God’s Story

“And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’”—Mark 16:15 (NASB)  

By Danny Saavedra 

Sharing the gospel can be even scarier than sharing one’s testimony. What do I say? What if I say something wrong? These are common thoughts that run through the minds of believers as they contemplate sharing the message of Christ with others. 

Some are afraid of offending people, of being rejected or outcast, or of seeming narrow-minded or bigoted. But often we forget we have the words of eternal life (John 6:68), words this person needs to hear. 

Now, as we established a few days ago, this doesn’t mean the weight of this person’s salvation falls on your shoulders. It doesn’t. You aren’t doing the saving; you aren’t doing the work. The Holy Spirit is. It won’t be fancy, persuasive words from your mouth that change a person’s heart but the Spirit of Christ working through you to reach them and touch their heart. Don’t put that pressure on yourself. The Lord simply wants to use you to spread His message, to plant a seed that He then brings to life in them. So make yourself available to His work. 

Sharing the gospel should be simple. It should be easy for everyone to understand. Consider what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:3–4: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (NIV). 

Billy Graham provided this simple, four-step method for sharing the gospel:

1. Tell them about God’s plan—peace and life. 

God loves you and wants you to experience the peace and life He offers. The Bible says that God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not die but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). He has a plan for you!

2. Share our problem—separation from God.
Being at peace with God is not automatic. By nature, we are all separated from Him. The Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NKJV). God is holy, and we humans don’t measure up to His perfect standard. We are sinful, and the Bible says “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 NKJV).

3. Talk about God’s remedy—the cross.
God’s love bridges the gap of separation between you and Him. When Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the grave, He paid the penalty for your sins. The Bible says, “‘He Himself bore our sins’ in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by His wounds you have been healed’” (1 Peter 2:24 NIV).

4. Offer a response—to receive Christ.
You cross the bridge into God’s family when you accept Christ’s free gift of salvation. The Bible says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12 NKJV).

Receiving Christ is as easy as these four steps:

1. Admit you’re a sinner.

2. Ask forgiveness and be willing to turn away from your sins.

3. Believe that Christ died for you on the cross.

4. Receive Christ into your heart and life.

Now, let’s write it out. Remember, you don’t have to sound like the fiery minister or gifted televangelist to be an effective witness for the gospel. Just allow the Spirit to lead you naturally and the words will come!

Closing Advice: Pray before you share the gospel, while you’re sharing the gospel, and after you share the gospel. Ask the Spirit to move in you and through you and to give you clarity as you speak. Ask the Lord to soften the person’s heart to receive the message, and to give you the wisdom to respond to any questions they may have.