Equipped to Share the Gospel

I really appreciated Pastor Anyabwile’s summary of these excellent articles by Ligon Duncan:

I encourage you to read the entire articles themselves (or at least Thabiti’s summary), here are just a few excerpts to tempt you:

“By [gospel culture] I mean:

– that your whole congregation would be able to articulate the Gospel, personally, in a compelling and understandable way;

– that your whole congregation would deeply care about conversions (and I would lay stress here, that we are talking about real conversions, not numbers; but disciples, not decisions; but changed lives);

– that your whole congregation would be excited about the Gospel itself, and not simply about a method of sharing the Gospel, or a training program.

The aim of our study in the Gospel Course was (among other things), to provide participants with a fuller understanding of the Gospel; an opportunity to hone their Christian testimony; a simple, biblical, outline of the Gospel; encouragements and helps to share the Gospel; and encouragement and instruction on how to engage others in the church in this Gospel culture.”

The second post takes up the questions ‘What Is Evangelism and What Is the Gospel?’ Adopting J.I. Packer’s excellent definition of evangelism, Ligon says: “Evangelism is to bear witness to Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, so that [1] people may come to put their trust in God, through Christ; [2] to acknowledge Him as their Savior; and [3] to serve Him as their King, [4] in the fellowship of His Church.”

Whew! That sounds like a course that I would like to sign up for. Not just for myself (I’m so often lazy, jaded, and selfish), but also for how I help Sophia as she is so eager to share about Jesus and “help people with their doctrine” (her words). I particularly appreciated the comment about “real conversions, not numbers.” Yes. Yes. Real salvation by the real God affecting real life—all of real life, within the fellowship of His Church.

Much to think about here. Hope it’s a blessing to you on this lovely Tuesday morning!

Your friend,
Tara B.