Gospel presentations

A gospel presentation is a presentation of the basics of the good news of the Lordship of Jesus Christ, his kingdom come/coming, his death, burial, and resurrection, and the free forgiveness of sins for those who repent and trust in the person of Jesus Christ. A presentation usually includes helpful elements for the particular audience, such as Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah, or the basics of the nature of God and His benevolent dominion over humanity for those unacquainted with the basics of a biblical worldview (which centers around the worship of the one true God).

There are examples of concise gospel presentations in the New Testament, as well as various modern ways of presenting the gospel through formulas that have become popular. Moreover, there are also examples of longer gospel presentations which encompass more holistic picture of the biblical worldview for the listener.

"And Agrippa said to Paul, 'In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?' And Paul said, 'Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.' " (Acts 26:28-29)

Multimedia

Long Presentations

Short Presentations

Presentations in the New Testament

Jesus

Jesus preached of the kingdom of God. He authoritatively forgave sins and demonstrated the presence of the kingdom of God by healing people of their sicknesses. It is perhaps difficult to summarize Jesus' preaching on the gospel since his whole ministry encompassed it.

Peter

There is record of Peter preaching the gospel in Acts 2 and 10. In Acts 10, Luke records the following gospel presentation given to Cornelius and his family:

"Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." (v. 35-43)

Paul

There is record of Paul giving the gospel in Acts 17:22-31. He preached on the nature of God, his care for humans and desire to be in relationship with them, the judgment to come, and then the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul finished his presentation with this:

"The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." Paul summarizes what he delivered as the gospel to those in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 15:

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed." (v. 3-11)

Popular modern presentations

The Four Laws

The Four Laws presentation was put together by Campus Crusade for Christ and is used on many college campuses around the world. It can be summarized as follows:

"1. God LOVES you and offers a wonderful PLAN for your life. 2. Man is SINFUL and SEPARATED from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life. 3. Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life. 4. We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives."^[1]^

Evangelism Explosion

Evangelism Explosion focuses on the question, "Where would you go if you died, and why?"

The Way of the Master

"The Way of the Master" focuses on using the law as a means of helping a person know that they are a sinner, before the good news is explained to them.^[[citation\ needed](Theopedia:Writing_guide#Reference_your_work)]^ This is seen by adherents as not only relevant to the modern culture (which seems to have little knowledge of the seriousness of sin or the severity of its consequences), but also as a basic principle of Biblical evangelism, which Jesus himself used.

Two Ways to Live

Authored by Phillip Jensen, "Two Ways to Live" is a simple, memorable summary of the Christian gospel, including some of its necessary presuppositions and background. ^ [2]^ The steps have a basic "script" that is learnt by rote; though users are encouraged to adapt the delivery of their presentation to their own style and to the situation. The six points provide a brief summary of the whole Bible story, and fit together as a coherent set of propositions:

  1. God the creator; humanity ruling under his authority.
  2. Humanity rebels, wishing to run things its own way.
  3. God judges (and will judge) humanity for this rebellion.
  4. In his love, God sends Jesus to die as an atoning sacrifice.
  5. In his power, God raises Jesus to life as ruler and judge.
  6. This presents us with a challenge to repent and believe.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ http://www.godlovestheworld.com/
  2. ↑ What is Two ways to live?

External links