Evangelism 101
HOW TO SHARE THE GOSPEL
The word gospel comes from the Greek word εὐαγγέλιον euangelion which simply means “good news”.[1] It certainly is the best news ever proclaimed on earth – for it contains the message of eternal life. In fact, Jesus commanded His disciples to “preach the gospel” to the whole creation.[2] This was not a command to “professional” preachers – but rather to ALL believers.[3] But what is the gospel and how should it be proclaimed?
The Gospel of John – Our Instruction Manual
Fortunately, God has not left us in ignorance as to the most effective ways of sharing His good news. In fact, He has given us an entire BOOK that presents Jesus’ method of evangelism. The purpose of John’s Gospel is stated in John 20:31:
but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
So you see that John’s Gospel was written primarily to unbelievers[4] that they might obtain eternal life. Over and over, in this Gospel, we can see and hear Jesus evangelizing the lost – both to individuals and large groups – and observe the approach that He used. What was the method of Jesus?
The Essence of the Gospel
There are, of course, a number of incidents in the Gospel of John where Jesus shared the Gospel. One thing we observe is that He was not perfunctory or mechanical in His approach.[5] But in each encounter He communicated the same message. And what did that message include? It is summarized in the following three words:
· BELIEVE[6]
· JESUS
· ETERNAL LIFE[7]
As an example, consider the words of perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
But also, consider the following statements by Christ in John:
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes Him Who sent me has eternal life – and shall not come into judgment but has passed from death unto life.[8]
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has eternal life.[9]
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”[10]
Thus, the basic content of the gospel is very clear. These three elements are always included in the gospel. [11] Our goal is let our listeners know that JESUS GIVES ETERNAL LIFE TO ALL WHO BELIEVE IN HIM.[12]
JESUS, our Model in Evangelism
As mentioned earlier, Jesus was NOT routine in His approach to evangelism. Every encounter was unique because it involved a person. And every person is unique in his thinking and beliefs. Therefore, Jesus sought to interact with His enquirers – but He always clarified the Gospel. Though, in our age, many evangelists seek to lead enquirers in a prayer of commitment or to sign a pledge, Jesus did not follow such an approach. His goal (and the Apostles’[13]) was always the same - to get people to believe in Him.[14] And this leads infallibly to assurance of salvation.[15] So God offers eternal life - as a gift[16] - to all who believe in His Son.[17] This is the message of the Gospel.[18]
“He who believes in Me has eternal life.”
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[1] The verb form εὐαγγελίζω euangelizo is also widely used in the New Testament. It means “to proclaim good news” and is derived from two words eu = good and angello = deliver a message. The verb and noun are used 132 times in the New Testament.
[2] Mark 16:15.
[3] See Acts 8:4, I Thess. 1:6-8. This is also because the message is so very simple. We are simply inviting people to believe the words of Jesus Christ: “He who believes in Me has eternal life”.
[4] Though, certainly, there is also instruction for believers.
[5] For example, His approach to Nicodemus [John 3], the religious teacher of Israel, was vastly different from the Samaritan woman [John 4].
[6] The Greek word πιστεύω pisteuo = believe is used exactly 100 times in John’s gospel.
[7] The Greek word ζωή zoe = life and its derivatives is found 54 times in John’s gospel.
[8] John 5:24.
[9] John 6:47.
[10] John 11:25-26. This particular passage clarifies what belief in Jesus means. Jesus states that the one who believes in Him will be resurrected [that is, be immortal and live forever] and also has eternal life. To believe that Jesus is the Christ [John 20:31, I John 5:1, John 11:27] is John’s equivalent way of saying believe in Him. Either way expresses the fact that Jesus gives eternal life to all who believe in Him. It is believing that Jesus guarantees my eternal destiny [not simply believing that He existed or even died on the cross] that gives me eternal life.
[11] This is NOT to say that we normally would not include many other things [such as the meaning of the cross or the deity of Christ] as we present the Gospel. But this is the bare minimum of what one must believe to be saved. Acts 16:31.is also a clear statement of the Gospel.
[12] Another way of saying this is: JESUS GUARANTEES THE ETERNAL DESTINY OF ALL WHO BELIEVE IN HIM.
[13] See Acts 2:44, 4:4, 5:14, 8:12, 13 etc.. pisteuo = believe is found 37 times in the book of Acts.
[14] False approaches to the Gospel would include the following: Asking people to believe that Jesus died on the cross, asking people to believe facts about Jesus and then appropriate those facts, ask Jesus into your heart, commit yourself to Christ.
[15] A person knows whether he has believed or not – at least at the moment of faith [note John 11:27, 9:35-38, 1 John 5:10]. And a person has only to believe once to receive eternal life [note John 4:13-14, John 6:35-40]. Of course, I could doubt an earlier conviction [Matt. 11:3, II Tim. 2:18]. But my doubt does not alter the fact of God’s eternal work in my life [I cannot be unborn once I am born again (see John 6:35-40, II Tim. 2:13)]. Any other approach to evangelism [like seeing if your life changes or praying a prayer] will NOT lead to assurance of salvation. As one person has expressed it: “assurance is of the essence of saving faith”.
[16] John 4:10, Eph. 2:8-9, Rev. 22:17.
[17] Although Jesus did not include the message of the cross in the gospel, Paul and the Apostles did (see I Cor. 2:2, 15:3-11). Thus, living after the victory of the cross, they revealed that Jesus had paid the price for the sins of all mankind (John 1:29, I John 2:2, II Cor. 5:19-21). Jesus, therefore, has made it possible for anyone to be saved through simple faith in His name. The reason that men will be condemned to Hell is NOT because their sins have not been paid for but because they do not have eternal life (Rev. 20:15). Thus we can tell everyone that Christ has paid for their sins and that now they can believe on Him for eternal life.
[18] Though man’s responsibility is to believe the Gospel, it is very important to realize that God is sovereign in this process. In other words, it is God who must reveal to the lost person the truth of the Gospel (Matt. 16: 17, Acts 16:14, II Cor 4:4-6) and draw that person to Himself (John 6:44-46). Though we can become part of this drawing/learning process (I Cor. 3:9), it is ultimately GOD who saves the lost.