the Breastplate of Righteousness<\/a>, I have a little pneumonic device, an acrostic of sorts, to help you remember these points.<\/p>\nThe acrostic is KISS. K-I-S-S. The first three words are similar to what many of you have probably heard in the past, but I\u2019ve changed the fourth word to better accommodate what I\u2019m trying to say this morning, and to keep this particular acrostic from being so rude. Anyway, the acrostic I\u2019m using this morning, KISS, stands for Keep It Simple, Scriptural. Let\u2019s take these one at a time.<\/p>\n
First, Keep it Simple<\/h2>\n I think sometimes when we try to share the Gospel, or think about the content of the Gospel, we are not very clear. We muddy the water when we try to share it with others because often, we ourselves are unclear about what the Gospel is. So let me try to clear things up a bit for us all this morning.<\/p>\n
There is one and only one essential element to the Gospel message. The one essential element of the Gospel is this\u2014a person must believe in Jesus for eternal life. That\u2019s it. That is the key element. That is the essential ingredient. That is the bulls eye. That is the defining characteristic.<\/p>\n
Whatever else you might want to include, if you don\u2019t have this, you don\u2019t have the Gospel. Faith alone in Christ alone is the center and essence of the Gospel. I hope that clears things up a bit. If you can\u2019t remember what to say when witnessing, at least remember the phrase \u201cbelieve in Jesus Christ for eternal life.\u201d That is the centerpiece of the Gospel.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at this another way. If a person believes that there is a God, and they believe that they are a sinner, and they believe that Jesus Christ is God who cam in the flesh, was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life.<\/p>\n
If they believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and if they believe that three days after his death, Jesus Christ rose from the dead and if they believe all of these things, but don\u2019t believe in Jesus for eternal life, that person is not saved. That person has not been declared righteous by God. That person had not been justified. You can believe all of those things about Jesus and God, which are good things to believe, but if you don\u2019t believe in Jesus for eternal life, none of it matters. As they say, you\u2019re close, but no cigar.<\/p>\n
If you want the bottom line, if you boil the Gospel down to it\u2019s essential ingredient, if you want to simplify the Gospel message as much as possible, you end up with the single statement\u2014whoever believes in Jesus for eternal life has it.<\/p>\n
Now please don\u2019t misunderstand. All those other things are important. The fact that there is a holy God and the fact that we are sinners shows us that we need a Savior. The fact that Jesus Christ is God\u2019s Son and lived perfectly as a human shows us that Jesus Christ was qualified to be the Savior. The fact that Jesus died on the cross shows us that He paid the penalty as our Savior. The fact that he rose again from the dead shows us that His sacrifice as our Savior was acceptable to God. But none of these facts save a person who believes them. Rather, they all point to the fact that anyone who believes in Jesus for eternal life has it.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s it. That is keeping it simple. Believe in Jesus for eternal life. It doesn\u2019t get any simpler than that.<\/p>\n
But now let\u2019s move on to the second part of KISS, keeping it Scriptural.<\/p>\n
Second, Keep it Scriptural<\/h2>\n If people today are unclear on how to share the simple Gospel message, I think that people are even more unclear on how to share the Scriptural Gospel message. I can\u2019t tell you how many times I have heard on the radio, or have read in books, or have listened to people share their testimony, and the way they present the Gospel is completely unscriptural!<\/p>\n
Aside from all the modern and unscriptural practices of walking an isle, raising a hand, signing a card and saying prayer, there are numerous unscriptural phrases and terms which people use when sharing the Gospel. And, just so you know, I\u2019m not immune to this either. Up until about seven years ago, I doubt very much if I EVER shared the Gospel simply and Scripturally. It has only been in the past three years that I have really solidified in my own mind what the Bible says about the Gospel.<\/p>\n
Let me tell you what I mean with some personal examples, and maybe some of these will ring true with you. I don\u2019t know how many times in the past I used to tell people to \u201cask Jesus into their heart.\u201d I think I\u2019ve mentioned this in previous sermons, but that phrase is very unclear and very unscriptural. Nowhere in the Bible are we told to \u201cask Jesus into our heart.\u201d I came to this understanding when I read a great piece of literature available for free online called \u201cSeven Reasons not to ask Jesus into your heart.\u201d It is available online at www.duluthbible.org if you want to read it for yourself. Basically, aside from being unscriptural, the article says that such a statement is potentially misleading and confusing.<\/p>\n
What makes it worse though, is that a person can ask Jesus into their heart and not be saved. Bob Wilkin, the president and founder of the Grace Evangelical Society, whose house I stayed at two weeks ago when I was in Texas, told of a time many, many years ago when he was witnessing to a man, and Bob told the man that to be saved, he needed to ask Jesus into his heart. So the man did. But later, in talking to the man, Bob discovered that he was part of the Bahai faith, and Bahai\u2019s, kind of to cover all their bases, ask all the prophets to come into their hearts. Along with Jesus, he had previously asked Mohammed to come into his heart and Buddha to come into his heart. So you see, a person can ask Jesus into their heart, and not be placing faith in Christ alone.<\/p>\n
Asking Jesus into your heart is probably the most prominently misused phrase today in evangelistic efforts. But on the back of your sermon notes, I have about twenty others that I have used in the past, or have heard others use which are just as unscriptural.<\/p>\n
The Unscriptural Gospel<\/h2>\n Believe and ___________ (Repent, confess, be baptized, etc.). \nAccept Christ as your Lord and Savior. \nRepent of your sins. \nConfess your sins. \nBe sorry for your sins. \nBe willing to give up your sins. \nConfess Christ. \nFollow Christ. \nAccept Jesus as your personal savior. \nCommit\/submit\/surrender your life to Christ. \nPut Christ on the throne of your life. \nTurn your life over to Christ. \nGive your heart\/life to Christ. \nLet go and let God. \nBelieve in God. \nHave faith. \nBelieve that Jesus died on the cross. \nAsk\/invite Christ into your heart\/life. \nPray this prayer. \nWalk an isle. \nCome forward. \nRaise your hand. \nSign this card.<\/p>\n
So if none of these are Scriptural ways of presenting the Gospel, what is the Scriptural way? The Scripture is very clear about how to receive eternal life. The Bible says that anyone who believes in Jesus for eternal life receives it. Jesus guarantees eternal life to anyone who believes in Him for it. That is what the Scripture teaches. In fact, in the New Testament, there are 185 references to the fact that the only way to receive eternal life is by believing in Jesus Christ for it.<\/p>\n
The Bible is very clear. A person receives eternal life simply and only by believing in Jesus for it. Faith alone in Christ alone. That has always been and always will be the clear Gospel message. I think this handout makes that crystal clear.<\/p>\n
But knowing the Gospel is not putting on the sandals remember? According to Ephesians 6:15, putting on the sandals is the preparation of the Gospel. You put on the sandals when you prepare and plan to share the Gospel. And there is so much I could teach you on this, and so much more I still need to learn. But let me just share with you what I have found in the past several months works the best for me. Let me share with you how I have prepared to share the Gospel.<\/p>\n
First of all, I pray for God to send evangelistic opportunities my way. This, I have found, is a prayer request God loves to answer. Even during weeks when I barely get out of my study, someone calls me on the phone, or stops in at my study and I somehow get an opportunity to share a little bit of the Gospel with them.<\/p>\n
So prayer is the first step of preparation. Pray for God to send people to you who need to hear the good news. And then, be watching for them to appear. But when God does send somebody your way, you need to be ready to share. (Two steps for Two Sandals)<\/p>\n
And again, while there is a lot of freedom and liberty here, we are talking about keeping it Scriptural, and so I have found that by far, the best thing I can do is use Scripture. The Word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword. And we know that the Word of God does not return void.<\/p>\n
The best words to use when sharing the Gospel are Scriptural words, and the phrase you definitely want to include whenever you share the Gospel are the words, \u201call you need to do is believe in Jesus for eternal life.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you were going to pick a single book of the Bible which most clearly presented the Gospel, just from looking at the references, which of the books do you think would be best to use? The Gospel of John is the only book of the Bible where it\u2019s stated purpose is evangelism. The Gospel of John, unlike any other book of the New Testament, was specifically written so that those who read it would believe in Jesus for eternal life. That is why it contains the message of eternal life by faith in Christ so frequently.<\/p>\n
So when I am talking with someone, I will often take a little gospel of John, I prefer the ones called Living Water since they have little notes that remind me what verses are key, and what the verses mean, and in just a minute or two, can show a person from Scripture that to get eternal life, all they have to do is believe in Jesus for it.<\/p>\n
And if you start making this a practice of yours as well, then you also can have firm footing on the battlefield of life. To have firm footing, you must know that you have eternal life by faith in Christ, and you must know how\u2014and be ready and willing\u2014to share this message with others.<\/p>\n
This is how you shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Knowing the Gospel and having a plan to share it will greatly aid you in staying on your feet during spiritual battle. It will keep you from becoming muddled and unclear as you bring good news of peace to a world that needs to hear.<\/p>\n <\/a>Do you want to learn about spiritual warfare and how to put on the full armor of God?<\/strong> If you want to defeat sin and gain victory in your life over temptation so you can better follow Jesus, take my course on the Armor of God as it is explained in Ephesians 6:10-20. \r\n\r\nThis course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group<\/a>, you can to take the entire course for free.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/one_verse\/www.tillhecomes.org\/Bible\/Audio\/Ephesians\/Eph_6_15.mp3NOTE: There is an updated and revised version of this study here: Putting on the Sandals of the Gospel (Ephesians 6:15) I had a key in my pocket, but there were coins in my pocket too, and so I had some trouble finding the key. I pulled out a piece of gum, but when I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9680,"parent":9691,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-9718","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n
Ephesians 6:15 - The Sandals of the Gospel - Redeeming God<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n