#WeAreEmmanuel Values / 07. #WeAreEmmanuel 6 Everything Changes Except The Gospel Pt3
07. #WeAreEmmanuel 6 Everything Changes Except The Gospel Pt3
Originally recorded on Sunday 25th February 2018. Visit http://weareemmanuel.com for more content. Speaker: Stephen Dawson
This preach will focus on the former part of the slogan ‘Everything changes except the gospel’, as the last few preaches have focused on ‘except the gospel’.
As Christians, we are called to reach out to all kinds of people and share the gospel with them. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) Jesus calls us to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19). As we draw closer to God this becomes a natural thing that we want to do but it is also a command from God to us.
In 1 Corinthians 9: 22-23, Paul writes ‘I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.’ This passage hints at the need for believers to be relational with people so we can understand their context and know how to approach sharing the gospel with them. Being contextual with people and relating to them so that they can see Christ in your life.
What does it mean to be contextual?
Being contextual is:
1. Godly- God has been a mission to reach people since from the beginning of creation. He had a plan to rescue humans from sin through sending His only son, Jesus, to become a man. Jesus came right into our context and did life with people. John 3:16- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
2. Careful Not To Add To The Gospel- We mustn’t place emphasis on our own preference, style etc. when giving the Gospel of Jesus to others. We need to be radical in blocking any barriers that may preventing people from hearing who Jesus is and what he has done.
3. Careful Not To Take Anything Away From The Gospel – There will be things in The Gospel that may be difficult to talk about with others who don’t know Jesus, but we must hold firm to the whole and true word of God. When we do stand in this truth, we should do we it from a point of knowing, loving and understanding people.
4. Committed to change – Jesus told his disciples to go to different cultures, tribes etc. to share The Gospel. We are to be flexible and adaptable as people. God is the God of diversity- He loves variety. He is a creative God and He should be expressed and honoured in each culture we find ourselves in. We are to learn what our culture is thinking about and build bridges so we can relate with them and know how to communicate the Gospel through ways they’ll understand.
5. Dangerous- There is a danger of over-contextualising and under-contextualising. In under-contextualising we can be tempted to stay in our own Christian Bubble being comfortable and forgetting that the church is where other people come to connect with Jesus. We must be intentional with taking the time to contextualise and connect with people who don’t know Jesus. It can be through the simple conversational starters, that lead to an opportunity to share The Gospel. There’ s also a danger of over-contextualising living ‘safely in the world’ but not taking a stand to share The Gospel. Jesus even went into the contexts of prostitutes, to show God love to them. We are to follow his example and share and represent the Gospel, in whatever context we are in.
Christianity is The Gospel we will not let go of it but in every different context we will change everything else so that we may win some people. Make the effort to find out what else you can change in your life so that you can reach people, making it known to them that Jesus loves them and wants to have a relationship with them.
This preach will focus on the former part of the slogan ‘Everything changes except the gospel’, as the last few preaches have focused on ‘except the gospel’.
As Christians, we are called to reach out to all kinds of people and share the gospel with them. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) Jesus calls us to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19). As we draw closer to God this becomes a natural thing that we want to do but it is also a command from God to us.
In 1 Corinthians 9: 22-23, Paul writes ‘I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.’ This passage hints at the need for believers to be relational with people so we can understand their context and know how to approach sharing the gospel with them. Being contextual with people and relating to them so that they can see Christ in your life.
What does it mean to be contextual?
Being contextual is:
1. Godly- God has been a mission to reach people since from the beginning of creation. He had a plan to rescue humans from sin through sending His only son, Jesus, to become a man. Jesus came right into our context and did life with people. John 3:16- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
2. Careful Not To Add To The Gospel- We mustn’t place emphasis on our own preference, style etc. when giving the Gospel of Jesus to others. We need to be radical in blocking any barriers that may preventing people from hearing who Jesus is and what he has done.
3. Careful Not To Take Anything Away From The Gospel – There will be things in The Gospel that may be difficult to talk about with others who don’t know Jesus, but we must hold firm to the whole and true word of God. When we do stand in this truth, we should do we it from a point of knowing, loving and understanding people.
4. Committed to change – Jesus told his disciples to go to different cultures, tribes etc. to share The Gospel. We are to be flexible and adaptable as people. God is the God of diversity- He loves variety. He is a creative God and He should be expressed and honoured in each culture we find ourselves in. We are to learn what our culture is thinking about and build bridges so we can relate with them and know how to communicate the Gospel through ways they’ll understand.
5. Dangerous- There is a danger of over-contextualising and under-contextualising. In under-contextualising we can be tempted to stay in our own Christian Bubble being comfortable and forgetting that the church is where other people come to connect with Jesus. We must be intentional with taking the time to contextualise and connect with people who don’t know Jesus. It can be through the simple conversational starters, that lead to an opportunity to share The Gospel. There’ s also a danger of over-contextualising living ‘safely in the world’ but not taking a stand to share The Gospel. Jesus even went into the contexts of prostitutes, to show God love to them. We are to follow his example and share and represent the Gospel, in whatever context we are in.
Christianity is The Gospel we will not let go of it but in every different context we will change everything else so that we may win some people. Make the effort to find out what else you can change in your life so that you can reach people, making it known to them that Jesus loves them and wants to have a relationship with them.
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