Sharing the Gospel
Good morning. My name is David Hostetler and I have been attending Suita Bible Gospel church for many years. I will tell you more about myself a little later, but the main topic I would like to talk about today is “Sharing the Gospel”.
The term “gospel” comes from an older English word meaning good news. So, in this case, the meaning is the good news related to the coming of Jesus Christ. That is one thing that should always be remembered. As we are conversing about Jesus Christ, we are introducing information that would be beneficial for that person’s life. Attitudes and situations vary greatly depending on the listener, so our style of sharing the gospel would be adjusted accordingly.
In daily life, we share good news easily and naturally. We post photos of a delicious meal on Facebook. We recommend reliable doctors or our favorite shops. When we do these things, we are not waiting nervously for the other person’s reaction or feeling pressure to convince them. We are happy to provide useful information, tell about our personal experiences, answer any questions, and enjoy a pleasant conversation. It is up to the person receiving our suggestion whether they will respond to it or not. We have limits in manipulating their response. In the case of sharing the gospel, there should be even less pressure. The Holy Spirit can act on the person’s heart and move them supernaturally. Also, the Holy Spirit does not necessarily follow our timetable and will lead the person to Christ according to their personal situation. Our responsibility is limited since God does not have a sales quota or offer bonuses. We share appropriately as we are guided and beyond a certain point, we leave the result in God’s hands.
As we learned earlier, the term “gospel” means good news. In this case, what specifically is the good news? First and most important is the fact that Jesus Christ has saved us through his death on the cross and given us eternal life. (John 3:16). However, not only is our eternal security assured, but Jesus also provides us rest as we struggle with issues related to our life on earth. (Matthew 11:28-30). He will also guide us in our daily life. (Psalm 32:8). What could be better news than assurances of our eternal salvation, God’s rest in our struggles on earth, and guidance in our daily life?
In the Bible, we are called upon to be witnesses for Jesus Christ throughout the world. (Acts 1:8). In this verse, the area for sharing the gospel is divided into different stages according to distance from the Jewish readers. Each person has been called to one or more of these areas depending on their situation, lifestyle and personality. For those of us in Japan, Jerusalem would refer to our local area, Osaka or Kansai. Judah would correspond to Japan. Samaria would be surrounding countries such as East Asian countries.
There are many examples in the Bible of the apostles and of Jesus sharing the good news, both during the time of Jesus’ ministry as well as after his death on the cross. There were a wide variety of styles, situations and results. Jesus and the apostles did not follow the same style each time, and the results varied depending on the timing and the work of the Holy Spirit.
First of all, I would like to give some examples of ministry in the life of Jesus.
To me, one of the most interesting situations is the reaction of Jesus’ brothers to his ministry. In John 7:5, it is recorded that even Jesus’ own brothers did not believe in him. First and foremost, they had grown up with and spent their entire life with the Son of God who had come to earth as a Man. His behavior and actions were perfect and he was without sin. In addition, Jesus had already been ministering for a considerable length of time and they had had many opportunities to hear his teaching. Probably many of us here would be confident that if we had been a brother or sister of Jesus, we would have been among the first and most active believers. As strange as this situation seems, the Holy Spirit had his own timing in dealing with Jesus’ brothers. After Jesus’ death on the cross, his brother James became one of the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem and also wrote the Book of James in the Bible. Another brother Jude wrote the Book of Jude. Why did it take so long for the brothers to believe in their brother Jesus and take their position in the Church? The Bible does not explain, but one possibility might be that their long period of unbelief made it easier for them to understand when others hesitated to believe the gospel. They probably did not suffer from pride or easily criticize others for their lack of belief or weak faith. The situation of Jesus’ brothers can also be a reference and an encouragement to us when someone we know has a complete lack of understanding of the gospel in spite of our best efforts to explain. Very possibly, the Holy Spirit has His own timing and will guide the person to faith at the perfect time in their lives, just as He did with Jesus brothers.
In a similar situation, the Gospel of Luke Chapter 4 records that during His ministry, Jesus entered his hometown and read from the Bible the prophesy of Isaiah regarding the Messiah.
He then declared that He had come to fulfill that prophesy. When the hometown people heard this, they became angry and refused to believe. They said, “We know who you are. We know your whole family. You can’t be the Messiah.” They tried to kill Him, but He passed through unharmed. In this case, the people could not understand because they had false knowledge not based on fact. Their familiarity with Jesus actually hindered them from correctly understanding the Bible prophesy. Some people today claim to have understanding of Christian beliefs, but resist believing. As they explain their opinions, it can be seen that they have an inaccurate understanding of the Gospel message and are actually rejecting their own misconception.
In contrast, the Gospel of John Chapter 4 records that Jesus and His disciples were passing through the area of Samaria. This itself was unusual since the Jews avoided entering Samaria because of bad relations with the people there. He stopped at a well at noon and talked with a woman who was drawing water there. It turned out that the woman had had a bad life, had been married five times and was probably drawing water at noon, the hot part of the day, because she didn’t want to meet other people. She was ashamed of her life. When Jesus told her about Himself, she immediately responded and believed. Not only that, she went back to the village and told everyone about Jesus. When they heard Jesus’ words, they also believed and there was a mighty work done in the village. Possibly the woman was especially open to the Gospel because of her hard life. The villagers were impressed by Jesus’ effect on this woman and the authority with which He spoke, so there was a dramatic response.
Three of the Gospels record Jesus’ calling of Matthew the tax collector. Tax collectors in Israel were regarded as traitors because they collected money from their own people to give to the Roman occupiers. They were hated, but were able to become very rich and have an extravagant life. They lived lives of luxury, but as social outcasts. One day, according to the Bible, Jesus saw Matthew sitting at his tax booth and simply said, “Follow me”. So Matthew got up, left everything and followed Him. Matthew wanted his friends to hear Jesus also, so he invited my tax collectors and other friends to a great banquet. After that, he immediately joined the disciples and took part in their ministry as an equal. He later wrote the Gospel of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament. The fact that Matthew responded so dramatically and quickly to Jesus’ few words seems to show that the Holy Spirit had been working with him in God’s timing to cause him to make his decision for Christ.
In John 6, as well as in the other Gospels, Jesus’ feeding of the 5000 is recorded. A great crowd had gathered to hear Jesus’ teachings and they also saw Him healing the sick. He also miraculously provided the food to feed this large number of people. As a result of these powerful signs, the people believed in Jesus as the Messiah and wanted to make Him king at that time. This ministry was a large-scale, powerful event that moved the crowd emotionally and caused them to respond immediately to Jesus’ message.
After Jesus ascended to heaven, the apostles continued spreading the Gospel. Acts 2 described the day of Pentecost when the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. A large crowd gathered, confused because each could hear their own language being spoken. Then the apostle Peter, empowered by the Holy Spirit, began to address the crowd powerfully and eloquently. He shared the Gospel by telling them of the meaning of Christ’s crucifixion on the cross and inviting them to repent and receive salvation. That day, 3000 people accepted his message. A few days later, Peter healed a man born lame, then addressed the large, amazed crowd that gathered, and another 2000 people believed.
But Peter did not share the Gospel only to large crowds in the temple area. Acts 10 records that the Holy Spirit called on Peter to go to the home of a Roman centurion, Cornelius, and speak with his family and close friends. God had already prepared Cornelius for Peter’s visit and the entire group readily responded to Peter’s message, were filled with the Holy Spirit and were baptized. At first, this situation was shocking to the Jewish Christian leaders because it was forbidden to enter the house of a foreigner and share a meal. But as they heard Peter’s story, God opened their hearts and they realized that the Gospel would spread to the ends of the earth.
Acts 8 tells about Philip, the evangelist, who had a powerful ministry in Samaria, with many people believing. In the middle of this success, God suddenly told Philip to travel to a desert area where few people were living. Normally, that would not seem like a very efficient thing to do. But when Philip arrived in the desert, he met a man who was sitting in a chariot reading the Book of Isaiah aloud. It turned out that the man was a high-ranking Ethiopian official. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home. Philip explained the part of Isaiah that the man had been reading, but had not understood. It concerned the good news about Jesus. The Ethiopian official believed and was baptized. He returned to Ethiopia, which actually became one of the first Christian countries in the world. Philip was involved in spreading the Gospel in Samaria and also to the ends of the earth.
Most of the last half of the Book of Acts concerns the apostle Paul sharing the Gospel throughout the Roman empire. Paul had previously been a fanatical Pharisee who was intent on destroying the new Christian church. Then Jesus appeared to him supernaturally, struck his with blindness for three days and powerfully made the Gospel clear to him. After that Paul turned into the most fervent messenger of the good news of Jesus Christ. He never missed an opportunity to share the Gospel no matter what the results.
When Paul went to Philippi, he met with Jewish women worshiping near a river and explained the Gospel to them. They immediately believed and started a very strong church in their city. A short time later though, Paul and a companion were beaten and thrown in prison. That night, God caused an earthquake and the prison doors flew open. But rather than escaping, Paul went with the frightened jailor to his home, told about Jesus and baptized his whole family. Then he returned to jail and was released the next day.
Paul felt that he was especially called to share the Gospel with the Gentiles, that is, the non-Jewish people. But he never hesitated to speak with the Jews no matter where he went. Many times, they rejected his message because their mistaken understanding of the Bible’s prophesies blinded their eye. They often attacked and persecuted him.
Toward the end of his ministry, he was arrested and met with several government leaders. He shared the Gospel with them, but they did not believe or release him. They were more concerned with protecting their positions of power. Finally, he appealed to the emperor and was sent to Rome. As he waited in Rome for a long time, he was chained to guards in 8-hour shifts 24 hours a day. Anyone might think than he had lost every opportunity to share the Gospel. But that is not how Paul looked at the situation. He thought he had received a wonderful way of speaking with others. He did not think of the chains as robbing him of his freedom. Instead, the guards could not leave as he was telling them the good news about Jesus Christ. For that reason, Paul was able to build up a group of believers in Rome as a result of his chains.
As we can see from these examples from the Bible, there is no fixed pattern or special technique for sharing the Gospel. It can depend on the characteristics of the person hearing the good news. There are a wide variety of personalities and attitudes. Some people might be open and eagerly ask for more information while others don’t show any interest in what is being said to them.
The person’s social position can also play a part. Maybe they are leaders with confidence in their positions and wealth. Another person might be looked down on by society. Some might also have private issues with their jobs, personal relationships, health or finances.
The surroundings and atmosphere when and where the Gospel is being presented can also affect the communication style. Is it a private conversation or a large event? Do the people have a close relationship or are they only acquaintances?
The personality of the person sharing the Gospel should also be considered. We should choose a style which suits our personality and not communicate unnaturally. The person listening might become aware of this and feel uncomfortable.
Sharing the gospel is not an event, but a process. It is important to prepare a person’s heart to receive the message. This occurs in steps as Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 3:6. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” The first step is building relationships, then living in such a way that creates trust. As we develop relationships and people become attracted to what Jesus is doing in us, we can begin to explain how Jesus is making a difference in our lives.
God might open doors for us to share the Gospel in ways we had not expected. 22 years ago, I received an invitation to minister with a Christian organization, Christian Bridal Missions, which conducts weddings for couples desiring Western-style ceremonies. The ceremony is conducted in Japanese and presents prayer, worship and a clear Gospel message. As I began this ministry, I noticed an interesting parallel with one of our examples from the Bible that we looked at today. The bride and groom as well as all of the guests were delighted to be at this happy event and were paying close attention. I had a captive audience which was basically receptive. In a positive meaning, it had a similarity to Paul being chained to a prison guard who could not escape from his sharing of the good news. No one has ever tried to escape from my Gospel message and I have had the opportunity to conduct approximately 3300 weddings. This allowed me to plant the seed as the first step of sharing the Gospel. Since the average Japanese person lacks understanding of basic Christian teachings, I pray before each ceremony that doors would be opened and interest in the Gospel would bear fruit. Then I conduct the wedding and leave the results to God. It’s not in my hands.
Let’s always remember that the Gospel is the best possible news regardless of whether the person we are sharing with understands this or not. Our good news has so much more hope and light than the world’s bad news that we receive every day from television and the internet.
Let’s share the Gospel as God enables us and opens doors. We don’t need to feel pressure or take responsibility for results. It’s in God’s hands. He ‘s in charge of the process. We just join His team.
By the way, today’s message is basically for those who have faith in Jesus Christ and in His good news. But there may be some of you here today who have not yet taken that step, but have felt that God is speaking to you. If you would like God’s free gift of eternal lie, rest and guidance for your life, I would like to give you the opportunity to receive Christ.
Please repeat silently in your mind as I lead you in a short prayer to accept the good news of Jesus Christ.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for my sins so that I might have eternal life. I believe this good news and receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Key Bible Verses
John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.
Psalms 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
1 Corinthians 3:6
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.
Bible References for Sharing the Gospel Examples
Jesus
Brothers didn’t believe at first (John 7, Book of James, Book of Jude)
Rejected at hometown Nazareth (Luke 4, Matthew 13)
Samaritan woman and village believe (John 4)
Matthew, the hated tax-collector believes and follows (Matthew 9)
Peter
Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost (Acts 2-4)
Roman Centurion Cornelius (Acts 10)
Philip
Samaria ministry, Ethiopian official in desert (Acts 8)
Paul
Supernatural appearance by Jesus (Acts 9)
Paul chained to guards (Acts 28, Philippians 1)