A Simple Way to Share the Good News
Author: Stan Guthrie
June 09, 2023
Lots of Christians want to share the gospel but don’t know how to get started. If that describes you, below is a basic gospel outline. The explanations of the points are not to read aloud to the person with whom you are sharing but to sharpen your thinking. The key is not to find a one-size-fits-all approach, but to participate as faithfully as you can in what God is already doing in someone else’s life.
- God loves us.
The Bible says that “God is love”[i]—that God embodies and is the source and goal of all true love. At God’s core is a beating heart of love. He is the creator and sustainer of love in its myriad forms. The Bible speaks of love in many ways and contexts: eros (erotic love), phileo (brotherly love), and agape (self-giving love). Needing nothing from his creatures, God the Creator pours out his agape on us simply because he loves us—he desires our best. His love is unconditional and freely given to all.[ii] All of God’s actions and thoughts emerge from a wellspring of love.
- We are estranged from God.
Sin, a choice to go our way rather than God’s way, has separated us from him.[iii] Sin is manifested in evil acts and attitudes, including indifference to what is good. Created to know and love God, people now live in ignorance and fear of him. We see him not as the loving heavenly Father he is, but as a capricious and angry Judge. Our default mode is to run from him, as we are “dead in … trespasses and sins.”[iv] We want nothing to do with God and will not naturally come to him.
- Jesus Christ is God’s provision for our sin—through him we are forgiven and reconciled to God.
Jesus, who is both God and Man, came to live the sinless, God-focused life we were created for, and to die in our place as our substitute.[v] Because he is both loving and holy, God came to us in Jesus Christ. In love he sought to provide a way of escape for us; in holiness he could not overlook sin. In Christ his answer to the dilemma was to sacrifice himself so that we could enjoy a relationship with God.
- We are called to put our trust in Christ.
We receive this gift of forgiveness through Christ by placing our faith in him and his finished work on the cross.[vi] At the same time, we must repent of, or turn from, our sins.[vii] This is the beginning of a lifelong walk with God as we begin to enjoy his presence and share him with others.
Then personalize your message. Tell of your own pilgrimage to Christ. Make sure that it has the four elements: God’s love, our sinful estrangement, Christ’s death, and our trust. Don’t get bogged down in a lot of details that don’t fit the outline, but add enough color to make it real.
Here is my own testimony as an encouragement and as a model. You will notice that the four points, while present, are not given in the order above, and that’s OK.
Next, practice your testimony aloud until you feel comfortable sharing it whenever God leads. And be prepared to adapt, add, or omit details as each situation requires.
Finally, ask God to show you an opportunity to invite your friend to receive Christ. If he or she is ready, God will let you know. Remember, it’s not up to us ultimately whether people repent and believe. God’s Spirit will do that. We do, however, need to be sensitive and open to His leading.
May the Lord guide and bless as you share His love with others.
Stan Guthrie, NCC’s minister of communications, is author or coauthor of seven books, including The Sacrament of Evangelism (coauthored with Jerry Root), from which this blog post has been modified.
[i] 1 John 4:8.
[ii] John 3:16.
[iii] Gen. 3:1-13.
[iv] Eph. 2:1.
[v] Rom. 5:1-10.
[vi] Rom. 1:16.
[vii] Rom. 6:22-23.
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