How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?
~ Romans 10:14
At a recent church retreat I attended, the group was asked to write out a one-minute gospel presentation. The challenge was this: When you’re in conversation with someone and have the opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus, how would you go about it? As followers of Christ, this is something that all of us—new in the faith or long-time believers—are called to do. The Great Commission (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19) is given to every Christian (not just those with the “gift of evangelism”, as can easily be an excuse for not sharing). And although I’ve written out the gospel hundreds of times (literally), I struggled to find the “perfect” words that particular morning.
I hunkered down at a desk that faced a gorgeous sunrise over the river, sweatshirt hood up so as to tune out my cabinmates moving in and out of the space for coffee and their own journal-writing endeavors. And I struggled. Not that I struggled with the truth of the gospel—it’s simple really: We’re all sinners. The wages of sin is death. But, while we were yet sinners, God sent His Son to pay the penalty we owe, so that we can have eternal life—no more condemnation. Believe and confess, and you’ll be saved (John 3:16; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 8:1; 10:9)!
Easy-peasy, right? Um, not necessarily.
Although the truth of the gospel is straightforward and clear, each message receiver is in a different place. So, we must be cognizant of to whom we’re talking, discovering the “pain point” they’re expressing, and listening for an open door for telling them about our hope—Jesus. The bottom-line goal is to meet people where they are and help them take the next step toward Jesus (could be sowing a seed, watering, fertilizing, or reaping). The awesome news of the Good News is that it is not WE who do the saving. God does, though the Holy Spirit opening the eyes of their heart to accept Christ by faith. (This fact takes an enormous amount of pressure off, doesn’t it?)
Back to my retreat story. So, I labored over my journal pages for a long time, writing and rewriting…not really understanding why this process was so stressful. I did have a definitive place from which I wanted to start, so it was just about paving “the right” path to Jesus. In the nick of time, I finished. It was more like two minutes, but it was where I landed—ready or not. When we were in our small groups to share, I read it out. Looking up, I saw tears flowing from the eyes of several people. See, the Holy Spirit had me laboring over my words because HE had something to say—a specific wrapping of the gospel that someone needed to hear. He just used my pen. Although I had thought my two-minute spiel was convoluted, it was perfected by the Holy Spirit to be heard in just the right way for those who needed to hear what He had to say to them.
Again, this the glorious thing about sharing the gospel (and I’m preaching to myself here, friends): The Holy Spirit knows who we’re talking with, where they are in the stuff of life, and what they need to hear. And He will do the work when we yield to Him. We just have to be ready (1 Peter 3:15), be bold (Romans 1:16), and open our mouth (or pick up a pen).
So, what about you? What do you say? I challenge you to write down the Good News—and then open your mouth.
Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit living in me, make me bold and unashamed to share the Good News of Jesus with others, reminding me that it is not me, but YOU who does the saving.
encouraged by grace 