At the crux of a solid biblical worldview is a proper understanding of the
gospel, a proper understanding of evangelism, and a proper understanding of discipleship.
For this section, participants were encouraged to join me in New York City street evangelism as we attempted to put into practice what we learned. Planting a Great Commission church is impossible without discipleship, evangelism, and a focus on the
17Josh McDowell, The Best of Josh McDowell: A Ready Defense (Nashville:
Thomas Nelson, 1993), 238.
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centrality of the gospel. A proper grasp of this section of the project therefore, not only enables the church to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ, but it was also critical to the participant’s own soteriological epistemology.
To begin this phase, I started off by saying, “This topic is of special importance because of all the truths that cause us to love God, nothing causes us to cherish God as much as the truths that answer the question, ‘Just how did God save me?’” The class was informed that the primary purpose of life is to glorify God, and that the gospel is at the very heart of the glory of God (Eph 1:6). We started with the gospel because without the gospel, a person cannot be saved. Without the gospel, there is no such thing as “evangelism.” Without the gospel, there is no Christian discipleship. Even Scripture calls the gospel of first importance (1 Cor 15:3). Hence, it is the primary teaching in all of Christianity and its proclamation is the ultimate aim of this project.
The gospel is so central to Christianity that to deny the gospel would be to deny Christianity. While saying that it was of first importance, Paul gave us the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 as he said,
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 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.
The gospel is pivotal because it is the means by which God saves sinful humanity. Every other world religion incorporates some form of works-based salvation.
In Christianity, the gospel is preached and salvation occurs only when people believe the truths preached within the gospel message. Furthermore, it is a message that sounds completely foolish to unbelieving New Yorkers (class participants were therefore reminded to fully rely on the Holy Spirit during evangelism). Scripture says, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18). God has decreed the folly of the gospel to save those
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who believe, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe”
(1 Cor 1:21). Although some class participants could not remember when they initially came to Christ, all were reminded that at some point, they were saved through the gospel.
No one was ever born a Christian and the power of God for salvation is only given
through the gospel to those who believe, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16). As Christians, my class participants were told that they were the most important people on the planet because they had the most important news on the planet.
In an age of mass confusion about the gospel message itself, I had to reiterate to the class that the gospel is not the simplistic news that God has a wonderful material plan for your life on earth. It is not the first four books of the Bible, and neither is it the entire Bible. It is not a music genre and it is not a lifestyle. Furthermore, a person cannot present the gospel without using words.
The word “gospel” came from two old English words put together. It simply means “good news.” Since the gospel is news, it cannot be shared without using words.
Students were shown that statements such as, “Always preach the gospel, and when necessary, use words” were synonymous to saying, “Always feed the hungry, and when necessary, use food.” I also mentioned that it would be like asking a television news anchor to tell the evening news without speaking words. Based on 1 Corinthians 15, I stated that the gospel had essentially four points: (1) there is an infinitely holy and just God who will judge all of humanity, (2) all humans are sinners who upon their deaths deserve and face the wrath of God in eternal hell, (3) the great news is that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ (who was fully God and fully man) to die on the cross and pay for our sins. Jesus absorbed God’s wrath in our place and resurrected 3 days later, however, (4) in order to have this great salvation, we must personally repent (turn from our sins) and
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put our faith in Jesus Christ. Those four points constitute the gospel. We may elaborate on these four points, but we cannot give people anything less than those four points. This is the message that humanity needs to hear in order to be saved.
From there, I moved the class onto the definition of evangelism which I stated to be, “The preaching of the good news.” Contrary to popular belief, I told the
participants that smiling at your neighbor—by itself—was not evangelism. Telling someone about Jesus without telling the person what Jesus did for him on the cross is also not evangelism. Feeding the homeless, while a good work, is not evangelism.
Evangelism only occurs when the gospel is shared. My participants were also told that as a corollary, the same is true for missions. The mission of God is the Great Commission.
Therefore, central to any missions work is evangelism. Without evangelism, missions ceases to be missions—regardless of how many good works a person or team
accomplishes.
Finally, I instructed the class on what biblical discipleship entailed. Within the Great Commission, Jesus commanded us to be disciples and to go make disciples. The Greek word for disciple simply means “student” or “pupil.” Every believer is therefore, a learner or student of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is our Lord, Savior, and ultimate teacher. Discipleship therefore, unequivocally incorporates learning and thinking.
Participants were told that Christian discipleship is always primarily centered on the Word of God. This fact then requires teaching, learning and the use of our minds. We need to be associated and mentored by those are spiritually more mature than we are.
The apostle Paul saw the importance of discipleship when he said to Timothy, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim 4:16). Sound discipleship, therefore, involves teachers and mentors. Discipleship occurs as we are being taught God’s Word while fully engaging our minds. I closed this phase by informing my participants that the
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primary means by which God disciples the world is via the local church. Participants were urged to find and devote themselves to a Bible believing church.