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5 Steps to Clearly Articulate the Gospel

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5 Steps to Clearly Articulate the Gospel 5 Steps to Clearly Articulate the Gospel #1 Make sure your presentation actually contains the gospel 1 Corinthians 15:1-7 (NIV) “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” The gospel is: The death of Christ Why? “For our sins.” It is our sin that separates us from God. “According to the Scriptures.” God says that sin must be atoned for (paid). Jesus was the perfect, permanent sacrifice for sin because He was: 1) sinless and 2) God the Son. The burial of Christ “he was buried” This is significant because it: 1) Shows that Christ was truly dead 2) Demonstrates that Christ had fulfilled His predictions and those of Scripture 3) Helps to authenticate the resurrection. Steps were taken with Christ’s burial to prevent false claims of a resurrection. The resurrection of Christ “he was raised” The resurrection is the crux of Christianity and it is what not only authenticates Christ’s message but it is what distinguishes Christianity from all other religions. The appearances of Christ “he appeared” The appearances of Christ to the apostles, various followers, and to a group of more than 500 people validate the resurrection. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus, who as far as we know was not a Christian, documented sightings of Christ after the resurrection. In addition, there is significant historical evidence that the tomb of Christ has been located and was found to be empty. #2 Deal with the sin issue Romans 3:23 (NIV) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 (NIV) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It is because of our sin that we are separated from God and need a way to be reunited with Him. Note that sin is: 1) Our condition (we are born into it) 2) Our actions (anything we do contrary to the nature of God, including violation of His commands) 3) Our omissions (failure to do that which is right and what is in God’s nature) The natural outcome (payment) for sin is death, which means “separation.” This is both physical separation from our bodies and eternal spiritual separation from God. © 2012 Frank Banfill www.ManageMyMissionTrip.com Permission granted to copy for personal or ministry use as long the content is not sold and this copyright notice is included #3 Emphasize grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” John 14:6 (NIV) “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 3:16 (NIV) “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Grace is the unmerited favor of God. It is something that God chooses to bestow on man out of His love and nature. Faith (belief) activates God’s grace by receiving it like one would receive a gift. The emphasis of the Ephesians passage is that salvation in no way, shape or form is connected to the workings of man. If we could work for our salvation it would put us on the same level as God. Notice that faith is in Christ and Christ alone— not Christ added to our works or combined with other religions or philosophies (what is called syncretism). We must believe that what Christ did is sufficient to pay for our sin and reconcile us to God. Salvation comes by placing our faith in (literally “into”) Christ. This is not a head belief but a commitment of our life to Christ and an acceptance of what He has done and Who He is. It is turning away from our sin of self reliance and being in control of our lives to placing our life into Christ (repentance). This is best expressed by saying “trusting Christ” or “committing my life to Christ” rather than “inviting Christ into my heart.” #4 Call for a decision Acts 26:27-29 (NIV) “’King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.’ Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?’ Paul replied, ‘Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.’” Romans 10:13 (NIV) “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Presenting the gospel is important, but it isn’t complete until we bring the person to a point of decision. They must decide what they will do with what they have heard. Consider asking the person something like this: Is there anything keeping you from trusting Christ right now? If so, list what it is then evaluate how important this is in light of eternity. If there isn’t anything, then why don’t you make that commitment to Christ? Tell God what is on your heart and the decision you want to make. #5 Provide a biblical assurance for salvation 1 John 5:13 (NIV) “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” Once a person makes that decision, they need assurance from God’s Word that what they did was complete, sufficient, and permanent. Consider these three parts of 1 John 5:13: “you who believe”—ask the person if they just believed in Jesus Christ. If so, then this verse is written specifically for them “you may know”—this is a full and complete assurance. Not hoping or wondering. It is knowing for certain. “you have eternal life”—this isn’t something that is here today and gone tomorrow. It is permanent. Additional Resources Learn how to share the gospel: http://www.act111.org/ The Bad News/Good News approach to sharing the gospel: http://evantell.org/pages/badnewsgoodnews © 2012 Frank Banfill www.ManageMyMissionTrip.com Permission granted to copy for personal or ministry use as long the content is not sold and this copyright notice is included .
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