Romans 1:16-17
For
I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to
everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the
righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The
righteous shall live by faith.” (ESV)
The reason your story (see previous mission trip devotional) is so powerful is
because it is rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the gospel of Jesus
Christ is the power of God for salvation.
There are numerous reasons why we don't share the gospel, including
fear, guilt, even embarrassment.
However, not knowing how to share the gospel should never be the reason
we don't share the good news. Every now
and again I get the opportunity to ask Christians whether or not they can
explain the gospel and how to be saved.
I am always amazed at the number of people who call themselves Christian
who cannot do that.
There may be many complicated and
mysterious aspects of our Christian theology, but the gospel itself is
elegantly simple without complication.
Paul explained it clearly in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5...
For
I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ
died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that
he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he
appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. (ESV)
The simplicity of the gospel is
exquisitely beautiful. Jesus, the one
and only Son of God, came to this earth according to the Scriptures to die so
that our sins may be forgiven. But that
death was not the end, because he arose from the dead, defeating death so that
we may have eternal life. That is the
gospel. We can have that forgiveness of
sins and the accompanying eternal life when we place our faith and trust in
Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul says
in Romans 10:9-10...
If
you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one
believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (ESV)
There are many ways in which this
gospel can be shared. In the previous
devotional, I spoke of the importance of knowing and being able to share your
story. Incorporating the gospel into the
second part of your story - how you met Jesus - is a very effective way to do
so. There are numerous others that you
can explore, including the Romans Road, the four Spiritual Laws, the F-A-I-T-H
method, the color wheel, the Evangecube, and others. One of the simplest methods is the one often
used with children in VBS and other places - the A-B-C method.
A - Admit that you are a sinner,
B - Believe that Jesus can save you,
and
C - Choose to follow Jesus (or Confess
Him as Lord).
I have personally found that in
cross-cultural situations where a translator is involved that the Evangecube
works really well because it allows the hearer to focus on the cube's
pictures. If you are unfamiliar with it,
you may consider looking into it.
In your quiet time today, meditate on
the very nature of the gospel. Consider
the significance of what Jesus did for you in dying on the cross. Consider further the eternal implications of
his resurrection from the dead. Thank
him for the sacrifice that he made so that you can be saved. If you do not have a favorite or preferred
method of sharing the gospel, consider researching some of the above methods
(they can all be found easily using internet searches) or perhaps search for
others. Over the next few days, choose
the method that you are most comfortable with and begin to practice using it so
that by the time we leave for Uganda you will be proficient with it.
Father, I pray that each of us will
become comfortable sharing the truth of the gospel with others. Give us wisdom as we consider how we may be
able to share your word on this trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment