Growing up, I learned the good old Romans Road to Salvation. In college I learned to use The Four Spiritual Laws. The first church I attended after college taught the Evangelism Explosion method, and for years I used something very similar to that.
Recently, though, when my daughter asked how to share the gospel with a friend, I tried a different approach. I told her a story. The best thing about a story is it's easier to remember than a series of bullet points. And for the cherry on top, you already know the story.
It's the story the Church has told from the very beginning. It consists of four acts: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.
In the beginning, God made humans to know and love him and to reflect who he is. But those humans rebelled against God, and we are now born with the same rebellion in us. We have all sinned against God and deserve the punishment due our rebellion. God, though, became human in the person of Jesus and died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. Then he rose from the dead, defeating death and promising everlasting life to those who believe in him. All who put their trust in his death and resurrection to pay for their sins are adopted into God's family and indwelled by the Holy Spirit. One day Jesus will return to judge everyone, to restore the world to what it should have been, and to live with his people forever.
That's pretty short, just over a hundred words. Can you flesh it out into more? Absolutely. You can make it a 30 minute sermon. Greg Koukl wrote a book on this story.
Do you have to tell it exactly the way I told it? Of course not. What matters is that we hit the big points of the story: the problem, the solution, and the hope that we have.
Think about how you would tell this story. Then think of someone who needs to hear it and share it with them. This world is full of people who are looking for hope, looking for meaning. We have the best answer to their search. Tell them about Jesus.
Image via Unsplash
No comments:
Post a Comment