SESSION 9: GOSPEL THREADS

You are made to enjoy God and all His glory and exult God to all the nations. Through God’s Spirit, He Empowers us to make more disciples of Jesus by Sharing, Showing, and Teaching His word and serve the world. Because the gospel is good news for everyone, we must go beyond our immediate circles to make disciples among people who have never heard of Christ. This comes by committing to praying faithfully and include regular fasting as a part of our spiritual disciplines. To accomplish all of this we must meditate on the Word of God, so we can discover more of his truth and how he desires for us to live it out. To include the gospel regularly when we engage with people around us every day.

Ephesians 6:18b–20 “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

We start with G, for God’s character. As we go about our business, we can talk about God as someone we know and love, acknowledging his role in our lives.

Second, O is for the offense of sin. Simply acknowledging the existence of sin in your own life, rather than excusing or minimizing your behavior, may make a big impression. Our humility is an important element of speaking truthfully.

S is the sufficiency of Jesus—how he is our savior and the reason we have hope for the future. As we bring him into conversations, we can explain or marvel over the cross and the resurrection, Jesus’s kindness and miraculous works, and his wisdom and love. The more clearly we express our gratitude and trust, the more people will begin to see him as someone they want to know too. Christians, and Christianity, can be polarizing, but most people find Jesus himself appealing.

The next step is P, personal response. Knowing about Jesus is wonderful, but at some point, we all acted upon our faith. Stories engage our imaginations and emotions, and our testimony of God’s work in our life can impact those who hear it in powerful ways. As we share our stories of responding to God, let’s communicate the need for every person to choose how they will react to his invitation to follow him.

Our lost friends and family will remain lost, without God and without hope, if they do not decide to follow Christ. Their quality of life now and forever should give us a sense of eternal urgency in our conversations with them.

Finally, L stands for life transformation. Deciding to trust and follow Jesus implicitly includes repenting from sinful patterns and obeying God’s ways. The longer we know him, the more we will act like him. We are transformed by the power of the gospel, and love becomes the foundation of our lives.

So what?

Make a list of people in our lives who don’t know Jesus, then begin praying for opportunities to weave the GOSPEL threads into your interactions with them. We don’t have to force a conversation about one or all of the points; rather, we can pray that as we engage the Lord will show us which element of the gospel is most appropriate to share.

Healthy disciples of Jesus both reflect Jesus’s character and speak of him to others. He becomes so integrated into our lives that his presence overflows into our other relationships, and we want others to experience the same richness and hope. Which letter in the GOSPEL threads can you focus on next in your interactions with others?

Will God’s word stop with you or spread through you?