SHARING

STEP 3 - SHARING THE GOSPEL - CHAPTER 15

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL IN A NUTSHELL?

 

UNDERSTANDING THE FOUR STEPS OF THE GOSPEL
Before starting, we want to state the obvious. Many years ago, in the church, the emphasis was sometimes on damnation, fire, and hell, and some still use that approach today. While those are truths and should not be minimized, we must present a different perspective, viewpoint, and attitude of the impact and results of God's forgiveness, love, and plan for each life.

Today's study guide will be different as it will be more in-depth with the meat and potatoes of the ABCs of the Gospel message with extensive details. We have a vast audience on our website from those searching for answers to new Christians. Others are developing their faith in growing and becoming a mature Christian. To help in your Gospel presentation, here is a refresher on the steps of salvation. You will not need to share or memorize all of this, but you must first need an accurate understanding of GOD'S PURPOSE - GOD'S LOVE AND GOD'S PEACE before sharing. You will come from a place of knowing God's message in its entirety. The rest of the study guides after this one will be in a summary form of sharing the Gospel and will be very easy to memorize the essence of the steps of sharing the Gospel with using different methods.

One day, a person reprimanded D. L. Moody for his evangelism methods in trying to win souls to the Lord. Moody's answer was, "I agree with you. I'm not too fond of the method I use either." Mr. Moody asked, "How do you do it?" The person replied, "I don't do it." D. L. Moody answered, "Then I prefer my method of doing it better than your plan of not doing it."

An inadequate method is better than no plan at all when sharing the Gospel. Why? Because even a clumsy, awkward, or cheeseball method that shares the Gospel is preferred than keeping your mouth closed! The Bible scripture says, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes..." (Romans 1:16.) So when Christians unleash the dynamite force of this Good News, it has an impact. Whether it's through sharing to a stranger, a book, your testimony, a video, a tract, the Gospel message has dynamism power, influence, affect, and impact.
Question, do you believe that?

You have probably asked yourself,  "what is the most reliable method for sharing the Gospel?" My response is don't concentrate on using a method, or technique, or formula yet. Focus on learning, studying, and mastering the message first.

IT IS ESSENTIAL!
If you understand the Gospel message, then you can connect the right method at the correct time to a specific person. If you don't understand and comprehend the message, then your method will be MECHANICAL and come across as MEMORIZED, rather than RELATABLE, SINCERE, CARING, AND GENUINE.

Your mission when sharing the Gospel should not be as much emphasizing the presentation, but the conversation. To discuss the Gospel, you need to know what that message is from top to bottom and beginning to end.

God puts a desire and a thirst in Christians to consider what occurs if people do not live for God. God has done so much for us and has changed many lives. His plan for all of us is peace and everlasting life. The only way to have that peace is to believe and accept Jesus in these four steps.

 

STEP 1 - GOD LOVES THEM
It is crucial to present the Gospel to show that God loves that individual and wants them to experience abundant peace and eternal life. Each person has a God-shaped vacuum, and a deep-seated and inherent need to be loved. And absolutely nothing can fill that hole but God. No religion, friends, and money will ever fill that void. We are not just born to live and die and have no real plan and purpose in life. God has a definite purpose and plan for each of us if we desire to experience God's peace and love. Do YOU BELIEVE that God has a plan and a real plan for your life and others? (Pause and Reflect!)

Start your presentation by asking the question, "Do you know the steps to have peace with God?" By asking this question, it will trigger an immediate response and open the door for a person to think about whether they have a personal relationship with God. You can follow up with a second question, "Did you know that God has a specific and unique plan for you?" Sparks interest and curiosity for those wanting to hear more about steps to peace with God. Lives can be changed radically as they learn of God's plan for them. (Encourage you to write out and know by heart and fix these two questions or something similar in your mind.)

STEP 1 - in our presentation of the Gospel, HAS TO BE "GOD LOVES YOU AND WANT YOU TO EXPERIENCE GOD'S PEACE, LOVE AND ABUNDANT LIFE." This is not a coincidence or an accident that God's message is Love, Peace, and Grace. Every individual wants to be loved and have security and peace. Those searching will look in all the wrong places like self-help books, eastern religions, tarot cards, religious organizations, mediation, more material things, yoga, families, good works, and the list goes on and on. Most of the world does not know that God has a plan for their lives and have no concept of how beautiful God's love is. It is critical that with your relationship with Jesus and your presentation in STEP 1, you truly believe that through Jesus Christ dying on the cross is indeed the answer to finding God's love. Lives will be changed as people learn about God's beautiful plan for them by you sharing the Gospel message. DO YOU BELIEVE STEP 1?
(Pause, Think, Consider, and Reflect!)

Our prayer is, "Lord, we believe that you love each person and want us to share your love with others. We trust the Holy Spirit will work and not of our words but your work in people's lives. We are thrilled, humbled, and excited to have this opportunity and privilege to be obedient to your calling. We stand on your promises for those that do not know you."

 

STEP 2 - OUR PROBLEM - SEPARATION FROM GOD
In your presentation, it is essential not to up-sell to a non-Christian that after accepting Christ, all will be well and that they will have peace and joy for the rest of your life. It is not a quick-rich scheme to get a good job, money, a family and all will be well with your soul, and all your problems will be over. If we as a soul-winner are ill-prepared, it is easy to leave a misled impression instead of discussing STEP 2 that our real problem is our separation from God. God made us with the ability to choose and what choices we make comes with a good or bad chain of reaction.

In the book of Genesis, chapter 3, Adam's choice was to obey or disobey God had a rippling effect and fallout for every generation till now. Romans 5:12 describes it; "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man [Adam] and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned." This verse outlines the four steps of this problem "sin entered" - "death entered" - "death spread" - "death reigned." It is the same as in the year 2020, when the COVID 19 virus hit China first and spread worldwide in a few months. When Adam sinned, we were all separated from God, and death began. It is a Spiritual Virus that plagues humankind forever. We have the choice to go our own sinful ways and be separated from God forever.

Recommend using Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Separation from God is everyone's problem. Non-Christians try to bridge this separation gap by religion, material things, good works, more money, and philosophies to no avail to bridge that gigantic, and humongous ravine between God and us. "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2.) Going to a doctor or a spa, you will be a healthy sinner. If you go to a therapist or psychiatrist, you are a reasonably adjusted sinner. If you achieve riches, you become a rich sinner. If you join a church and do good things, you become a religious sinner. The choice is ours, separated from God or a new life in Christ.

 

OUR ATTEMPTS TO REACH GOD
Comparing our efforts to finding peace with God in the 21st century is like going to a buffet, I won't eat this, and I like that. If we don't like anything, we just leave it on our plate. Have you ever gone with someone to a buffet that leaves half their food on their plate? Embarrassing, isn't it. Interestingly enough, some even brag about it.

It is the same in the spiritual realm, saying I do not need to attend a local church, pay tithes, get water baptized, or stop doing what I know is wrong. We are all presented with individual choices and decisions. We can decide to go our own sinful way and be separated from God forever. Or, like some 21st non-Christians and Christians, it is like going to a spiritual buffet, they will mix beliefs that work for them. If they cannot find it in one place, they look hard enough to find it in this religion or church.

This is like Cafeteria Religion, in which people pick and choose doctrines, practices, and religious beliefs. Just like a buffet, we want to mix and match our spiritual food and beliefs that we feel comfortable with selecting practices and teachings from a smorgasbord of philosophies and religions. Others go to house meetings instead of going to church on Sundays or stay home watching sermons on TV and the internet. You can compare it to a gigantic spiritual smorgasbord making up our own religious beliefs to satisfy our individual tastes. A kind of happy go lucky doctrines in some churches or money-focused messages with some TV evangelists with a mismatch of beliefs abandoning sound doctrine as OUR SIN PROBLEM IS SEPARATION FROM GOD.
(Pause, Think, Consider, and Reflect!)

Or some 21st Christians spend countless years searching for the perfect church that matches their lifestyle. Here is a funny and relatable video of a 21st-couple looking for their ideal church with their views of what their church should look like at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2FrYWub95o. (Highly recommend and worth watching and relevant in today's society.)

Questions related to the above video.
Are you or people in your circle of friends like that couple in the video?
Do we look at finding and going to a church like a spiritual buffet we want this and not that attitude?
Does your pastor try and appease everyone with their sermons, dress code, activities, etc.?
Does your pastor and board relate more to the world's standards or God's Word?
Does that video represent our present 21st-century Christian and non-Christian culture?
Are you prone to that cafeteria type of buffet that I don't like this and that mentality in spiritual things?
If we are honest with ourselves, we can all fall into that category in some ways.

These are essential questions to ask yourself as we want to share the true Gospel with others. Unfortunately, we are living in a time when the Gospel message is getting lost in some churches. Sometimes increasing numbers in the church membership becomes a priority, and how they get there is not much of a concern. Nowadays, we have swung the other way, where "HOLY," separated living isn't talked about enough anymore because we worry it might offend people and not be visitor-friendly. For it is written in 1 Peter 1:16, "Be holy because I am holy." However, when the Holy Spirit starts His work, we will invariably have a fresh brand-new desire for holiness and pursuit for Christlikeness. The world HOLY communicates separation and purity. It must be valuable to God, for He tells us, "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness, no one will see the Lord." (Hebrews 12:14.) Holiness is not a record of do's and don'ts; instead, it is Christlikeness. As the Holy Spirit works, we will have an increased passion and desire to be holy like Christ. What more would the Holy Spirit do, but impart and reveal His own nature and essence into our lives?

To qualify, not all churches and pastors are like that. You will be able to tell very easily which category your pastor is in. Always pray for your pastor as it is one of the hardest jobs dealing with people, but for eternity sake, the most rewarding wanting to do God's will as a shepherd over God's flock.

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." After presenting Romans 6:23, it should be clear in your presentation that God created us to have a free will, and each individual has a choice. Choose life or death, their choice! We cannot reach God on our own efforts. Instead, we must turn around and change one's mind or heart (the meaning of repent) and be remorseful. We will want to go God's way, accepting Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Faithfully communicate the problem and the solution in our 21st-century culture. Yes, you will have opposition, but please do not water down the Gospel message. John 8:32 says, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Stand on these words as you deliver God's dynamic, living, saving message to the lost.

(Pause, Think, Consider, and Reflect on Your Beliefs and Your Presentation!)

 

STEP 3 - GOD'S ANSWER - THE CROSS
OR GOD'S SOLUTION - THE CROSS
OR GOD'S REMEDY - THE CROSS
OR DISCOVER GOD'S BRIDGE - THE CROSS

If you are like me, I always watch the weather channel at night to plan for the next day. The weather channel gives me the answers to what I can do or not do and helps in solving the solution to understanding what is practical and needed for the next day. If it is sunny, let's go to the beach and dress appropriately for a beautiful sunny day. If the forecast is for rain, the solution is to do something inside or at the very least bring an umbrella and wear warm clothes. The weather's current condition will affect what I do and wear.

In our relationship with God are current condition is crucial in understanding the chief and extreme importance of the cross. Ephesians 2:1 says, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins." On one side, we understand through our choices and rebellion, we are doomed for eternal punishment in hell. On the other hand, we will see the necessity and the vital part of what Jesus did on the cross for us.

The IMMENSE QUESTION is, what we do with God's answer, God's solution, and God's remedy. We have to come to God on His terms, not ours. That is the Cross that God's son Jesus Christ died and rose again for our sins. Nothing else will suffice, world religion, our accomplishments, trying to earn God's approval or buying God's favor. None of these will work to change our current condition. This far-reaching and crucial scripture verse says ..."For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5.)

THE CROSS is where our sin is paid for, and the devil is conquered.

1. The Cross Conquers Sin And Death
The most crucial event ever is understanding the cross and resurrection of Jesus that death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:54-55.)

2. The Cross Reveal the Trinity
God the Father sent His Son Jesus to save the world by dying on the cross, and the Holy Spirit applies the work of redemption to us when we acknowledge our sins and turn and accept Christ. (Ephesians 1:7-10.)

3. The Cross is the Center of the Gospel Story
There is no Gospel message without the cross. Jesus empties himself and becomes a servant of all and is exalted as ruler of all. (Philippians 2:9-11.) Jesus on the cross took on the sins of the world and paid the penalty for our sins. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:2, "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Nothing else matters not below, above or beyond the cross, but in the cross only.
(Please let that sink in.)

4. The Cross Conquered the Spiritual Forces of Darkness
Jesus not only conquered sin and death, but He defeated the spiritual forces of darkness and disarmed their power and authority. (Colossians 2:14.)

5. The Cross is Our Replacement - Christ Our Substitute
The cross for us is where Jesus took our place for our behalf and laid down his life for us. If conquering spiritual forces was the goal in point #4 above, SUBSTITUTION is the base for this conquering. JESUS AS OUR SACRIFICE (Hebrews 9:26), JESUS AS OUR ATONEMENT ( 1 John 2:2), JESUS AS OUR REDEMPTION (Ephesians 1:7), JESUS AS OUR RECONCILIATION (2 Corinthians 5:18-19), JESUS AS OUR ADVOCATE (1 John 2:1), JESUS AS OUR JUSTIFICATION (Romans 4:25).

Jesus Christ stood alone as our SUBSTITUTE, took our place as our Sacrifice, Atonement, Redemption, Reconciliation, Advocate, Justification, and much more. The cross is where our sin is paid for, and the devil is conquered. Are you excited about what Christ has done for you? In contrast, we get excited about a sports game, a new product, or telling others about a new restaurant, don't we? We should be awakened and passionate and stand in awe in thankfulness, indebtedness, gratefulness, and praise at all God has done, is doing and will do for us. It is a no-brainer! Are you excited about sharing the "GOOD NEWS" with others about Jesus? Please take a second and ponder and write out what Jesus Christ alone has done for you and why we should share.

First, our PROBLEM IS OUR CURRENT CONDITION IS ENDING IN SIN AND DEATH.
Second, the SOLUTION IS GOD HAS MADE A BRIDGE TO HIM THROUGH THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST.

In our presentation of sharing the Gospel, it is essential to present a visual picture of realizing this dilemma. Some suggestions you can use are:
1. A good illustration is to create a seeable picture to those who do not know Christ using two mountain ranges with a vast chasm between them.
2. From your own example and experience of showing the gap between God and you and how you discovered the bridge (the cross) to God.
3. Some examples of images of the gap between mankind, the cross, and God at pinterest.ca here.
4. A later lesson will show a simple way of showing the gap between man and God using a napkin.
5. Ever gone traveling across a body of water and the draw bridge is stuck open. You cannot cross and get to your destination. No matter what you do on your own, you cannot bridge that gigantic gap. You cannot walk or swim in a large body of water. No matter how good you are, you cannot jump that humongous opening. You are stuck in your current condition. There is no course of action that you can do. Same as in the spiritual realm, Jesus Christ is the only answer to this problem. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave. Paying the penalty for each of our sins and bridging the inaccessible gap between God and us. "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6.) God has provided the only way to heaven to bridge that gap. Colossians 2:13-14 reads, "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross." We have a free will and must make a choice.

Please take the time and listen to this song, "Living Hope," done by Bethel Worship at this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy_7ayrRhZY.
This song reminds me of how much I am loved and will be loved by God. "Jesus, I love you, and thank you for all you have done."

Read the Lyrics to "Living Hope" here.

 

STEP4 - OUR RESPONSE - RECEIVE CHRIST
OR
RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR

I am always excited to hear how folks come to Christ in different situations. In my twenties, I never connected with their being a God that loves me. When I look back, I lived a very selfish life, not caring how drinking, light drugs, and stealing affected those around me. That all changed when someone invited me to a church service. I did not know anything about Christianity, but I did realize that night I had to turn from my life of sin and give my heart to Jesus. That night Christ made me a new creation; the old ways were gone.

That first year as a new Christian, when things were going well, I knew God loved me. But when difficult situations came up, I had doubts that I accepted Christ or was saved. This went on for a year, up and down with disbelieve and mistrust.
Questions like:
Was my salvation experience real?
Why did I have such fluctuating emotions when things did not go my way?
About a year later, I heard a sermon SIMPLY BELIEVE YOU ACCEPTED JESUS AS LORD AND SAVIOR. From that day forward, I BELIEVED that I accepted Christ and never doubted my salvation ever again. That night it was like it was written in stone on my heart; simply trust and believe. I did not rely on my emotions or situations and admitted my helplessness by turning over my trust to Christ alone for salvation. God's promise to you in John 1:12-13: "Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."

We transfer our trust to Christ in faithfulness that connects us with God. By faith and trust, we acknowledge that Jesus died in our place on the cross. He took the penalty that we deserved. By faith, we stand and rest on Christ's promise that He will receive those who come to Christ for acceptance and forgiveness. When we receive Jesus, we believe and have faith that He bridged the vast gap between God and us by submitting to His majesty and Lordship. It is essential to share this simple truth to the person you are sharing with simply trust and believe when you communicate the four steps below.

FOUR STEPS TO RECEIVE CHRIST RIGHT NOW!!
Every soul-winner should know these four steps by heart.
First, salvation cannot be earned by going to church or being an upright person or not by any human means. We are saved by God's wonderful GRACE when we put our trust and faith in God's Son, Jesus Christ. In our human intellect, we make it complicated; it is simple to have a personal relationship with God as scriptures tell us even a child can understand it.

OUR PRESENTATION OF THE FOUR STEPS
For anyone to receive Christ right now:
STEP 1. That God Loves them unconditionally and wants that person to experience God's peace and love.

STEP 2. The person needs first to Admit their spiritual need of being disobedient and rejecting God. They must realize that sin has separated them from God, and they cannot save themselves. Admitting their guilt and seeing their helplessness is the second step. Crucial to draw a mental picture of what has separated them from God that the person understands totally.

STEP 3. You must Believe that you are a sinner and that Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross and ask for His forgiveness. We cannot save ourselves by religion or good works, and Jesus paid it all for us. Be willing to Turn from your sins and be remorseful and want to stop sinning.

STEP 4. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart and life by a personal invitation by praying. It does not matter what you have done in the past good or bad, or how rich or poor you are. None of these things are relevant; just come empty of yourself to God. Accepting with your heart, Jesus died on the cross that you can have a personal relationship.

JESUS CHRIST LOVES YOU AND KNOWS YOU. Here is a suggested prayer:
DEAR LORD JESUS, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my life. I want to trust You as Savior and follow You as Lord.  Amen.

It is not as important the words you say as the attitude of your heart. Be honest when you pray to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. God will listen and hear every word.

Which side are you on?
The side without Him or with Christ?

SUMMING-UP
There is a story of a man named Bob that slipped on a rock cliff path. He grabbed the side of the mountain as he was falling and was hanging on for dear life. The Lord appeared and asked, "Do you believe I can save you?" "Yes," responded Bob immediately. "I believe you can save me." Lord said, "then, LET GO, and I will save you." That is FAITH the "LETTING GO."

We rely on our rationalizing our good deeds, being an upright person, going to church, our intellect, or trying to please God. Instead, we need to move all our trust to Jesus ("LETTING GO"). We are His because of what He has done for us, not what we have done.
As mentioned above, my first year as a Christian, my faith was weak and wavering until I heard a simple sermon "SIMPLY BELIEVE" as you turn from your sins and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. By the Grace of God to this day never doubted to "LET GO" and simply trust and BELIEVE that I am a child of God. Communicate this effectively and clearly, "TRUST AND LET GO AND BELIEVE."

For those reading this that feel weak, feeble, and are wavering, encourage you to trust and BELIEVE God, please "LET GO." For those that do not have a personal relationship with Christ, do it right now, turn from your sins, and accept Christ (more information here.)  You never know this might be your last opportunity.

What Does The Resurrection Mean In Our Daily Lives?
Vital to understanding the Resurrection Power for our daily life as we share the Gospel. Most of us connect it with that Jesus died for my sins and eternal life, but not with everyday life.
How is the resurrection meaningful and vital in your situation, family, or job?
How does it affect a life overwhelmed by demands on our time?

The power and influence of the resurrection are that Jesus is alive and gives us a newness of life. What an all-embracing and compelling truth. Yet Christians often don't experience this uniqueness in our daily lives. Jesus finished the work, he rose again, and He has blessed us with an amazing way of life. In claiming His resurrection power, we can put it on like a uniform wearing it daily. (1 Corinthians 15:54.) The Holy Spirit begins a new awareness and conviction to us if we are walking and living following His control. Habits, actions, words, character, and attitudes that are unholy cause a response from the Spirit, who is Holy. When you give your life to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will lovingly send out cautions and signals to keep you following His example. He breathes into Christians his own Spirit and empowers us to bring HIS GOOD NEWS — the blessed hope — to all who are lost and afraid.

Here is a good visual presentation - THE BRIDGE - Gospel Presentation - a 3-minute video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCMpeLNEA30.

PLEASE TELL YOUR STORY 
Pray for opportunities and share your story with those individuals this week.

Next Study Guide - 16. Boldly Sharing Jesus

Fun Contest: we will pick one testimony to win a free Bible once a month.
Your testimony will be judged by its sincerity and thought that went into it. Everyone's story is important to God and us.
Join the Contest here.

See you tomorrow. We will be looking at sharing your testimony in more detail.

RECOMMEND:
PRAYER BOOKMARK IN SHARING THE GOSPEL PDF DOWNLOAD
( Recommend Printing Bookmark PDF To Use In Your Bible - Makes 4 Bible Bookmarks.)
PRAYER GUIDE IN SHARING THE GOSPEL PDF DOWNLOAD HERE
(Keep a copy in your Bible.)