What's the Most Effective Way to Present the Gospel?

This is core Christianity were answering your questions about the Christian life Monday through Friday. Your hosts are author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton and Pastor atrial Sanchez call right now with your question.

At 1833, the court is 1-833-843-2673 and now here's atrial Sanchez hello and welcome to another episode of the answer your questions about the faith.

I'm with Prof. Michael Horton, I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez you share your faith in Jesus with other people is one of the things that we really struggle with as Christians in it.

My kind I know that many believers there is nothing more terrifying to them and the idea of having to do evangelism if we have all these seminars that we do in the church and books that we print and whatnot did wanting to help people share their faith in one of the things that I think is so important about core Christianity.

The core doctrines of the faith is, the more someone understands the truth of Scripture, the more comfortable they are going to feel natural to be natural, being able to talk about who Jesus is and what he's done for us. It really is good news.

We program everything atrial you know we talk about prayer. How how hard prayers.

I think one of the reasons is because we turn it into a program. It's a spiritual discipline like that term not because I like the term discipline, but it turns it into a program is a thing of prayer is talking to the God who made you and redeemed you, it's on your father through the mediation of his son, and the power of his Holy Spirit prayers munication. We could probably visit evangelism is talking about the God who redeemed us with other people in my say that's all it is thus that's the power of it.

That's how great it is in a let's not turn it into a thing like a program that we just have to I'm in have to take a seminar to learn how to share my faith now actually the most important thing is you say drill is knowing what you believe, why you believe it, and therefore being able to explain it in very bite-size ways to people you run into everyday.

This really gets us into our first call. Let's listen to Jen's question from want and wondering what you think it best to restart or direction to About the nonbeliever unable to wrap their mind around the Bible and Christianity, because as we all know it's hard to be on the other side wondering what you think back approach and fair yes thank you Jen. I'm really glad that you have non-Christian friends and you have a heart to share the good news with them now course, a lot depends on context. How will you know them. How much time you have to share the gospel with them. You know you see them fairly regularly you you don't feel like you have to share everything all at the same time and if you don't know them well then to just kind of come out of the gate with your four things that I want to share with you will come off as kind of canned. I think the best way to start is by focusing on the gospel story itself. That's what we have four Gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John each tells the same story from a different angle with different emphases.

We often encourage people to read the Gospel of John.

First, because it's such a wonderful presentation of the the history that summarized in John 316 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. That's really a summary of the whole book. In fact, John says at the end of John's gospel that he wrote it so that people would believe in Christ, John 20 verse 31, so it's not just tenants. It's not just doctrines. Christianity is not just a collection of doctrines that we check off. Certainly there are doctors why we call it core Christianity, but the doctrines only make sense as part of that wider story when we say the Gospels the Bible's main theme. We don't just being here and there, we mean the whole Bible Genesis to Revelation is unified by one message of salvation and it's all about Jesus. Another gradebook to take people through his moments. You may have heard of the Romans Road it can sound canned like other presentations can but at least you're using Scripture and you can do it in a way that that doesn't come off as canned the first verse on the Romans Road is Romans 323 for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

None of us is perfect. None of us has fulfilled God's law. There's no one who's righteous, no not one. So we need to be justified by his grace and then Romans three verses 10 through 18 there you have a detailed picture of what sin looks like in our lives but then on the second verse on the Romans Road is Romans 623 for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So the punishment we deserve is borne by Christ, and he bore the wages now, we are saved in him for small people have to understand what their plight is what is their misery. That's why we have to first of all, give them God's word in the law. The law condemns assault, then we turn to the gospel and that's how Romans works first three chapters up to verse 19 of chapter 3 are all telling us by the works of the law no human being will be justified in God's sight. The law only tells us that we fallen short, and then in verse 20 he says, but now the righteousness of God as a gift, not as a demand but as a gift is revealed to us in the gospel of Jesus Christ and then Romans 51 tells us. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, none amazing. We actually have objective peace with the God we have rebelled against.

We declared war on through Jesus Christ we been reconciled to God the father and therefore Romans 81. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Finally at the end of chapter 8. Paul tells us that no one can charge God's elect with anything that Christ is the one who bore our guilt we been justified and even our suffering right now is not God's judgment against us. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us from convinced Paul says that neither death or life, nor angels or demons or any height or depth, nor any creature will ever be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. So those are some passages that you could cut a walk through for a a basic presentation of the gospel and a lot of cases here Jen you just you you won't have the time to even hit the highlights, much less unpack these amazing parts of Scripture part of it just to listen to where they are. You can't say everything but there's so much that you can say that reveals the truth of God's good news in Jesus Christ. So start wherever start wherever you feel comfortable in the conversation. It all depends on context. For example, most people I run into on the street. Jen think religion is subjective. It's all about what makes you feel good or be good even if you can get just a single point across. You could maybe start with the resurrection of Jesus as a historical fact. And why are you a Christian will your Christian not just because it works for you makes you happy and so for your Christian because true Jesus rose from the dead. And that's a historical fact, even if they don't accept that truth immediately. At least maybe you can get them to to go away thinking about. Oh well okay this is it like all the other religions.

Whatever works for you as long as it makes you feel good. Know this is about something that either did or didn't happen in history and if you have an extra minute or two. You can talk about what it means. Romans 425 he was crucified for our sins and was raised for our justification. The doctrine tells us what it means for us. He was not only crucified and raised he was crucified for my sins and your sins he was raised for our justification. The last thing I'd say Jen. Here it is, you know, plant the seed see what God does.

Paul tells us in first Corinthian's 36 I planted the seed Apollo's watered. But God gave the growth of their different people who are applying different roles in this farming business that were involved in is what evangelism is farming. Maybe somebody planted the seed before you, Jen. Maybe you're the one who's gonna plant the seed but that doesn't mean that you have to be the one who waters it and cultivates it. There will be other people involved so don't think you have to just kind of make them drink out of a fire hose with a gospel presentation. Other people will come along. Trust the Lord to use you in a even a small way to play a role in that, always remembering that whoever plants whoever waters whoever cultivates is the Lord who makes it grow. Let me just throw out to we have a book called core Christianity.

And I wrote this, not just for new Christians and older Christians but also for non-Christian is a little book that you can hand to a non-Christian, not as a copout for not talking to them yourselves. That's a very important thing we don't just want to hand people books and say okay now I've done my good luck can run but it is I think a booklet that does were talking about here helping people understand. First things first. Why do we believe that Jesus is God's son, who became flesh for us.

One of the reasons for believing the resurrection.

So for core Christianity could be a really good thing to to give to somebody you love or care about or somebody you just met to help them understand the basics of Christian teaching. That's right it was in a core Christianity give us a call with your question about the faith. 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833, the court and hate want let you know about our YouTube channel. There are some short clips of some of the action here in the studio really great resources free to share online with your friends answering some of the questions that we did here on the course of our YouTube channel and remember you can also email us a question at questions at core, Christianity.com you, Jen. One of the things I really appreciate about your questions. I can tell you want to be sensitive to the fact that this friend you know that they don't have the Christian background that you do and were all approaching the world from these different perspectives to the site idea of worldview. The how do we bring someone along who they don't share our same convictions and presuppositions about God and more and more these days is not as they don't share our same assumptions they'd never heard it's right.

The story told from the Christian point of view they don't know the basic plot line of the Bible, and sometimes it's even Christian staff is I really appreciate Jen that that you're wanting to think about this so deeply on a couple of other resource many books, it might be helpful. Great cocoa has a couple books on evangelism what is called tactics. Another one, which I think specifically getting to this idea of worldview and how to bring someone along his recall the story of reality which I think really is a great book not just for us to read, as Christians, but it's one of those books you can hand to somebody who doesn't understand noncredit background under scenario and they could follow along and then my guess you were Sanctus really getting to straight to the gospel in our conversations because that's where the powers of the spirit of God works together with the gospel.

I think hopefully all of this together. You know whether it's going to the book of Romans, going to the book of John, just get to Jesus and watch the spirit of God work when you do him eliciting the core Christianity and that's what we want to do on this program is want to get to Jesus over and over again. You can give us a call with your question at 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833 the core. You can also email us at questions at core, Christianity.com and Instagram message we received from Phil, does God show grace to everyone and do people just rejected. Thank you for that question. Phil you know that sometimes we think about God's grace. You hear theologians or pastors talk about God's common grace so you look at a verse like Matthew five verse 45 where it says were Jesus said he God makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust is the idea that God is just as good in in in creation to all the worldview he causes the rainfall and good people and bad people, grace doesn't save us, though we need special grace God's mercy towards sinners.

The Bible is absolutely clear Phil for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 316, the free offer of the gospel goes out to everyone, without distinction God says come take freely receive. The problem is because of our sinfulness and the hardness of our hearts we turn away from that message. It was Stephen was about to be martyred in acts seven. He preach the gospel to a group of unbelieving Jews and he told them you stiffnecked people uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit as your fathers did, so do you ask 751 so. Yet people resist God's grace and this is why we need the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit within us, making us alive to embrace the good news of Jesus. Later in the book of accident. I think you actually see this at work in a really neat way and a woman named Lydia what Luke wrote about her one who hurt us.

A woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira seller of purple goods was a worshiper of God, the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.

Acts 1614 really an important verse. I think this is one of the great tensions. I think the Bible presents us with Phil. We have to be careful to weep one with the Bible speaks to us through the Scriptures teach that all of us are responsible before God for the things we do and believe no one can say to God, it's your fault. God and yet it's absolutely clear that apart from God's grace. None of us would ever have believed. To begin with we were spiritually dead. Like the apostle Paul said in Ephesians chapter 2, and so the free offer of the gospel.

The goodness of God's message of salvation goes out to everyone, without distinction, but we wouldn't believe it. If it wasn't for the free grace of God working within us right Mike exactly I love the distinction that your mentioning between common grace, which Jesus is referring to in Matthew five and saving grace. God is good to all the creatures he's made. But he is good in a saving way. He seeks and saves those whom he has chosen you and redeemed in Jesus Christ. Those whom he predestined he call those and he called he justified those whom he justified he glorified as Paul says in in Romans 830 so when God sets down that path to save someone yeah of course everybody he saves would say no on their own. This is everybody else would. But he always gets his man or his woman, he draws us saving only to himself, not against our will by renewing our will so that we come willingly and is not according to our merits that he draws us. You know I'm preaching right now through the book of Galatians in a minute section at the end of Galatians chapter 1 were Paul's talking about his conversion, you think about Paul and the way he was living the things he was doing for God to draw him into the church while he way there he did, and yet, as he is on his way to imprison Christians. It just goes to show you this is all of grace. It wasn't because he was or we were good or righteous or merited God's love and salvation know God is so merciful to us and and at the end of the day. God gets all the glory and amount, eliciting a core Christianity were answering your questions about the fate if you want to follow up about that previous question, or if you have another question. Give us a call at 1-833-843-2673.

That's 1833 the core. You can also email us at questions at core, Christianity.com. We have a special offer. We want to let you know about today. Yeah Israel. We have a resource called eight things everyone should know about the church and it's free. When you sign up for weekly newsletter at core Christianity. We love the church. We talk about a lot. As you know, because the bride of Christ, and we will encourage everyone to belong to a visible expression of Christ body. This resource will help you understand what church is and how to best honor God through your participation in your local church. So head on over to core Christianity.com/offers to download eight things everyone should know about church. You can also give us a call at 1-833-843-2673 for help getting hold of any of the special offers that we make for you each day like we talk a little bit about prayer already with a question that we received earlier, but Kendra asked us on Facebook what you think is the most important thing people need to know about prayer was the one thing about the one thing yeah will first of all, what is prayer.

It's talking to God. Why do you talk to your spouse or your friends is to get to know them better. You like them to deepen your relationship with them. You will communicate with them while God communicates with us through his word and we communicate back to him through prayer. So his word and our words.

I think also it's important to remember it. It's not just left to our own imagination. When we speak back our prayers to him. Even their God gives us words that we ought to pray, think of the Lord's prayer. The disciples said more than how should we pray and he said pray like this, our father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, and so forth and so he taught them a prayer.

He gave them words look at the Psalms, God gave a whole prayer book to his people in the book of Psalms. A prayer for every occasion. Prayer is not just praising an adoring God, something is crawling on your knees before him and throwing yourselves on his mercy sometimes lament. It's like God. Why does it seem like the forces of evil seem to be winning. Have you forgotten to keep your promises is the kinda staggering when you read some of those verses in the Psalms. But God gives us a framework for how to talk to him. Moreover, he gives us his Holy Spirit even though he he gives us his words in Scripture were still bad at it, you know, I know my prayer life could church or be improved but is such an encouragement to know the Holy Spirit is given to me. Paul says in Romans eight to indwell me making intercessions with groanings that are too deep for words, the Holy Spirit is the greatest translator. He is taking my inchoate groanings and grumblings and thoughts and even praises. And he is repairing them as it were, as he presents them to the father and I don't know what I should pray for. I asked for dumb things. Half the time Leah let Mike I like I like a kid you know. Once a bag of candy and doesn't realize on the get get be sick to my stomach. God knows and Paul says in Romans eight the Holy Spirit knows the mind of the father and he knows what we what we need before we even ask, so I have a Holy Spirit indwelling me who is making sure that even my dumb prayers get cleaned up and that they align with the father's will. He gives you words to pray. He gives you a mediator who gives you safe passage to himself and then he gives you his Holy Spirit to indwell you guaranteeing that your prayers are heard and that there better than the ones that you offered with all of that behind the father, the son of the Holy Spirit, why wouldn't we pray there is absolutely nothing holding us back from boldly coming to the throne of grace. All sides they pray to each person of the Godhead pray to the father thanking him for being the beginning and fountain of all good gifts. As James is all good gifts come down from the father of lights, pray to the sun, thanking him for his mediation. Thank him for bearing our sins on the cross becoming human for us in during our humiliation. Thank him for being raised on the third day, and for interceding for us at the father's right hand. Thank him for one day returning anticipating basking in that hope of his return and then pray to the Holy Spirit thanking the Holy Spirit for being one with the father and the son in his essence for being the one who's at work enough us both to will and to do for his own good pleasure. Philippians 212 and 13 when you're praying thing that you're not just talking to." The man upstairs are not talking to a vague God you're talking to the father in the son by the power of the Holy Spirit and is not a program it's not a thing. It's not like you know these are my spiritual disciplines for the day. It's talking to the Lord throughout the day.

That's why Paul says great all times without ceasing, doesn't mean quit your day job and it'll go in the monastery what he saying is this attitude of prayer.

We are always talking just like kinda being around your spouse all day have a holiday with God every day. Just talk to them when things come up when you not only have something that you want to ask him for you have not only of a petition but you have a praise you have Thanksgiving when you just you reflect on his goodness. You reflect on his Majesty and power, his holiness, that's what God wants. He wants to tell us who he is and that he wants us to answer back in a faithful way according to his word. What we have received and accepted. Thanks for listening to court Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at court, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33, the court when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this podcast and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together