Season: 10 Episode: 161
Listen to episode 161 in Spanish:
Summary:
According to a recent study, more than 50% of American Christians say they share the gospel, however, many Christians don’t know what the gospel is. We begin by breaking down what the gospel message is, your responsibility in sharing it with others, and why you can’t have the good news without the bad news. So what’s the bad news? Can you leave out words like sin, hell, and judgment when talking about the gospel? Let’s talk about it!
Quotables:
Recommended Resources:
Website: shandafulbright.com
Instagram and Facebook: @shandafulbright
Email: hello@shandafulbright.com
Join my Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2584147064952378/?ref=group_browse
Free Resources: https://www.shandafulbright.com/links
YouTube: Shanda Fulbright
Hey guys! Welcome back to another episode of Her Faith Inspires podcast where we take cultural issues and tackle them with biblical truth. I have a great Christmas episode for you today and I am excited to discuss it with you. Actually, I haven’t really tackled a Christmas episode about John the Baptist and what it means to be a forerunner of the Lord, but today we are going to do that.
Before I get into the episode, I want to give you a bit of a preview as to what’s coming up in the Spring of 2023. First, I will open up my Apologetics 101 class. It’s 6 weeks, we will read a book together and our live zoom session will be more of a lecture style with Q and A. You will literally splash yourself with the apologetics concepts because it is meant to get your feet wet and then go deeper after – maybe even with IDHEF.
On Feb 6th, I am teaching another LGR for middle schoolers.
If you have a middle schooler who needs to know what they believe and why they believe it to gain confidence in God’s existence, then sign them up ASAP. You won’t be disappointed. These kids work hard and my first round of students were excellent. They asked all of the questions, did the work and were fantastic.
In 2023, I have lots of things going on behind the scenes for my Patreon members. We are currently working on a FREE emotionalism junkie survey where my members get to test it out before it goes out. I also have a Spring edition newsletter with health tips, nutrition, and even an article on Yoga in there. Can someone say CONTROVERSIAL?
If you want in the membership group, hit the link in the description or you can go to the show notes and find the link there.
Okay, so what do we have to talk about today? How many times have you shared the gospel message? Well, it might surprise you to know a few things about the Gospel and how many Christians share it. So first, we are going to talk about:
- Controversial things about the Gospel. For example, is it true that you share the gospel with your life and if necessary use words? How many Christians actually know what the gospel is? Let’s talk about it.
2. What is your responsibility in sharing the gospel with others as a Christian?
3. What does this have to do with John the Baptist and Christmas?
I know this doesn’t sound very Christmasy but as I said before, anything that has Christ in it is classified as Christmas because without Christ there is no Christmas. However, when we get to John the Baptist, we will get into more of that Christmas theology we all love around this time of year.
Let’s take a look at the controversial things said around the gospel that I’m not sure I agree with.
Is it true that you don’t have to use words to share the gospel? Let’s first get into what the gospel is:
The word gospel means good news. So when someone shares the gospel, they share the good news about Christ and the way of salvation. It’s mentioned around 93 times in the NT, and that makes sense because that’s when the good news happened – Christ came.
It’s not just any good news – and we also have to know why the gospel is good news. In fact, you can’t have the good news without the bad news, so the gospel message will likely mention some words that people don’t like to hear, like sin, hell, death, wrath, law. The gospel has to include the bad news in order for people to understand their need for Jesus.
It also must include repentance, forgiveness, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and Jesus’ resurrection.
I’ll link an article for you to read if you would like more information.
One of the best passages of Scripture that might be helpful to memorize is 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 where Paul said, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living.”
Paul also says in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” Does the gospel sound harsh? It can. A lot of times we try and sell the gospel with the message of prosperity, but that’s not the gospel message.
It’s not about what God can do for you, it’s about what He’s already done for you.
PC’s, as well as a lot of pastors, are taking out sin and death, and hell, and consequences of life without God because they are ashamed of the gospel. Being ashamed of the gospel is the same as being ashamed of Christ. And Jesus said if anyone is ashamed of Him and His words, He will be ashamed of them when He comes into His glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels. Luke 9:26.
Any Christian who is ashamed of the gospel because it has the words sin, death, hell, repentance, and the ick words no one wants to face, is ashamed of Christ because those are the things He saved us from.
So, is it true when people say, “Share the gospel and if necessary, use words?”
I know what they mean but your life itself doesn’t share the gospel message. Your life can bear fruit that the Holy Spirit is at work in you, but your life doesn’t actually tell the story of the gospel. If it did, 1 Peter 3:15 wouldn’t be a mandate. It says, “Always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within you with gentleness and respect.” Our lives should intrigue others to ask us about the hope within us. The fruit we bear should make others ask, “How do you live this way when things are difficult? Why don’t you say bad words and talk like the rest of the culture?” The way we live our lives should open the door for the gospel, but your life cannot preach the gospel. Only your mouth can do that.
The problem is, Barna says only about 55% of Christians share the gospel message. Now, there are a lot of nuances to these stats here because I think part of the reason Christians don’t share the gospel is because they don’t know how. Someone once told me they want to share their testimony and it’s not always about sharing apologetics. I agree. Your testimony is often the open door for you to tell others about Christ but does your testimony show how Christ saved you? If not, it’s not a testimony that includes the gospel.
Now, let me put these stats about the 55% of Christians who share the gospel into perspective:
I know I’m a broken record about this, but you need to know so you understand where we are culturally and why Christians in the US have lost ground.
First, 65% of Americans claim to be Christians. Only 6% of those who claim to be Christian have a biblical worldview. Out of the 65% of those who claim to be Christians, a smaller percentage of them are actually theologically self-proclaimed Christians – meaning they say they aren’t just Christians they are born again Christians. That means they believe they are saved by grace through faith in Christ. I have to get the stats on this, but I want to say it’s around 19% of those who claim to be Christians.
So when 55% of the Christians say they have shared the gospel in the past 12 months, what do they mean by gospel? Because many of these same Christians say you will go to heaven if you’re a good person. That is bad theology.
Christians, we have to know what the gospel is because if we don’t, are we even saved? And that leads me to point number 2:
What is our responsibility to share the gospel as Christians?
Well, we have a responsibility to share the gospel. We should be eager to share the gospel with those who don’t know Christ and actively look for ways to do that. I am also guilty of thinking people already know the gospel because we live in America, but I think America clings to what is known as the prosperity gospel, which is follow God and all of your needs will be met. I don’t know that people in American truly know the gospel.
We all know the great commission in Matthew 28:19 – that we are to go out into all the world and making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, son and Holy Spirit. But people can’t become disciples without the gospel. When thankful people are thankful for what’s been given to them, they are eager to pass it on to others.
I think that’s about all there is to say on that point, right?
The problem is most in America don’t have a need for God because no one is calling sin sin anymore. When you call evil good, then you’re not evil anymore. When laws are passed that condone sexual immorality and people don’t have a biblical worldview that says it doesn’t matter what the law says if it overrides God’s law, then no one thinks they’re a lawbreaker. Meaning, they don’t need a savior. They’ve traded true salvation in for counterfeit salvation because the culture condones what I do and calls me good.
But the response of others to the gospel message isn’t yours and my responsibility. The results are up to God. We are called to share the gospel. So, if you’re rusty on sharing the gospel, I get it. Practice sharing it in your home and get comfortable with it. Then look for those you can share the gospel with.
Finally, what does this have to do with John the Baptist
John was the forerunner of Christ. John introduces him this way in John 1:19-23, “Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders[c] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
What do we have in common with John?
He was the forerunner of Christ. He pointed to Christ when He began HIs earthly ministry. John told people to repent, which means he basically called them sinners – but not in a harsh fashion.
John was devote to Christ and he was a lone voice in the wilderness. Now, think about it. There were many religious leaders of john’s day who knew the law well. But it didn’t deter him from preaching the good news – that the Messiah was coming.
John is a great example for us because he unapologetically shared the gospel message. He prepared the way of the Lord and we are preparing the way of the Lord’s second coming. Christ will come again some day and we must be sharing the gospel, making disciples, and telling people He is coming.
Close:
I want to close this episode out today by remind you that the gospel message is part of our lives. We should be looking to share the gospel with everyone we meet. Now that’s hard. We get caught up in our own lives, but John the Baptist devoted His life to the coming Messiah. Why do some devote their lives to it and others don’t? Don’t you ever wonder that? Like, do some choose it as their occupations and so it makes them seem like they’re more responsible and some just make it part of their lives and they’re excused from the responsiblity?
One of my pastors once said, “I’m not a pastor so I share the gospel. I’m a pastor because I share the gospel. I’m not a pastor so I read my Bible. I’m a pastor because I read my bible.” Are we Christians because we share the gospel or are we Christians so we share the gospel? I think it should be the latter. I am a Christian. I share the gospel.
The first step in sharing it is knowing what it is.
The second step is living it out so you have an opportunity to share it. Share the gospel, with your life and your words. And it’s always necessary to use words.
I hope you have a merry Christmas and a happy new year. The God of all the earth goes before us into 2023. He is the one who prepares the way and makes our paths straight. He sent His son Jesus to reconcile God to man and He is the only one who ever would because He is the only one who could. There is none like Him and yet you and I get to call Him Father because we approach Him through the blood of the only righteous son – Jesus Christ.
This Christamas, celebrate Immanuel, God with us.
The one whom the angles proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.” There is no longer any striving to get to heaven because God came down to us all, took on flesh, walked in our shoes, and died in our place. May He be glorified in all we do and may we glorify Him in all we do.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and I’ll catch you on the next one!
Leave a Reply