharing the gospel, I want to give you some idea of how you can share your own “gossip” of what God is doing in your life. Simply put, sharing your personal testimony requires you to know where you were before Christ found you, how the gospel came into your life, and the change God has brought in you now.

For me, that means I share something like this, in as few or as many words as I have time for:

Before Christ

“I am not the man I was before Christ saved me. I was a teenage slacker, alcoholic, trying drugs and experimenting sexually. Even visiting churches with friends, I was a hypocrite, drinking with my youth leader on Saturday nights, just pretending to be a good person… 

How I Was Saved

“Thank God, He used an unknown evangelist at a small church camp when I was 16 years old to speak to me. I was sitting under a tree, praying and asking myself questions about my own salvation, when he came by, took time to talk to me, and led me to full faith in the Lord. Though I knew the stories of Jesus my whole life, I finally put my faith in Christ to be saved…

After Salvation

“Today, I am free from all those addictions and perverse lifestyles. I am faithfully married, and have the privilege of sharing this gospel all around the world as a missionary.”

What is your Gospel story? 

It is not a shame to share what your lost self did before Christ saved you, as He will use it to bring others to Himself. We must know the gospel in our heads and with our lives. Then God will use us to reach others as well.

I encourage you, if you have never taken the time to do so, spend a few moments this week writing out your own testimony. Who were you before Christ? How did He finally reach you and save you? And what has happened to you since? After you write it out, practice reading it out loud. Get comfortable sharing the points that excite you. Don’t hesitate to share the things that used to bring shame and condemnation. I promise, as you find the boldness to share with others, God will use it to change lives for eternity.

I would love to have anyone who wants to share, post their testimonies in the comments below.

Let’s Connect

If you are enjoying what you are reading, it would be my honor to have you sign up for my weekly content newsletter, below. I promise not to spam your inbox or share your information with anyone.

You can also follow me on social media. I can be found on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler. I’d love to see you there.

Don’t forget to leave your thoughts, questions, or personal testimony stories in the comment section!

© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Cover Photo by Dylan McLeod on Unsplash

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The Sky-Level Gospel

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As we continue our seres on “God’s Gossip,” we have already discussed that for it to be a “gospel,” it must be shared. We then looked at the first of two storylines1, which will enable you to easily remember the gospel story and share it with others. In this post, we will look at the second storyline. I call it the “sky-level gospel.”

Though the first method is simpler, and can be used for a quick presentation of the gospel, the second method is, by far, my favorite. Whereas the first method keeps things close to the ground, this method will take the person up higher, and give them the 30,000-foot view of the entire gospel narrative. 

This method uses the full story of scripture to lay out God’s beautiful, original plan; the problem of sin in humanity, and the reason for which Christ came into the world. If the person is far from getting saved, it can also be shared conversationally when giving an explanation of your faith, without adding the immediate pressure of a response. It can act as the starting point to impart faith in God, that may lead to a later decision.

The four keywords to learn for this method are Creation – Fall – Redemption – Restoration. Let’s take a look at them.

Creation

God created all things in the beginning and made them good (Genesis 1:1-31). He put humanity in charge of His creation, giving him authority to rule as a steward of God’s universe (Genesis 1:26, 2:19). Again, this creation was perfect and holy, and man himself was righteous having been created in the image of God.

God’s original intention was that creation, from Eden, spreading to the ends of the earth, would be a physical representation of heaven. Righteousness would rule, and mankind would live in harmony and fellowship with God, as they lived out His will on the earth (Genesis 1:28).

Fall

After God created the world and placed man in the Garden, He gave one commandment, which would ensure that Adam and Eve – the first man and woman – were faithful to the covenant He made with them to rule the earth. They were not allowed to eat of one tree in the garden, lest they die (Genesis 2:15-17).

It didn’t take long for mankind’s curiosity to rise up, and one day Eve was admiring the fruit of the tree, with Adam by her side. Taking it as his first opportunity to tempt the humans and mess up God’s plans, the devil tempted the man and woman, and they ate the fruit (Genesis 3:1-6). 

When mankind sinned against God for the first time – the event we call ‘The Fall’ — not only was man affected with a curse, but the whole creation as well. This is why everything we see in the world is not as it was originally intended to be: war, famine, sickness, violence, natural disasters, etc (Genesis 3:14-19).

Another downside of the fall was that the authority over the earth which God had given to mankind was then delivered to the devil (Luke 4:5-6), who has become ‘the God of this world’ and ‘the prince of the power of the air…at work in the sons of disobedience‘ ( 2 Corinthians 4:4 and Ephesians 2:2). The world mankind was intended to rule, is now controlled by sin, death, and the devil.

Redemption

The good news (gospel) is that God has a rescue plan for humanity and all of His beloved creation. When we say “redemption,” it is a theological word meaning that on the cross, not only did Jesus die for our sins, but He also came to break the curse over creation and reclaim what was lost in the fall. According to Luke ‘…the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost’ (Luke 19:10).

This goes beyond just the salvation of souls, but also the restoration of righteousness and justice in the earth, and ultimately the redemption of authority over creation. This is why after the resurrection, Jesus tells the disciples that He has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

The promise of redemption for individuals comes when we begin to trust Jesus as the Savior from God. This is where an offer of personal salvation comes in to the story. If Jesus is the Redeemer of all things, that means He also redeems us, and brings us back to our original intended relationship with God the Father. He also gives us new life and restores our ability to walk in holiness by faith in Him.

Restoration

The Greek word for “be saved” is the word “sozo” which I think is a great name for a ministry. It literally means we are saved in every way. It translates as “to be saved from judgement for your sins,” “to be healed (saved) from sickness and disease,” and “to be delivered (saved) from the power of your enemy (the devil).” Not only does salvation bring eternal life for the believer, but it begins the process of restoration, when we will be returned to God’s original intention for the creation.

Though we are not made completely perfect in the moment of salvation, we now recognize Jesus as the Lord of our life and submit to Him. As we work to build our relationship with Him, we also begin to be conformed to His image once again, just as we were originally created to be in the beginning (2 Corinthians 3:18).

This presentation of the gospel then looks forward to the day when Jesus will return and we will see the final restoration of all things back to the way God intended them to be in the beginning. Sin and death and the devil will be dealt their final blow. Jesus will judge the world according to whether or not their faith was in Him, and then He, along with all those who believed in Him as Savior will see all things finally made right. There will be a new heaven and new earth, and all the promises from the Bible will finally be fulfilled.

It is now the role of all believers to be living their lives with restoration in mind. That is why we share the gospel, pray for the sick, and cast out demons wherever they rear their ugly heads (Matthew 10:1,7-8).

Lead Them Toward Discipleship

One final note about this gospel story line: even if you do not use this method for reaching the person in salvation, it is an important story for them to understand once they are saved. Therefore, if the person gets saved using the ground-level version of the gospel, then the high-level gospel should be discussed with them, in depth, as you begin the process of discipleship.

No matter which method you use to preach the gospel, what must be made clear is that our goal in sharing the gospel is to take a lost person and lead them to salvation in Christ. We must be bold to share the gospel, and we must give them the opportunity to accept Christ as their personal Savior. 

Let’s Connect

In the next post, we will discuss why sharing your own testimony is an important part of your gospel witness, and how to share your story clearly. To make sure you never miss a future post, it would be my honor to have you sign up for my weekly newsletter. It goes out every Sunday morning. I promise not to spam your inbox or share your information with anyone.

You can also follow me on social media. I can be found on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler. I’d love to see you there.

Also, if you want to find out more about the ministry I oversee, sharing the gospel and planting churches in East Africa, you can find it a www.SozoMinistries.net. There are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved!

1 These two story lines do NOT originate with me. I have heard these two ways of sharing the gospel repeated in many teachings and writings by various pastors, especially during my time working for an Acts29 Network church, so it would be impossible for me to footnote any specific reference. Suffice it to say, (though I have not read it) I believe Pastor Matt Chandler of The Village Church has explained these two ideas in depth in his book, The Explicit Gospel, published by Crossway.

© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Cover Photo by Dylan McLeod on Unsplash

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The Ground-Level Gospel

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After reading the first post in this series, I hope you are convinced that sharing the Gospel is a must! As Christians, “gossip” about Jesus should always be on our lips. Therefore, in this post and the next, I will share two, easy-to-remember story lines, which will help you share the gospel narrative with others.1

Both story lines I share will contain four simple words for you to remember, which will guide you any time you have an opportunity to share. If you can remember the four words, you can share the gospel.

I call the first story line the “ground-level gospel” because it keeps the story simple, and very personable to the people we are sharing with. Though using scripture is always necessary, this method doesn’t go as deep into the history of the bible as the second method will. It is very simple, and may have even been the method used by the person who led you to Christ. The ground-level is made up of the following four words: God-Man-Christ-Response

God

In this story line for presenting the Gospel, you begin by explaining who God is; that He is perfect and holy, and that when He created everything in the universe He made it ‘very good.’

You can share as much or as little about the creation story, and the nature of God as you want, but the goal is to explain that because God is perfect and holy, He cannot associate Himself with the unholy. This will bring us to the second point.

Man

Man, though he was created holy in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), chose to disobey God’s command and eat of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6). With this one action, sin entered the world and man lost his connection with God. The judgement came with the curses pronounced in Genesis 3:14-19, as well as eternal separation from God in this life and in the next.

It is at this point, you will begin to bring in the individual’s own life and sinfulness into the equation. You might ask questions, such as:

  • What do you think sin is?
  • Is God just to judge sin?
  • Have you ever sinned?
  • If you have sinned, why should God forgive you?

We must explain to them that sin is real, and all of humanity is guilty. We must also help them to understand that doing good in the present does not excuse our sinful past. For example, if I commit murder, it doesn’t matter what good I might do afterward, any good judge must hold me accountable to the law.

The scriptures can help make this point:

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”

Romans 3:23

“As it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.'”

Romans 3:10-12

When you can bring their own life and sinfulness into the light of scripture, the discussion will show that there is stark contrast between the holiness of God and their own sinful humanity. There is a great chasm which has been formed, and it would take a miracle for us to come back to God, but…

Christ

This is where Christ comes in. When you have a Holy God, and a sinful humanity, there has to be a major move on both sides in order to make reconciliation. The problem is that mankind could not make that move back toward God on their own. So when Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and birthed by Mary, God actually took on flesh and became a man, and became the representative of both sides! 

“He is the [physical] image of the invisible God…”

Colossians 1:15

Jesus, as a man, lived a sinless life according to the law of God, then when He died on the cross, it was in our place. He took the punishment from God for our sin, and made a bridge to reconcile us to God.

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

As God, in Christ moved toward us, we now have the offer of new life and righteousness through faith in Him, to every human being who will repent and believe.

At this point, we once again become personal. We must share with the person that though they can never erase their own sinful history, they must understand that Jesus stood in their place. He took their punishment and He is offering them a new life in Himself, if they will believe.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23

Response

With these three things in mind — the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, and the atoning work of Jesus Christ — the person must then be given an opportunity to respond. Will they accept Jesus as their Savior and be reconciled to God through faith in Christ, or will they reject Christ as Savior and continue in life separated from God?”

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:13

We must ask the golden question: “Would you like to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord?”

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

John 3:16-17

All of our witnessing is in vain, if we do not come to the point where we actually make them an offer to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. I know I am glad someone asked this question of me, many years ago, and I am sure you are, too.

“if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.'”

Romans 10:9-11

Let’s Connect

In the next post, we will look at the “high-level” gospel, which dives deeper into the full, biblical narrative from creation in Genesis to the re-creation in Revelation. It will be a little more in-depth, but it is also my favorite way to share the gospel. Stay tuned.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and testimonies in the comment section below.

I hope this series will be a blessing to you! You can make sure to never miss a future post by signing up for my weekly roundup newsletter, below. It would be my honor to have you, and I promise never to spam you or share your information with anyone!

You can also join me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler, to continue the discussion on this post and more!

1 These two story lines do NOT originate with me. I have heard these two ways of sharing the gospel repeated in many teachings and writings by various pastors, especially during my time working for an Acts29 Network church, so it would be impossible for me to footnote any specific reference. Suffice it to say, (though I have not read it) I believe Pastor Matt Chandler of The Village Church has explained these two ideas in depth in his book, The Explicit Gospel, published by Crossway.

© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Cover Photo by Dylan McLeod on Unsplash

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God’s Gossip: A Story Worth Telling

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In the Christian world the word “gospel” is thrown around a lot. We believe the gospel. We preach the gospel. We share the gospel. We stand on the gospel. And so on… The question I have, however, is with a word used so often, how many people actually know what it means?

When I say “the gospel,” what am I talking about?

A Basic Definition

In the Greek New Testament, the word gospel is taken from the word, “euangelion.” We get our word evangelism from a similar Greek word, “evangelizo.” While the english understanding of the word gospel is typically translated as “good news,” the reality of the original context is that this is a “good news that is shared.” It is the “good news brought by the evangelist or angel (messenger).” 

What I want us to grasp is that in the New Testament, the word “gospel” is generally used to describe the proclamation of the good news, rather than just the idea of the good news itself. In other words, it is not a “gospel” unless and until it is proclaimed!

The original idea comes from a message of victory being declared over a nation at war. As the Theological Lexicon of the New Testament says,

In secular Greek, angelos was “messenger” (especially of the gods) and angelia “message.” Euangelos referred to “one who bears good news,” a messenger of joy… Usually, the announcement concerns victory and peace: the bringer of good news (euangelos) arrives from the battlefield, sometimes by ship, sometimes by horse or by letter, but also on foot, by a runner.

Ceslas Spicq and James D. Ernest, Theological Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994), 82.

Therefore, when we say “Gospel” what we are actually discussing is the announcement of Jesus’ victory through His sinless life, death on the cross and resurrection from the dead.

God’s Gossip

The English form of the word “gospel” comes from an Old English word, “godspel,” or literally “good spell” meaning “good story.” To share a godspel was to tell a good story that would capture the attention and possibly altar the course of a person’s life.

Interestingly, the English word “gospel” comes from a similar root as the English word “gossip,” which means sharing a “good story” about a “sib,” as in a sibling or relative.

Obviously we would say that gossiping about our relatives, friends, or acquaintances is wrong. However, the truth is that when the “gossip” is about our brother Jesus, then it is good news to share – gospel.

The point I want to make is that the Gospel is not something that can be kept to oneself. There is no “gospel” if it is not being proclaimed, the same as there is not “gossip” if people keep their mouths shut!

God wants us to “gossip” the story of Jesus.

Paul’s Gospel

Just look at how the Apostle Paul talks about the Gospel. He does so in very specific terms:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

He says the gospel is something that: 

  • Is “preached” or proclaimed; also “delivered”
  • Is “received” or heard
  • Gives the ability to “stand” and “saves” — again, this is the idea of the message being a declaration of victory over your enemy.
  • Is a message that must be “held fast” — not traded for other “truths” being taught. Don’t fall under someone else’s “spell” or story.

The Gospel Must Be Shared

In almost every case, the word “gospel” is used in the New Testament with the understanding that this is a message to be proclaimed. This is why Paul’s line of questioning in Romans 10:14 deals with preaching:

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

The truth is that we live in a world where the gospel is available to most of humanity, if they were to search it out. Through internet, websites, podcasts, bible apps, radio, television, etc, a major portion of the world could discover the gospel on their own. Every single day, that availability grows. Yet at the most foundational level of what the gospel is, that plan can never work!

God’s intention from the beginning was that the gospel of Jesus Christ would be transferred from person to person by proclaiming and hearing. People, by nature, are not looking for a savior. The sinful, human heart makes its own plans and strategies for overcoming every negative thing in life. Even those who recognize sin, seek to justify themselves by “doing good.”

God’s good news, however, is that the battle is already won. Though it is not a message people are seeking, it is one that will change their eternal reality once it comes to them. It must be shared!

Just as gossip ceases to exist when people stop sharing it, so does the gospel. It becomes useless; having no effect in bringing people into salvation. The truth is, you cannot have a gospel unless it’s proclaimed.

You Are Already Commissioned to Preach

The day you became a Christian by believing this gospel, you received a commission to share it with others. You cannot “hold to the gospel” without sharing the gospel. Just look at passages like Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18, and Acts 1:8

What I want to do, over the next few weeks, is help you find your voice in sharing the gospel with others. My goal in this series is that you will feel better equipped to share the good news of Jesus Christ with your family, friends, and anyone else God brings across your path. You don’t have to be an evangelist to be a witness for Christ. You simply have to be willing to open your mouth.

In the next two posts, we will look at two basic ways you can express the gospel, in simple terms, that will help people understand the message you share. (First one is here.)

After that, we will talk about the importance of your own testimony in sharing the gospel story. The gospel is our “family gossip,” and your story is an invaluable part in sharing the story of Jesus.

Finally, I will offer you some tips that will make your gospel witness even more effective, as you willingly step out and share.

You can do this! Take it from me. I am not called as an evangelist, and my introvert nature can hold me back at times. Yet, as I have learned to obey the Holy Spirit’s leading, and have grown in my understanding of how to share the news, I have been privileged to lead thousands to the Lord. You have the same Spirit living in you, if you’re willing to learn and to step out in faith.

In This Series

In this blog series, we look at:

Let’s Connect

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and testimonies in the comment section below.

I hope this series will be a blessing to you! You can make sure to never miss a future post by signing up for my weekly roundup newsletter, below. It would be my honor to have you, and I promise never to spam you or share your information with anyone!

You can also join me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler, to continue the discussion on this post and more!

© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Cover Photo by Dylan McLeod on Unsplash

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Why Discipleship Matters

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I live in East Africa as a missionary. What I have found where I live is that there is a passion for outreach and evangelism that is lacking in many parts of the world. In almost every church there is a willingness to gather together for open-air gospel crusades, door-to-door evangelism, and other forms of outreach. This is very different than where I come from in America. As a former leader in multiple churches in Bible-belt, Texas I know from experience that it is a difficult thing to get large numbers or Christians together for sharing the gospel, and if you try to do an open-air meeting, it is usually not-well attended.

In Nigeria and other places, Reinhardt Bonnke leads mega crusades attended by millions of people daily. It is an incredible sight, seeing the faces of people stretching past the horizon. However, a few years ago, I attended a Bonnke Crusade in Houston, Texas – one of the largest cities in America – in a stadium that only has about 22,000 seats plus whatever can be added at ground level. From my perspective, the stadium appeared to be one-third of the way full. I don’t think that is the fault of Bonnke. It is because the churches and believers in Houston weren’t unified to see the crusade become a success.

Here in East Africa, the church is good at outreach. They lead big crusades. Churches coordinate together to form mass choirs. Teams are able to canvas an entire city, door-to-door, in a few days. And it is common to see thousands of people put their faith in Christ. I am truly impressed at what I see here!

Can I tell you what the church is not good at in East Africa?

We are not good at bringing the harvest into the barns and preserving the fruit! All too often, the harvest is simply left laying out in the field where it was picked. Churches go out and lead many people to Jesus, yet do not do well (on a large scale) at turning those converts into disciples! 

This is not just an East Africa problem. This is epidemic! It is becoming a whole-church problem!

The Great Commission

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has  been given to me. 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 all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

Matthew 28:18-20, English Standard Version

The problem with the lack of discipleship strategy is that the commission of Jesus on the church was not to Go and make converts! It was never to simply to go, preach the gospel, and lead people in a prayer to accept Jesus as their savior. It wasn’t even to go and do signs, wonders, healings, and miracles so that people see the power of God!

All of those things are great, and we need to do them even more. However, until we take those who pray the prayer and those who are touched by the power, and bring them into the body of Christ and disciple them, we are failing at the mission given to us by Christ.

If someone gets saved, but does not get discipled, we are picking the fruit from the tree, but leaving it laying in the field. To say it another way, we are becoming spiritual fathers and mothers to people, long enough to give new-birth, then leaving them as bastard children in the world, with no nurture or guidance to help them grow.

Defining Discipleship

The Lexham Theological Workbook says: 

“Discipleship is the process of devoting oneself to a teacher to learn from and become more like them. For the Christian, this refers to the process of learning the teachings of Jesus and following after his example in obedience through the power of the Holy Spirit. Discipleship not only involves the process of becoming a disciple but of making other disciples through teaching and evangelism.”

So discipleship is the process of taking a lost person, seeing them saved by introducing them to Jesus, and then walking with them into maturity as a believer in their relationship with the Holy Spirit. 

I used to think that discipleship looked different: The first steps begin small – things like repentance of sin, baptism, church attendance – then as time goes on, the person should grow to learn to pray, study the scriptures, and serve. Eventually, they step into leadership and begin evangelizing the lost, teaching biblical truths to others, and discipling others in their own Christian walk.

Those things are good and necessary, but as I have grown in the Christian life, I have come to know that those things are only the actions of a disciple. They don’t make a disciple.

Converts vs. Disciples

Truly making a disciple is taking the now-saved person and helping them draw closer to the Lord; to Hear His voice; to walk in obedience to Him; to learn their identity in Christ, and leading them to fulfill the destiny God has for them in such a way that gives all the glory back to God. That will involve all the action steps listed above, but it is also so much more!

Let me break this idea down a bit:

Q: Should a new believer come to Church?

A: Yes, obviously!

Q: Is it the goal to simply get a new believer to attend church? Is that “success?”

A: No.

The goal is that the person learns to worship the Lord and serve God’s people! Church attendance is necessary, but it is not the final goal. Church attendance should lead the people into the life of worship and service.

I hope you can see the difference: A convert becomes a church attender. A disciple becomes a worshiper and a servant.

Our job is to take a lost person, bring them to Christ in conversion, and then continue the process of leading them to become mature disciples. This is how we preserve the harvest Christ has given to us.

Discipleship matters because the world is full of converts to the Christian religion, but God’s desire is mature sons and daughters. We have to do more than go into the field as harvesters, we have to invest the time, energy, and resources to preserve the harvest God has given.

We would love to hear from you in the comments: Have you been discipled by mature believers in your Christian walk, or were you left to struggle on your own? How are you investing in the next generation of believers to see them grow to full maturity in Christ?

In This Series

In this series on discipleship, we will look at:

As we go deeper into how discipleship works, I pray this series helps you as a believer to create a strategy for discipling others. Don’t forget to subscribe! You might also enjoy this video teaching I did recently on this topic, also called “Why Discipleship Matters.”

Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash

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Commissioned: Go and Make Disciples

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If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you are surely familiar with the passage called ” The Great Commission, found in Matthew 28 and Mark 16. This is where, at the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus tells the disciples to go into all the world preaching and making disciples. Up to this point, the disciples have spent three years with Jesus. They have heard his teachings, seen Him minister, and observed countless miracles. They have been scattered and hid when Jesus died, however, now the resurrection has taken place, and Jesus has been appearing to them to build up their faith. At the great commissioning, it seems as if Jesus is telling them, I am leaving, but you are now ready to do what I have been doing. Finally, their training will be put into practice, right? 

“I’m still working on myself…”

As a senior leader in an international ministry, I have the privilege of speaking to people at every level of life in Christ, in many different cultures, and yet one thing that comes up often, no matter where I am, is people who say things like “I am not ready to share the gospel; I’m not prepared,” or “I still need to work on myself, before I try to help others.” This sounds spiritual and to some extent, there probably does need to be some time ‘settling in’ to Christian life and understanding what Jesus has done for us, before a person goes out and tries and make converts. Still, this usually sounds more like an excuse for being uncomfortable and insecure, than it does a sincere desire for growth. 

If we look back at the disciples, at the moment of the Great Commission, it would be easy to say, “well, Jesus had trained them for so long, until they were finally prepared, so we should be trained and ready before we try our hand at evangelism, too.” The problem with this interpretation is that, although this is Jesus’ last instruction to the disciples before He left them — to “go and make disciples” — it was also the first instruction He gave them when they first met.

The First Commission

In Mark chapter 1 we find Jesus walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where He comes across the brothers, Simon and Andrew fishing. As He calls out to them, his invitation is, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” From this first call, Jesus is essentially saying, “Come and be my disciples so that you can go and make more disciples.”

We know that many of these first encounters with Jesus were followed by the immediate sharing of Jesus with others. John the Baptist upon seeing Jesus through a prophetic word, shares the truth about Jesus with his disciples who immediately go and follow Jesus themselves (John 1:29-39). Philip, after meeting Jesus, goes and tells Nathaniel, who also ends up leaving what he was doing to become a disciple of Jesus (John 1:46). Throughout the Bible (and Christian history), there is clear evidence that a single encounter with Jesus, His gospel, and the power of God, is enough to then turn   around and take the Gospel to others, as well. 

As we follow along with the story, it doesn’t take long for Jesus to have a large crowd of followers in which he heals the sick, casts out demons, and to whom He preaches salvation from the Lord. In all of this time doing ministry, Jesus never says to the disciples, “sit close and take notes because one day, you will take over when I am gone.” In fact, it is only a short time later that Jesus tells them to go out in pairs and do what they have seen Him do: heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach salvation. Essentially, “Go and make disciples.” (You can read about this in Luke 9.) 

When they return to Him after this first mission trip, they had many amazing testimonies to share (and probably some problems to discuss as well) but after some debriefing with them, Jesus simply returns to the work He had been doing all along. It doesn’t take long before He sends them right back out again; this time with a larger number going than before. (You can read this in Luke 10). 

“Go” requires obedience, not perfection.

When we look at the disciples, we can easily say that they weren’t prepared to go. Just look at some of them. Peter will soon deny Jesus three times for his own self-preservation. We can’t exactly say His faith was solid at the time. Even Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus for money was one of those who had been sent out doing the work. Despite all these flaws and imperfections, Jesus never said that they needed to step back and work on themselves before going and reaching others. What He demonstrated was that the Kingdom of God is too big to be contained and must be taken into the world with urgency. 

The commission to ” go ” never required perfection on the part of those being sent. It simply required the boldness to be obedient. More than that, though, what those who went out discovered was that it is actually through their going that they themselves grew in the grace of God, in theological clarity, in personal holiness, and in love. We cannot grow in the fruit of the Holy Spirit, without sowing into the lives of others. It is impossible. 

If we really want to grow, both in our ability to reach out to others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to work on our own development as disciples, then it is time to get up and ” go. ” Tell someone about Jesus today. Don’t wait. There will never be a perfect time, and you will never be ” ready,” but if you will just do it, it will be worth it. I promise. Seeds will be planted in those you meet, and your own fruit will begin to steadily grow,   as well.  

(This post was originally published September 29, 2008. It has been revised and edited for reposting.)

Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash

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