The gospel is news. News has to be announced, communicated, written, and delivered with words. Think of any major news story or event: the reporter doesn’t seek to act it out, but he just delivers the news.
This is why I find it so confusing when I hear people say: “We’re just trying to live the gospel” or “We’re trying to be the gospel.” There is of course the well-known quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” I’d argue that it’s always necessary to use words, because the gospel is news.
The gospel is the good news that God sent his perfect Son Jesus Christ to live, die, and resurrect on behalf of sinners, to save their souls and reconcile them to God.
As important as it is to do good works, care for the poor, nobody becomes a Christian and enters into eternal life because we gave somebody a sandwich; They get saved because they hear the preaching of the news of Jesus. Good works that adorn good news do not only earthly good but also eternal good.
Paul told Titus that good works have their proper place when they adorn the gospel: “… but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Titus 2:10). But to be clear, neither Paul, Jesus, nor any of the apostles never tells us that good works are the gospel. The gospel is a message that must be preached, proclaimed, and told using words.
I talk to so many people who go to the church where I pastor, and they tell me, “I’m just being really friendly and helpful. They know I am a Christian and when the want to know they will ask me.”
I ask two questions “Did you get saved because someone was nice?” and “Did you conclude from their kindness that Jesus is God, you are a sinner, Jesus died for your sin and rose from the dead as King?” The answer of course is no. They will just think you are nice. And then continue to walk in darkness.
You are not the gospel; Jesus Christ is the gospel. You are not Jesus; Jesus is God. Therefore you cannot live or show the gospel: you must proclaim it.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Don't Be Weird
Weʼve all been there, the conversation is going fine – and somehow, someway the conversation turns to Jesus. While the conversation was on the last topic, you were fine, you were laughing, you were yourself, you were having fun… but suddenly when it turns to Jesus, you get weird. You get tongue-tied, cottonmouth, you start breathing heavy, you get very serious – almost cold. Any hint of joy is gone from your demeanor, and you begin to talk to them about the Greatest News Ever.
Do you see the contradiction? When talking about anything else youʼre fine. But when you talk about the Gospel, your demeanor betrays your message. The Apostle Peter instructs the early Christians in their conversations with those outside the faith, by saying, “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15). Do you see what he said there? In your hearts, regard the Christ the Lord as holy; always be prepared to make a defense… always. We always need to be ready to talk about the hope that is in the gospel. You never know when the Holy Spirit is going to give you that moment. You need to be prepared. Usually that is the issue why you get weird; youʼre not prepared. Start by preaching the Gospel to yourself. Read passages about the Gospel. Listen to how your Pastor talks about the Gospel, and be ready. Even if you donʼt have all the answers to their questions, you can say something like “Iʼm not sure, Iʼll have to look into that.”
Donʼt get weird, donʼt get defensive, and donʼt get frustrated. If the Gospel is true, and of course we believe it is, then we should have no insecurities talking about it, just like we would talk about anything else that is true. This passage tells us Christ is Lord. The one with the power to draw people is the Lord of your conversations and interactions with those who donʼt believe the gospel. Relax.
Some of this purely comes down to reps. The more you talk about Jesus, the more comfortable you are going to be with these types of conversations. The Apostle Peter begins this instruction by saying, “In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as Holy”. In your hearts, always lift up Christ, always submit the conversation to Him, and trust Him! Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you up. When you do it, “do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience (1 Peter 3:15-16). After the conversation is over, trust Jesus for the effects of the conversation. Ultimately you are the messenger of the Gospel, not the Message. God is the one who ultimately evangelizes them.
Do you see the contradiction? When talking about anything else youʼre fine. But when you talk about the Gospel, your demeanor betrays your message. The Apostle Peter instructs the early Christians in their conversations with those outside the faith, by saying, “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15). Do you see what he said there? In your hearts, regard the Christ the Lord as holy; always be prepared to make a defense… always. We always need to be ready to talk about the hope that is in the gospel. You never know when the Holy Spirit is going to give you that moment. You need to be prepared. Usually that is the issue why you get weird; youʼre not prepared. Start by preaching the Gospel to yourself. Read passages about the Gospel. Listen to how your Pastor talks about the Gospel, and be ready. Even if you donʼt have all the answers to their questions, you can say something like “Iʼm not sure, Iʼll have to look into that.”
Donʼt get weird, donʼt get defensive, and donʼt get frustrated. If the Gospel is true, and of course we believe it is, then we should have no insecurities talking about it, just like we would talk about anything else that is true. This passage tells us Christ is Lord. The one with the power to draw people is the Lord of your conversations and interactions with those who donʼt believe the gospel. Relax.
Some of this purely comes down to reps. The more you talk about Jesus, the more comfortable you are going to be with these types of conversations. The Apostle Peter begins this instruction by saying, “In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as Holy”. In your hearts, always lift up Christ, always submit the conversation to Him, and trust Him! Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you up. When you do it, “do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience (1 Peter 3:15-16). After the conversation is over, trust Jesus for the effects of the conversation. Ultimately you are the messenger of the Gospel, not the Message. God is the one who ultimately evangelizes them.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
People are More than Projects
The reason why we sometimes fail in evangelism is because people can detect that we see them more as a project than a person. This is true in the context of preaching and one-on-one. People perceive we have an agenda that doesn't have anything to do with them; it's just something to get out of them or something to get them to do. Our job is to communicate the gospel, the good news of a perfect Savior who died in the place of sinners, resurrected from the dead, and will one day return. We get to tell people this glorious news, and as we do it, the Apostle Paul gives us insight as to how this is to be communicated.
Colossians 4:6 tell us, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." This gives us three concepts to work with: be gracious, be interesting, and be interested.
Colossians 4:6 tell us, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." This gives us three concepts to work with: be gracious, be interesting, and be interested.
1. Be Gracious
Communicate the gospel of grace with the grace that you have received from God and the grace that will be required for them to receive your words. Be kind, be friendly. Don't get frustrated if they argue, don't get angry if they don't believe. "Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). If they have real questions about Christianity, see it as an opportunity to instruct and not an argument to deconstruct. God can use their contentions with Christianity and the gospel to be the very things that bring them back to Jesus. So, be gracious.
2. Be Interesting
Paul also instructs us that our speech should be "seasoned with salt." There should some flavor in your conversation. We use salt on food to bring out the flavor of the food, and likewise, we use salt within our gospel conversations to bring out the flavor of the gospel. Be yourself, let your personality come out. If you're smart, use your intellect (humbly). If you're winsome, use that to advance the gospel. If you're funny, use humor. If you're not funny, don't use humor.
Communicate the gospel of grace with the grace that you have received from God and the grace that will be required for them to receive your words. Be kind, be friendly. Don't get frustrated if they argue, don't get angry if they don't believe. "Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). If they have real questions about Christianity, see it as an opportunity to instruct and not an argument to deconstruct. God can use their contentions with Christianity and the gospel to be the very things that bring them back to Jesus. So, be gracious.
2. Be Interesting
Paul also instructs us that our speech should be "seasoned with salt." There should some flavor in your conversation. We use salt on food to bring out the flavor of the food, and likewise, we use salt within our gospel conversations to bring out the flavor of the gospel. Be yourself, let your personality come out. If you're smart, use your intellect (humbly). If you're winsome, use that to advance the gospel. If you're funny, use humor. If you're not funny, don't use humor.
3. Be Interested
Thirdly, Paul instructs us to "answer each person." Everybody is different. Each person has different questions, different issues, and different struggles. If we go to them with a canned gospel presentation they're going to be able to see right through it. Be interested in them and let the Holy Spirit fill you and open the doors as to how you'll talk about the gospel. Also, be sure that it's the gospel that you are talking about. Get them to Jesus. Answer their questions, talk about their issues, but keep bringing them back to Jesus. Simply, talk to people about the gospel in a way that respects the person and honors their personhood (they are not a project).
Thirdly, Paul instructs us to "answer each person." Everybody is different. Each person has different questions, different issues, and different struggles. If we go to them with a canned gospel presentation they're going to be able to see right through it. Be interested in them and let the Holy Spirit fill you and open the doors as to how you'll talk about the gospel. Also, be sure that it's the gospel that you are talking about. Get them to Jesus. Answer their questions, talk about their issues, but keep bringing them back to Jesus. Simply, talk to people about the gospel in a way that respects the person and honors their personhood (they are not a project).
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Numbers Matter
There seems to be a common misconception that numbers in the Church world don’t matter to God. I know in general what people mean by this… they mean that our focus should not be on how big our churches are, but rather that we should focus on caring for people, making disciples, teaching sound doctrine, and proclaiming the Gospel. In general, I would agree, but I’ve also seen many people use this statement as an excuse for not doing evangelism. The statement “numbers don’t matter” sounds very spiritual. The only problem with it is, the New Testament.As you read through the ministry of Jesus, numbers are specifically mentioned on multiple occasions; massive numbers. The reason numbers matter is because numbers represent people. When you look at it that way, numbers matter to God because people matter to God.
As you open the book of Acts you see that Acts 1:15 specifically mentions that there were 120 people in the church at the time of Pentecost. And then, after the coming of the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:41 “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” Acts 2:47 tells us that, “The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 4:4, “Many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.” Acts 5:14, “And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women”. Acts 6:7, “The word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem”. Acts 9:31, “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” Acts 11:21/24, “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord… And a great many people were added to the Lord.” I think you get the picture. I could probably add another dozen passages in the book of Acts that tell us explicitly that numbers matter. Having said that I don’t think we should equate spiritual health with numbers and I don’t think we should get our identity from the sizes of our churches. However, as I read the book of Acts, I see the constant pattern of Gospel proclamation and then Gospel advancement.
I am aware there are men in the Bible, like Isaiah and Jeremiah, who were called to what we might call “fruitless ministry”. Then, there are men who at the last day, who will be applauded for leading 10 people to Jesus in a difficult place, over those who led 10,000. For instance, Isaiah and Jeremiah remained “fruitless” as they preached the message to the unbelieving, in Israel, often doing so with tears. These men, show how the missionary whom is unfruitful can still labor in hope for the lost, even in the hardest of places. There are multitudes of lost people all around us, and because of that, numbers matter. Let’s not keep making the Biblical understatement that “numbers don’t matter.” We see in the book of Revelation, there is a multitude of saints from every tribe and tongue who will worship the Lamb in Heaven, and on that day I guarantee you that those numbers will matter.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
The Church Exists by Mission
"The Church exists by mission as fire exists by burning." - Emil Brunner
Every verse in the New Testament is in the context of mission. The proclamation of the Gospel is the purpose of the Church. From time to time, I talk to pastors and church leaders, especially those in the camp of reformed theology, that say to me things like, “We are a church that is all about discipleship,” or, “We are just a church that is trying to go deep.” What I have found over the years is that, much of the time, this is an excuse for them not doing any type of evangelism. Also, I have found that it is misleading. I would contend that you are not as deep of a church or a church which excels at discipleship unless people are getting saved and baptized as a church. People geek out on a 72 week series on Ephesians 1:3-14, while there are 17 people in the church who are all from other churches frustrated and discontent. I don’t understand how you can teach the New Testament with such passion and go so deep and not come to the conclusion that you’re supposed to reach lost people.
Think about this: Every verse in the New Testament is in the context of the Gospel Mission. The gospels themselves present the mission of God in Christ as Jesus accomplishes his part of the mission. The Gospel of Matthew presents him as the King of the Mission. The Gospel of Mark presents him as the Servant on Mission. The Gospel of Luke presents him as the Perfect Man on Mission. The Gospel of John presents him as God on mission. At the end of the Gospel of John; Jesus says “as the father has sent me [on mission], so I send you [on mission]." (John 20:21) And of course there are the Great Commission passages in Matthew 28 and Luke 24. These Great Commission passages are the catapults for the rest of the New Testament, which is a handbook for mission. Think about it; the book of Acts - The mission begins and spreads. It would be hard to read the book of Acts or teach the book of Acts without being overwhelmed by the evangelistic emphasis. The book of Romans is the message of the mission. 1st & 2nd Corinthians deal with conflict and church discipline on mission. The book of Galatians defends the gospel mission from religion. The Book of Ephesians is the church on mission. The Pastoral Epistles describes the leaders of the mission. And the book of Revelation describes to us the completion and goal of the mission. If Jesus sent his people into the world to be disciples who make disciples by baptizing (leading them the Christ), teaching (teaching them about Christ), and then sending them to go teach others, and we then are not doing that… isn’t that disobedience? Is the church even a church, biblically speaking, if people are not meeting Jesus? Look at 2 Corinthians 5:20, this text tells us that we are ambassadors for Christ, that God is using us to make an appeal…. My contention is that the church is not the church unless it’s on Christ's evangelistic mission.
Jesus told his disciples “Follow me, and I will make
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