Redeeming our lifestyle: Sharing the gospel
Today I want to talk about the most rewarding habit to develop in the Christian life. It's the habit of sharing the good news of Jesus. It's also probably the hardest habit for most Christians.
My Dad heard the gospel at boarding school where he powerfully encountered Christ and gave his life to him. A teacher shared the gospel with him. It changed his life and it has changed my life. He laid the foundations in my life for my own personal encounter with Christ in my 20s.
I thought about who shared the gospel with me. It's quite a list!
The church I grew up in.
My wife when were going out.
My wife's family.
God TV.
Social Media interactions.
Music.
Church at uni.
Question: Who shared the gospel with you?
I imagine it involves a number of people, mediums and communities. The gospel needs to be shared many times and in creative ways for a human heart to get it.
Our church started with the longing for God's dream of restored relationship with God, our neighbour and creation to be lived out. We know that transformation hangs on a human being saying yes to the good news of Christ.
Food bank evangelists
In Acts 6 there is a story of how the gospel impact goes to another level. The catalyst was a group of leaders being raised up to look after the food distribution to the needy in their community. These food bank leaders didn't just give out food though, they went on to speak boldly of Christ and see remarkable miraculous signs and wonders.
We might be able to help in food banks or not, but we are called to distribute "food" or serve in our workplaces, neighbourhoods and homes and with that comes the opportunity to name Jesus and how he is making all things new.
Question: What "food" are you distributing? Who are you serving in your job? How could you connect these people to the gospel?
Why do we share the gospel?
Romans 10 13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.14 But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?
As the church we can often fail to pass on the faith. We have an almost magical mentality that our kids will get it, our family will get it, our neighbours will get it without them ever hearing the news that can change their life. History shows us that where the church stops sharing, the church dies out and the nations suffer.
A parable to ignite your heart
Luke 15: 1-7
15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable: 4 “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Three elements this parable tells us about the gospel.
We get lost. There is no good news for the sheep without realising it's lost. Who has ever got lost? We all do. It's in our fallen nature, we stray, we sabotage our lives. Jesus came to call sinners not the righteous. He came to those who by the Spirit started to see they were lost and needed God's intervention. Sheep are not able to find their way home and neither are humans. Jesus comes for us because he loves us. We share the gospel to all people and some God has prepared by showing them they are lost without God.
We experience grace. The sheep can't save itself. God saves us unilaterally in Christ. There's nothing for us to do, but bask in God's compassion and kindness. Even our response (repentance and trust) to his grace is only possible by his Spirit and Christ's perfect response to the Father's will. We are recipients of a gift much too wonderful to package or market. We share the gospel to all people and some in that moment realise they are enveloped by a grace that's always been there.
We come home. The sheep is brought home to the place and community it belongs. This rescue is not a temporary reprieve from danger but a return to the place they've always belonged. We are not just saved from something, but also into to something. We're saved from sin and into a whole new creation of possibilities. We share the gospel to all people and some start to see the home they were made for and the world they're called to live for.
Question: Why do think there is celebration in heaven when someone unaware of God turns to Him?
Do we perceive the joy of the gospel? Humans are never too lost to experience saving grace and live for a new world under God's rule of love. Those are all powerful reasons Heaven celebrates a change of heart!
How do we develop a habit of sharing the gospel?
Prayer & fasting to encounter Christ and his heart for the lost and power to share Christ.
Come and Go.
Come- We invite people to Trychurch - online and in person. Many do not know what church is like or the message we have for them. It's likely someone in your network would Trychurch, will we invite them?
Go - We go and make disciples in their world. We're attentive in our everyday lives and the opportunities to share the gospel and help people discover Christ.
It's good to know the natural way we share Jesus. Mission Styles is a great tool for discovering the way we're wired up to share Christ.
1 Peter 3:15 "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.." Many of us have used this great tool for explaining the gospel, the 3 circles. Why not practice and try it out and see what questions people have and what God does?
What if we applied this and developed a habit of sharing the gospel?
We will experience rejection, misunderstanding and persecution.
Lives will be eternally changed
The Journey church will grow with new disciples, which means more of God's Kingdom dream.
Question: What do you want the church to be known for?
My answer : a passion for Jesus because that is the good news.
Prayer:
Father, help us share the gift of your Son with the world. Enable us to get over our selves and share this good news that changes lives and the world forever. Amen
