Pray for the Gospel to be Clear
[Pray for us as we declare the mystery of Christ] that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Colossians 4:4–6 ESV Read More
Praying to be clear about the Gospel is something we could pray for ourselves every day. When you do a Google search for “What is the Gospel?” there are a zillion returns and many of them aren’t very concise or clear. There was one statement from John Piper that summed it up pretty brief:
The gospel is the news that Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, died for our sins and rose again, eternally triumphant over all his enemies, so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe, but only everlasting joy.
The Apostle Paul, assuming they already knew about who Christ was and about His perfect life, said the Gospel was 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,” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4)
There are thousands of ways that we can make that clear from one situation to another. As you think about it and talk about it, it becomes more clear to you yourself and that helps make it clear to others. As we grow in wisdom, we see more places where the Gospel applies to everyday life.
A mother and daughter can be reconciled because Jesus has forgiven both of them and they can forgive each other.
A man can hold his chin up, knowing that whatever used to bring him shame has been taken by Christ.
A kid can have confidence that even though parents are selfish and teachers don’t understand, Jesus has opened the door to God so that He will hear that kid’s prayers.
An old woman can die fearlessly, knowing that Christ has made a way for her to spend eternity with God.
The confidence that our salvation by Jesus brings is wisdom enough. Even more, God gives us the wisdom to see His benefits in more and more ways. That wisdom helps us have the right things to say at the right times. That salvation also brings us confidence so that we don’t always have to be the funny guy, or have some dirty innuendo to work into the conversation. The purity of our thoughts shows as we continue to think about the Gospel.
Pray for yourself and for our church that we would have the right words to say today. Not just telling people to do the right things, but salty good words that would make people genuinely thirst for Jesus. He is here to help, and He loves it when we talk about Him.
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