This is the second of three articles in the disciplemaker series
The first article in this series covers in depth that disciplemakers are disciples of Christ who walk consistently with Jesus and desire to be used by Him in the lives of others. Further, they seek God’s approval, not the approval of others.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:6-8, Paul continues this list of characteristics of disciplemakers.
“We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”
So the Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians in Thessalonia said, “We were delighted to share with you the gospel …” Your version may say “the Good News.”
When a person is sharing the gospel with another, they are sharing these four main points of the gospel message:
- God loves people and offers eternal life with Him.
- People are sinful and separated from God.
- Jesus Christ (who is God) died on a cross to pay the penalty of sins.
- Each person has the opportunity to place their faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God in heaven.
This four-point gospel message is indeed Good News! God has offered salvation and forgiveness for our sins, not based on anything we did, but on Jesus’ death on the cross on our behalf. There is no “good work” you must do to earn this salvation. Trust in Christ is by faith, not because of our works.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Paul made sharing the gospel a priority in his life and we should do that as well.
Sharing the Good News Needs Priority
Some of you reading this are talkers. Like me, you can talk a lot about a variety of topics. I can talk about kids, marriage, where I teach group fitness classes, nutrition, my dog, the new restaurant down the road, etc. But at the end of my day, I think to myself, was the gospel and sharing the Good News about Jesus Christ even a thought? Where could I have stepped out in faith on this a little more? Was I too busy in life talking about random things that I was not even aware of opportunities to talk about Jesus? I could have at least shared the goodness of God in my life that day or invited someone to join me at church that week.
Disciplemakers Actively Seek Out Gospel Conversations
A disciplemakers’ antenna is always up. When meeting a new person we think, “Does this person know Christ?” We look to find out more and seek to be used by God to have conversations with them. We try to find common ground with them and perhaps invite them to something.
I have a neighbor who walks her dog when I am walking mine and we often make chit chat while our dogs with (and sniff) each other. One afternoon I invited her to a ladies Bible study I lead locally. It was my first attempt to see where she was with the Lord. She thanked me for the invite but declined. I let her know that she was always welcome if she changed her mind.
The dogs still play when we cross paths and I am actively looking for ways to care for her, invite her to something and look for opportunities to show her the love of God. Perhaps one day I will actually get to share my testimony and the Good News of Jesus Christ!
