Evangelism:
The Joy of Sharing the Good News.
Part 14.
This week is part 2 of our 2-part discussion of presenting the gospel itself — the Good News.
In part 1 we introduced J.I. Packer’s description of the gospel from his book Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, in which he says the gospel is a message about God, Man, Christ, and Repentance and Faith. We outlined the first two last week: God and Man. Now we look at Christ, followed by Repentance and Faith.
Christ — What He Did
- In Jesus Christ, God took on our humanity
Colossians 2:9 says, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” Other good verses for this are John 1:1 and John 1:14.
Explanation — Jesus was not just another religious teacher. He claimed to be God and proved it by his miraculous life and resurrection from the dead. We owe an infinite debt to God and only someone sinless and infinite can pay it.
Illustration — Think of a bridge, a famous bridge like the Brooklyn Bridge. What side does the bridge belong to, Brooklyn or Manhattan? (Pause). It belongs to both sides. Jesus is like a bridge between us and God. He belongs to both sides; he has a human nature so he can suffer and die, and he has divine nature that gives his death infinite value.
- He lived the life we should have lived, earning us the righteousness we don’t have (Hebrews 4:15).
Explanation: God is holy. We must be holy if we are to enter his presence and enjoy a relationship with him. Jesus lived a sinless life. On all the points we fail, he fully obeyed God’s will on our behalf.
- And he died the death we deserve because of our sins.
Romans 5:8 says, “But demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Explanation — Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins. God’s justice demanded sin be punished by death. But instead of us dying for our sins in hell, God decided that He would come down and pay the penalty for our sins himself. That’s how much God loves us. When Christ died on the cross he took our place and suffered God’s wrath for sinners like you and me.
Illustration — Imagine a young man is declared guilty for a terrible crime. The judge says, “The law requires I impose the death penalty for this crime.” But then he comes down off the bench, takes off his robes and says to the bailiff, “I will take this young man’s place and pay the penalty myself. He is my son.” Well, that’s something similar of what God has done for us those who believe in Jesus.
- Jesus not only died, He rose again from the dead.
1 Corinthians 15:3b-6a says, “… 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 Peter and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred … at the same time …”
Explanation — The fact that God raised Jesus from the dead is evidence that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was an acceptable payment for man’s sin and that he has conquered the power of sin and death.
Transition — But the Good News is not merely what Jesus has done but what he now promises to all those who will come to him.
Christ — What He Promises
- Eternal life with God.
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
Explanation — When we believe in Christ, the merits of his life and death are credited to us and we freely inherit eternal life.
Transition — He also promises …
- Power to live for God.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”
Explanation: In Christ, God promises us the power to put away our sinful habits and obey him through the Holy Spirit who comes into the lives of all those who receive Jesus.
Transition — So how can these gospel promises be fulfilled in a person’s life? Jesus taught that they come by…
Repentance and Faith
- Repentance is turning away from sin and self-trust to God.
Mark 1:15 says, “… repent and believe the good news.”
Illustration — Imagine you’re driving west on I-4 thinking you’re headed to Daytona when you realize you’re going in the wrong direction. So, you stop and turn around to go east on I-4. That’s what the word repentance means. You turn from the wrong way you have been pursuing, living a sinful and self-directed life and you turn to following Jesus.
- Faith is trusting in Christ to do as he promised, to save us from our sins and restore us back to God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “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.”
Explanation — Notice the verse says we are not saved by works (by what we do), but by grace (by what Christ did for us.). Now we must place our trust in him alone.
Illustration — Think of the chair you’re sitting in. When you sat down, you believed it would hold you up, or else wouldn’t sit on it. When we trust in Jesus alone to save us from our sin, we are putting our whole weight on him to do what he promised. We are not trusting in ourselves or what we can do.
After you’ve walked through the explanation of God, Man, Christ, and Repentance and Faith, the next step in the conversation is the call for commitment. The call to commitment has three phases:
- The clarifying question — “Does this make sense to you?”
- The commitment question — “Would you like to receive Christ?” or “Are you ready to commit yourself to following Christ?”
- Reiteration of commitment. To make sure he or she fully understands the message, it is helpful to restate the two components of repenting (turning from sin and self-trust), and believing (trusting in Jesus Christ to be your Savior and following him from now on as Lord).
An important consideration here is the question of whether to pray or not pray.
The Bible has no record of Jesus or the apostles ever asking people to pray a prayer after challenging them to repent and believe. Their subsequent actions demonstrate whether they have truly repented and believed (e.g., literally dropping whatever they’re doing and following him, praising God, putting away their sins, telling others what Jesus has done for them).
When my gospel conversation reach the call to commitment, I simply ask, “Do you repent from your ways and commit yourself to follow the Lord Jesus? Do you believe Jesus lived, died, and rose for you to forgive your sins and to give you eternal life?” If they say “yes” I rejoice with thm. Then I say something to effect, “Like any new relationship there are steps you can take to help develop. Jesus wants you to know him better. I can assist you. Would you be able to meet again so I can show you some ways that can help you grow?” It’s best to schedule a specific time and place. Close by exchanging information (if you don’t have it already) and pray for them.
I am not opposed to leading someone in a verbal commitment of faith as long as we make clear we don’t become Christians by saying a prayer. If someone is ready to receive Christ I might say something like, “That’s wonderful to hear. If you want, I can lead you in a prayer to express your commitment to Christ. Prayer is just talking to God. Jesus saves us — not a prayer — but you can express your faith to God in prayer. It’s your heart that really matters. You can repeat these words after me and just direct them to God in your heart. Is that ok?”
Then I pray something like this:
“Lord Jesus, I need you. I confess that I am a sinner and have lived my life according to my will and not your will. I need your forgiveness and presence in my life. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins and paying the penalty I deserve. Thank you for rising again to give me a new life. I turn to you now and trust in you alone to forgive me for all my sins and to grant me eternal life. Please make me into kind of person you want me to be. Amen.”
Then talk to them about next steps to help them grow in a relationship with Christ. We will look at some of these next week.