Learn the Gospel

If you are a believer and member of the Creek, you already know the Gospel, but what we mean is to know, from your heart, a simple summary of what the Bible says is true about God, man, sin, and Jesus.

The Gospel is a statement of the truth. It is not a sales pitch or an idea that we must convince people to believe.  We do not need to defend it; we are only commanded to present it. So, we're not asking you to memorize certain words or a certain outline, alliterate anything, and so forth. For this step, just internalize and rehearse the glorious truth of salvation by faith in Jesus!

Here is an example summary of what the Bible says:

• The Bible says there is one true living God who created everything, including us. He created us in His image to have a relationship with Him forever.
• The Bible says that because of our thoughts, motivations, and actions, which are against God, we have broken our relationship with Him.
• Because we are the ones who broke the relationship we cannot fix it; we have no hope in a relationship with God by our deeds. We need someone to pay the cost of our sins.
• God loves us so much He made a way for us to have a relationship with Him. He sent His Son who was all God and all man, who lived a sinless life, died an atoning death, and three days later rose again.
• Jesus is alive now, reigning from heaven, and will one day come back to establish His kingdom.
• The Bible says that if we place our trust in Jesus to pay for our sin we can be reconciled to God forever.

You can take the above, copy it, and then prayerfully put it in your own words. Make sure your presentation clarifies the basic Gospel message of who God is; what I did to destroy my relationship with him (sin); who Jesus is; the fact of Jesus' sinless life, atoning death, and bodily resurrection; and the necessity of faith in Jesus for salvation and reconciliation with God.

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Learn Your Testimony

Your testimony is your story of how God saved you and changed you through the Gospel. God has commanded us to "declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). We should declare this every time we have the opportunity. A personal testimony repeats the Gospel in the context of (1) who we were, (2) what happened, and (3) who we are now.

Our testimony should share who we were. There is no need to embellish your testimony in any way. Be honest about who you were before Jesus.

Next, explain what happened to you. Be as specific as possible. The statement "I went forward in church and prayed with the pastor" doesn't mean anything to most people in America and around the world. Maybe it would go something like this: "I realized when I heard the Gospel that I was a sinner, I had disobeyed God and deserved to be punished by Him forever. I realized that God loved me and wanted me to have a relationship with Him so much He punished His son Jesus in my place. I believe Jesus died for me and rose from the dead and was offering me the free gift of salvation. On that day, I placed my faith in Jesus and was reconciled with God."

Finally, your testimony should include who you are now. Explain how you have been changed by the Gospel. Explain how you want to live for Jesus and not for yourself. 

Again, the point here is not to memorize an outline. You know your own story better than anyone! But you want to share your story in such a way that Jesus is the star, not you, and people are pointed to him, and not you.

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