By J. Mack Stiles
Evangelism is teaching the gospel with the aim to persuade.
Teach
We teach to sweep away obstacles, answer questions, or correct misconceptions. Most of all we teach to help people see the gospel’s truth as the core message of the Christian faith.
Aim
We teach with an aim which guards us against seeing evangelism as mere
information transfer.
Aim steers us toward the bigger picture. We put aside our egos and any hint ofdismissiveness—and focus our evangelism on critical components for salvation.
Persuade
Persuade comes from 2 Corinthians 5:1. It is not manipulation or coercion but means speaking graciously.
Gospel
The gospel is the message of what God achieved in Christ that leads us to salvation. Here is the CliffNotes summary of the essential Parts of the Gospel Message.
• God: He is a loving Father and our Creator. He is holy which means that He is wholly perfect and without sin.
• Us: We are made in God’s image. That is why each person is valuable. At the same time, we are fallen and sinful. The Bible sees those who do not know God as rebels and enemies of God. Though God made us to be with him, our sin separates us from him.
• He is fully God and fully man. He lived a perfect life such that he could become the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus, in concert with the Father, agreed that he would become the payment for our sin. His death on the cross satisfied God’s justice against our sin and liberated us from the power of sin. This is a free gift (Mark 10:45). Jesus rose from the dead, proving his words and life true. He established the kingdom of God on earth and
promises to return and make all things new.
• Response: We must respond in faith by turning from sin and rebellion and trusting Jesus. This means believing he is who he said he is and that his way, not ours, is right. That’s how we respond to what Jesus accomplished for us and find salvation.
These answers give us a baseline understanding of the good news. Followers ofJesus should be able to communicate in a minute or two these four gospel points.
Every Christian should make it his aim to be a student of the gospel.
Taken from, What You Need to Understand about Evangelism before You Do Evangelism by J. Mack Stiles, Copyright © June 06, 2024. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org
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