The primary call on Christians is to follow Jesus, to become like our Rabbi. At the top of the list is learning, loving and living the Scriptures. Every Jesus follower should be immersed in the Word of God in a way that leads to thinking that is shaped by biblical truth and a life that aligns with all God teaches in his Word.
There are many reasons that Bible engagement is essential for a healthy Christian life, one being that the Bible is fuel for the gospel. When we read the Scriptures from beginning to end, one of the dominant themes is that God loves lost and broken people. He is seeking to bring redemption, hope and life to wandering sheep. God desires intimate fellowship with the people he has created, and his grace is sufficient to bring us back into fellowship with him.
The Story of Salvation
Anyone who reads the Old Testament with eyes to see will discover that God is in the business of saving sinful people. In the opening chapters of the Bible, we see humanity rebelling and sinning against God. The Creator does not abandon Adam and Eve but begins a plan of redemption as he protects and provides for his wayward children.
Abraham is told that God will bless him so that through him all the nations of the world will be blessed (Gen. 12:2). When the Passover lamb was slain and blood was placed on the doorway as a sign of protection from judgment and death (Exod. 12), we see a foreshadowing of the cross and Jesus’ final sacrifice for sin. Many of the prophets pointed to the coming Messiah and Savior. Jonah painted a picture of God’s amazing grace for sinful people, and he still reminds us that our God is more compassionate toward sinners than we are.
When we get to the New Testament, one of the dominant themes is Jesus’ sacrifice and the offer to save lost people who are willing to repent and follow him. Jesus had a mission statement. He was clear that he came to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
As disciples of Jesus, his mission becomes ours. As biblical Christians, the call to be a blessing to all the nations should stir our hearts. The call to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19) should ring in our ears.
Discovering Truth
I sat with a Jewish man recently and talked about life and faith. I did not try to share a neatly designed and practiced gospel presentation. I did not pressure him to become a Christian at the end of our first in-depth conversation. I did not even try to use apologetics to prove that Jesus is exactly who he said he was, the long-awaited Messiah. I just listened to his story. I asked a lot of questions. Then I gave him a challenge.
I invited this curious, bright and thoughtful man to read the four Gospels with his wife, who is a passionate Christian. I explained that each of these brief stories about the life of Jesus each come from a unique vantage point. We talked about how four witnesses on four street corners who all see the same accident each have a distinct and needed perspective. The best way to get the whole story is to bring together their four accounts of what they witnessed. I suggested that this would give him a powerful picture of who Jesus was and a sense of why so many Jewish people in the first century (and many today) embraced him as the Messiah and Savior.
We decided that it would be meaningful to meet again after he had read this portion of the Christian Bible and continue our conversation. I am praying that the Holy Spirit of God will speak to him in this process (and I invite you to pause right now and pray for him too).
It is my love for the Scriptures and daily engagement with the Bible that prepared me for that conversation. It will be his reading of the Bible that could very well open his eyes and heart to Jesus as the Savior and anticipated Messiah. Oftentimes the place of the Bible in the heart and mind of a Christian and the truth of the Bible shared with a spiritual seeker is exactly what the Holy Spirit uses as fuel for spiritual conversations and movement toward Jesus, the truth of heaven.
Fuel for the Journey
Church leaders, parents, those who are walking with a person whom they are discipling, or anyone with spiritual influence should help other believers dig deeply into the Scriptures and mine lessons on evangelism. Here are a few simple ways forward:
1. Search the four Gospels. Read or listen to the four Gospels and look for lessons, truths and examples of Jesus and his disciples that point to sharing God’s truth and love with people who are still far from God. Pray that your heart will become like Jesus’ and that you will love people the way he did. Follow the example of Jesus in how you relate to the people God brings into your life.
2. Read the book of Jonah. The four short chapters of Jonah are easy to read or listen to, and they reveal God’s missionary heart. There is a sad and humorous juxtaposition of Jonah—the one called to preach a message of repentance—and the God who is ready to offer grace to a violent and bloodthirsty nation of people. Look for lessons about the heart of God, and learn from the bad example of a wayward prophet who did not want people to receive God’s compassionate love.
3. Study the messianic prophecies. Do an online search for a list of Old Testament prophecies about the coming of Jesus. Jews for Jesus (JewsForJesus.org) has a nice list. Read the passages and the fulfillments and see what you learn.
4. Learn from the early church. Read or listen to the Book of Acts and make a list of ways that early Christians shared their faith, told the story of Jesus and reached out with the good news of the gospel.
5. Listen to the apostle Paul. Walk through Paul’s letters in the New Testament and look for his teaching on Jesus as the Savior. Also, pay attention to how he called believers to share their faith in organic ways. Paul was a master missionary and communicator, and there is much to learn from his example.
6. Do your own study. If you have favorite passages about the gospel, about sharing faith, about who Jesus was, or about anything that centers on sharing the love, truth and grace of Jesus, design your own study and share it with others.
Since God’s Word is one of the best sources of fuel for sharing the gospel, let’s go deep into the Scriptures, and let’s help other believers do the same. Finally, if you are able to guide a spiritually curious nonbeliever through part of the Bible, go for it.