Promoting the Good News
1Peter 3:13-15
13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
Evangelism literally means, the promotion of the good news; it means advertising Jesus and his work of wholistic salvation to everyone. It sounds very simple, but as you know, it is not as simple as it sounds. (What follows might be a little unorthodox, but please bear with me) Let us take some hints from what is so prevalent on TV—commercial ads. (They are relentless. When I watch the news, after every segment of news reporting, I mute the TV) As we know, when a new product is being promoted, advertisers know very well that there are many similar products in the market already. That is why they have to promote theirs. So, what do they do? First, they will not spend their time telling people about what is wrong with the other products. For instance, let’s say, “Ford,” the carmaker, have you seen an ad where Ford advertisers tell people what is wrong about other car manufacturers? No; they don’t! Advertisers will not argue against users of other brands, telling them they are not so smart for using what they use. Rather, they will focus on the benefits there are for using their product. They might even have their customers speak about the reliability and advantages there are in using the product and about their satisfaction with it. Advertisers focus on what they are selling and the benefits of their product.
We are not selling Jesus, but evangelism means, spreading the good news of Jesus. Announcing him and telling others the beauty, the joy, the peace, the hope we have in him.
That means that when we share the gospel, we begin with what the Lord offers, does, and above all, who he is. Our firsthand experience with Jesus in our lives will reinforce our message. If people are to believe anything we want to tell them about Jesus, there is no better evidence than us being living examples of what Jesus does in people’s lives. That means we must emphasize God’s grace, forgiveness, transforming power, and promise of eternal life. We should emphasize why the things God offers are necessary and how we can obtain them. This is where it can be a little complicated. But today, we will get some help with that.
But first, as I mentioned in passing last Sunday, we might want to believe that by supporting outreach programs, or missionaries, or agencies that provide community services that we are proclaiming the good news. It could be so in part, but that is not all there is to our task of sharing the gospel. Or, we might think that it is enough to share the gospel through our lifestyle, values, and morality and that we do not have to open our mouths. There are value and biblical grounds for sharing the gospel in those two forms. Yet, there is also explicit biblical command to share the gospel verbally.
Therefore, when we engage in sharing the gospel, let us try not to find fault in what other people believe. Let us approach others with respect and gentleness. Doing evangelism is not attacking other people’s beliefs. It is not belittling them for what they believe or do in terms of their religious expressions. I know, for instance, of siblings who don’t even visit one another’s home because in the home of one are items explicitly religious: crosses and religious images, which makes the one who attends an evangelical church feel offended. Thus, anytime he visits his sister’s house, he instantly raises issue about these objects with his sister, and yet, as he says, he wants to evangelize his sister. Unfortunately, the sister only becomes more resistant to anything her brother wants to share.
Another example of how we can miss the point when doing evangelism is by overly abbreviating or simplifying the message. There was a time when the so called, “the four spiritual laws” was a popular method of doing evangelism. There are people who still use it. The four spiritual laws go something like this: You are a sinner; if you repent, Jesus will forgive you and you will have eternal life. Yes, it is the gospel in a nutshell but there should be more context to that message.
Peter describes the churches scattered throughout the Roman Empire, as God’s chosen people, special possession, royal priesthood, and holy nation called out from darkness to declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. These believers to whom Peter addressed his letters were loftily described. Therefore, their new identity in Christ as being God’s chosen people, God’s special possession, a royal priesthood and a holy nation must have made them feel very privileged. They could have felt like being over the moon for being given such lofty status. But the reason for it is for them to declare the praise of the one who gave them that grand status.
Therefore, in chapter three, when Peter once again tells them to share the faith, he has a very important instruction. He tells them: Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
Peter highlights the importance of declaring the wonders of the Lord and to always be prepared to answer everyone about the hope we have. We must speak about what Christ has done for us. We must always be prepared how to explain the goodness of the Lord.
Nothing earns people’s willingness to hear what we have to say, if we show respect and kindness toward them. One of the reason why people sometimes refuse to hear the gospel is because the way it had been told them had not been in gentleness and respect.
I remember one time when someone thought I did not know the Lord. He came over where I was and he threw (literally) a book at me and said, “Find out what is behind that name!” The book’s title was “Jesus.”
Today I want to share with you a little tool.
The little pamphlet G O S P E L is an acronym of the basic aspects to consider when sharing the gospel. Each aspect is essential to the message. In it are Bible texts to make it easier to ground each aspect as you share. Again, this is simply a tool. The context when you share will determine how you do it. It could be that you will have the opportunity to share the whole six steps, but on other occasions, the situation might only allow you to share part of it. As you practice, it will become more natural. Let us remember that it might take time, but the goal is to share the message to others.
Let us remember, sharing the gospel does not require of us to be eloquent speakers. It is comforting to hear what the apostle Paul said about himself on this matter. This he wrote to the Corinthians:
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power (1Corinthians 1: 17).
Let us share Christ and his gospel. Amen!