Sharing the Gospel Message
Notes
Transcript
I think if we were to sit down with people and ask them what they thought would be important to Christians, they would have a lot of answers. I think the way people behave would be on that list. I think going to church would be there. There are many things they would think, and we might even get what should be number one at our churches wrong as well.
What should be at the top of our list is the Gospel.
What should be at the top of our list is the Gospel.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
If we take a look at the verbs in these verses, we can see how the Gospel is shared from person to person.
Underline preached, received, saved, and preached again.
Think about when you first heard the Gospel message. For me, I was raised in the church, so probably the first time I heard the Gospel message taught was in a Sunday School class. I probably didn’t understand it, but I was being taught about it. I heard about it in worship services as well. It was when I was in second grade, I put all the pieces together and understood what the Gospel meant to me and that I needed a Savior.
To hold fast to the Gospel means we make it a part of our daily lives. We give thanks to the gift that was given to us and we live a life which glorifies our Lord. To me, your salvation is something which is lived out over a lifetime. People who waver in it, were more than likely never true believers to begin with.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
If we quickly take a look at the last verse of this passage, we should share the Gospel story with those around us so the word can be spread of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
I think we need to thank God daily for the gift which was given to us through His Son. I think if we can remember where we came from, it helps us to remember we all started at the same place, as sinners, and we all are in need of a Savior. Not just some, all.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect life. He became the sacrifice for my sin when He took my place on the cross and died for me. Then on the third day after His death, He rose from the dead conquering sin and death forever.
Verses 3 & 4 give us the most concise and earliest statements of faith. If we take a look at this as our guide so we can make our own person statement of faith, it would have everything in it which we need to tell the Gospel story.
Paul shared that what happened to Jesus was in accordance to the scriptures, letting people know that His birth, life, death, and resurrection were things which had been talked about in the Bible. All of this was foretold, and it all came true. We can trust the Word of God due to the prophesies which have been fulfilled. We can trust that the ones which haven’t will also be fulfilled according to His plan and timing.
18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Our faith and hope is in God, the Maker of heaven and earth. He has given us this gift of salvation in which our redemption is found.
We need to hold to the fact that the resurrection of Christ is an actual event in history, and not some story in a book. If this is how we think of the resurrection of Christ, then the whole thing falls apart. The Bible is real. The events which happen in the Bible are part of world history. We either believe it all or we believe in nothing. There is no in between. The Bible is the tapestry of God’s work throughout history. It was written by mortals who were inspired by God to write each and every word. Take a thread out of this “tapestry” and it falls apart. We have to believe the whole and put our faith and trust in it.
5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,
6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,
The Gospel is shown in this section of scripture as having come to us. The message of Christ, wherever it was being shared, was taking hold. It was producing fruit. God was blessing the preaching of His Word. He was blessing the sharing of the Gospel story. The Holy Spirit was working through the people of God.
We should be seeing this happening in the local church as well. We should be hearing stories of those who are going out and sharing His story. We are called to do this. Even in a world which now believes what “your truth” is can be different from the “truth” of another person. The simple fact is, the Bible’s truth should be what our standard is. No more, no less. The Bible should dictate what is truth, period.
Questions for you to think about this week.
Questions for you to think about this week.
How would you describe your current understanding and practice of sharing the Gospel: crawling like a wounded soldier, taking your first steps, walking confidently, or running? Why?
How would you describe your current understanding and practice of sharing the Gospel: crawling like a wounded soldier, taking your first steps, walking confidently, or running? Why?
What are some of the environments in which you find yourself where the truth of the Gospel is being challenged? What is God calling you to do to stand for truth in that situation?
What are some of the environments in which you find yourself where the truth of the Gospel is being challenged? What is God calling you to do to stand for truth in that situation?