A 30-Day Guide For New Believers, Faith Foundations for the Christian Life
A 30-Day Devotional and Spiritual Formation Lesson Plan to help New Believers hit the ground running. A great resource for: those just saved, mature believers looking for an engaging read, 1-on-1 discipleship, and use in small groups as a 30-Week curriculum.
Section 1 - Essential Christian beliefs you need to understand and trust, common misunderstandings explained, false teachings debunked
Section 2 - How to start strong to prevent common errors and correct often neglected things that cause many to stumble or struggle
Section 3 - How we got the Bible, what the Bible is, why you should trust it, and how to correctly interpret it and apply it to your life today
Section 4 - A high-level overview of what's in each of all 66 books in the Bible; who wrote them, when, and why; and key parts to know
Section 5 - How to embrace a truly authentic Christian lifestyle, live in a way that pleases God, fulfill your purpose, and change the world
A life-changing, yet convenient and easy to follow way to start out each day on the right foot. Ignite your walk with Jesus!
In this day and age the gospel is commonly distorted, confused, and misrepresented. And Christians are so eager to bring people to Jesus that even when the parts of the gospel shared are correct they’re often incomplete, meaning that important parts of the gospel aren’t included in many gospel messages and church salvation calls. This is why we’re going to start here.
Hopefully you’ve already heard the complete gospel message, believed it, and gave your life wholly to Jesus. If so, this will be a confirmation. But there’s a possibility you haven’t. To be sure that you know and believe everything you need to in order be saved you’ll want to pay careful atten- tion to this lesson, which is a gospel summary, as well as the following six days, which will go into greater detail on many essential (non-negotiable) Christian doctrines. Romans 1:16 says,
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes...” Verse 15 says, “That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you...”
So what exactly is the complete, authentic Gospel? What key points should be included in a Gospel message? What methods of sharing the good news about Jesus are most persuasive? This lesson covers: 1) What is the Gospel?, 2) The essentials of the Gospel, and 3) Gospel presentation tips.
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
In the Bible, the word ‘gospel’ is derived from the Greek word euaggélion (yoo-ang-ghel’-ee-on). It’s where the words evangelism and evangelical come from, all relating to spreading a message. It literally means “good news.” In the simplest of terms, a gospel is any good news that one person could share with another. In ancient times, a herald might proclaim the “gospel” of a military victory or some other announcement. Years before the cross, Jesus proclaimed His arrival as the gospel. Years before He went to the cross, in Mark 1:15 Jesus said,
“The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the [gospel] good news!”
What we call the “Christian Gospel” goes beyond any single event or fact that is good news though. It’s a summary of the entire list of truths that are each good news, and then when taken together as a whole they are the great news! The complete authentic Gospel is momentous because it is news that doesn’t come from man. It comes from God! Romans 1:1-2 says,
“The gospel of God—the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son.”
It’s good news from God, to humanity, about His Son Jesus. This—the capital “G” Gospel of the Christian Faith—combines all the most import- ant good news: who Jesus is, what He did for us and why, how we can receive it, and the benefits available for those who do!
The Gospel is powerful and life changing. We will spend a lifetime learning what it means to follow Jesus and growing in our relationship with God. As we grow, our understanding of the Gospel will increase in meaning and complexity. This is good for our personal devotional time with God, encountering His presence and maturing our faith. It’s also good to keep going deeper in our Bible study, knowledge, and discipleship, as God sanctifies us and makes us more like Jesus. However, in your personal trust in the Gospel, and any evangelism you do, keep it simple! The Gospel is like a vast, deep ocean to explore, but we’re able to be saved and access it with a single footstep of repentance and faith. We must believe and share the essential truths while keeping them easy to understand.
THE ESSENTIALS OF THE GOSPEL
• G — God — There’s only one, eternal God. He’s personal and knowable. He’s good, holy, just, loving and gracious. He created everything (and you). He loves you and desires a relationship.
• O — Opponent — You are a sinner who is in rebellion to God. He’s so good and holy that your sin has separated you from Him. Since He’s perfect and just, and you are guilty, you will be judged.
• S — Savior — Because God is loving and gracious He sent His Son Jesus, the Messiah/Christ to save you. The eternal Son of God, became human, born of a virgin, was perfect/sinless, did miracles.
• P — Paid For — Jesus voluntarily allowed Himself to be crucified on a cross, in your place, to pay the penalty for your sins. He died, was buried, and went to the realm of the dead. He was resurrected in a glorified eternal physical body three days later, in accordance with the Jewish Scriptures. He appeared to over 500 witnesses.
• E — Everyone — His sacrifice satisfies God’s justice, reconciling all who believe, trust in and follow Him, into right relationship with God, forgiveness of sin, new nature, adoption, and eternal life.
• L — Life Changing — Following Jesus causes you to become a living sacrifice and testimony for Him. The Holy Spirit in you gives you a new heart, mind, purpose, desires, power, and mission.
PREACH AND WITNESS THE GOSPEL
The Gospel wasn’t just for you; it’s for you to share. Mark 16:15 Jesus said,
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
This clear biblical command from Jesus contradicts something I’ve heard many Christians say. There isn’t any evidence that St. Francis of Assisi actually said it, but some people quote him as saying, “Preach the Gospel at all times, when necessary, use words.” Hopefully you now realize that this is nonsense. It’s like saying, “Teach students their ABC’s, when necessary, use letters.” The Gospel not only needs words for it to be shared with others, it even needs specific words that accurately convey important facts. It needs words because it’s a message to a person from their Creator. It’s a message they need to receive, believe, and obey. Romans 10:14-15 says,
“How... can they call on the one they have not believed in?... how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?... how can they hear without someone preaching to them?... “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
2 Corinthians 5:19-20 says,
“[God] has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
They need to believe it and obey it. The message has imperatives: a warning of judgment and punishment and a call to respond in faith demonstrated by behavior change. There will be punishment for those who do not obey the gospel. (1 Pet. 4:17; Rom. 10:16; Phil. 1:27). 2 Thessalonians 1:8 says,
He [Jesus] will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
We can certainly reinforce the authenticity of the Gospel by having love, character, and good deeds with it, but we can’t leave out the message itself! I’m not saying that preaching the Gospel is the only important thing. Our character and actions do matter. We’re not commanded to preach alone but also to be a witness. We’re not only delivering the message, we’re a living example of its truthfulness. If we deliver the authentic gospel message, but we’re miserable, unloving, hypocritical sinners, it definitely undermines the “L” portion of our message.
You’re a letter messenger. You can’t control if they’ll accept God’s invitation or throw it in the trash. All you can do is to deliver it, then it’s on them. Matthew 22:8-9 Jesus said, “The wedding banquet is ready... go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.” Acts 1:8 Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Your mission is to be His witness and verbally share the Gospel to those within your influence.
PRAYER
God, thank You for the Gospel. Help me fully know, believe, and embrace the good news and let it change every part of my life. Jesus, make me a good, bold witness for You and use me to help save many souls. Amen.
JOURNAL
1. Where and when did you give your life to Jesus? Write down the date and location. Write what God revealed to you in the moments prior. What were you thinking and feeling? Describe your experience and reasons for your decision. Capturing this now will help you remember and share your testimony later.
2. Were any of the Gospel points new to you? If so, do you understand and fully believe them? Write down these points in your journal and reflect upon them. (Don’t worry if you still have some unanswered questions, we’re just getting started!)