Reading: 6.4—The Gospel Ask

6.4 The Gospel Ask: So far in Skill 6: Leaving a Gospel Footprint, our concentration has been mostly on outreach. At this point, we’re shifting more to evangelism and later, in 6.5 and 6.6, we’ll move into discipleship. A Great Commission pastor finds many ways to “ask” someone if he or she is ready to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit is moving in the hearts and minds of people in the community as the Gospel is being brought to them through individual and corporate outreach and evangelism. Some will respond but will need a clear opportunity to take that step. They will need a response mechanism that you provide, a line to cross, a trigger to pull.

Just last week I officiated at the funeral of a man I guided to Jesus about a year ago, following his coming to Christ with one-on-one discipleship until the day he died from a terminal illness. Of course, the Holy Spirit did the heavy lifting, but I “brokered” the transaction leading to the transformation that took place.

It’s always a thrill to be used in that way. I shared his journey to the Lord in my funeral remarks, inviting others in attendance or watching online to contact me if they had questions regarding “matters of the soul” or perhaps wanted to pursue the journey our departed friend had been on. Of course, this was not a case of my having developed sustainable relationships with them over time, but I shared with them about the relationship I had with our friend, and that I was available for them. This was a compressed adaptation of personal outreach and evangelism in a very specific and bounded context. My point is that, during my remarks, I had carefully explained the basics of the Gospel, and I made a discreet Gospel Ask of all those within earshot. So far, two have expressed interest in baptism and several have remarked about the steps to salvation being explained so clearly. What was I attempting to do? I was attempting to leave a Gospel Footprint that included a Gospel Ask. We’ll see how God uses this in the months ahead.

What are the components of a Gospel Ask? Let’s assume that we’re on-script and that a sustainable relationship has been developed over time. That might be Component #1. Component #2 (don’t get lost debating cart and horse theories here) would be prayer, prayer for the opportunity to forge a relationship, prayer for the Holy Spirit to move in hearts and minds, prayer to be providentially in the right place at the right time, prayer for discernment, prayer for open doors to move toward a Gospel Ask; the list goes on. 

Component #3 might be the movement of God in a certain person’s life to prompt their being drawn toward the Good News. Again, the list might be long, but I categorize these promptings into three basic categories: Crisis, Children, and Curiosity. Crisis is caused when the events of life are dramatic and, usually, negative. For example, my aforementioned friend was diagnosed with an inoperable, malignant heart tumor. That will definitely get your attention and create crisis in your life. This head on collision with overwhelmingly bad news prompted him to contact me to help him take “spiritual inventory,” as he called it. Crisis can be Gospel-catalytic.

Children have a way of nudging parents toward matters of faith. Of course, problems with a child can create crisis, and we can circle back to the first category, but the context I’m referring to here is more about having children in the first place. As I look back on my pastoral ministry, I can name numerous couples who were living life with great satisfaction without God when they had no children. However, at the birth of their first child, an internal switch was activated and thoughts of greater things, more important things, began to surface. Next thing you know, they’re searching for God or a church or some means of understanding eternal reality and not just self-gratification. Why? Their child means more to them than they mean to themselves, so they’re looking at life more deeply. Children can be Gospel-catalytic.

Rounding out Component #3 is Curiosity. The brand of curiosity I have in view is spiritual curiosity prompted by a movement of the Holy Spirit. In some folks, neither Crisis nor Children prove to be the catalyst. Rather, a curiosity regarding spiritual matters, eternal matters, faith, God belief, whatever, just bubbles up, seemingly from nowhere. Of course, it’s not from nowhere or even from somewhere, it’s from someone, the Holy Spirit. We know that no one comes to faith in Jesus Christ unless he or she is drawn. In John 6, Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day,” (John 6:44). This drawing is the work of the Holy Spirit, and, typically, as this drawing is taking place, a curiosity regarding the things of God surfaces. Curiosity can be Gospel- catalytic.

In connecting a few dots, we have developed a sustainable relationship with someone through outreach over time. Therefore, we are embedded in that person’s life and are always nearby. We’re praying routinely for that person to come to Christ. When the Spirit begins to draw that person toward Christ, through Crisis, Children, Curiosity, or some other means, we are an arm’s-length away, so when he or she reaches out, we’re there with the Good News.

That brings me to Component #4, a crystal-clear explanation of the Gospel. If we’re going to ask a person to commit his or her life to Christ, we’ve got to explain what that means in explicitly clear terms. Circling back to Romans 10, Paul writes, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that Jesus raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved,” (Romans 10:9-10). Confess what? Believe what? Let me frame how I organize a concise but thorough presentation of the content of the Gospel. My objective is to help the people I’m serving to be able to answer “I do” to the following questions:

Do you believe that you are a sinner? (I do.)

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? (I do.)

Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on a cross to pay the penalty for your sins? (I do.)

Do you repent of your sins? (I do.)

Do you believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead? (I do.)

Do you believe that your sins – past, present, and future – have been forgiven? (I do.)

Do you believe that you have eternal life by the grace of God? (I do.)

To respond “I do” with understanding and conviction to these questions is an indication that the Gospel has been fully grasped and affirmed. I now use these questions in administering the sacrament of baptism. A bottom-line comment: If the Gospel has not been clearly articulated, evangelism has not happened.

Finally, Component #5 is simply Repeat. If you reach a point in a relationship where you sense the moment is right for the Gospel Ask, but when the Ask is extended it’s not received, don’t panic. Keep communication open and begin to seek a next opportunity, and a next, and a next, if necessary. Don’t issue ultimatums and don’t try to coerce a positive response. Give the Holy Spirit time to move, and when God’s timing is right, belief will manifest.

Gospel Bonus: Psalm 103:1-5 provides a succinct outline to the message of the Gospel. In this Psalm, David the songwriter lays out the benefits of being a child of God in this song’s lyrics, and these benefits go a long way in explaining the Gospel. It reads:

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,

who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Clearly, the cost/benefit ratio of becoming a child of God tips in our favor. This psalm is a wonderful way to remember and share the content of the Gospel. 

We’ve covered a lot of ground in this section so let me capture the five components of a Gospel Ask succinctly:

Component #1: A Sustainable Relationship

Component #2: Strategic Prayer

Component #3: Holy Spirit Prompting (Drawing)

Component #4: A Clear Gospel Explanation

Component #5: Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

Leaving a Gospel Footprint is at its highest peak when offering a credible Gospel Ask that stands on the shoulders of an authentic, sustainable relationship.