Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: 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 15:1-4

What is important in this life? There are many, many things that are important to us as human beings, as fathers, mothers, children, husbands and wives, professionals and students. To some it is their jobs and career goals. To others it is their children and the future of their children. To others still it is the simple happiness of their life partner. Whatever it may be, each one of us has something, something specific that is dear and important to us.

Whatever that important thing is it will be the last thing as well that we will give emphasis too when our life is almost done. The apostle Paul, basically writing his final farewells to his son in the faith Timothy, reminds Timothy not about wealth, not about fond memories, not even about those that he would be leaving behind, but in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he writes:

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

—2 Timothy 4:1-2

Even in the twilight hours of his life, all that Paul was concerned about was the preaching of the Word. The preaching of the Gospel. It was, in fact, of first and utmost importance for Paul, so much so that it transcends all other things of this life.

What is Not the Message of Evangelism

1. Be a good person, live like Jesus, love God and love others

“If you try your best to be a good person, follow the teachings of Jesus, love God and love your neighbor as yourself, then God will accept you and He will let you enter heaven.”

This is not the message of evangelism. There is not even one ounce of Gospel in this supposed message. All that this statement presents is straight Law. It screams out at us like the Old Testament law saying, “Do this and live.” Yet the same inspired text of Scripture tells us plainly, “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?” (Gal 4:21)

The moment we tell people that salvation is based upon anything they do, no matter how small it may be, we have begun to present not Gospel, but law. And if it is by the law that we are to be justified, then not one will be justified. In Paul’s words, “Christ will be of no advantage to you” (Gal 5:2), “You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law, you have fallen away from grace.” (Gal 5:4)

2. Your personal testimony

No matter how dramatic, no matter how compelling or how convincing your personal testimony may be, your personal testimony is not the Gospel. Your personal testimony is not the message of evangelism. People do not repent from their sins because of a dramatic presentation of one’s personal testimony. Not one has put their faith in Christ savingly because someone else’s life was changed.

One’s personal testimony may be helpful when used wisely in giving credance and integrity to a person as a bearer of the message, but it is not and must not take the place of the message itself. The message is and always is Christ and Him crucified.

We are to preach God’s story, not our story. We are to preach Christ not ourselves.

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

—1 Corinthians 2:2

3. God has a wonderful plan for your life

What happens when you tell an unregenerate person that God supposedly has a wonderful plan for his life? He will be interested, compelled and intrigued for all the wrong reasons, why? Because he too has a wonderful plan for his life. I don’t think that there’s any person that despises a wonderful plan for their own personal lives. So you tell a person that God has a wonderful plan for his life, he’ll surely take that God, but he will be given no reason for repentance, there will be no conviction of sin and no saving faith in Christ. He has only come to God because the gifts of God appeal to Him, not the Giver.

So then, “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Romans 1:25)

4. Jesus will save your marriage and heal all your sicknesses

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

—Philippians 2:5-8

How many of us are prepared to say that Christ Jesus, God in the flesh endured all these things, humbled Himself even to the point of death, even death on a cross, Him who knew no sin became sin (2 Cor 5:21), so that your marriage will be fixed, you will be healed of your sickness, have nice homes, and have perfect families?

This here is the same sin again, the lifting up of gifts above giver, the exchanging of the created instead of the Creator. It is esteeming God as the provider of needs, a cosmic butler, not a sovereign Lord that graciously condescends to save wretched worms like you and me. The only reason people will come to God with such an invitation as this is because, like the 5,000 disciples that Jesus fed, they were given free food. They are still dead in their trespasses and sins and still wedded to their idols and lusts.

What is the message of evangelism? It is but a simple message. Simple as it is but it’s depths are infinitely profound, majestically high, incomprehensible and glorious.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: 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 15:1-4

On the Message of Evangelism

I. What is Not the Message of Evangelism

II. What is the Message of Evangelism