DURBANVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH

“The Gospel is not a concept that needs fresh ideas, but a story that needs fresh telling” (Wright 2011: n.p.).
I was taken aback by the two truths this statement communicated. The first relating to how I tell the Gospel and the second being if I’m telling the Gospel enough.

It is very easy to “sugar-coat” the Gospel or altar it to suit a specific context, sometimes unintentionally. I realised that the concept of salvation is an unchanging and perfect process of God. We simply need to tell people who Jesus is and what He has done for them. There is not a great deal more than that when it comes to evangelising. We need not feel inclined to utter apologetic arguments. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:4 “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words.” Jesus says that the only way to be saved is through Him (John 14:6). Jesus does not need to be twisted or modernized. He is our salvation. If we are not telling others the full story of Jesus’s death and resurrection, as well as the judgment to be faced if one rejects Him, we could end up leading a group of blind disciples who may not truly know and love Jesus.

Do not water-down the Gospel to avoid offending non-believers. Speak truth and let the Holy Spirit do His work.
God calls us to go and make disciples (Matt. 28:26-27). This is His great commission to us, not a great suggestion. I truly feel that we need to have a fresh awakening of salvation and the importance of sharing this with others. We need not be pastors or paid professionals to do this. We just need a personal testimony of God’s work of grace in our lives.