How to Present the Gospel clearly and effectively
Ready, set, go!
“Tell me everything I need to know about Jesus. You have 3 minutes…and 16 seconds, 15, 14…”
I was standing in a giant convention center next to one of our local police officers. I had been invited by our Chief of Police, as part of my chaplain training, to attend a seminar on assisting police families if they lost a loved one in a LODD (line of duty death). The speaker had just wrapped up a session and had given us four minutes (with a running clock on the screen!) to take a quick break before resuming. Officer Ceeking had a little over three minutes left on the clock to get my answer to his question. I think he must have figured that three minutes should be safe to ask that kind of question to a pastor!
How do you explain the gospel clearly in 3 minutes? The best case for sharing the gospel clearly and effectively is almost always over a series of multiple conversations in the context of a redemptive relationship. But what if you only have a few minutes? What are the essentials of the gospel? What is the clearest path to the life-giving truth of Jesus?
The Gospel according to Paul
Consider the gospel according to the Apostle Paul. He put it quite succinctly in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you …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”. Paul knew that people needed first to recognize Jesus as Christ (God in the flesh). They also needed to know that He died on the cross and rose from the grave. These truths were essential to Paul’s presentation of the gospel. I think he could have got it done in three minutes!
Communicating the Gospel
But taking the whole of Scripture and its full treatment of the gospel of Christ, how should we seek to communicate the gospel message clearly and effectively in our context? Because knowing the gospel is not enough! We are not just commanded to tell people about Jesus. We are commanded to call people to faith in Jesus! To “believe” as John 3:16 explains as the key component to a saving knowledge of the gospel.
The essentials
Our gospel presentation must include the incarnation. God put on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. It must include Jesus’ perfection. He lived the sinless life that you and I cannot live. It must include the story of His voluntary and substitutionary death on the cross. And it must include the truth of His resurrection, confirming that what He taught really were the words of God. The promise of John 3:16 is not the concoction of just any rabbi. It is the promise of Almighty God! The hearer of the gospel has a choice to respond by believing or rejecting God’s offer of salvation in Jesus.
God is holy and we are not. God cannot overlook our sinfulness and so, out of love, sent His Son Jesus to live a perfect life and die in our place, rising from the dead three days later. His gracious offer boils down to this: will you repent from your sins and trust Christ as your Savior from sin and its penalty?
I’m sure I left Officer Ceeking still seeking some answers! But you have to try, right? Whether you have 3 minutes or 3 years to bring your friend to Jesus, keep trying! Share the gospel message as clearly and as effectively as you can. Some plant, some water, but God gives the increase!
Brad Stille is the Lead Pastor at First Baptist Church of Wixom, Michigan and serves as an Exchange Trainer. Contact Brad about leading an Exchange Training Event or to discuss this article at [email protected].