Day 28 – The Gospel Must Be Proclaimed

When the Gospel Must Be Heard

The Gospel is not a message that we are meant to keep to ourselves.

We have spent these days discovering what the Gospel is:

Christ is the Saviour.

Christ died for our sins.

Christ rose again.

Salvation is by grace through faith.

Christ is the only Mediator.

Scripture is the authority.

All glory belongs to God.

But now we must ask:

What do we do with this Gospel?

We proclaim it.

Paul asks a series of questions:

“How can they call on the One they have not believed in?”

“How can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard?”

“How can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

These questions reveal something very important:

People need to hear the Gospel.

The Gospel Must Be Heard

Faith does not come from simply knowing that Christianity exists.

People need to hear and understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

They need to hear:

who Jesus is.

why He came.

why we need Him.

what He accomplished on the cross.

that He rose from the dead.

that salvation is offered by grace through faith.

that He calls us to repent and believe.

The Gospel must be communicated.

People Cannot Believe What They Have Never Heard

Paul’s reasoning is simple.

How can someone call upon Christ if they have not believed?

How can they believe if they have never heard?

And how can they hear if nobody tells them?

This is why proclamation matters.

The Gospel is God’s message of salvation.

And God has chosen to send His people to communicate that message.

We are not the source of the Gospel.

We are its messengers.

We did not create the message.

We received it.

And having received it, we are called to faithfully make it known.

The Gospel Is Good News

Remember what the word Gospel means.

It is good news.

Imagine knowing that someone desperately needs good news and having the opportunity to tell them, but choosing to remain silent.

The Gospel is far more important than ordinary news.

It concerns:

sin.

forgiveness.

eternal life.

reconciliation with God.

the resurrection.

the hope of Christ’s return.

This is news that must be shared.

The Gospel tells sinners where forgiveness can be found.

It tells the guilty where grace can be found.

It tells the lost where salvation can be found.

And it tells those who are far from God that, through Christ, they can be brought near.

We Are Not Called to Keep Silent

Jesus gave His followers a mission.

He said:

“Go and make disciples of all nations.” — Matthew 28:19

The Christian life is not:

“I have been saved, so now I will keep my faith private.”

We are saved into a mission.

We have received the light.

We are called to let that light shine.

We have received the Gospel.

We are called to proclaim it.

Every follower of Christ should be willing to bear witness to Him according to the opportunities and gifts God provides.

The Gospel was never meant to remain hidden.

The Gospel Is for Everyone

Romans 10 speaks about the universal need for Christ.

Nobody is excluded from the invitation.

The Gospel is for:

the rich.

the poor.

the educated.

the uneducated.

the religious.

the sceptical.

the young.

the old.

every nation.

every language.

every culture.

Every person, nation and culture needs the same Saviour.

We all need Jesus.

A Message for the East

This is one of the reasons The Open Gospel exists.

There are people who may have grown up surrounded by Christianity but may never have clearly heard the biblical Gospel.

They may know:

religious traditions.

church customs.

feasts.

icons.

religious language.

family practices.

But knowing about Christianity is not necessarily the same as knowing Christ.

A person can be surrounded by Christian culture and still need to clearly hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

And they still need the opportunity to personally respond to Christ.

Cultural Christianity Is Not the Same as Conversion

This distinction is essential.

Someone may say:

“I was born Christian.”

But the Bible does not teach that salvation comes through birth.

Someone may say:

“My family has always been Christian.”

But faith cannot simply be inherited from our parents.

Someone may say:

“I belong to the Church.”

But belonging to a religious institution does not automatically mean that a person has been reconciled to God.

The Gospel calls every individual personally:

Repent.

Believe.

Trust Christ.

Follow Him.

Only Christ can reconcile us to God.

We Must Proclaim Christ, Not Ourselves

There is another important principle.

When we proclaim the Gospel, we are not promoting ourselves.

We are not saying:

“Look at me.”

We are saying:

“Look at Jesus.”

Paul wrote:

“We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord.” – 2 Corinthians 4:5

That must be the heart of our message.

Not our personality.

Not our denomination.

Not our achievements.

Not our reputation.

Not our ministry.

Christ.

The Gospel Is Not About Building Our Name

This is especially important for anyone who teaches or leads.

Ministry can become dangerous when the messenger becomes more important than the message.

The goal is not:

“How many people follow me?”

The goal is:

“How many people are being pointed to Christ?”

John the Baptist demonstrated this beautifully.

When people began following Jesus, John said:

“He must become greater; I must become less.” — John 3:30

That should be the attitude of every Gospel messenger.

We should never build a ministry in such a way that people become dependent upon the messenger rather than directed toward Christ.

The name that matters is not ours.

The name that matters is Jesus.

We Are Messengers, Not Saviours

We cannot save anyone.

Only God saves.

We cannot change someone’s heart.

Only God can transform the heart.

We cannot force someone to believe.

But we can faithfully proclaim the truth.

Our responsibility is:

speak.

teach.

invite.

pray.

love.

testify.

God is the One who gives spiritual life and transforms the heart.

That should give us both humility and courage.

We do not carry the burden of being someone’s saviour.

We carry the responsibility of being a faithful witness.

The Power Is in God’s Gospel

Paul says:

“I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” — Romans 1:16

Notice:

The power is not in the messenger.

The power is not in our presentation.

The power is not in our personality.

The power is in the Gospel.

That should give us courage.

You do not have to be perfect before you can tell someone about Jesus.

You need to be faithful, humble and truthful.

You need a willingness to point people to Christ and faithfully communicate what Scripture says.

The Gospel carries the power.

You Don’t Need to Be a Preacher

When we hear the word “proclaim,” we may imagine standing behind a pulpit.

But Gospel proclamation can happen anywhere.

You can share Christ:

at home.

at work.

with a friend.

with a neighbour.

through a conversation.

through a testimony.

through hospitality.

through serving someone.

through your writing.

through video.

through social media.

The question is not:

“Do I have a pulpit?”

The question is:

“Am I willing to tell people about Jesus?”

Your Story Can Point to Christ

You have a testimony.

You can tell people what Christ has done in your life.

But remember the purpose of your testimony.

It is not:

“Look how great I am.”

It is:

“Look what God has done.”

Your story should point beyond yourself to the Saviour.

Your testimony can explain how God showed you your need for Christ.

It can tell how He brought you to repentance.

It can describe His grace.

It can speak about His faithfulness.

But the centre should remain Jesus.

Proclaim With Love

We must also remember how we proclaim the Gospel.

Truth matters.

But our attitude matters too.

Peter tells believers to be ready to give an answer for the hope within them, but to do it with:

“gentleness and respect.” — 1 Peter 3:15

Therefore, we do not need to shout at people.

We do not need to insult people.

We do not need to mock their traditions.

We do not need to humiliate people for what they believe.

We speak the truth.

And we speak it with love.

Truth without arrogance.

Correction without contempt.

Conviction without hatred.

Our goal is not to win an argument.

Our goal is to faithfully point people to Jesus Christ.

Do Not Be Ashamed

Some Christians are afraid to speak about Jesus because they fear rejection.

But remember yesterday’s message:

Freedom from the fear of man.

Today we see why that freedom matters.

If we are constantly afraid of what people think, we will struggle to proclaim the Gospel.

Paul said:

“I am not ashamed of the Gospel.” — Romans 1:16

May that become our confession too.

We do not proclaim Christ because everyone will accept Him.

We proclaim Christ because He is Lord and His Gospel is true.

Some Will Accept and Some Will Reject

When we proclaim Christ, not everyone will respond positively.

Jesus Himself was rejected.

The apostles were rejected.

Paul was rejected.

Some will listen.

Some will ask questions.

Some will believe.

Some will reject.

Our responsibility is not to control the response.

Our responsibility is to faithfully deliver the message.

We plant.

We water.

God gives the growth. – 1 Corinthians 3:6

So do not measure faithfulness only by visible results.

Sometimes the seed is planted long before we see anything happen.

Trust God with the outcome.

Do Not Change the Message to Get a Response

This is extremely important.

We should never change the Gospel simply because people don’t like it.

We should not remove:

sin

because it is uncomfortable.

We should not remove:

repentance

because it sounds demanding.

We should not remove:

judgement

because it sounds frightening.

We should not remove:

the cross

because it sounds offensive.

And we should not add:

human religious requirements

to make the Gospel appear more respectable.

We proclaim what God has given us.

The Gospel does not need to be redesigned to become acceptable.

It needs to be faithfully proclaimed.

Our task is not to make the Gospel popular.

Our task is to make the Gospel known.

The Gospel Must Be Clear

Our message should not be unnecessarily complicated.

People need to understand:

God is holy.

Humanity has sinned.

Sin separates us from God.

Jesus Christ came to save sinners.

He died for our sins.

He rose again.

Salvation is by grace through faith.

We are called to repent and believe.

Jesus is Lord.

There is eternal life in Him.

That is the message.

We do not need to hide the Gospel behind unnecessary religious language.

We do not need to make it complicated.

We need to make it clear.

Proclaiming the Gospel Is an Act of Love

Sometimes we think that love means never challenging anyone.

But if we truly love people, we want them to know the truth about God.

If someone is walking toward danger, love warns them.

If someone is lost, love points toward the way.

If someone is searching, love tells them where hope can be found.

The Gospel confronts us with the truth about our sin, but it also announces God’s gracious provision of salvation through Jesus Christ.

It is an invitation:

Come to Christ.

We should never proclaim the Gospel with hatred.

But neither should we remain silent because we are afraid of offending someone.

Love tells the truth.

Love speaks with gentleness.

Love points people toward Christ.

The Beauty of Romans 10

Paul quotes Isaiah:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” – Romans 10:15

What a beautiful description.

God sees Gospel messengers as people carrying good news.

You may not feel important.

You may think:

“What difference can I make?”

But one faithful conversation may become something God uses to change someone’s life.

One Scripture can awaken someone’s heart.

One testimony can give someone hope.

One invitation can lead someone to Christ.

We do not know what God may do through our obedience.

That is why we should not despise small opportunities.

God can use what seems small to accomplish something far greater than we can see.

The Gospel Must Reach the Next Generation

We must also think about our children.

If we do not teach the next generation the Gospel, they may inherit:

tradition without truth.

religious identity without faith.

church attendance without Christ.

We must teach them Scripture.

We must tell them about Jesus.

We must demonstrate the Gospel in our lives.

And we must encourage them to personally trust Christ.

We cannot simply assume that because our children grew up around Christianity, they automatically understand the Gospel.

We must pray that they personally come to know and follow Him.

The Gospel must move from one generation to the next.

The Gospel Must Reach Beyond Our Walls

The Great Commission is not optional for a select group of Christians.

The Church has been sent.

Jesus said:

“Go and make disciples of all nations.” – Matthew 28:19

That means we cannot become so comfortable inside our churches that we forget the people outside.

There are people who are searching.

People who are hurting.

People who are confused.

People who are religious but have never understood grace.

People who have never heard the biblical Gospel clearly.

They need to hear.

The Church must not become a place where the Gospel is repeatedly spoken only to people who already believe.

We gather to worship Christ, to be strengthened in His Word, to encourage one another—and then we go.

We go into our homes.

We go into our communities.

We go into the nations.

We carry the Gospel with us.

The Open Gospel Must Be an Open Invitation

This is the heart of this pillar.

We are not creating another religious system.

We are opening the Scriptures and saying:

Come and see what God has actually said.

Come and examine.

Come and ask questions.

Come and discover Christ.

Come and hear the Gospel.

Come and read the Word.

And ultimately:

Come to Jesus.

The Open Gospel is an invitation to return to the biblical Gospel.

Not to a personality.

Not to a denomination.

Not to a political identity.

Not to a cultural identity.

Not to human tradition as the final authority.

But to Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

The invitation remains open:

Come to Christ.

The Invitation

Perhaps God has been reminding you today that the Gospel was never meant to remain hidden. you have been afraid to speak about Jesus.

Maybe you have assumed that Gospel proclamation is only for pastors, missionaries, preachers, or evangelists.

Or you have been more concerned about people’s opinions than about faithfully pointing them toward Christ.

Or perhaps you have simply never learned how to explain the Gospel clearly.

Today, remember:

You are not the Saviour.

Christ is.

You are not responsible for controlling someone’s response.

You are responsible for faithfully bearing witness to Jesus when God gives you the opportunity.

You do not need to be impressive.

You need to be faithful.

You do not need to win every argument.

You need to speak the truth with love, gentleness, courage, and respect.

And you do not need to change the Gospel to make it acceptable.

Proclaim Christ.

Trust God with the response.

Let the Gospel remain the Gospel.