In recent days I returned from a mission trip in South Asia, working with national partners in one of the least-reach areas of the world with the gospel. You can look at my first article HERE or second HERE. This is the third in the series.
How often do you reflect on and rehearse the Gospel? In the context we served in, there was an effective, simple, and reproducible system for sharing the Gospel. After getting to know the person/family briefly, I received permission to pray for them, and then further permission to share a story of hope from the Word of God. This story would lead to receiving permission to briefly share my personal conversion testimony and a key question (in my case), “Have you ever heard the Gospel?”
This is where it gets interesting to me. No one knew the gospel. They had not heard. Ever. From anyone. Ever. Did I say ever? [FULL STOP]
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe (Romans 1:16). Whoever will call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13). But, how can they call on Him though if they have not believed, or heard of, or if no one has told them (Romans 10:14-15 paraphrased)?
So this powerful gospel which is able to save and entrusted to us by Him who desires for all men to be saved…has never been heard…but if someone shared it, and it was heard, resulting in belief, it would change all eternity for the hearer! WOW! But that is not all that changes.
As I rehearsed the Gospel over and over again…it brought renewed joy to my heart. We are not talking about deep theological constructs here. I was not waxing eloquent on some apologetic approach to the resurrection in some way that my seminary professors would be captured in awe. I was rehearsing a short story from pictures imprinted on a sharing bracelet. Creation. Sin. Consequence. God’s Redemptive Work. The Cross. The Empty Tomb. The invitation to respond in repentance and belief. Eternal Hope.
As I shared, people were interested…but I was interested in how “interested” they were to hear of God’s creative, redemptive, and restorative work! As I watched God warm hearts and draw people with the gospel, I became more in love with it too!
Here’s what else: I watched all of our national partners doing the same thing. We all shared the same message in the same basic way. In fact, one of our sent-out families had a young daughter who rehearsed the gospel from the bracelet for me many times during the day. This warmed my heart and caused me to love the gospel more!
I suppose a bottled up, stuck on a shelf, seldom rehearsed story is no less powerful in its nature…but it cannot be appreciated as much until it is shared and shared and shared. [Read that again slowly and process it].
Yes, I know we live in America. I know we (most of us who would be reading this article anyway) have heard the “old, old story” many times…but I would suggest that we would come to appreciate it more if we would share it often, everywhere…with everyone who would give a hearing. I might even go as far as to say—we would learn to love it more through sharing it and watching what God does with it in the hearts of those who hear.
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