Put on Your Gospel Hat

We all wear many hats and those hats usually change with the different places we go. The “work hat” is worn Monday through Friday. “Student hat” late at night as we complete another essay. “Friend hat” when we meet for a girls night. “Neighbor hat” when we walk the extra tomatoes from our garden to the folks next door. “Church hat” Sunday mornings and Wednesday evening for Bible study. We might also have a “wife hat,” “mom hat,” “chef hat,” etc., etc., etc. But what about our “Gospel hat”? Is it the same as our “church hat” or is it something different? More importantly, when do we put it on and when do we take it off?

The Great Commission

This month the Do Not Depart contributors are writing about missional living — living as disciples of Christ, striving to represent His kingdom well, and carrying out His mission on earth. When I think of this I think of the great commission. 

Just before He ascended to Heaven, Jesus spoke to His disciples. He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19). Jesus assigned them a mission and, as disciples born of their obedience, we are assigned this mission as well.

To go and make disciples looks a little different for each of us depending on where God has situated us on this planet. However, no matter who we are, where we are, or what we do for a living we can start tackling this assignment right away. We can begin sharing the gospel with the people around us — with our families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

The Gospel is the Key to the Mission

The Gospel is the most wonderful news on the planet. The Gospel tells us that the one perfect, holy God stepped out of heaven to save us — people who are ugly rotten sinners deserving of death. He did this by living a perfect life but taking our punishment for sin. That punishment? A gruesome death on a Roman cross. 

But the Gospel doesn’t stop there. Not only did Jesus take our punishment, He rose from the grave defeating eternal spiritual death. He also gives us His reward for living His perfect life. Those that put their faith in Him are forgiven of their sins, made holy and blameless, and are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3-7).

The Gospel is wonderful news and we need to live it.

Living the Gospel starts with remembering that we were once enemies of God. Before someone shared the Gospel with us, before the Holy Spirit got ahold of our hearts, before we confessed our sins and put our faith in Jesus we walked and talked how we wanted, we indulge our lusts, and fulfilled the desires of our flesh. We did all that and God still made a way for us to be alive together with Christ (read Ephesians 2:1-4). We cannot forget this as we go on a mission for Jesus sharing His gospel. By grace you have been saved! And it is by grace that others will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as well.

Sharing the Gospel with Your Actions

Many of us have heard that our actions speak louder than our words. This is because when we say one thing and do another, people notice. If we say that we have been saved by grace, but do not show grace to others we are hypocrites. Instead we need to treat others… no we need to love others the way God has loved us.

Sharing the Gospel with our actions means what we do and how we treat people reflects what God did for us and how He continues to treat us. Here are just a few examples of how that looks:

• • Forgiving those who have hurt you. Jesus forgave while hanging on the cross. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” — Luke 23:34
  • Choosing not to judge. Jesus looked at the woman caught in adultery and said, “‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘ No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.’” — John 8:10-11
  • Returning a blessing for a curse. Peter wrote, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing… For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…” — 1 Peter 2:9, 18
  • Speaking kindly of others and choosing not to gossip. Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” I hear a lot of people say that if something is true then it’s not gossip. If what is “true” is not your information to share or sharing does not give grace to the person you are speaking about, then you are gossiping.
  • Displaying contentment and joy in all circumstances. We live on Earth so this is difficult. However, meditating on what Jesus has done for us helps us to keep our eyes on things above, not on things of the earth (Colossians 3:2). 

When we display these types of behaviors to those around us, it glorifies God. It displays a way of life that is more appealing than anything this world has to offer.  People become curious and start to ask why we are different.

Sharing the Gospel with Your Words

Many of us feel awkward or uncomfortable when it comes to talking about Jesus. Perhaps we fear making others feel awkward or uncomfortable as well, but it is a fear we need to get over and get over quickly. We wouldn’t feel this way when it comes to talking about other people that we love or care for, such as our friends and family members. If they have done something remarkable we share it. We don’t shy away from talking about these people and we shouldn’t shy away from speaking about Jesus and what He has done for us either.

When it comes to sharing the Gospel verbally it’s important to speak the truth, be specific not vague, and speak about eternity frequently. There is a lot of misinformation about Christianity and what it means to be saved. We must be clear that Christianity is about being in a relationship with Christ and that salvation is received through Christ alone. It cannot be found through anyone or anything else.

We must also speak of our eternity frequently. Earth is not our eternal home. Our eternal home will be heaven or hell depending on whether or not we put our faith in Jesus. For nonbelievers earth is the best their lives will ever be; for believers the best is yet to come. Speaking about eternity is not meant to scare others into being a Christian. Rather it is meant to highlight the fact our full satisfaction and joy will be found in the presence of our Saviour.

Let the Holy Spirit Do His Work

Here is one last thought about sharing the Gospel: it’s not our job to change the hearts of nonbelievers. That job belongs to the Holy Spirit. Jesus asks us to share His good news and then make disciples of those who choose to follow him. 

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces” — Matthew 7:6. In other words, don’t force the Gospel on someone who doesn’t want to hear it. Instead pray for them, asking the Holy Spirit to prepare their hearts to receive the truth of Jesus.

I mentioned at the beginning of the post that we wear many hats throughout the week. We put them on and take them off as we go about our business, but our “Gospel hat” needs to stay put, day in and day out, no matter what we are doing. I guess this isn’t a great metaphor if you are picturing yourself wearing two baseball caps at the same time . But if you realise that your life, every aspect of it, is an avenue to share the gospel with your family, friends and co-workers, then you also realize that your “Gospel hat” replaces all the others. Your “Gospel hat” stays put because it is essential to missional living.