The Power of the Word
Sometimes the power of a word gets lost over time. We become so comfortable using or hearing it that we become almost numb to the power or importance behind it.
Take laser for example. Lasers are so common today that we don’t even think about them. But, the word did not even exist until the mid-1950s. Even then it wasn’t really a word, but an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It was so amazing, so mind boggling, that in my childhood it was the stuff of science fiction and movies. But today, I have one on the end of an ink pen and it is so insignificant that I play with it and drive small dogs crazy. Today the laser is common, but it is none the less very powerful at performing surgery or welding steel.
The gospel is another example. It is a simple word, only two syllables and six letters. In Christian circles we use it all the time. But I sometimes fear that our familiarity with the word has made us numb to the meaning and power behind it.
Our English word gospel comes from Old English godspel or good news, which came from the Latin translation of the Greek word euangelion which of course meant good news.
The Gospel
The gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ, or the good news that God forgives sins. Let that soak in for a moment.
God forgives sins. The creator of the heavens and earth is willing to, because of the work of Jesus Christ, forgive all of the wrong things you have done so that you do not have to face the judge who will hold you accountable for your actions.
God removes the shame. The creator of the heavens and earth is willing to, again because of the work of Jesus Christ, remove the shame and guilt of the wrong things you have done. You can stand clean, presentable before the judge who would hold you accountable for your filth.
Are you following with me? This is the good news
- God forgives sins,
- He removes guilt,
- He frees us from a curse that has been placed on us,
- He sets us free from the things that bind and torment us.
- God does not hate us, is not angry with.
- He loves us and wants to bless us.
News this good should be shared, it should be talked about. News this good should be on the lips of everyone who has had their shame removed, their sins forgiven.
The Power to Change the World
Since the day I embraced it, April 20, 1980, I have been excited about the gospel. But, over time I became so familiar with it that it lost it’s awe and it’s power to captivate my mind. I still witnessed to people when I had an opportunity. I still preached the gospel and invited people to respond. But, honestly the power of the gospel didn’t captivate my imagination.
That began to change when I first went to South Asia. I met men whose world revolved around the gospel. It wasn’t just a part of their ministry, it was their ministry. They were excited about the gospel. God began to refocus my heart and remind me of the centrality of the good news.
Then early one morning in a small dusty out of the way place somewhere in South Asia four men suffering from jet lag met in a small bedroom to commiserate the fact that none of us could sleep. As we sipped on our first cup of coffee John Meador, pastor of First Baptist Euless, TX, began to share with us what the Lord had shown him during his sleepless night.
John had designed a simple tool to equip his church members to share the gospel in one on one conversations. But he wasn’t satisfied with it, he felt like it lacked something. That night in his sleeplessness, God gave him a simple way to remember the points he wanted to make and a single passage of Scripture, Ephesians 2:1-10, that tied everything together. Before the sun came up, the Gospel In Your Hand was born. We talked through it, we studied the passage, and to a man we were awed by what God was showing us. Byron McWilliams, pastor of First Baptist Odessa, TX spoke up and said in 5 years we would look back at this moment and realize God had done a great work and that He had allowed us to see it at the beginning.
It was life changing moment for me. It was as if I had suddenly rediscovered the simplicity and power of the gospel.
A few hours later in a poor dusty little village an hour away from where we were staying, Byron spoke to a group of about one hundred villagers. Using the outline from our early morning discussion Byron shared the gospel. When he gave the invitation 24 people stood to their feet in front of the entire crowd to publicly profess their surrender to the one true God. My heart was gripped by the power of the gospel in a way that perhaps it had never been before.
I had preached the good news. I had personally shared the gospel countless times. I had seen many commit their lives to the Lord. Discipleship and training leaders had been my life’s work. But, that day the gospel was electric!
It wasn’t just me, all four of us were excited! There was an energy, and with it a sense of urgency to tell more people the gospel and to put the gospel in the hands of as many people as we could. In doing so, they would possess the power to change the world!
That day God put the gospel in my hand. Since that day I have seen hundreds of people in South Asia surrender their lives to the Lord, and even a few dozen here in the US.
I will explain more in the next blog, but for now let me leave you with the outline God gave John Meador that morning.
If you would like to learn more about The Gospel in Your Hand and how to learn to share the Gospel conversationally click here — > One Conversation.