The July Challenge
It’s July - Summer is busy, but since it’s our last month of taking a break from our regularly scheduled programming, let’s redeem the time and be intentional to have the gospel in our minds and on our hearts, so that the overflow of our lives is…. THE GOSPEL!
An easy to do four week plan to learn to share the Gospel
Yes - we’re a week behind, but that’s ok…
As believers, we know that sharing the Gospel with others is something we are both expected to do and privileged to do. While we know this and have a genuine desire to do this, we’re not often called upon to share the details of the Gospel “from ground zero.” If we have grown up in the church, or been in church for a while, we know the details of the Gospel, and believe them, but might not have structured them in our minds in such a way that we could share it with someone who has either little to no knowledge of the Gospel or with someone who has an incorrect view.
The goal of this blog is to help you build a framework to share the complete message of the gospel with someone “from ground zero” using Scripture (1 Peter 1:23). You can easily learn to share the gospel in four weeks if you follow this plan. If it takes you a little longer, don’t worry. As long as you’re being intentional and moving forward, you’re doing great!
Week One
Read through the Gospel Presentation (the “What Is the Gospel?” section below) daily, and memorize the verses in the section titled “God’s Glory” (the first three verses). For Ephesians 1 verses, you only learn the explanation of the verses, not the actual verses. You should be able to memorize the two verses and the explanation easily if you work on it for 10-15 minutes each day. Writing out the verses on the back of a business card or on an index card and carrying it around with you is helpful. You could also tape the verse(s) to your car’s dashboard so that you can glance down while at stoplights, or before you start your car to go somewhere. P.S. - Don’t read them while you’re driving!
Week Two
Read through the Gospel Presentation once a day and memorize the “My Sin” section of verses. There are six verses in this section.Most of them are pretty short. Make sure that you haven’t forgotten the verses from week one. Go over them a couple of times this week. Again, carrying the verses around on index cards or business cards would be helpful.
Think about where you could put copies of the verses around the house, around the office, in your garage/workshop, etc. The more you see them, the better.
Week Three
Continue reading the Gospel Presentation once daily. It will help to plant the overall flow of the Gospel presentation firmly in your mind. There are only four new verses this week. Memorize the “God’s Provision” verses this week. As you work on memorizing the new verses, and continue going over the first two week’s verses, these Scriptures and the Gospel should definitely start to really “take root” in your life. There is tremendous potential for personal spiritual growth just through the memorization of these Scriptures.
Remember that the verses are in sequence. Remembering the flow of the Gospel:
(God’s Glory, My Sin, God’s Provision, My Salvation) will help you memorize them and remember the order of the verses.
Week Four
Read the Gospel Presentation daily. Memorize the “My Salvation” verses, the final two Scriptures. This week, go through the entire Gospel presentation with your spouse or a friend being sure to quote the verses as completely as you can. The idea is to know the verses and the overall story so well that it flows easily. Sharing the Gospel with someone should never sound like a “memorized script” that you’re quoting, but something that has made a deep, significant impact in your life, so that you can’t help but share it with others!
If you follow this plan, you can learn to share the Gospel in only four weeks!
What is the Gospel?
The most important question you will ever answer is “What is the Gospel, and what is my response to it?”
The word “Gospel” is a combination of two Greek words that mean “to announce good news.” When we say “Gospel” we mean the story of the Good News of Jesus Christ. His story is certainly good news. The starting point of the Gospel is God. God created everything. He created everything to glorify Himself. The entire Bible is an unfolding of the Gospel, but these verses summarize it in a clear way so that you can be saved.
• God’s Glory
Psalm 96 – tells us that “For great is Yahweh and greatly to be praised; He is more fearsome than all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But Yahweh made the heavens..” God created everything, and we are to worship Him. Whenever we place anything in front of Him, we deny this.
Ephesians 1:3-14 In the Bible this is one long sentence and it tells us that everything God has done for us was done for His own glory. The phrase “to the praise of His glory” is repeated three times in one sentence.
1 Corinthians 10:31 – tells us that everything we do (eat, drink, or whatever) should be for His glory.
• My Sin
Unfortunately, we could not have failed God more miserably than we have. We are all sinful from birth (Psalm 51:5). We are sinful and will one day stand before Him as our judge (Acts 17:30-31). Have you ever told a lie? (Even a small one?) That makes you a liar. If you were to look at the 10 Commandments and be completely honest, you would have to admit that you have broken every one of them. Romans 3:10-12, 23 & 6:23, Genesis 6:5 – These verses tell us that we are not looking for God. We are all sinful and we all deserve punishment for our sins, which is spiritual and physical death. We will all one day face judgment for our lives and our sins.
The biggest problem with sin is that we cannot earn our way to heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9). If we take an honest look at what the Bible teaches about our sinful condition, it will be a bit discouraging. It tells us that not only are we sinful, but also that we cannot do anything about this condition on our own.
• God’s Provision
BUT: in the midst of our sinfulness, God decided to do something about it. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” This is incredibly good news.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Jesus took the punishment for my sins. It was as if He had lived my life and He was punished in my place. 1 Corinthians 15:4 - This is the core truth of the Gospel: Christ died, was buried, and rose again. Thereby taking my place and enduring the punishment for my sin. He rose again to prove His power over death.1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God” Jesus died so that you could know God and be saved.
So how do I become a Christian?
• My Salvation
Romans 10:9-10 says, “…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, leading to righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, leading to salvation..” Mark 1:15 says, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” We must repent and believe in Jesus to be saved. It’s more than just believing the facts about Jesus. It involves repentance from sin and obedience. “Believe” means “to trust in, rely on, and cling to” Jesus alone as the solution to your sin problem. Only Jesus can save you. Will you repent and believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord?
We must have an accurate view of who Jesus is. We must respond to Him. Only Jesus can give us freedom from sin and judgment. Only Jesus can transform you and restore to you the relationship with God you need.
The ultimate question is “will you repent and believe in the Gospel? Will you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord (Master) and your Savior?” If you will, then you are saved. A thanksgiving prayer is definitely appropriate.
The Verses:
• God’s Glory
Psalm 96 – ”Recount His glory among the nations, His wondrous deeds among all the peoples.… For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but Yahweh made the heavens.… Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name;”
Ephesians 1:3-14 – In the longest sentence of the Bible, we find a description of what God has done for us in salvation. We see the phrase “to the praise of His glory” repeated three times.
1 Corinthians 10:31 – “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. “
• My Sin
Psalm 51:5 – Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me..
Acts 17:30-31 – …God is now commanding men that everyone everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness …
Romans 3:10-12 – as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” 3:22b-23 – for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Genesis 6:5 – Then Yahweh saw that the evil of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast.
• God’s Provision
Romans 5:8– But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 Peter 3:18 – For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God…
2 Corinthians 5:21 – He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
• My Salvation
Romans 10:9-10 – …if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, leading to righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, leading to salvation.
Mark 1:15 – …repent and believe in the gospel.
“Scripture quotation taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation.