Day 20 - 40 Days of Focus: Evangelism

How Not to Share the Gospel

The Gospel is simple. That’s one reason I really love using the Four Spiritual Laws to share it. But you might wonder if we are doing a disservice to people by not letting them in on more of the truth. Don’t they need to know the cost of following? The Four Spiritual Laws don’t really cover that part. What about the difference between salvation and sanctification? Do they need to understand the role and ministry of the Holy Spirit?

If you consider the stories in the bible about people giving their lives to Christ you will find that most often it was a simple message like the Four Spiritual Laws that the early Church shared. When I was a youth pastor during my Seminary days I made the mistake of frontloading the gospel to a great kid named Josh. The poor guy sat there and listened to me for nearly ½ hour as I tried my seminary student best to tell him everything he would ever need to consider before I asked if he wanted to give his life to Jesus. It was by far the most convoluted and confusing presentation I had ever given. I felt horrible. From that moment until this very day I keep it simple. He did choose to receive Jesus that night, in spite of me. How much do you think is too much when sharing the gospel? Do you have a tool you use?