ROLE of the CHURCH in SPREADING the GOSPEL!
December
5 Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians Chapters 1-3
ROLE of the CHURCH in SPREADING the GOSPEL!
"For our gospel did not come to you in
word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as
you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the
word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and
Achaia who believe. For from you the
word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also
in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to
say anything." (1 Thess 1:5-8)
In the above
passage, Apostle Paul is commending the church in Thessalonica for their
exemplary living and effective witness, as they conveyed the gospel most
effectively by example and also by word-of-mouth. In a way, the believers in
church of Thessalonica were practicing ‘show-and-tell’.
They were ‘showing’ to their
unbelieving world of their extraordinary faith in Christ, and also sharing the
living gospel through words. Thus, the Thessalonians became model Christians
and they are good example for us to emulate.
The gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ is God’s great plan for bringing people into a living
relationship with Him. It is sobering to think that people are supposed to be
able to see Christ in us. We should be able to say with Paul, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ”
(1 Cor. 11:1). We are intended to be channels of our blessings to others who do
not know Christ. God shines in our hearts so that the light might shine out to
others (2 Cor. 4:6). As we focus on Jesus, we will reflect His image to others (2
Cor. 3:18).
Sharing our
faith is a combination of spontaneous conversation about God and premeditated
ideas about the gospel. The following is a set of practical steps (Courtesy:
The Open Bible) to take in witnessing for Christ:
- Regularly talk about God. Sprinkle your ordinary conversation
with occasional references to God’s activity in your life. It is much easier to
share your faith when your friends know God is an integral part of your
affairs.
- Prepare your testimony. Learn to describe your pre-Christian
life, your encounter with Christ, and subsequent changes in your life in fewer
than five minutes. If you became a Christian as a child, focus on the impact
Christ has had on your adult life.
- Learn a brief summary of the gospel. It will be good to learn a condensed
version of the gospel, for example: Four Spiritual Laws, Roman Road of Salvation, etc.)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:16-17)
