Christianity 101: Evangelism - Sharing God's Good News

"...’Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation’”
Mark 16:15

For many the above passage represents a form of what is called “The Great Commission.”  It is Jesus’ final instruction to his disciples, telling them to share the “gospel” with all of creation!  Another way of putting this, is it the basis for all evangelism and evangelistic efforts within Christianity.

So what is this gospel?  What does that word even mean?  And how are we, as regular people, to go about sharing it with all of creation?  I mean we aren’t evangelists like Billy Graham, so how are we supposed to tackle such a huge task?

The word translated "gospel" (Gk. euaggelion) literally means "good news" and is supposed to be just that!  But many struggle with just what the good news is.  To help clear up, just what's so good about the good news the following passage from Romans is helpful. Primarily the good news is that nothing can separate us from God's love!


Sometimes this notion of evangelism or spreading the good news can be controversial.  Often times the word "evangelism" (same Greek word as above - euaggelion) invokes negative images in people's minds.  The problem here is not with the word itself (which again literally means good news) and likely isn't with the content of that good news (that we will never be separated from God's love for us), but certainly has more to do with the methods of disseminating said good news.


Many people think there are only two real options when responding to Jesus command to spread the gospel (good news) to all of creation.  Either the "shout it from the mountain tops" option, which involves telling everyone and anyone all the time about the good news, or the "good neighbor" option which entails being a really good person, but not really talking much about the good news.  It seems that both of these options (in their extreme form) are necessarily flawed and are not truly effective in sharing God's good news of a lasting and transcendent love.  One forces itself upon people, while the other hardly makes itself known.


This is why I would like to offer a third option, namely the "being a friend" option.  All of us have friends, family, and various other connections with whom we have influence and credibility.  These are people that we've built relationships with, who know us, and who are more receptive to our words, wisdom and advice.  It is within these circles that our "good news" will be most effective, and it is with these people that we are chiefly called to share this gospel.  They serve as our evangelism field if you will.


So I ask you, who will you share the good news with today?

Christianity 101: Forgiveness - Our Response to God's Grace

But love your enemies, do good to them…”
Luke 6:35

“I forgive you.”  These three words are God’s response to our sin, thanks to grace.  These three words are also what we are called to say and do in response to all others!  But as the saying goes, easier said than done.

All of us have been hurt.  We’ve all been wronged.  Some of us in terrible, horrible ways!  Yet, God calls us to love and forgive those who’ve hurt us.  But why?  Why would God want you to forgive the very person or people who’ve caused pain and heartache in your life?  Surely if God understood what was done and how bad it hurt, He would understand and not ask this, right?  Wrong.  It is exactly because God does know, and does understand that He calls us to love our enemies (even do good to them) and most importantly to forgive. 

Looking at Jesus' teaching in Luke 6:27-36, it seems clear that he was talking about loving and forgiving not just the people who hurt us a little, but also those who hurt us a lot.  The key is in the word translated "slaps" (Gk. tupto), which can mean a whole host of things including to strike, to beat, and to smite!  Furthermore this one word can imply being struck with a hand, a fist, a rod, or even a whip.  It's clear by this word usage that Jesus had in mind a whole world of possible hurts that could be inflicted.  So again, are you to forgive only those who hurt you a little or all who hurt you?

At this point you may still be asking what's in it for me.  In other words, why should you forgive a person that's hurt you.  A quick look at the story of Jonah illustrates this nicely.  Jonah was called to Nineveh, but because he was angry and unwilling to forgive what they had done to the people of Israel, he went in the opposite direction. This led to Jonah being thrown overboard, and swallowed by a giant fish, only to be spit up on the shores of Nineveh.  The most telling passage may be found here where Jonah essentially would rather die than see good come to the people of Nineveh!  This is all because he's unwilling to forgive them.  

This is why you should forgive.  If you hold a grudge, if you don't forgive, you're not hurting that person, you're hurting yourself.  By not forgiving, you become a prisoner to your own anger.  It is precisely for this reason that God models forgiveness for us (in the person of Jesus) and then calls us to love and forgive everyone, especially our enemies and those who've hurt us!

So will you forgive today?

Christianity 101: Grace - God's Free Gift

“…because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free…”
Romans 3:24

Have you ever felt completely alone?  Have you ever felt totally and utterly worthless and rejected by the whole world?  Have you ever just wanted to be accepted, to be loved simply for who you are?  Well if any of these questions sound familiar, then you’re not alone and I have good news for you.

As people each one of us was created by God to be loved.  Furthermore the love and acceptance of other people, while necessary, will not entirely satisfy our need to be loved.  It is only in finding relationship with the one who created us that we can become truly complete and whole!

While this may sound like some lofty stuff, it’s really not that hard.  God loves you, and has already made possible the way for you to receive and live in that love.  So what are you waiting for?!?   


All of us suffer from a human condition and problem known as "sin."  This word (Gk. hamartia - to miss the mark) is an archery term, and for some builds into the view that the human life is a path that rightly lived should be toward God.  If one deviates from that right path, then to do so would be called sin.  But what if, instead of understanding life as a path or a journey, we see human existence as fundamentally about relationship?  Now sin (hamartia) is no longer deviation from a prescribed path, but rather is anything that gets in the way of relationship.  Sin is anything that gets in between you and God!  So with this understanding sin is what's stopping us from receiving and living in that love of God!

God's answer to the problem of sin comes in the form of Grace (ultimately realized in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus).  Romans 3:21-26, uses legal language like "righteousness", "justified" and "atonement" to talk about God's grace.  But again if we view life, sin, and grace's interaction with the two in relational terms, then God's grace restores relationship that was once broken.  So what is grace ultimately?  It's the solution to the problem of sin.  Grace is a free gift from God given to all humanity in order to forever restore our relationship with God.  If sin is the problem, then grace is the solution.


You were created for relationship.  Ultimately you were made to be in relationship with your creator, and even though sin gets in the way of that relationship, God has offered you a gift (grace) to restore the brokenness of that relationship.  Will you accept that gift today?