Is a “gospel expectation” prevalent within the Body of Christ today? By “gospel expectation,”
I mean do we first and foremost understand the Lord expects every one of us to share the good news of Jesus personally, individually, and corporately?
From His first interactions with His future disciples, Jesus set this expectation and pattern. Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, and Luke 5:1-11 all record His promise to make His disciples fishers of men. I purposely emphasize future disciples to make it clear Jesus expressed this expectation to share the gospel with everyone they encountered even before He began to pour Himself into their lives as His disciples.
The thought of a “gospel expectation” has consumed my thoughts over the last couple of years. Do we as Christians fully comprehend the wonderful call placed on each of us? Do we truly appreciate the gravity of this responsibility? Second Corinthians 5:17-20 describes the new identity we receive when we accept the gospel. We become ambassadors for Christ, accepting His mission to help others be reconciled to God.
I’m afraid this is not our current mindset as the Body of Christ. I am certainly no expert, but I have pastored for many years. For the last five years, I have traveled to many churches,
associations, and even foreign fields as the Arkansas director of missions. Along the way, I made the following observations.
Many churches (though not all) are struggling to stay alive, rather than living out His promises, power, and presence (Matthew 28:18-20).
Many pastors are preaching the Word but struggle to equip their congregations past church attendance (and statistics show we are losing that battle also).
Meaningful discipleship is deficient in many congregations, whether Sunday School, small groups, D-groups, or one-on-one interaction.
Not everyone in our congregations is interested in sharing the gospel, but some are. They just need to be equipped (Ephesians 4:11-12).
If a church, pastor, or individual commits to change in this area, there will be resistance (even within the church family). But take heart! There is also help (Galatians 6:8-9).
Considering these observations, what is a gospel expectation, and how do we develop it, both in our congregations and in our relationships beyond the church? To define it simply, a gospel expectation is sharing with others on a regular basis the biblical truths we have learned ourselves.
We will not stand before Jesus and give an account for how many people we led to Jesus (the results are His), but we will account for how openly we shared Him, how we sowed the gospel seed.
Developing this mindset means an addition in messaging and location. That is, when we share the Scripture, we must additionally challenge our listeners to share the truths they have learned with someone else (preferably unsaved). This often requires a change of venue. I have been criticized for making the statement: “If the primary location of your ministry is at church, you are missing the biblical example.”
These days, I typically end every sermon or lesson with two questions: 1) What did you learn today? 2) Who needs to hear that?
Other methods I teach through revitalization include:
A simple method to pray consistently for the lost people you personally know.
How to have gospel conversations with strangers and friends.
Developing your personal testimony to be shared in 15 seconds.
How journaling can be used as a tool to share the gospel.
Accountability and how to set witnessing goals.
These simple tools point to the essence of outreach — and don’t cost a dime. We can do many things to reach people for Jesus. However, if inviting people to church, passing out Bible tracts, and big day events are our primary tools for evangelism (and, yes, all these have value), we will always struggle to stay alive rather than living out His promises, power, and presence.
It is imperative to adopt and develop an attitude of gospel expectation in our lives and ministry.
About the Writer: Travis Alexander is director of missions for the Arkansas State Association. Learn more: arfwb.org/missions/.
